Chapter 36

CHAPTER 36

W hy did he have to make everything so damn difficult, Jill found herself wondering with a heartfelt sigh as she typed “Angel” into the cellphone that she’d helped herself to when Logan was distracted. That was followed by pulling the comforter that she’d wrapped herself in after the cold shower that she’d been forced to take so that she could think straight again tightly around her before rolling onto her side as she found herself wondering what the hell she was doing.

She’d worked so hard to forget about her mother and did everything that she could to make sure that she didn’t end up like her. Every decision that she’d made since she was fifteen years old was to make sure that she didn’t turn into Candy. She wasn’t perfect, far from it, but she was nothing like her mother and that was enough.

Until now.

Now, the only thing that she wanted was to climb back onto Logan’s lap and-

Found herself wondering just how pathetic this made her.

She wasn’t her mother and Logan was nothing like the men that her mother used to bring around them, Jill reminded herself as she searched through the large selection of apps that filled his phone. He was a good man who was forced to watch as the woman that he loved was killed. He wanted revenge and she couldn’t blame him. She’d never been in love before, but she knew without a doubt that she would never survive watching someone that she loved die in front of her and thanks to her father, she never would.

Her father turned Madison, giving her immortality and her little brothers would reach their immortality when they turned sixteen. Her brother Chris and his mate Izzy were Sentinels and could potentially live for two hundred years. She was counting on her father to figure out a way to save them before the time came. If he didn’t turn Chris and Izzy’s children, then Kale probably would. Either way, she knew that they were safe.

She-

“I’m curious about something,” came the softly murmured words as she watched a familiar tan hand pluck the phone out of her hand.

“And what would that be?” Jill asked as she looked up to find Logan absently scrolling through his phone.

“This skill of yours,” Logan said as he leaned back against the door frame.

“And what skill would that be?” Jill asked, watching him curiously.

“The one that you’re most likely going to change the subject for so that you can avoid the question,” Logan drawled as he shifted his attention to the stack of books that Jill kept on the floor by her mattress.

Since she felt that it was still in her best interest to avoid answering as many questions as humanly possible, Jill decided to go with it and asked one of her own. “What exactly are you doing?”

“Killing time,” Logan murmured absently as he took in the rest of her closet.

“Until…”

“That depends on how this plays out,” Logan said, taking in the Christmas lights she strung up before he focused on her.

“That sounds ominous,” Jill said, reaching up to grab another pillow to shove behind her head so that she could watch him.

“Does it?”

“Oh, it definitely does, which makes me wonder why you’re in here just before the crack of dawn to play twenty questions,” Jill said, noting the strain around his eyes and found herself wondering when the last time that he slept for more than a few hours was.

“I’m trying to decide my next move,” Logan admitted, watching her curiously.

“What are the choices?” Jill asked, shifting to get more comfortable.

“Tell me something, Angel,” Logan said instead.

“What’s that?” Jill said, biting back a disappointed sigh when he didn’t answer her, but then again, that was how their game was played.

“If I released you, what would you do?” Logan asked, watching her curiously.

“For the sake of this hypothetical question, I’m assuming that there aren’t any shifters guarding the building and no one is looking for us with the hopes of draining the children dry and ripping my heart out of my chest for shits and giggles?” Jill asked, blinking up at the large man watching her.

“Something like that,” he murmured, gesturing for her to answer the question.

“I would take the children away from here.”

“And where would you take them?” Logan asked, looking lost in thought as he absently tapped his finger against the back of his phone.

“Far away from here,” she said, hating the fact that they were stuck here.

“The penthouse isn’t up to your standards?” Logan asked as that finger continued tapping against the back of his phone.

“The penthouse is absolutely beautiful, but it’s located in the middle of a city where hundreds of vampires, shifters, and demons, who wouldn’t hesitate to kill three marked shifter children, roam free. That’s if the Sentinels don’t find them first,” Jill said as she met his gaze. “They deserve better than this, Logan. After everything that they’ve been through, they deserve a real home where they’re loved.”

“And you would give that to them?” Logan asked, watching her curiously.

“In a heartbeat,” Jill said with absolutely no hesitation.

Absently nodding, Logan raised his phone as he swiped his finger across the screen, tapped the screen twice seconds before she felt the metal cuff wrapped around her ankle suddenly go slack with an audible click.

“Be ready in ten minutes.”

“Ready for what?” Jill asked as she shoved the comforter aside so that she could pull her leg free from the metal cuff before he changed his mind and-

“I’m taking you home,” Logan said, making her frown as she glanced up to find him watching her through silver eyes.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Jill demanded as she moved to stand up only to go still at his next words.

“The building is surrounded by vampires, shifters, demons, and Sentinels and the only thing that’s keeping them out right now are the shifters and demons that I paid to secure the building.”

“In less than an hour, the sun is going to rise, forcing the vampires to seek shelter and leaving the shifters and demons with no choice but to play nice for the humans. At that point, they’re going to find out everything that they can about this building, looking for a way inside. A few hours after that, they’re going to find out about the service elevator that leads to the roof and sub-basement that connects to the parking garage across the street.”

“While they’re trying to figure out their next move, I’m going to take you and the children down that service elevator and through the tunnel before it’s too late,” Logan explained as he pushed away from the door and walked away, leaving her sitting there, trying to wrap her mind around what he just said and once she did, Jill moved her ass.

She quickly reached beneath her mattress and grabbed the backpack that she’d shoved under there a few months ago. After a slight hesitation, she grabbed one of the stakes that she’d made and shoved it in the bag and quickly made her way to the bathroom.

Not really sure where “Home” was and not really caring, not when it meant that she was finally free and getting the children out of this mess, she tossed the backpack on the counter and made her way to the towel closet. After a quick search, Jill pulled out the clothes and sneakers that she’d asked for a few months ago so that she wouldn’t be forced to try to escape in a sundress and bikini bottoms and quickly got dressed.

Two minutes later, she was going through her bag and double-checking that the credit card and the money that she’d been helping herself to from Logan’s wallet over the last month was still in there before making her way to the living room. She grabbed several bags of blood and shoved them in her backpack along with a few snacks for the children.

“What’s going on?” came the sleepily mumbled question that drew Jill’s attention to find Logan carrying the twins into the living room with Shane stumbling after them, looking exhausted.

“We’re leaving,” Logan said as he placed the twins down on the couch and pulled the backpack that she hadn’t noticed before off his shoulder and quickly searched through it.

“Where are we going?” Caleb mumbled sleepily, hugging his teddy bear tightly against his chest as Logan made quick work of helping Emma change into the clothes that he’d picked out for her.

“We’re not going back to that compound,” Shane bit out as the scent of his fear reached her.

“No, you’re not,” Logan murmured absently as he tied Emma’s shoelaces before reaching into the bag and grabbed another set of clothes and tossed them to Shane. “You’re going home.”

“What are you talking about?” Shane asked as Logan began helping Caleb get dressed.

“I’m giving you a chance to leave this all behind and start over, but we have to leave now,” Logan said, tossing Caleb’s pajamas onto the couch. Swallowing hard, Shane reluctantly nodded as he quickly stripped out of his pajamas and pulled on the clothes that Logan picked out for him.

“What’s the plan?” Jill asked as she grabbed the kids’ discarded pajamas and shoved them in her backpack and-

“I’m going to end this once and for all.”