by Petrova, Em
Three hundred? Right after Logan transferred money to the account, the photos were in his email. He poured a drink and sat down at the mahogany desk, forcing emotion aside.
What he was looking for, he didn’t know. Perhaps he’d missed something the first time. From the time stamps on the photos, it seemed Stiner started photographing Jordana a few days after Marguerite’s party until about a week and a half after the misunderstanding in his office. The beginning photos showed a jubilant, carefree Jordana, always smiling. Was she happy because they were together or was her ex back in town? As he clicked through the evidence, none included Zack yet.
Hmm.
He kept an eye on the time stamp.
The day after she’d surprised him at the office, her disposition had changed dramatically. Her eyes were a bit puffy, evidence she’d been crying.
He’d done that to her.
Swallowing the hot regret in his throat, he moved on.
Interestingly, Bart hadn’t been around when Logan went to beg for her forgiveness. Their conversation was never photographed.
When he came to the pictures of her and Zack, he took two long sips of his whiskey and tapped the right arrow button on his keyboard with unnecessary force. Instead of scrolling past them quickly, he forced himself to study each one.
Stiner had gotten remarkably close that night, whatever camera he used was a powerful one considering he had to be across the street to capture these unseen. How the hell he did it with her on the third floor, Logan could only guess.
Jordana went into her apartment sometime after eight p.m. Then she went out on the balcony shortly thereafter. Logan leaned in, fixated on her face. He hadn’t noticed her expression before, but she appeared troubled, in distress.
Tap, tap, tap.
The next three photos showed more strain in her eyes.
Zack came out, put his arms around her. Logan remembered this scene well.
Now he realized it was Zack who had made the move, and that Jordana leaned away from—not into—her ex.
Logan’s heart started to pound.
Bart must’ve taken the next photos in rapid succession because the movements between them were minuscule, and Logan had to tap through them fast to see what had unfolded.
He peered close.
Jordana pushed Zack away. Smeared his kiss from her mouth. The wretched look on Zack’s face, the disbelief in his eyes came next.
These scenes were new to Logan.
Jordana walked away from Zack, but moments later, opened the door to her building, and he’d handed her something. A key? Too small and far away to know for sure. Not a minute after this confrontation, Zack was outside hoisting travel gear on his back with anger on his face.
Logan poured more whiskey, dread erupting in his stomach like a volcano, but there were still another fifty or so photos to go through.
The ones following were exclusively of Jordana. Alone. Which more than likely meant Zack hadn’t been present in her life after that. After gazing at the final photo of her for a long time, he closed the file.
Something told him he’d been mistaken regarding Jordana and Zack’s relationship. Obviously, he didn’t have the whole story, but this was enough to tear his anger, spitefulness, and resentment to shreds.
One thing was clear. His mother had only shown him a portion of the pictures. The very incriminating ones, of course. If only he hadn’t been so blind with rage and quick to destroy the pictures, he might’ve given Jordana a chance to explain.
Closing his eyes, he sat back and pinched the bridge of his nose.
He called Neil. “I need a favor,” he grumbled.
“Name it.”
***
“See you tomorrow, Dr. Palecki.”
Jordana flipped the waiting room lights off and grabbed her jacket. She noticed Piper staring out the window. “What’s got you so hypnotized? Or are your eyes just glazed over after reading a thousand charts today?”
“If that hottie out there was waiting to give me a ride, I would never drive again.”
With a chiding look, Jordana dug in her purse for her keys. “You sound just like my friend, Casey. Boy crazy for life.”
“Who could he be waiting for? I just want to wait here and see who the lucky girl is.” Her voice turned sardonic. “Or guy. You never know in this town.”
Jordana laughed. Coming up beside her coworker, she suddenly frowned. It was Neil. Leaning against his sleek car, wearing sunglasses, waiting. “What’s he doing here?”
“No way. You know him?”
She twisted her mouth. “I do.”
Piper slanted her a look. “Seriously. You’ve got to tell me how you find these men. It’s like you order them from a catalog and have them shipped to the office!”
Jordana huffed with a shake of her head and debated whether or not she should sneak out the back, even though her car was parked right there in front. How childish would it be if she ran straight to her car to avoid him? Very childish. Just see what he wants. Pushing through the door, she let Piper go first and didn’t acknowledge Neil as she locked up.
When she turned around, Piper wiggled her fingers flirtatiously at Neil, who smiled and waved back. Putting on her best banal face, Jordana approached him.
He straightened, uncrossed his arms, and took off his sunglasses. “I’m sorry to show up like this. Accosting you after work. I didn’t want to bother you at home.”
“No, it’s okay. I’ve wanted to apologize for throwing the drink on you. I’m sorry. It was juvenile and uncalled for.”
He gave a half smile. “No harm, no foul. For a moment there, I felt like I was in an episode of Real Housewives.” He chuckled, which conjured a smile from her. “I’ve got something to show you. I think it’ll help answer some questions you might have. Only if you want to, though. No pressure.”
“Does it have to do with Logan?”
He leveled his gaze. “You know it does. This time, he actually sent me.”
Hello, déjà vu. Although her guard was up, she didn’t get the impression he was here to rub salt in her wounds. She knew if she told him to take a hike, he’d leave without hesitation, but she had to know why Logan sent him. Had to. “Okay. There’s a coffee shop a few blocks from here.”
“Great. I’ll meet you there.”
When she arrived, she bought a decaf and found an empty table near the back. Neil came in moments later, a folder in his hand. He pulled out a chair and set the file aside. Jordana’s curiosity doubled. Folding his hands, he began with, “Tell me about this Zack fella, since he’s at the center of this.”
“Don’t you already know?”
“I know he was your fiancé. That’s it.”
She took a deep breath. Oh. She assumed Logan had told him everything. “And that’s true. We were engaged until last spring, when he called it off. He wanted to move overseas for self-discovery and thought marrying me would hold him back.”
Neil drew his brows together. “That must’ve been rough.”
An understatement, but it didn’t depress her to think about it as much as it used to. “It was. But it’s over. I’m not in love with him anymore. I moved on. I thought he had too until he showed up in my apartment one night, wanting to reconcile. In short, I took back my key and showed him the door. I haven’t seen or heard from him since, and I hope I never will.” She sighed, warming her hands on the cup.
Neil absorbed this summary for a few quiet moments, moving his green gaze side to side, as if putting pieces together. “I see. Jordana, I need you to be brutally honest. Are you really over Zack? Or are you just punishing him for a while until you decide what to do? I won’t judge you, I promise. I just want the truth.”
She tried not to be offended and knew Neil was just asking for clarification. “A part of me will always care about Zack in a way, but I want nothing to do with him.”
The lawyer sat back with a sigh, pursing his lips and drumming his fingertips on the table. He glanced at the
file. “Here’s the thing,” he started. “I know you haven’t met Logan’s mother, Deidre, but you are aware of what she’s like, right?”
Logan’s mother? That was the last person she would’ve guessed Neil would mention in this conversation. “Er…I’m only aware of what Logan’s told me. From what I can discern, she’s, well, she sounds—”
“Controlling?”
“Yes. And…”
“Opinionated?”
She shrugged. “Somewhat.”
“Manipulative, judgmental, and selfish?”
Jordana gave a soft laugh. “I’ve never met her, so I can’t judge her character, Neil.”
“You will in a minute. I’ve known her for over fifteen years, and she hasn’t changed. Probably never will.” Picking up the folder, he hesitated. “I don’t want you to freak out, but she’s the reason Logan was such a bastard to you that night.” He pulled out some black and white pictures and spread them out on the table.
As she looked them over, her eyes widened and a chill ran over her. They were all of her. She whipped her gaze up to Neil’s and then sifted through the photographs one by one. “Where did you get these?”
Neil didn’t respond as she looked through each of them. When she saw a picture of her and Zack on the balcony—kissing—she cringed. A picture was worth a thousand words, but this one totally could’ve been taken the wrong way. “Who took these?”
“These, believe it or not, are just a sample. Taken by a man by the name of Bart Stiner. He’s a private eye. Pretty well-known with the divorcees of the upper crush, a fella with a rep for capturing cheating husbands with the tightest alibis. If a woman needed proof of infidelity, she’d hire Stiner. Deidre Savant was one of them. Once upon a dark time for the Savants, she had Logan’s father followed.”
“And she hired this guy to spy on me?” Hard to fathom she’d be worth all this trouble. “Why?”
“Logan thinks the mystery of you must’ve driven her crazy. Especially since he wouldn’t tell her anything. So she had you investigated. That’s our best deduction. She goes to extremes when she doesn’t get her way.”
Huh? That warranted an invasion of Jordana’s privacy? “I…I don’t know what to say. Or think.”
“There’s more. Deidre brought these pictures and told Logan about Zack a few nights before the Bridges of Marin party. He came to the conclusion you were engaged this whole time. Thought maybe you got cold feet and wanted a final bang or whatever.”
She gasped, sickened. “What! That’s not true.”
“After he told me what he found out, and it was clear he was simply going to take his mother’s proof and word at face value, I told him to do his own investigation.”
Jordana blinked. “You defended me even after all he told you?”
He shrugged. “When you’re not the one invested emotionally, it’s easier to view the situation with a rational eye. Logan eventually did, too, it just took him a little longer.”
She took in a shaky breath. “Why are you here on his behalf? Why didn’t he come to me himself?”
“He’s trapped in Hong Kong.”
Trying to digest all this information, she rubbed her palms together, overwhelmed.
“Logan wants you to know he saw only a portion of these photos, specifically the ones where you’re kissing your ex.”
“He didn’t see how I kicked Zack out afterward?”
“Not until he reached out to Stiner and had him send the rest of the proofs. If he had seen them all from the get-go, at the very least, he would’ve wanted to talk to you to get the whole story. His mother has a way of manipulating things to her satisfaction, and most of the time, Logan sees right through it. When it comes to you, it’s different. You see, she wants him to marry for money or fame. She doesn’t care if he’s happy or in love—she doesn’t believe in it.”
“He doesn’t either. Believe in love. Partly because of his parents. How…how…wicked of her to do something like this.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “Wicked. It’s funny because it’s true.”
“Well, it’s just as good a word as any,” she mumbled, flushing.
Neil smiled, shaking his head. “You really are a charmer.”
“Just because I used the word wicked?”
“I don’t know if anyone’s told you, but you have a guileless quality. Something that’s rare to find in a woman these days. Don’t confuse guileless with childish,” he added when she made a face. “They aren’t the same. I hope you hang on to it as long as you can, Jordana.”
“Are you always so frank?”
“Always.”
Her smile was soft. “I like that.” She looked down and sighed, wondering how she should react to something like this, still numb. Part of her was outraged at the knowledge she’d been spied on, her privacy violated, and that actions had been convoluted to appear much more scandalous. All so Ms. Savant could make sure her son would want nothing to do with her. “What now, Neil?”
“That’s up to you. This is where I cut ties. Believe it or not, I have other things to do than play messenger for you and Logan. He just wanted you to know why he behaved the way he did.” He paused. “I’ll leave you to it. Just remember, you have two things on your side, Jordana. The truth. And love.” He rolled his eyes and slapped a hand on his thigh before he stood. “I can’t believe I just said that. Excuse me while go do something unapologetically masculine.”
She laughed. “You’re wrong, Neil. I have three things on my side.” At his look, she amended, “Don’t worry. It’ll be our secret.”
He tucked a hand in his pocket, smiling. “Listen. What you and Logan have, it’s hard to find. Hard to keep. Easy to let pride, people, gossip, and other bullshit get in the way. You shouldn’t let Deidre have the last word for you two. Just so you know, he’ll be back Friday after next.”
Bolstered by his words, she smiled. “Thanks, Neil.”
“No sweat. If things don’t work out, I hope you keep in touch once in a while. I might need an insider to an ear, nose, and throat specialist someday.”
“As I might need an honest lawyer.”
Neil put his finger to his mouth. “Shh.” He winked at her and then left.
Later that night, Jordana debated what she should do, the pictures spread all over her bed while she paced.
The hurt from how Logan had treated her that night had dissipated to understanding. He’d thought she was a liar. A cheater. Had the proof for his eyes to see. Although it frustrated her he didn’t bother to hear her side of things, she couldn’t harbor anger for it anymore.
Deep down, she knew she was already emotionally making her way back to him.
After wearing a hole in her floor, she typed out a text to Logan, staring at her draft message for five full minutes before sending it: I saw Neil. Now I need to see you…
Barely a minute passed before she got a reply from Logan: If I could, I’d fly home right now. I have so much to say.
Me too. In person. Come home soon, she wrote back.
He quickly messaged back. 9 long days. You’ll wait for me?
She smiled. As long as it takes.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The Friday of Logan’s return had finally come.
Jordana couldn’t stop watching the clock at work, and as soon as the last patient had been checked out, she made a path to her car.
Logan had texted her every few hours, telling her about his day. When he landed. When he arrived at work. Then meeting after meeting.
When he told her he didn’t know when he’d able to break free, she told him she was coming to him anyway. That she’d wait in his office, even if they only got a few minutes.
He liked that plan.
Knowing they were so close yet so far away had nearly driven her bananas, and while she moved along with the sluggish traffic, her anticipation only multiplied.
In hindsight, she should’ve brought some clothes to change into. The only thing she had time
to do was brush out her hair from its sock bun and apply a little lip stain. Frankly, she didn’t care she’d be walking into Savant Financial Group with her white scrubs covered in yellow butterflies. Glancing at the time, she groaned at how fast time could go and how painfully slow traffic moved.
When she saw the exit, her heart hammered with excitement.
The lobby was packed with employees done with their workday, milling around discussing end-of-the-day business, cell phones going off and being answered.
“Excuse me…pardon…oops, sorry,” she apologized as she wove her way through the crowd. People bumped into her, in a hurry to get home.
It felt like swimming upstream. When she got to the security desk, no one was there. Up on her toes, she searched around for a security guard to check-in. “Oh, forget it.”
Rushing to the row of elevators, she waited for one to open—the only person going up when the rest were coming down. Once she heard a chime, and a herd of Savant employees abandoned the elevator, she swung inside and hit the button.
Just then, the elevator across from hers opened. Standing in the middle, with a group of men in suits flanking him, was Logan. He hadn’t seen her; his profile was averted as he sliced his hand in the air and spoke in a sharp, businesslike tone, “Cancel the meeting next week with Wilkinson. I can’t stand indecision for a deal clearly in their favor, which translates to the fact they’re up to something.” The stout gentleman next to him nodded. Logan started to step off when he looked up, his incredible blue eyes locking with hers. Trapped by his gaze, she stood frozen.
Then her doors closed. She snapped out of her reverie and hit them with a light fist. “For crying out loud!” As she soared to the top floor, her pulse thrummed in her ears.
“Fifty-first floor,” announced the robotic female voice. The doors parted to the executive offices and she furiously pressed the button for the main level. Seconds later, the elevator slowed, dinged, and the voice relayed, “Main level.”
Jordana rushed out, looking right then left.
No Logan.