Logan was probably hating that, thought Julie. Still, better than them asking about Brandon Willis.
“Are you going to meet us after all the interviews are over? I have to run back to the house and I don’t know if Logan should be alone.” Alex dropped the volume of his voice.
Julie sighed as she tried to think what a dinner with her and Logan alone would be like right now. “Uhh...I don’t know. I have to catch up on a few things.” She’d just spent the past few hours at the coffee house next to her apartment catching up on things, so her entire evening was free, but Alex didn’t need to know the real reason she was hesitating.
“Try to clear your schedule, Jules. Logan needs you after all this.”
Julie stopped next to her apartment and leaned back against the wall. She did not need this unintentional guilt trip from Alex. “I’ll see what I can do,” she said. “I just got home, so I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“I have to go too. Later, Jules.”
He disconnected and Julie put her phone in her bag, trading it for the keys to her apartment. She put the key into each of the three locks, and the door finally opened. She needed a pitcher of margaritas, a steaming hot bath, and a week’s worth of sleep. The entire argument with Logan just left her...drained. She didn’t want to be forced into anything. This whole thing had gotten too complicated.
She’d lied to him. Right to his face. He’d asked whether she loved him, and she said the first thing that popped into her mind. She said the answer she wanted to be true, but it wasn’t the truth.
She wasn’t supposed to love him. It was too soon. They’d only just met, and so much of that time had been based off mistrust and dubious motives. Why would she feel this way? Did she even need a reason?
Yes. Yes, she did. Julie set her purse down and reached around the cluttered table in the eating area—she didn’t call it a dining room table because the space was too small to be considered a dining room—and found a clear back of an envelope. On it, she wrote “Pros” and “Cons.” There. She could think about this logically. Con: My reputation would be ruined. People would assume she was sleeping with a Farrell to advance her career. Pro: Being with a Farrell would advance my career. She’d get access to the sort of social circles she’d only dreamed of.
Con: Logan has issues. He’d admitted it to her multiple times. He’d called himself broken. Her heart broke at the memory of their conversation in the stairwell. Maybe he was broken, but it wasn’t as if he was beyond repair. Pro: I don’t want him to be broken.
Pro: He has money. Lots and lots and lots of money. Money she wouldn’t even know what to do with. Con: I don’t need money. Sure, a few luxury vacations would be nice, and she could really use some funds to invest back into her business. But none of that was a necessity. She had enough in savings after this Logan job to keep her going for a while.
Pro: I love him. She sighed as she dropped the pen. It all came back to that, didn’t it? She loved him and he, at the very minimum, liked her. He’d made it clear almost from the beginning that he wanted more than just sex.
So, sure. What the hell. They could try for something. It wouldn’t be all sunshine and roses, but he was a good guy. He was nice, to her at least, and he made her laugh, even when she really, really didn’t want to smile.
What better guy was there to take a chance on? She knew he was still in his long line of press meetings, but she reached for her phone. She didn’t want to hold this in any longer. If she had to leave a “yes I’d like to go out with you” voicemail, she was more than happy to do that.
Even before she grabbed her phone out of her bag, a stupid smile filled her face. A giddiness that only came from the rush of something new. Something exciting. She was more confident than ever in her choice as she brought her phone out and started to unlock it.
Something hard and cold touched her temple. Ice ran through her veins.
“Put the phone down,” said a voice behind her. It was barely more than a whisper, but every word was clear enough. Put down her phone. Her one way to call the police. Her one way to call Logan.
Her hand shook as she complied with the man’s request. Even though she couldn’t see him, the voice had been unmistakably male. There was a strange man in her apartment. Keeping her trapped inside her own apartment. No. No, no, no, no, no. But there was some sort of hope. She wasn’t shot yet. She pivoted in her seat, trying not to make any sudden movement as she finally faced the man who held the gun to her head.
Worse than she’d expected. It was the man from the gas station. The one who’d almost killed her once before. The one who was probably pissed that she’d gotten away in the first place.
He smiled in a way that told her exactly how much he was enjoying her discomfort. “Hey, babe. I didn’t think you’d ever want to say hello.”
A terrified shudder raced through her. She tried to talk, but she realized her jaw was clenched so tightly that it didn’t want to move. “Wha— What are you doing here?” Obviously this wasn’t going to have a happy ending, but she was very aware of the fact that she wasn’t dead. Yet.
His smile widened. “I heard you made a stop at a bar in Denver. Talked to a girl.”
Alecia. What did he care about Alecia? “I was there,” she said carefully. Was there a chance she could talk her way out of this?
“I need you to give me everything she gave to you.”
Everything? It was an email. An email she’d sent to multiple people. There was no handing it over. What was going to happen when she told him no? When she told him it wasn’t possible? She was willing to bet that he wasn’t just going to shrug this off and walk away. She tried another tactic. “I don’t have them here. I can take you to them, though.” Taking him somewhere. That worked in the movies, right? Shit. She wasn’t in a movie.
The man laughed. Obviously he wasn’t into that suggestion either. “Oh, honey. I was really hoping we wouldn’t have to do this.”
Time. She needed time. “No! I’m serious. Logan was the one who wanted the documents. Why would they be here?” He sighed and she knew he was starting to believe her. “I can get you them. He’s in interviews all day. I can get in and out of his apartment easily.” Getting there would be all well and good, but she’d need to find some way to signal someone she was in trouble. Between the cab ride there and the walk up to the apartment, there had to be some way she could get out of this.
“How do you plan to get into his apartment?” asked the gunman.
“I have a key card. The elevator goes right up.”
“Where’s the card?”
The guy wasn’t even going to let her rummage around in her bag. Not that there were any weapons she could’ve covertly grabbed anyway. In the slim chance she survived this, she was going to have to invest in pepper spray. Instead, she complied completely as she gave him instructions on how to access the pocket that held the key card that Logan had given her in confidence. Was she betraying him? He was in interviews all day. If he stayed away long enough, he’d be safe. And she’d be— She didn’t want to think about where she’d be. Time. As long as she had more time, she could figure a way out of this.
“How does this thing work?”
She told him the directions to the elevator and Logan’s floor. “All you do is insert the card before you hit the button and you’ll have all the clearance you need.”
The man nodded and reached into his back pocket even as he kept the gun firmly pointed at her, his hand not wavering in the slightest. She liked it better when he’d been strangling her with his bare hands. She hadn’t been much of a match for him, but she’d managed to scratch and claw him while she struggled. Now all she could do was sit in her petrified state.
Matters got even worse when he sent the call and stepped forward until the gun was pressed right to her forehead.
Julie forced herself to remain stock-still and not move a muscle. She remembered the one time her uncle had taken her to the shooting range. Rule number one of
shooting: Don’t point the muzzle at anything you don’t want dead. She’d avoided pointing a gun with no bullets at so much as a toe. Now there was a fully loaded one right at her forehead.
“I’ll see you soon,” said the goon.
In her fear, she had missed the entire conversation. She blinked as he moved the gun a few inches away. All it would take was a misfire or him not paying attention to the trigger finger and—
“All right, sweetie. My buddy is going to check out your boyfriend’s apartment. If he doesn’t see what we’re looking for, or if he gets picked up by the cops, I’m going to make sure you tell me the truth.” The gun inched forward until the end of the barrel was pressed to her cheek, and he ran the gun down, over her cheekbones and then under her chin, until he could tilt her head up so she met his gaze. “Do you understand?”
Because of the location of the gun, she didn’t want to nod or move her mouth. “Mmm hmm,” she managed to squeak out.
“Good. Now let’s find something to tie you up with. Shit’s about to get kinky.”
The fifth reporter of the day left, and Alex set a hand on Logan’s shoulder. “We’re halfway there,” he said.
Logan ran his hand through his hair before he rubbed his eyes. Alex noted that he rubbed them softly. An old trick they’d been taught when growing up. If you rubbed your eyes too intensely, that would cause dark circles. Considering the number of photographs and interviews he had left, it wouldn’t be great if he looked exhausted in the pictures. It was their job to portray the image of a happy and together family.
It shouldn’t be too hard. They’d been playing the role since they were kids.
“I never thought I’d miss prison.” Logan reached for the bottle of water he’d been provided and took a deep gulp.
The one good thing about today was that he’d managed to get the answers to questions he’d never personally feel comfortable asking Logan. Maybe not the honest answer, but the lies were better than the nothing he’d had. Information about the structure of the days behind bars. What kind of food he ate. Whether he ever got in any fights behind bars.
Some lies were easier to spot than others. Namely how he told every single reporter that he’d kept in constant contact with his brothers. It was exactly what he wanted: Logan to show a united front with the family. To smile and act polite in front of the cameras.
But he knew it was all a lie, and that burned in a way he didn’t think possible. He’d had enough bombshells dropped on him in the past week. He couldn’t still be wrapped up in Logan shutting him out, especially considering that he now knew the reasons behind his self-imposed solitary confinement.
“Fuck,” breathed Logan.
“What’s wrong?”
“My phone is dead.” He shoved the thing back into his pocket.
“Didn’t you charge it last night?”
“The thing has held a charge for days. I figured it would be fine for one more.”
Alex thought back to Logan checking his phone multiple times during every one of their breaks. That would be enough to drain an already low battery. “Expecting a call?”
“No,” said Logan gruffly.
“Playing Angry Birds?”
“Angry what?”
Alex let out a laugh. He’d have to get as many of the pop culture jokes out of the way fast, because he was sure Logan would be caught up soon enough. “Just a game. Don’t worry about it. But if you need to use a phone, I’ve got mine on me.”
“I don’t need to make a call.”
“So you were waiting for someone to call.”
Logan looked over at Alex, and his grimace spoke volumes about his mood. “I asked Julie out this morning.”
God damn it. He’d told Logan not to do it, and the son of a bitch had done it anyway. “Did she say she’d think about it?”
“No. She just said no.”
Judging by the dead phone battery, Logan wasn’t happy with that answer. That also explained why Julie had sounded so reluctant to do dinner with Logan that night. “You were hoping she’d change her mind?”
“She likes me. I know she does. She can’t lie about that.”
That might be up for debate, but Alex didn’t know enough about how Julie felt about him. “Don’t worry. We can go out tonight and have a line of girls around the block for you.”
“I don’t want a line of girls. Just that one. And she wants to be with me too. She just doesn’t want to be with a Farrell.”
Alex tensed. “She said that?”
“Have you talked to her about her past? Her childhood?”
“No. Was it messed up?”
“It was perfect. Leave It To Beaver perfect. One dad who worked a normal job; her mother was a schoolteacher and she has one older brother. Grew up in suburbia. Went to public schools. Had a fucking dog. Why would she want to get involved in our shit?”
Not one part of Alex thought it was a good idea for Logan and Julie to do anything together, but the idea of her turning them, er, Logan down because of their past got under his skin. Alex glanced down at the schedule. They still had five minutes before the next interview started. “I can go out and get you a new charger. I can be back in twenty.” Logan started to say something and Alex held out a hand. “No. You’ve been through hell today. This is the least I can do.”
“No. I want the fucking charger, but my apartment is closer. Just go there.” Logan took out his wallet and then pulled out the plastic key card. “And if you happen to see Julie, feel free to tell her that you’re okay with this.”
Alex nodded as he took the key. Logan was serious about this. It wasn’t that he just wanted to get into her panties. Alex remembered the cocky brother he used to have. Ambitious and more than willing to learn from Walter. He’d always thought prison would just exacerbate all of those id qualities. He’d be just as self-absorbed, but now angrier.
But here he was, facing demeaning question after demeaning question, all for the sake of a company that had done nothing for him.
No. Alex thought back. Julie had gotten him to agree to all this. Everything he was doing, he wasn’t doing for the sake of family or even the stake of the profits. He was trying to impress Julie.
Once he was in the lobby, he asked the receptionist to send him a driver. Logan’s apartment was only a ten-minute drive at this time of day. During rush hour, it would be faster to walk, but he should shave some time with a car.
He told the driver the address and looked down at his phone. Five missed calls, all from the same person. He put the phone back in his pocket. He needed to tell Logan about what was happening. Hell, he needed to tell everyone, but with all the excitement of Logan’s return, there hadn’t been a good time.
Good time. Fuck, there was never going to be a good time. If Robert were around, maybe he could’ve slipped away from the family business for a few weeks to get settled, but he was stuck at the moment. So he’d get on Logan’s good side by helping him with the Julie situation, and then he could try to tell Logan the truth.
Alex had never personally lived in the building that he’d arranged for Logan to stay at, but he’d been there plenty of times, either meeting with business partners who were staying there or for various business meetings. So he was able to go right to the elevator and insert the key to lead him to the apartment.
Even though it was a long way up, the sleek, state-of-the-art elevator took him up in mere seconds, and the doors slid open without a sound. Logan had neglected to tell him where the phone charger was, but it wouldn’t take too long to find whatever outlet it was probably still attached to.
But he only made it three steps inside the apartment before he realized he wasn’t alone. Alex stopped in his tracks and listened harder as the shuffling came from around the corner—the kitchen. That didn’t make any sense. No one could break into this building. Well, they could, but it had never happened. Those key cards were so heavily encrypted it would take a mastermind to copy one, and there were enough cameras around
the entrance that it made any covert operations hard.
Considering how hung up Logan was on Julie, it couldn’t just be some woman still there from the night before. It wasn’t as though he was dealing with Nathan.
Alex pulled out his phone. He didn’t know the number for building security, so he played it safe and put in 911, but he didn’t send the call. Instead, he stepped forward. He didn’t want to have police at a Farrell-owned building if it wasn’t a hundred percent necessary.
Except his black dress shoes were far from silent on the marble floor, and whoever was in the apartment must’ve heard him. “Who’s there?” asked a deep voice from the kitchen.
Alex debated lying but decided the truth might be better. His name did hold power over people. “Alex Farrell. Do you have permission to be here?” He took another step forward but paused before he reached the start of the hall that led to the kitchen. If the man had a weapon, he would be right out in the open.
But before he could make the choice, the man ran out in a dark blur. He jammed his shoulder into Alex’s gut, pushing him out of the way as he ran for the elevator. Alex stumbled and started to fall back, but he managed to catch himself before he toppled over and ran after the man.
The guy hit the button to close the doors over and over again, but Alex managed to get into the elevator right as the doors slid shut.
Once the guy started to punch, all logical thought went out the window. Alex blocked the first blow as the second hit him squarely in the jaw. Alex hadn’t been hit since he’d played rugby in high school, and his vision flashed in and out as he fell back against the now closed doors. A fraction of a second later, everything seemed to fall back together, and he knew exactly what he had to do. He slammed his hand on the emergency stop button and ducked as the guy tried to punch him again.
This time, instead of getting his face, he got the hard steel of the elevator wall. And the momentary distraction of that pain was all Alex needed. He stood up as he aimed an uppercut right to the guy’s ribs. And then he didn’t stop. Blow after blow, all he could think about was this son of a bitch on his territory. Threatening his brother.
Remorseless (Fractured Farrells: A Damaged Billionaire Series Book 3) Page 15