Read Online Siren in Bloom [Texas Sirens 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Sophie Oak - Free Book Online Page A

“That was in the line of duty, Logan.”
    He shrugged. “The dude died. He deserved to die. He was a paid assassin. He was willing to kill anyone to get to his target.”
    But Leo could see plainly that there was more to this. “Logan, lots of police personnel need treatment after they kill someone in the line of duty. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Military, police, anyone working in a high-stress job, especially one protecting the public, needs routine therapy in my opinion. And yet the very personalities that make them excellent protectors make them very reticent to seek the therapy that would make their lives better.”
    Logan laughed, a bitter huff that came out of his chest. “I’m not some born protector, Doc. God, that’s a laugh. You know why I applied for the deputy job? Because there wasn’t any other place I wanted to work, and it seemed like an easy way to make some money for college. Not that I really wanted to go to college. I never really wanted to leave Bliss, but I sure as hell didn’t want to work for Stella. She scares the crap out of me. And I don’t know anything about cars so Long-Haired Roger was out. The very idea of working for my moms. God. I love them. I do, but no. When Rye Harper told me he was looking for a deputy, I jumped at the chance. Man, I took it because I could nap and I got a county vehicle. I’m not some fucking hero.”
    That wasn’t what his file said. His file stated clearly that Logan Green had performed valiantly in the line of duty. And he’d sacrificed. “Why didn’t you quit after you were held by the Russian mafia?”
    That was the crux of the problem. A year before, Logan had been taken captive and tortured by a member of the Russian mafia. He’d been sacrificed to save two women. He’d gone and kept his mouth shut about Alexei Markov’s true intent. He’d been tortured for hours. He’d barely made it out alive.
    And, according to his loved ones, the sweet young man he’d been had died. It was Leo’s job to see if he could bring that man back to life.
    “I don’t talk about that.”
    The wall had come up. Too soon. If he wouldn’t talk about the incident, then Leo would veer it back to what Logan seemed willing to talk about. “This wasn’t the first time you’ve been in a dangerous situation. What was it about this time that caused so much anxiety?”
    “I killed a man.”
    “Is that really what sent you over the edge?”
    Logan shook his head, his face flushing. “No. He deserved it. He was willing to kill a friend of mine and the town doc, the man who stitched me back together.”
    “Then what’s wrong?” There was definitely something here other than simple anxiety disorder.
    “I thought about not shooting him at all.”
    Leo felt his brows raise. “Because you didn’t want to hurt someone.”
    “Because I thought he might actually get Alexei Markov, and for a couple of minutes, I was okay with that.”
    “Markov was the man involved with the mob? He was there when you were beaten?”
    Logan’s eyes came up, and there was a deep blankness that Leo had seen before in men and women who had survived unimaginable things. Sometimes he saw that blankness in Shelley’s eyes. “Markov fed me to them to give himself a little time.”
    “I can see where you would want revenge.”
    “But that wasn’t what really got me, Doc.”
    Leo was silent, allowing Logan to come to his own decision to speak.
    “What really scared the crap out of me was the fact that when I shot that asshole, I liked it.”
    Yes, that was the heart of the problem. And it was definitely something they needed to work on. He sat back and sighed. “It’s a good thing to admit that.”
    “Really? It’s a good thing to admit that I’m some kind of a freaky killer?”
    “No. We have to talk about these things so these feelings and impulses have no power over us. We learn to control them. Both my brother and I served in the Navy. We both saw heavy action. Do you