Chapter 51 Crossing the line
~Logan’s POV~
My phone buzzed again.
Blocked number.
I didn’t want to answer it. Every part of me wanted to toss the damn thing into the ocean and go back to cuddling Ava on the bed, pretending like nothing could touch the peace we’d just found.
But something in my stomach twisted, cold and sharp.
I answered.
“Logan,” came a voice I hadn’t heard in months, smooth and sharp as broken glass. “Glad you picked up.”
My chest tightened. “What the hell do you want, Vincent?”
Vincent. My father’s right-hand man. The guy who delivered threats with a smirk and cleaned up blood without blinking.
“If you don’t want to work with your father, that’s your choice. But he’s thinking about bringing Levi in. And I figured you’d want a heads up.”
I froze. “What did you just say?”
“You heard me. Levi. He’s almost twenty one right? Perfect age to start learning the family business.”
“Where is he?” I snapped, already reaching for my jeans. “Where’s Levi?”
“He’s with your father. Dinner. That place on Riverview. High end. Real classy.”
I didn’t wait for anything else. I hung up and was out the door before I even tied my shoes.
Levi. God, no. Not him.
He was all I had left. After Mom died, it was just us. I was older by a year, but it always felt like I had to be ten years older just to keep him safe from the world our father ruled like some twisted king.
And now he wanted to drag Levi in? No. Not happening.
Not over my dead body.
Riverview. That overpriced, candlelit monstrosity of a restaurant my father liked to use for his most manipulative dinners. It was all fake elegance and poison smiles.
I stormed through the doors, barely acknowledging the host. I spotted them right away.
My father, dressed in his usual sleek suit, sipping red wine like a damn caricature.
And Levi.
he sat there. Wide-eyed. Wearing a button up shirt that didn’t fit right. He looked so damn worried that it hurt.
My father looked up and smiled. “Logan. So good of you to join us.”
“Get up,” I said, walking to Levi’s side and grabbing his shoulder gently. “Come on. We’re leaving.”
“Wait what’s going on?” Levi asked, glancing between us.
My father didn’t move. Just swirled his wine. “He’s almost a man, Logan. He deserves to know where he comes from. What he’ll inherit.”
“You go near him again,” I growled, “and I swear I’ll burn everything you’ve built to the ground.”
His eyes flickered. Then his smile curled into something cold.
“Careful, son. You wouldn’t want me to accidentally ruin that pretty life you’ve made. That girl of yours Ava, right? that would be a shame, right?"
I saw red.
“You so much as speak her name again...”
“Then sit down and talk like a civilized adult.”But I didn’t.
I turned to Levi. “We’re leaving. Now.”
He looked hesitant for a second. “Logan, what’s going on? Why are you so mad?”
I couldn’t explain. Not here. Not yet.
“Just trust me. Please.”
He stood.My father didn’t stop us.
But his silence was a promise. he could go to any length to make us a part of his twisted life,but not when I'm alive.
This wasn’t over.
I drove Levi straight to his apartment. The whole ride, he kept asking questions. I kept dodging them.
When we got there, I turned off the engine and finally faced him.
“Listen,” I said, voice low. “Whatever happens, whatever he says don’t believe him. Don’t trust him. Stay out of it. You don’t want this life.”
Levi frowned. “But he’s our dad.”
“He’s a monster,” I said flatly. “And if I have to fight him every damn day to keep you out of his reach, I will. you don't know everything about him Levi! I'll tell you just one thing! stay away from him. the things you know about him are just a speck of his real identity!"
He blinked, clearly shaken. I pulled him into a hug. Tight. Fierce. Like I could protect him just by holding on hard enough.
“If anything ever happens,” I whispered into his shoulder, “you call me. First. Always.”
“I will,” he said, his voice muffled but firm.
I let go and stepped back.
“I’m serious. Don’t let him in. Not even a little ,don't answer his calls"
Levi nodded, slowly.
I watched him walk into the building, waited until the door closed behind him, and then stood there for a full minute staring at nothing.
My hands were shaking but Not from fear,From fury.
He threatened Ava.
He’d crossed a line.
And now I had to figure out how to keep everyone I loved safe.
Even if it meant stepping back into the darkness I’d tried so damn hard to leave behind.