The bell ending third period sounded. He looked frantically for Tara in the crowding halls, but saw no sign of her. Panic nearly choked him.
Damn it, why hadn’t he heeded the threat?
Hunter frowned. “Given Mom’s brutal murder, if some ass**le is threatening Tara, I’d take it seriously and walk away.”
Do without Cherry? Tears stung Logan’s eyes. Until yesterday, he hadn’t cried about anything or anyone since he was nine. But he’d shed tears for Mom—and now for Tara.
Maybe dealing with all the shock and death of the last twenty-four hours had changed him, but Logan feared that he couldn’t live without Tara Jacobs. And he couldn’t take another loss now, especially not hers.
“But I love her.”
Hunter’s face turned grim. “If that’s the case, then you’d rather see her alive, right?”
God, what kind of question was that? Of course. But . . . Jesus. He hated this feeling of helplessness, of his entire life being ripped apart all at once and him being unable to stop it.
With a clap on the back, Hunter said, “I get that this is hurting you, man. But better you hurt than her.”
He’s right. Swallowing the feeling of sick dread roiling through him, Logan turned away, opened his locker. Relief poured over him to find a neatly folded piece of paper. Maybe Tara had been running late this morning to school and left a note. She’d done that once after a dentist appointment. God, let her be all right. With shaking hands, he tore into the white paper.
You didn’t listen. Tara paid.
Air left his body with a whoosh as if he’d been punched by a battering ram. Oh shit! He couldn ’t breathe, couldn’t blink. People moved in the halls around Logan, but for him, time stood still, while inside, he screamed a silent no!!!!
Over his shoulder, Hunter read the note and cursed. “Whoever’s behind this is isn’t f**king around. They know who you are, where you live, and how you feel.”
Every word of truth Hunter spoke stabbed him. What the f**k was he going to do? “Why her? What if she’s been killed?”
“I don’t know. But if, by some chance, Tara is still alive, you need to stay away from that girl.”
Crumpling the note in his fist, Logan tried not to cry again as he shoved it in his pocket and reached for his phone and dialed once more. He just needed to know that she was all right. Tara’s voicemail picked up. He closed the phone and shoved it in his pocket.
Please be okay. Please . . . She had to be safe. If she wasn’t, it would be his fault for calling her, for doing exactly what he’d been warned against. And he’d lose another loved one to terrible, sudden violence.
“I have to take a Government test,” Hunter murmured. “I’ll see you at lunch. We’ll talk more.”
Absently, Logan nodded, his head still spinning as his brother walked away.
Fourth period was about to begin. And still, Tara hadn’t come to her locker, only three down from his own. If she didn’t, it would all be his fault. Logan raked a hand through his hair. Tara was so smart and responsible. She would never have missed school unless something was wrong.
On autopilot, he grabbed his books and closed his locker, fear eating at his composure. To say that the day before had been both the best and the worst of his life would be a gross understatement. His thrill that he’d finally made Cherry his had totally amplified the horror of discovering his mom’s body. The worry that he’d spelled Tara’s doom only made it all worse.
“Logan?” a shy voice whispered.
Cherry!
He whirled to find her standing beside her locker, pretty brown eyes bouncing up to his face, her expression concerned. Relief poured thorough him, and he ached to grab her, kiss her, get inside her again. They’d get busted in the hallways if he did more than hold her hand. He didn’t care about getting caught himself, but her overprotective stepfather already disapproved of him, an experienced jock sniffing around his pristine daughter. If Logan lured Adam Sterling’s valedictorian-in-training into trouble, the man would only try harder to pull them apart.
“I’ve been trying to call you.” It came out like an accusation, but Logan was too strung out on worry to take it back.
“Sorry. I dropped my phone last night. It broke.”
Logan released the last of his breath he’d been holding. That was it? Thank God it hadn’t been anything more serious. Thank God no one had harmed her.
At least not yet.
He stared, not sure how to how to explain his behavior. Not sure how much longer he could stop himself from touching her.
Then he realized that he shouldn’t do either. He shouldn’t even be talking to her now.