Logan's Rattler by A. Jarrett (best books for 20 year olds txt) 📕

on him.” Miles’s words flew from his mouth. “And when Logan didn’t come back, we radioed Lawson and Quinn to see if they saw anything weird going on outside, but they didn’t answer.”

“Why didn’t you answer, Quinn?” Ben grabbed the front of his next in command’s shirt.

Quinn brushed Ben’s hands off his shirt. “We got a package.” He darted his eyes to where the men surrounded Leo on the ground. “I’ll tell you later, in private.”

“What happened to Leo?” Finn went to his knees. The man’s shirt had been ripped open, and rust-colored blood was drying on his chest.

“Someone answer me!” he screamed at no one in particular.

“He’s been shot,” Trevor answered him. He still clutched Leo’s hand tight in his grasp. “When Logan didn’t come back and we

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couldn’t reach the guys outside, we”—Trevor looked at his cousin and Astrid—“decided to see what was up. Miles and I could smell the blood and followed the trail. When we were deep in the woods we spotted Leo’s body lying on the ground.”

“What did you do, Trevor?” Ben asked as he knelt down beside his mate at Leo’s side.

“I turned him.” Trevor never looked up as he spoke. “He was dying, and we didn’t know what else to do. And I couldn’t stand by and let Logan’s best friend die.” Trevor looked up and searched with his eyes until he found Quinn. “I had no choice.”

“Where’s Logan?” Finn looked around in a panic.

“Finn.” Lawson stepped forward. “He’s not here.”

His eyes opened so wide, Finn thought he tore the skin at the corners of his eyes. What did he mean Logan wasn’t there? Where could he be?

Lawson fell to his knees next to him. Finn felt his lungs tighten up. His head ached with the need to breathe, but he couldn’t get his lungs to work. The worry he saw on his friend’s face spoke volumes.

“He’s gone.” Lawson whispered the dreadful words as if that would deaden the blow. “When Quinn and I reached Trevor and Miles, they had already turned Leo. And there weren’t any signs of Logan. But I smelt Rhett’s scent. He took Logan.”

Finn had two options as he replayed what Lawson just told him.

One, he could fall apart and get nothing accomplished. Or he could man up and get to his feet and help devise a plan to get Logan back.

Option one was the easier of the two, but it wouldn’t bring his mate back.

“What do we do now?” Finn asked as he climbed to his feet.

Ben was just about to answer him when a chirping sound went off.

“What the fuck is that?” Ben looked around, trying to place where the sound was coming from.

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“It’s Leo’s phone,” Astrid said as he dug it out of the other man’s pocket. He hit the send button and held it to his ear. “Hello.” Astrid’s face paled in the afternoon light. “It’s for you.”

Finn reached out and took the phone from Astrid. His hands shook as he brought it up to his ear. “Yes.”

“I’m guessing by now you’ve realized he’s gone and I killed his annoying little sidekick.”

“Rhett, what are you doing? And where’s Logan?” Finn didn’t expect the man to answer. He just wanted to keep him on the phone for as long as possible. Maybe a sound would give away his location.

The man’s evil laugh was loud in the ear piece, and Finn pulled it away from his ear. “This is how it’s going to go down. At elven o’clock I want you to meet me in the clearing in the woods where you first stole my mate away from me. Come alone or you will never see him again.”

Before Finn could respond, the phone went dead in his hand. He looked up at Ben. “He wants me to meet him in the woods at eleven o’clock. If I don’t show alone he will take off with Logan.”

“Fuck,” Ben shouted as he ran his hands through his hair. “I can’t let you go by yourself. I just can’t, Finn.” Finn could see the war raging in his leader’s eyes, but he had no say in this and the man knew it.

“I have to, and you can’t stop me.” Finn bent down and picked Leo up. He carried the man back toward the house. No one said anything. They