Logan switched on the TV and dropped into his armchair, waiting for the gentle sounds to send him to sleep. The small apartment was dark and beginning to smell bad, but it didn’t bother him. He was just happy to have a quiet home where he could—
A thunderous knock rapped upon the door. Logan sat up, growled under his breath, then got up to look through the peeper. Maggie was there, and her own door was closed up the hall. It meant this was more than just a quick visit. Begrudgingly, he opened up.
“I feel like I owe you an explanation,” she said, letting herself in.
Logan shut the door and leaned back against it. “For what?”
“The man I was seeing.”
“That’s none of my business. I told you I wasn’t ready to date. Nobody expected you to wait around forever. If anything, I just wish you would’ve chosen someone a little less—”
“Of an asshole?”
A small smile escaped Logan’s lips. “Right.”
“Well, it’s over. It wasn’t even going on that long. Just a couple of days.”
“I told you, it’s none of my business.”
“It doesn’t bother you at all?”
Logan thought about telling the truth – that it ate him up inside to think of her with another man. But what was he supposed to do? Tell her he cared and expect her to spend her life waiting for him? No. A lie was the better path. “I’m fine with whatever you choose to do.” He paused, then added, “But you’re worth more than that.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you’re beautiful, smart, and a generally good person.”
“Stop,” she said, smiling.
“Just know you can do a lot better than greasy street trash.” He hiked a thumb over his shoulder, toward the door. “Real men don’t act like that. As soon as you start to see signs of violence, you get the hell out of there immediately.”
“What do you think I was doing? He spoke to Jenny like dirt, so I told him it was over.”
“Good.”
Maggie started to say something then, but Logan’s attention was stolen by something on the TV. The news report flashed and lit up the room. The banner at the bottom of the screen revealed a police officer’s body had been found in a public parking lot… without a head.
Logan didn’t waste any time. He ripped open the door and headed down the corridor, not even waiting for Maggie to leave. She could shut the door when she left, he figured.
After all, he did trust her that much.