Virgin Bride(104)

But being locked in a room means you’re always bored, and that’s the real torture. You’re forced to come to grips with yourself and sometimes, it’s not pretty.

For me, it’s accepting how I feel about Logan that’s the hardest thing. It’s so easy to sit around and obsess over every little detail, since that’s all I really have. The books and magazines help, but they don’t take the boredom away completely. I have so much time to sit and think, and all that introspection is exhausting.

I’m lost in one of those introspective spirals when I realize that it’s probably after midnight. The moon is getting lower in the sky as it moves out of orbit. I perk up when I hear footsteps coming down the hall toward me.

The door unlocks and slowly opens. Logan steps inside quickly and looks at me. He holds one finger to his lips and I climb out of bed.

He takes my hand and we leave the room together. We follow the same route we followed before, but this time he makes sure we don’t run into anyone. It takes a little bit longer, but it’s way more exciting than the first time. He’s cool and collected, like he’s done this before, and I can’t help but find him more attractive than ever.

We move in total silence. He communicates with me through simple hand gestures, but there’s not much to say. I understand what we’re doing and part of me knows that it’s a huge risk. He mentioned that something is happening with him and the people here, and I suspect that if we get caught sneaking around, we’ll be killed.

The stakes are high, but that doesn’t matter. I’m with Logan and I trust him implicitly, even if sometimes I question everything. I can’t help myself. I’m stuck in a box with nothing to do but think about every single detail of every conversation I’ve had with him.

In the end though, despite all that introspection, I want him. I believe him. He’s done nothing but prove himself to me, and I need to start accepting that he really is on my side.

Eventually, we slip out through the corrugated metal sheets like we did before, and soon we’re walking along the beach together, the compound walls sinking out of sight.

“Can we talk now?” I ask him, finally breaking our silence.

He grins at me. “Only if you have something nice to say.”

I smile and push him lightly. He’s like a brick wall. He puts his arm around my shoulder and pulls me against him.

“You okay?” he asks.

“I’m fine. I didn’t see anyone all day.” The sand is cool beneath my feet and I pause to take my sandals off.

“Good.” He glances over his shoulder. “I brought you out here for a reason, Riley.”

“What, not just out of the kindness of your heart?”

“No,” he admits, grinning at me. “I needed to get you somewhere that they couldn’t hear us.”

“What’s going on?” I ask him, suddenly stopping. “You’ve been so ...mysterious since we met. I just want to know what’s happening.”

He faces me, frowning slightly, and he’s so damn handsome. He kisses me lightly on the lips and a chill runs down my spine. I know that even if he tells me nothing, I’ll still follow him, and that scares me.

“I know,” he says softly. “I haven’t been fair to you. I’ve been struggling with it ...more than you can know.”

“Struggling with what?”

“The truth about me.” He takes a deep breath and kisses me again.

“Logan,” I say. “Please, just tell me. It can’t be that bad.”

He smirks, shaking his head. “You’ve got it all wrong.”

“What?” I ask.

“I was sent here to save you.”

I stare at him for a second, letting that sink in. I take a step back away from him, trying to get some distance between us.

“What do you mean?” I ask him. “You were sent to save me, but you’re not going to?”

“No,” he says, shaking his head. “I am going to save you, Riley. But you’re not the only person I was sent to save.”

I nod slowly, realization dawning. The other girls.

“You’re here to rescue everyone,” I say softly. “Who are you, Logan?”

“I work for a private security firm that was hired to track you down. I was a Navy SEAL before that. Your father is bankrolling this operation, actually.”

I cock my head, surprised. “My father?”

“That’s right. He approached us.”

“Then why am I still here?”

His frown deepens and he steps toward me. “You have to understand. This wasn’t my idea. I was just following orders.”

“Logan.” I step back away from him. “Tell me.”