Page 25

Chapter

Twenty-Five

LOGAN

I was sitting at my desk, going over paperwork and staring at files. My anger still hadn’t cooled since the meeting with my Captain that morning. I was tired, and my stomach was gnawing at me after having nothing in it but stale police department coffee. I rubbed at my temples, a headache beginning to throb painfully there.

A knock sounded at the open door to my office, and I glanced up to see a uniformed officer standing there holding a package. “Detective Storm. This came for you a few minutes ago downstairs. It was dropped off via courier.” I waved him in, and he set down the package on the desktop in front of me. I waved him off with thanks, and he walked out with a quick nod.

The package was wrapped in brown paper and tied with twine. It wasn’t large, perhaps about 12 inches long and just a few inches wide. Curious, I pulled on the string and pulled back the paper to reveal a slim, plain white box. Lifting the lid, it took me a few seconds as I blinked down at what I was seeing to realize what it was. The small dagger was what Bridgette had said was an athame, and I recognized it as the same one that had been inside the glass case of her shop. She’d been cleaning all of them when I showed up last night. I noticed a piece of paper underneath the gleaming metal. I carefully withdrew it and unfolded it to reveal a note with only a few words on it.

This is your murder weapon.

I closed my eyes and blew out a breath. It was probably what Bridgette was trying to call me about earlier when I had to tell her that she was no longer allowed to be a part of my investigation.

“Fuck,” I snarled as I stared down at the metal blade. The dark red stones glittered up at me ominously. The fact that she had the murder weapon all along wasn’t going to help her case if anybody found out about it. I couldn’t find myself doubting her words. If Bridgette thought the athame to be the murder weapon, then I believed her. It was also becoming clearer why her hair had been found at the scene of the murder. A strand must have been caught on one of the stones or the metal.

“ Fuck ,” I repeated.

I stood to my feet and picked up the brown paper and twin before folding them together and stuffing them into my pocket along with the note. I placed the lid back onto the box. After picking the box and my phone up, I strode out of my office. On my way to the elevator, I dialed Mac.

“Hey, Mac. Something just came up. Can you meet me at the lead crime scene’s office?”

“I would say that the probability that this is the murder weapon is greater than 90%.” I watched as Shauna turned the weapon over in her hands. She’d already taken several measurements and compared them to the notes from the coroner’s report. “I’m assuming you need me to log this into the evidence report for the witch case?”

Internally, I grimaced. I was going against policy, but knowing that the entire investigation was of supernatural origin and would never make it to a human court, I bit back my hesitation. “If you don’t mind. Thanks, Shauna.”

She gave a brisk nod as she turned back to her computer and began typing. “Do you want to share with me how you got your hands on it?” she asked as she turned to look over her shoulder at me with one eyebrow raised.

“It was dropped off by courier just a few minutes ago,” I admitted.

“And you immediately thought that it might be the weapon?” she pushed.

“Shauna,” I began, “you know I am meticulous in my investigations. I knew the details of what to look for in a weapon. I don’t know where it had been hiding all this time, but since it fell into my lap by some mysterious means, I didn’t hesitate to have it tested and logged.”

“Mysterious,” Shauna hummed. “Righty. Okay then. I will log it, then send it in for residue testing. It might be a few weeks before we find out if there is any DNA remaining that can be used later for court.”

“You know we appreciate you, Shauna,” Mac said, clapping a hand on my shoulder. “We’ll get out of your hair so you can get back to it. “Tell your wife that we said hello. She should be due soon, right?”

Shauna turned in her chair, and her usual no-nonsense demeanor that made her a great team lead faded into a soft smile. “The baby is due in two more weeks. Carrie Anne is ready to explode with equal parts impatience and excitement.”

Mac chuckled. “As if you aren’t the same.”

“Oh, I am worse,” she laughed. “Alright, you boys have already taken up way too much of my valuable time. Get the hell out of here.” I gave her a wink and a nod of thanks.

Once we walked back out into the gloomy day, I turned to Mac. “I can’t say where I got it from, so don’t ask.”

He nodded knowingly. “Alright, man. You know I trust you with my life.”

“I appreciate it.” I stuck my hand out for a shake but was pulled into a half-hug, half back slap.

“I don’t suppose this case is going to be closed with a murderer behind bars?”

I shook my head slowly. “There is too much paranormal at play. My guess is that the killer will strike again soon.” I looked down at the ground and wished with every part of me that the next victim wouldn’t have to be the one to end things. Bridgette was adamant that she could handle whatever came her way. I’d only seen small examples of her magic so far, but I trusted the woman. I just hoped the killer hadn’t become so powerful with their stolen magic that my little witch would be outmatched. I looked back up at Mac, who seemed to know the turmoil I was going through. “I have to believe that they will be defeated. I couldn’t say what the showdown would produce. If I can use cuffs on them, I will.”

“That’s all I can ask for. Take care of Bridgette, Storm,” he urged.

“With everything I am,” I swore back to my partner. “I’m going to head to the shop. I don’t like letting her out of my eyesight, and I haven’t seen her since midnight.”

I walked into Oohs, Ahhhs, and Orbs, not hesitating in the slightest to lock the door and turn the CLOSED sign over. It was late enough in the day. I was sure Bridgette was just as tired as I was.

I strode through the shop until I was standing in front of my woman, who was looking up at me with an expression I couldn’t quite decipher, but it made me think she was anxious about something. Cupping her cheeks, I leaned in and took her lips in a hungry kiss. I may have been starved for some warm food, but I was ravenous for the taste of my mate.

As my tongue swept over hers in an erotic dance that I was eager to replicate with more intimate parts of our bodies, Bridgette’s sweet little moans had my blood rushing to my cock so fast I nearly became light headed. I pulled back, taking her full bottom lip between my teeth, then licking the soft flesh there.

I rested my forehead against hers and looked into her beautiful mossy green eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

She smiled softly, a hint of sadness hidden in the depths of her eyes. “No. You don’t have to be sorry. You can’t control everything, Detective,” she teased quietly.

I shook my head. “Still?—”

The sound of my phone dinged in my pocket, alerting me to a text. I gave Bridette an apologetic frown, but she just smiled and waved toward my phone. “You better get that. It might be important.’

With a frustrated sigh, I withdrew my phone and opened my texts, then nearly growled when I saw it wasn’t from work at all.

Kristy: Can we have dinner at our favorite restaurant? I’ll make reservations.

Before I could delete it, reply with “fuck no”, or finally block my ex permanently from my phone and my life, Bridgette was pulling away. I dropped my phone on the counter, uncaring at the moment if it broke into a million pieces. “Where the fuck are you going, little witch?” I demanded as I gripped onto her hand.

Bridgette looked as if she were fighting back tears, and I could have strangled Kristy with my bare hands for hurting my mate. She may not have intentionally tried to hurt her, but she knew sending a text like that would raise questions if my girlfriend saw it.

“Logan,” she began softly, “maybe you should hear Kristy out.” I watched as she turned her head to stare through the window out into the street that was quickly turning dark. She winced and swallowed hard. “She needs you right now.” Her words sounded concerned, even while the pain couldn’t quite be hidden in her eyes.

“You know about the baby,” I said, barely biting back the curse that wanted to explode from me. Even after the threat of incarceration if they didn’t leave Bridgette alone, somehow Kristy and her minion still managed to get to my softhearted woman.

Bridgette turned to look up at me, her eyes shining brightly. She brought a hand up to cup my jaw. “I do. I can understand why she is trying so hard. It must be a scary time for her…” she paused, and I trailed my gaze over her face as she appeared to be in pain, “being a single expectant mother. You and Kristy have a past, Logan. You used to love her for a long time. Maybe it’s time to give her another chance. For the baby’s sake?”

All I could do was blink down at my mate in confusion. Didn’t she know how much she meant to me? The Fates had brought us together because we were perfect together. “What the fuck are you saying, Bridgette?” I demanded. “Help me understand why you would want to throw what we have away.”

Bridgette bit her lip and dropped her hand from my face. She appeared to be struggling with an internal war, and I finally began to panic as I watched every wall that I had torn down two weeks ago, rebuild brick by brick. Fuck, little witch, don’t do this. I begged silently.

“Bridgette,” I grabbed her hand, which was just touching me, and brought it to my chest so she could feel my heart pounding. “I swear to you, there is no reason for you to give up on us. Kristy has meant nothing to me for a very long time. I feel bad for her, but that is as deep as my feelings go. That is not my baby, and I refuse to take responsibility for it.”

“Logan,” she began as she stared at her hand covering my heart, no doubt feeling the racing heartbeat there as my chest rose and fell with the breaths I was having trouble regulating. “I—” She blinked before turning away again.

At the loss of her eyes on me, I felt my world begin to crumble. I was immediately drawn back into the dream where I watched her die, and how it felt to know I was losing her forever. My chest ached with a pain so strong I nearly doubled over with it.

“Is it my job?” I rasped. I cleared my throat, but the grittiness didn’t go away. “I will quit for you, little witch.”

Bridgette whipped her head around in surprise. “What? No! Never. I would never want you to change who you are for me, Logan. I know how much you love your job. Why would I ever want to take that from you?” she demanded with tears swimming in her eyes.

I swept my gaze over her beautiful face and realized that she needed more from me than I had given her. She had pushed aside a lifetime of fear and reservations to try for me. What my mate needed most of all, more than my promises or my presence, was all of me.

“But I love you more, little witch.”

Her indrawn breath was sharp as she stared up at me, searching my face for something only she could identify. “Logan…”

I placed my fingertip over her lips to silence her, needing her to hear what I had to say first before she tore my heart out of my chest. “From the moment I saw you, I felt a connection. Every single second I’ve spent with you since has done nothing but strengthen that to the point that I wouldn’t want to live without you. I would literally die to save you, Bridgette. If you were to leave me now, tomorrow, weeks from now, that isn’t going to change. If anything, my obsession with you will only grow worse as I get to know every part of you even more. I look forward to it, because I know I will only find more things to love about you.”

I swept my thumbs over her cheeks, wiping away the tears that fell as she stared up at me with hope in her eyes.

“You really feel that way about me?” she choked out after a long minute.

“Little witch,” I rasped, “I feel more for you than I could possibly put into words. Can’t you feel it here?” I asked as I brought her hand back to my chest.

She shook her head slowly and blinked away more tears. She pulled her hand away from my chest, and before I could tug it back, she placed our hands on her own chest. “I feel it here.”

I dropped my forehead to rest against hers, the relief so overwhelming that my knees threatened to collapse underneath me. “Thank fuck,” I breathed.

“Logan,” she said softly. “Can you take me to bed now?”

“Fuck, yes, I can. I will do anything for you, little witch.”