34- Near awake

With one hand on the steering wheel, Terri reached for her coffee cup and took a sip. It was the second cup of the morning, and she still didn’t feel anywhere near awake.

After leaving Logan in the middle of the street last night, she’d gone to her parents’ house. A small part of her had hoped that he would show up there, which was crazy. He couldn’t be trusted.

Seeing as he’d kept one thing hidden from her, who knew what other skeletons were in his closet? She had tried to tell herself there was no way he had anything to do with the trafficking ring, but she was probably being optimistic.

Logan was a master manipulator, doing whatever he needed to in order to get what he wanted. He was good, too. He’d certainly had her fooled.

Hot tears stung her eyes, and she blinked them away. It hurt like hell, but Logan’s “feelings” for her had probably been faked, an act put on so that she would trust him while he and Bryce made plans to silence her.

The idea sent a shiver through her. Logan wouldn’t… kill her and Charlie.

Right?

No. She couldn’t believe that.

But he certainly wouldn’t be above distracting her while he and Bryce covered their tracks.

After yet another restless night, the one beacon of light in the dark world had been the news that her dad could go home. She’d gone to the hospital with her mom, dodging questions the whole way there about what had happened with Logan, picked up her dad, made sure her parents were settled at home, and then taken off.

Luckily, they’d understood she was eager to get home and get busy after so much time away. And since they had a neighbor checking in on them, she wouldn’t worry too much.

She’d picked up a rental car from the place downtown. Luckily, it was a chain that would allow her to drop the car back in Chicago. It wasn’t money she really had to spend at this point, but it was the best option. Otherwise, she would have had to choose between being stranded in Girard or enduring a three-hour car ride with either her mother or Logan. No thanks.

Logan’s betrayal hurt like hell, but taking him and Bryce down would be the balm to soothe the sting. She almost couldn’t wait to get back to Chicago.

Her phone rang, and she glanced at the dash’s screen, surprised to see it was her friend Emily. It had been weeks since they’d texted last.

“Hey,” Terri answered through the car’s hands-free system. Much fancier than her own car, she’d set up her phone to the Bluetooth to play her music and appreciate the fleeting luxury.

“Hey! I’m so glad I caught you. I just remembered that you were coming home this week.”

“Yeah. I’m home.” As if on cue, the first Chicago high-rise pierced the skyline up ahead.

“How was your trip?”

“It was…”

She and Emily were close. Best friends, really. Their time working together at the law firm had forged a camaraderie that would likely be lifelong. But Terri wasn’t ready to talk about her kidnapping. Hell, she might never be.

Not unless it was in court or with a therapist, which she most likely needed.

One day, she’d tell Emily. Just not that day.

“It was good,” she said.

“What’s it like being home?”

“Weird.” Terri chewed on her bottom lip. That much was true.

What was even weirder was carrying on a normal conversation with someone, like she hadn’t been kidnapped and was about to attempt to bring two high-profile billionaires down. Terri squirmed in her seat. She wanted to talk to her friend, but it felt like such an off thing to do.

“Are you okay?” Emily asked. “I can tell—there’s something in your voice.”

Terri sighed. Her friend had always been super empathetic.

“A lot is changing right now. I can’t go into details at the moment, but I’ll tell you everything soon.”

“O-kay. I’d beg you to not to keep me in suspense, but this sounds serious.”

“It’s nothing to worry about,” Terri said, even as sweat collected on her palms.

“Then I won’t worry, but please tell me one thing. Does it have to do with work?”

Terri hesitated, thinking that if she said yes her friend might change the subject. But she didn’t get the chance to answer, though, because Emily barreled on.

“I remember you saying right before you left that you didn’t know what you wanted to do when you came back, and that you were nervous about coming home and not having something to focus on.”

“That’s true.”

The traffic became more congested as Terri got closer to the city, and she tapped gently on the brakes.

“Have you thought any about returning to the firm? Everyone misses you there. We talk about you a lot.”

“Really?” Terri’s heart squeezed. “That’s sweet. I miss you guys, too, but I dunno…”

Or what about that big dive you used to talk about? You know, law school?”

“Law school,” Terri murmured. She vaguely remembered a time when she’d entertained the idea of becoming a lawyer.

“Something to think about. I don’t know if it has anything to do with what’s on your mind, but there you have it. Anyway, I gotta run. I just wanted to call and check in. Drinks, soon?”

“Definitely.”