Page 31 of Betraying Him
No…
In all the time we’ve spent together, he’s never once brought Harley up in relation to me. I figured he didn’t know what I did and had no idea of this—whatever is going on between me and his friend.
“You knew?” I whisper as my legs collapse, and I land on the corner of his bed. He whirls around in the computer chair, and it’s then I notice the array of screens across one of the walls.
I knew he was good at computers, butthis? This is something else, though it’s probably wiser if I don’t ask for details.
The less I know, the better.
“You know he’d kill me if he walked in here and found you on my bed, right?” he mutters dryly, but even his poor attempt at rare humor isn’t enough to lighten my mood.
“You knew?” I demand, and he sighs, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back in his chair.
Just how much does he know? Does he have all the details, or does he think what I’ve led Harley to believe?
I’m almost afraid of the answer.
“I know everything that goes on around here, whether people know it or not. Harley, in particular, thinks I’m as unaware as the rest of them.”
A breath of relief whooshes out of me when he doesn’t mention more intricate details. I shake my head. “B-but how?”
Logan raises a brow, and I internally repeat my earlier sentiment.
The less I know, the better.
“Okay, okay,” I mutter, and attempt to get back to the topic at hand. “This isn’t about him.”
“So, it’s someone else?” The sharp edge to his voice has me blinking innocently, not wanting to give him ammunition to look further into anything.
“The reason I approached you the first time in the gym was because I wanted to see what type of person you are. I knew what you had done, and I had seen the changes in Harley. I wanted to understand you better, to understand why you did what you did, but why it hurt him so much.
“I think it’s time we’re finally real with each other, Sav, because I genuinely enjoy your friendship, but if you’re asking me to teach you ways to hurt my best friend, then this isn’t gonna work out.”
I’m speechless. Not only because he’s known the entire time and managed to make me believe he didn’t know, but also because that’s the most I’ve ever heard him speak.
“N-none of this is about Harley,” I finally stutter, making sure to keep direct eye contact with him, so he can see the truth in my eyes. “This has never been about him. Regardless of whatever is going on, he’s never been the one I needed to protect myself from. If I could tell you who and what it was really about, then I would, but I can’t. I justcan’tdo it. It’s too dangerous.”
Logan is silent for a moment before he takes a deep breath. “Dangerous for you, or for me?” he asks, hitting the nail on the head.
“It will nevernotbe dangerous for me, and I’m not about to drag you into my problems. I won’t do it.”
“You have to know by now that I can take care of myself, Sav. Let me help you. Even if all I can do is give you an ear to listen, let me.”
I’m already shaking my head before the words leave his lips.
I can’t do it.
I won’t risk him, it’s not worth it.
But then again…
There’s so much I don’t know about Logan, but what I do know is that whatever he gets up to in his free time is not your typical hobby. Hecantake care of himself. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen him with bruised knuckles. Logan has an air of danger around him and has done for as long as I’ve known him.
I turn it over in my mind. Maybe speaking out loud about what’s been going on will make it a little easier to bear…
So, I take a deep breath and do the one thing I swore to myself I would never do—I tell someone.
I tell Logan everything. Every single lie and secret, everything he needs to know and the things he doesn’t. I tell him about how my father is planning to marry me off to someunknown man, and how there will be nothing I can do to get out of it once he finally settles on my suitor. I tell him about the threats, the violence, the neglect. I bare my soul and wait for the world to fall apart around me.
