Chase

"That's not fair," I yelled, throwing my hands in the air. This attractive six-foot-tall demon cheats and behaves as he does in the fighting area. Everything is unlawful and unjust. Logan rubbed his temples, an annoying smirk creeping across his lips.

"You're cheating," I said, pointing.

"I'm not, you just don't know how to play," he said. I gasped and glared at him. If my eyes had the ability to generate lasers, he'd be the first to vanish.

Logan and I were sitting on the couch, playing chess. This is our second time playing the game, and he has won both times. Scarlet and Patrick were laughing as they played video games. Now I wish I had chosen video games instead of this brain-teasing game.

"How dare you accuse me in such a way? When I play with my neighbor's son in Worcester, I always win "I declared proudly.

"Keep in mind that her 'neighbor's son' is ten years her junior." Scarlet pointed from her vantage point, and I gave her a deathly glare.

"I'm not surprised," Logan said, and they all laughed. My temples swelled, and red flashed in my eyes.

"You're supposed to concentrate there, not on me," I grumbled, pointing to the video game. Scarlet does nothing but shrugged her shoulders.

"It's cute to hear you two bickering," she admitted. I made a funny face. Cute? My foot!

"Fine. Let's play again," he suggested. "I'm going to win this time "I squatted my shoulders and said firmly. His voice was raw and husky as he chuckled. Damn his voice, too!

We restarted the game. I was concentrating hard, my mind racing. I'm not going to let him win this time. I narrowed my pupils before swiping the bishop diagonally forward. Logan smirked and shook his head.

"Oh, love," he exclaimed as he killed my bishop with his queen and declared a checkmate. My nostrils flared. He has won again.

"This game is absurd. You are not being fair "I repeated myself, crossing my arms. My confidence was dwindling as I pouted. Maybe I'm just bad at this game.

"Really? I'm not being fair? Don't think I didn't notice you secretly searching Google. You are the one who is cheating, but you don't see me rubbing that on your face"

In frustration, I clicked my tongue inside my cheek before swiping all the pieces to the floor. Logan just sat there, clearly amused by my tantrum. It's either this or seeing him win AGAIN.

****

Scarlet yelled at Patrick as she marched into the kitchen, her face flushed. I burst out laughing.

"Welcome to the Loser's team," I sarcastically said. I microwaved a popcorn bag for two minutes. Patrick's kitchen, like the rest of the house, is sleek and modern.

"These boys are so good at these games," she grumbled as she sat down on the stool. I nodded and made a funny face.

"He's lucky he's attractive because I would've kicked his a$$ for mocking me," she mumbled. I sagged down beside her on the stool, turning my body to face her.

"I can tell you're falling for Patrick," I said softly. Scarlet flushed and tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear.

"I, too, feel that," she mumbled shyly. I snatched her hand in mine.

"Don't you think it's a little too early?" "You just got out of a relationship and now you're in another," I inquired.

"I know it's not long, but I like him and he told me he likes me. He may not be the perfect guy, but I'm willing to give him a chance, and he has also stated that he is willing to take things slowly "She smiled softly, her eyes filled with that familiar hope I'd seen all too often.

"Have you told about-"

"Andrew? Yes, and he's fine with it."

"Just be cautious, okay? I don't want to see my best friend suffer another downfall."

"I know. Besides, if he hurts me, we can ask Logan to kick his ass," she grinned evilly, "it appears like you two are getting along very well," I frowned.

"If your definition of getting along is deathly glares and hateful comments, then we're doing just fine."

"You do realize there's a fine line between love and hatred, don't you?" she smirked, and I rolled my eyes.

****

Hours later, even though I didn't want to, it was time for us to leave. To be honest, this is the first time I've thoroughly enjoyed a night since my parents' deaths. Even though it was awkward at first to interfere with their evening, the guys made sure we were included in all games, which warmed our hearts. I'm surprised at how sober Logan and Patrick appear despite downing four cans of beer. How much can they withstand?

When we stepped out of the elevator, the lobby was empty except for two staff members standing behind the reception desk.

"But, uh, h-how? I'm fairly certain there was no one behind me "I said this while crossing my arms like a child. Logan laughed and held the glass door open for me.

"You were only looking ahead and behind you. People can always come at you from the side "Logan was telling me about how I lost the shooting game we played as a group.

I mumbled, "Stupid game." Logan laughed, throwing his head back.

"Every game you win is the best game ever, and the ones you lose are either stupid or we're cheating," he said, and I agreed silently. After all, no one enjoys losing, do they?

I can tell that something has changed between me and Logan; we now talk more, laughing at each other's jokes and folly, mostly he laughs at me. But it's getting better.

****

"Change the station, this is so stupid," Logan groaned, one arm dangling outside the window, the other relaxedly gripping the steering wheel. The streets are deserted, with only one or two cars passing by every now and then. Even though Logan doesn't appear to be inebriated, I know we'd be caught if we ran into cops. Fortunately, he was aware of all potential checkpoint locations and took precautions to avoid them.

"This is so adorable." Logan looked at me, annoyance written in big letters on his brow.

"If he loves her, he should say it to her face, not the f**king radio," he replied. I bit my lower lip, trying not to smile. When he says it like that... We're currently listening to a show called "Confess Your Love," in which people call the RJ and confess their feelings.

Logan looked in the rearview mirror several times before he sat up straight, almost alert.

"Put on your seatbelt," he said quickly, and I frowned in perplexity.

"There are no people on the streets."

"Just do as I say, Lia," he said, his hands firmly gripping the steering wheel.

"Fine," I said as I buckled up, ignoring his nickname for me. "But, why?"

"We're being followed" My breath became stuck in my throat, and my eyes widened, my heart skipping a beat. Followed? My gaze shifted to the rearview mirror, where a black SUV was following just a few feet away.

"How do you know that?"

"I've been noticing them since we left Patrick's place."

"What should we do?" I asked nervously, my gaze following their movement in the rearview mirror. Logan was silent for a few moments before he said something which made me more anxious.

"We race," he said simply, stepping on the gas and slamming us into the back of our seats.

Logan shifted the gear and took the first turn smoothly, flinging me to the window. My head smacked against the glass, and I let out a groan. Logan gave me a quick glance before returning to the road.

"I-I'm fine," I assured myself, clutching my seat tightly. The black SUV sped down the same road as us, closing in on us. Logan snatched his phone from the console and handed it to me.

"Call Patrick," he demanded, looking in the side mirror. I didn't get it, but I complied.

"Your battery is about to die."

"Dammit, open the glove box compartment," he said. I did as he said, but my hands froze at what I saw. Inside is an f-freaking pistol. Millions of questions raced through my mind at the sight of Logan's weapon in his car, but his voice snapped me out of it.

"Get that Bluetooth charger out and connect it." I spotted the charger around the corner and grabbed it with trembling hands. I went to the call log and clicked on Patrick's contact as soon as the phone turned on and I typed in the passcode Logan had given me. I noticed the SUV approaching us quickly, which made me tremble even more in my seat.

"They're getting closer," I panicked, my chest heaving heavily as I struggled to keep my breathing under control.

"I know, I really wanted them to." I stared at Logan in disbelief. Why would he do such a thing? He appeared composed, as if he had it all figured out, and to be honest, it freaked the hell out of me.

"Yo," Patrick says muffledly from the other side as if he's eating something.

"Pat, take note of this license plate number," Logan says urgently, his gaze fixed on the road.

"What? What's the problem?" Patrick appears to be alert, and we heard some shuffling from the other side.

Logan says, "Some jerks are chasing us." Logan says, "T91927B," his gaze fixed on the road ahead. My eyes widened as I realized what he had done. So that's what he was thinking. But how in the world did he remember that number in this situation? Whereas I'm sitting like a moron, trying not to cry like a baby.

"I got it, and I'll send you the details as soon as possible," Patrick says, and the line goes dead. He didn't ask any other questions, and it doesn't appear to be his first time doing so. Like it's nothing out of the ordinary for him.

"Let's race now," Logan grumbled, pressing hard on the accelerator. I glanced at the speedometer, which reads 80 mph. We sped down the street, almost missing the black SUV before he took the next turn. My gaze was never taken away from the rearview mirror.

Logan yelled, "Shit, shit shit," and I looked ahead to see the road was closed. Oh my God!

"F**k," he cursed before shifting into reverse. He looked behind, his arm on my headrest, and swerved the car backward. He swerved the car just a foot away from the road's end, taking a different route. The SUV almost collided with us, but we were fortunate enough to get a head start.

Logan accelerated, the speedometer reading 100 mph, and I bit my lip in fear, nearly drawing blood. I thank the lords above that we are now on the other side of the street, where there is very little traffic and pedestrians. A large eighteen-wheeler truck was slowly reversing ahead of us, nearly blocking the road we were on.

In my nervousness, I bit my fingers. We're not going to be able to pass that. The black SUV was almost beside us and very close to us. We're totally screwed!

But Logan's range rover shot forward, and I looked at Logan in panic.

"What exactly are you doing? We're going to hit that truck "I screamed at him. There's only a short distance until that thing blocks the road, and we're 10 meters away from it. Logan ignored me and stepped on the gas pedal.

I used my hands to cover my ears, but I couldn't bring myself to close my eyes. The truck is now one foot away from us.

"Looggaan" I screamed in fear. I looked out my window in that split second, and the truck was literally in front of my eyes before we crossed it.

My breathing rate was irregular, and I was frozen in my seat. The car gradually slowed down to 40 mph.

"Are you all right?" Logan inquired, casting a sidelong glance at me. How in the world does he look so at ease?

My stomach tightened and my toes curled. I was unable to speak, so I motioned with my hand for him to stop the car. Logan was skeptical at first as he looked in the rearview mirror, but he takes the next turn, taking us down a backstreet before pulling over to the side. I jumped out of the car as soon as the car came to a complete stop. I immediately puked on the path along the side of the road, letting out my dinner. Someone's fingertips trailed over my neck from behind before my hair was pulled up.

After I finished, I took Logan's bottle and washed my mouth and face. I stood up straight before giving him a small smile.

"I'm fine," I said reassuringly, but my balance was a little shaky. Logan grabbed my arm and drew me closer to his chest. I sagged against him, my he