Chapter 12 - THE ECHO OF BETRAYAL
That night, the cabin was dead silent. Logan sat by the window, a high-powered hunting rifle resting across his knees. He didn't want to bring this violence back into his world, but he knew how Victoria Sterling operated. She was a billionaire sociopath who viewed people as assets or obstacles. She wouldn't take no for an answer.
At midnight, a soft knocking echoed through the cabin. Nora was asleep upstairs. Logan stood up silently, racking the bolt of his rifle, and approached the door.
"Logan... please. It's me," a trembling female voice gasped from outside.
He unlocked the heavy wooden door and pulled it open. Standing on his porch, soaked in cold mountain rain, was Victoria Sterling herself. Her golden hair was disheveled, her silk blouse torn, and her face pale with terror. There was blood on her arm.
"Help me," she whispered, collapsing forward.
Logan caught her by the shoulder, holding her at arm's length rather than pulling her into an embrace. His eyes scanned the treeline outside for snipers or pursuers before he dragged her inside and locked the door behind them.
"What kind of game are you playing, Victoria?" Logan demanded, setting her down on a wooden chair near the fireplace.
"It's not a game," she sobbed, holding her bleeding arm. "Vance lied to you today. He isn't working for me anymore. He betrayed me, Logan! He sold out Sterling Global to the Syndicate—the Russian cartel we fought in Berlin. They've taken over my company. They killed my security team. I barely escaped Chicago alive."
Logan watched her cold-bloodedly. Years ago, he would have jumped through fire to protect her. But that was before she framed him for treason to save her own stock prices, leaving him to rot in a federal prison until he broke out and cleared his name.
"That sounds like your problem," Logan said coldly. "You built an empire on blood and betrayal. Don't act surprised when it collapses on you."
"They're coming here!" Victoria cried out, looking up at him with desperate eyes. "Vance didn't come here just to find you. He tracked me here! He knew I would run to the only man in the world capable of stopping them. Logan, they're going to wipe out this entire town to get to us!"
Footsteps sounded on the wooden stairs. Nora stepped into the living room, holding a lantern in one hand and a heavy revolver in the other. Her gaze fell on Victoria, taking in the expensive torn clothes, the makeup, and the desperate tears.
"Is this her?" Nora asked Logan softly, her voice remarkably calm despite the situation.
"Yes," Logan replied. "Victoria Sterling."
Victoria looked at Nora, her eyes narrowing for a fraction of a second with bitter jealousy before returning to her helpless façade. "Logan, please... for old times' sake. Protect me."
Nora stepped forward, looking straight into Victoria’s eyes. "He doesn't owe you anything. But if killers are coming to this valley, they threaten my home and my people. Logan, what do we do?"
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Logan looked between the woman who had ruined his past and the woman who had saved his soul. His decision was instant.
"We prepare for war," Logan said.
