When he’d felt more alive.
Logan knew tonight, he’d found his true purpose. He had to believe he’d been set on this path for a reason—that he was bound to collide with a girl who’d become his hope just like he’d become hers.
Like the two of them had been called to meet at this very time and place.
Their soul’s destination.
Joy riding on his face, he climbed out of his car and strode up to the house.
He put his key into the lock of the side door and let himself into the kitchen. He almost stumbled when he walked in and found all three of his brothers sitting around the table drinking beers.
“Ah, there’s the birthday boy,” Jud said, lifting his bottle as Logan stepped farther into the kitchen and shut the door behind him.
Trent had been wearing what could have been construed as a smile until he focused in on Logan’s face. He was out of his chair and on his feet in a flash. “What the fuck happened to you? Who did this?”
Trent was already halfway to the door, booted feet thudding with retaliation.
Fuck.
Logan hadn’t anticipated an encounter with Trent. He’d figured he’d be able to slink into his room the way he did most nights, patch himself up, and no one would have been the wiser.
Jud got to his feet, too, hand in a fist around his bottle and murder written on his face. “Just need a name or two and Trent and I will be on our way.”
“It’s fine.” A war went down inside of Logan. He had to be careful. Like Aster had said. He couldn’t mess this up before he even figured out how he was going to get Aster out of there.
“It doesn’t look fine to me.” Concern moved through Nathan’s expression, unease billowing from him in waves as he slowly stood from where he’d sat. “Are you okay, man?”
It was funny that Nathan was Trent’s twin. They basically looked like replicas of the other in that kitchen, yet Nathan’s vibe was the opposite. Anyone could see Nathan was the softest of the Lawson Brothers. Quiet and reserved. Working at a local hardware store. One-hundred-percent outside the business.
Logan had heard their father tell another Iron Owl that Nathan couldn’t hack it.
That he was a pussy.
A weak link.
The way Logan saw it, Nathan was likely the bravest of them all.
Standing his ground. Living his life right.
Logan forced himself to crack a smirk like the altercation hadn’t been a big deal. “Yeah, stopped for gas on the way back. Couple of pricks thought they’d scored themselves an easy target.”
“Looks like they scored to me,” Trent spat.
“Nah, man. Fuckers got what was coming to them. Not to worry. It’s all taken care of.”
Logan silently swore one day that statement would be true.
Jud frowned, then laughed. “Well, shit, man, here we came to take you out. Show you the town for your birthday. Find you a sweet girl to sit on your lap. And you stroll in busted to shit.”
Unease stirred.
He hated keeping secrets from his brothers, but there was no chance in hell he could dish about what was going down with Aster. The mess he’d found himself in, a mess he wanted more than life, the truth that he didn’t want any other girl.
He only wanted her.
And if Trent found out he’d gone up against Jarek Urso?
Dude would lose his ever-lovin’ mind.