Filed to story: The Mindf*ck Series Read Online Free
That’s when there’s a knock at the door, pausing our conversation.
“Yeah?” Lana calls out, her body sprawled across mine.
“I hate to break up the reunion, but there’s an emergency meeting going on right now. Donny says we need to be at the cabins ASAP.”
“Shit,” I groan, cursing the day already.
Lana rolls off me with effortless grace and grabs a robe, tying it together before I even manage to pry myself from the bed. She leans against the wall and just watches me as I quickly dress.
“You’re good, Logan,” Lana says quietly, drawing my attention to her as she perches on the edge of a dresser. “It’s the thing I love most about you. Do whatever you feel is right. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay.”
I knew what her answer was going to be when I asked the question last night, but hearing the finality in her tone is like a sledgehammer to my stomach.
“This isn’t goodbye, Lana. I’ll be back tonight. We may have to actually sleep, but I will be back.”
She smiles at me, but it’s weighted once again.
I turn my phone back on, letting it go crazy with messages I don’t have time to read. Instead of wasting these last few minutes, I kiss her, letting her know I love her even if she is choosing to finish this.
My head is still spinning with a thousand conflicting arguments as to why this is wrong or right, but I refuse to give her up.
“Later,” I say against her lips.
“Later,” she whispers back.
Hadley and I leave and head to her vehicle, and I take in her disheveled hair and realize…that house has only two bedrooms.
“I thought you were gay,” I say as she works from her laptop in the passenger seat in the silver car she got from who knows where.
“I told you I wasn’t. I’ve always liked guys and girls…but you know what? Let’s have this conversation later. Whatever is bugging Donny has me worried.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing,” I say dismissively.
It’s not until we’re almost back at the cabins that I realize I never got an answer to the question I asked Lana about the original serial killer.
But the look in her eyes told me she knows.
Chapter 9
Everything’s fine today; that is our illusion.
-Voltaire
LANA
“Showtime?” Jake asks as I walk into the living room. My hair is pulled back, my combat boots are on, and my red shirt is the only pop of color on the otherwise black apparel.
“Final countdown.”
I take out the paintbrushes, pull up my hoodie, and grab two cans of paint.
“You take the east, and I’ll take the west. I’m assuming you know what that meeting is about?” Jake asks.
“Yeah. It’s what we predicted from the start. Johnson and the director are about to railroad the entire investigation. Johnson has his target, which happens to be Diana’s son, despite his numerous alibies and the fact he’s states away.”
“And dating a damn fancy lawyer who will give them hell before they ever even think about arresting him,” Jake adds with a smirk.
“It’s almost anti-climatic how predictable they all are.” I feign a sad sigh, but he doesn’t smile the way I expect him to.
“I’m having reservations about the final leg of the plan. I think we should just leave and let the fireworks happen instead of you risking yourself.”
I quirk an eyebrow at him, ignoring all the festering emotions that are aching inside my chest. Today, Logan will leave. Tonight, Logan will be free to forget me.
His life will go on, and he’ll eventually just see this as a blemish in his otherwise flawless character.
“I’m not risking anything but them surviving if we deviate now, Jake. Have a little faith. I’m better than them. They’ve not even laid a hand on me.”
His lips thin, and his gaze flicks to the bullet graze on my bandaged cheek, but he doesn’t argue as we pack our separate vehicles with the paint.
“Quit dawdling. We have an entire town to terrorize,” I say when I know he’s about to press the issue.
He’s worried about me surviving.
I see a life too empty to be concerned with the notion of survival.
Chapter 10
The road to perdition has ever been accompanied by lip service to an ideal.
-Albert Einstein
LOGAN
“You’re fucking kidding me,” I snap, glaring at Johnson as he pokes his chest out, posturing like a motherfucking gorilla about to beat the damn thing.
“You have your orders. You and the rest of your team are to return to Quantico. The director signed off on it. That’s what happens when you stray from the current case to work on a closed case from ten years ago, while people continue to die in this town. Four people in one night died, and you didn’t even bother to ask any questions. Nor did you bother to show up to where all the officers set up to canvas the surrounding woods in that area.”
Donny grips me before I can launch myself at the smug son of a bitch smirking at me.
I brush Donny off, grabbing my phone as I walk out the door, ignoring the stupid fucking deputy who has the audacity to act like he’s going to lead me to one of the SUVs.
Collins finally answers, and I immediately start snapping at him.
“You’re letting this happen? You’re letting them pull us out so they can do what? Launch a new witch hunt like the one they did ten years ago? It’s obvious they didn’t learn their lesson. You’re really going after a pro athlete with a fucking lawyer girlfriend?”
Collins heaves out a breath. “It’s out of my hands, and the girlfriend already knew about the intent to arrest before it was ever decided. Obviously they have a leak, and she’s pretty much squashed their entire case. It’s not going to be like last time.”
There’s no fucking leak. Lana or Jake knew this was coming and warned them through Diana most likely. Or in a way that didn’t give them away. Or maybe they just don’t care who knows at this point and are gambling more.
They can’t manufacture evidence this time, because Diana’s son has airtight alibies. It’d be too obvious.
“Get back,” Collins says.
“Fuck that. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You have to, Logan,” he says, exasperated. “The director has called a meeting to see about having you removed from all your duties, pending an investigation into your actions. He’s claiming your entire team is compromised and exhibiting signs of empathy with the killer. He even said you helped a woman and child leave town, despite her husband’s murder, along with two other murders in her home, before you even reported the latter two murders. I told you to be discreet when looking into the past case. You ignored me.”
“So you’re playing politics. I thought you were better than that. And the woman had no hand in those murders. Someone else acted on her behalf in self-defense. Those men were sent to silence Cheyenne Murdock.”
He grows quiet for a moment, and I turn to see the rest of my team already packing up, giving in so easily. I can’t fucking leave Lana in this town. I’ll quit and stay here on my own if they try to make me.
“I’m not playing politics, but I do have to play their game until I can see if that evidence you recovered is enough. If you don’t leave and return to us willingly, Johnson will arrest you for obstruction, and I can’t save you from anything while you’re there. It could be too late before I get there. Don’t risk it. It’s not worth it. Keep a lid on what you’ve discovered. Just come back. Don’t let them toss you in one of their cells. You know what that town is capable of.”
My eyes rake over the men here. No doubt Lana wouldn’t trust me to take care of myself if I was locked up here. Too many violent memories from the past would have her risking her life to come after me.
And that’s the only reason I won’t risk it.
“Fine,” I bite out. “But you better have this resolved by the time I return so I can come right back.”
“I’m trying, Logan. I really am. Just give me some time to-“
A loud white noise sound comes over the speakers, and my eyes flick to the television in the living room. I vaguely remember the only innocent deputy telling me the sheriff owned the television network service, and he had a special broadcasting ability.
But that’s not him broadcasting.
“Logan?” Collins prompts, but I ignore him as I walk into the living room, watching the slideshow unfold on the television. It’s just a few pictures of the town at sunset, all of them flicking around at random.
A voice comes on, speaking like the damn creepy voice from SAW.