by Desiree Holt
“But we don’t know where.”
“No, we don’t, but tomorrow we’ll talk to Avery about options. Vigilance has helped people disappear like that before. She’ll have ideas about what to do next.” He held up a bottle of white wine and two glasses.
“I didn’t know if you wanted red or white, but white is usually a safer choice. I found the glasses in the bar in the living room. The wine was chilling in the fridge. This house is prepared for everything.”
She twisted her lips in a wry smile. “Like I said earlier, my father had regular business meetings here. It was in his DNA to be prepared for everything.”
A sober expression crossed his face. “Too bad you don’t know more about those business meetings, but I can understand him wanting to keep you out of everything.”
“With all the stuff that’s happening now, I wish he hadn’t.” She heaved a sigh. “I hope Avery has some more ideas when we talk to her again.”
“Me, too.” He wiggled the hand with the wineglasses. “Dinner is warming in the oven. I thought we’d take this out on the patio. The sun’s going down and it’s nice out there.”
Devon tried to read the expression on his face. “Are you trying to get me drunk for some reason? To have your wicked way with me?”
Now why did I say that? He probably wants to tell me what a mistake it was, and there are rules and all that. Why don’t I ever keep my mouth shut?
His smile was uncharacteristically tentative. “Not quite. And maybe after we…talk, you won’t want me to, anyway.”
A sudden cramp gripped her stomach and she forced herself to take a slow breath. “Well, um, let’s find out.”
She shut down her laptop and pushed back from the desk. “Lead on.”
The patio as usual looked like a decorator had just left, an artful arrangement of lounge chairs, easy chairs, and a table with six comfortable chairs surrounding it. The last remaining rays of sunlight bathed it with the same golden glow they cast on the emerald green of the lawn and the bright colors of the flower beds.
Logan uncorked the wine and filled the glasses before handing one to her.
“To good thoughts,” he said, touching his glass to hers.
“Good thoughts,” she echoed, although she had no idea what he meant.
When she was seated at the table, he drank his wine in two swallows, set the glass on the table, and walked to the edge of the patio, standing with his back to her. Despite her edgy feeling, Devon forced herself to sip the cold, crisp drink and wait for him to speak.
“At one point in my life in the Marines,” he began, “I was stationed at Camp Pendleton, at San Diego. I was invited to a party one night where I met the most incredible woman. Amanda was the daughter of a very wealthy attorney in San Diego. She was a language expert who often did work for the government. She also taught at San Diego State. She was an incredible person, independent, smart, brave. Really had her act together.”
A shaft of pain pierced Devon’s heart.
“She sounds…amazing.” Devon didn’t know what else to say. She was afraid she wasn’t going to like the rest of this story.
“Without getting into too many details, we fell in love. She told me her father always worried about her because he’d made a lot of enemies and he was afraid they might go after her. It had happened to friends of his. He tried to have a bodyguard trail her, but she used to tell me how trapped she felt, what a lack of privacy it gave her. She resented sacrificing her privacy for a danger she wasn’t even sure existed.”
Another pause.
Devon reached for the bottle to refill her own glass. She had a feeling she was going to need it.
“And?” she prompted.
“We spent as much time together as we could. Amanda was good at giving her bodyguard the slip. After all, I was a big bad Marine who could protect her, right? And I always got her home safely.”
“What happened?” She whispered the words.
“I was supposed to pick her up one night but I had something to do so we agreed to meet at the restaurant. She was kidnapped in the parking lot.” He bowed his head, not saying a word for a long moment. “She was killed before she could be rescued.”
“What about her bodyguard? Had she ditched him that time?”
“No. I insisted she not go there alone. Because of an international deal he was involved in, her father had recently received an escalation in threats, warning him what would happen if he did not kill the deal. Her bodyguard drove her to the restaurant. His body was found in the parking lot, hit as soon as he got out of the car. By the time I got there police were all over the place and her father was a raving maniac. Justifiably so.”
He paused, swallowed, took a deep breath.
“He tried to have me arrested. Even suggested I was behind the whole thing, to keep her bodyguard away from her so I could have her all to myself. Then he got the message from the kidnappers and hired his own firm, one like Vigilance, to rescue her. But the kidnapper was ready for that. The minute the premises were breached he shot Amanda. Just like that.”
Logan stood where he was for a long moment, silent, his body lined with tension. The pain radiating from him was so palpable she thought she could reach out and touch it.
Devon felt the guilt he carried.
She got up, refilled his glass, and carried it back to him. He started to refuse the drink but then changed his mind. He lifted it and drank half in one swallow.
“Logan.” She said his name in a tentative voice.
“I know, I know.” He slugged down the remainder of the wine. “You can tell me all you want that it wasn’t my fault. That her bodyguard should have been more alert, but hell. They were on him the minute he opened the car door. I still can’t help thinking if I’d picked her up it wouldn’t have happened. It made me question myself as a man and a Marine.”
“I’m so sorry. I—” She stopped. What could she say?
“After that I made up my mind love was not for me. It was too painful to lose someone, and besides, I was sure I’d never find another woman just like that. So strong, so independent, so determined no matter what the circumstances. It’s worked for all these years.” He gave her a piercing look. “Until I met you.”
Devon tried to conceal her shock. This was the last thing she expected to hear.
“It’s not just the chemistry,” he told her. “Although that’s pretty damn strong. But you are so much like her it’s unbelievable. And when we made love…”
At least he’d said made love instead of had sex.
She cleared her throat. She didn’t want to ask him, but she had to. “Are you sure you don’t just see me as a replacement for her?”
He shook his head. “The truth? I asked myself the same question, and the answer is no. As much as you’re like her, you’re that many ways different. Your own person.”
“I don’t know…”
He held up a hand. “Let me finish.” He refilled both their wineglasses. Lifted his and took a swallow. “There are rules, Devon. My rules. Vigilance rules. Top of the list is clients are off-limits.”
“I know,” she broke in. “That’s why I had reservations about…what we did. I have rules, too, Logan. It seems we both broke them.”
He nodded. “I just couldn’t help myself. I’ve asked myself every minute if I was imagining this, but the connection we made... Devon, it’s been years since I felt one that strong.” He stared at her, the look in his eyes piercing. “Am I just imagining all this?”
She shook her head. “No. You’re not. At first I thought maybe I was crazy. I mean, thugs run me off the road, a man saves me, and the first thing I feel is an unbelievable attraction for the man who rescues me? I thought to myself, Am I nuts? Is it possible for something like this to happen that fast?”
His mouth curved in a lopsided grin. “It must be, becau
se it hit both of us.” Then his smile disappeared, replaced by a serious look. “I broke my rules here, because I wanted you more than I wanted my job, which is really saying something.” He looked away for a moment, then back at her. “I worry that I’ll let myself get distracted and something will happen to you.”
Like Amanda. He didn’t say it but she knew that was what he was thinking.
She took a slow sip of her wine and tried to collect her thoughts. She needed to take great care with her words.
“Logan, listen to me.” She put down her glass, walked over to him, and took both of his hands. “I can’t even begin to imagine the pain you carry with you from such a devastating situation. But she could have been snatched at any time.”
“I know that’s logical,” he agreed, “but I never could make myself believe it.”
“On the other hand,” Devon went on, “if the point of this conversation is to let me know what happened between us is a mistake, that’s okay. I can deal with that. I—”
“No.” He snapped the word out. “That’s not it at all.”
She locked her gaze with his. “Then help me understand what you mean. I don’t want to do anything that—”
“No. Stop.” He blew out a breath. “I’m doing this all wrong. Damn.” He rubbed his jaw. “This feels like a scene out of a bad movie. This is not who I am, this kind of dialogue.”
Devon had to smile. “No, I’m sure it’s not, Mr. Big Bad Marine.”
He smiled back at her, although his expression was tentative.
“What I’m getting at is this.” He skewered her with his gaze again, as if trying to see beneath the surface. “Unless my radar is way off, we have something going here. The last thing I ever thought was to find this with someone again and I don’t want to screw up. You’d think after all these years I’d have enough discipline to put it all in my back pocket until this is resolved, but that doesn’t seem to be working for me.” He stopped, apparently waiting for her to say something.
“If you’re asking do I feel the same way, I think I already answered that.” She chose her words with great care. “I know what’s going on here. What’s at stake. But I’m not a child or an idiot. For whatever reason fate put us together and created something special for us. You’ve had this once before so maybe you’re afraid to take a chance again; I haven’t and I don’t want to walk away from it. I’ve waited a long time for someone like you.”
He studied her for so long she was suddenly afraid of what his answer would be. “Okay,” he said at last, “here’s the deal.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Do I think it’s smart to put this away until all the danger is past and we can take a rational look at it? Probably. Do I want to do it? Hell, no. But I also have to put your safety first. I don’t want to do anything to put you in danger.” There was that crooked grin again. “Talk about being a mixed-up mess. I might lose my man card.”
Devon took his wineglass from his hand and put her arms around him.
“I trust you, Logan. Trust you to use good judgment and to keep me safe. Whatever exploded between us isn’t going to burn any less bright because you’re here to protect me. How about if we take it slow, one day at a time? If what we feel is real, it won’t disappear. If we can steal some alone time without courting danger, let’s do it. And let’s both be alert, all the time.”
“I’ll feel a lot better when we know exactly what the deal is with your father and where the danger is coming from.”
“Me, too.”
He looked down at her for so long and took so much time to comment on what she said that she wondered if she’d said something wrong. Then he tightened one arm around her, slid his fingers into her hair to cup her head, and took her mouth in a kiss so hungry she wondered if he’d ever be satisfied. His tongue plunged and swirled, sliding across hers in an erotic caress. His hard body was pressed to hers, the thick outline of his cock evident against her pelvis, the earthy scent of his aftershave tantalizing her nostrils.
They broke the kiss only when they both ran out of breath. They looked at each other, stunned by the intensity of what was between them. Logan opened his mouth to say something when the landline rang. They both hurried into the kitchen.
“Let me get it.” Logan reached for the receiver.
“All right, but I want to hear whatever is said,” she insisted.
He held it to give them both access.
“Yes?” He barked the word.
“Tell the bitch if we don’t get what we want, yesterday was just a little taste of what we have in store.” The voice was guttural, with a Spanish accent.
To Devon it sounded like the same man who had threatened her on the road.
“She has nothing for you.” Logan delivered the words in the coldest voice she had ever heard. “And next time I won’t be so friendly.”
“Don’t make light of this,” the voice said. “We always get what we want.”
Then there was a click and they heard the dial tone.
Devon tightened her fists and shoved them in her pockets to halt her sudden trembling.
Logan cupped her chin and tilted her face to him. “Listen to me. They will not get you. Not touch you. Not harm you. You can take that to the bank.”
He rubbed his thumb against her jawline and she pressed her head into his palm, seeking strength from his touch.
“I believe you. It’s just—” She sighed. “This is all just such a mess.”
He winked at her. “That it is, but I’m the best cleanup man you could ever want.”
“Do you think they’ll try to come to the house?”
“If they do, help is just five minutes away.”
“I’m not sure which upsets me more, the idea of guns or of drugs.” Then a thought hit her and made her stomach cramp. “Do you think maybe he was into both? Oh, Logan, my God.” She rubbed her forehead. “What made him get involved with people like that, if in fact that’s what he did? Was he in that much trouble? Did he need the money so badly?”
“Desperate people do desperate things. Avery said they’re searching as fast as they can. By morning she expects to have a lot more to tell us. Your father was very good at layering and hiding things, though, making it just that much harder to trace. And now that we think executives of CI were involved, who better to cook the books than the vice president for corporate finance?”
She chewed her thumbnail. “I hope Avery can figure out how this all happened and who all is involved besides a cartel.”
“If anyone can, it’s her,” he assured her. He stroked his thumb over her knuckles. “Vigilance is the best, you know. They can find a gnat in the desert under ten tons of sand. They’ll get to the bottom of this and we’ll find your father. That’s a promise from me to you.”
“You know you can’t make those kinds of promises.”
He lifted her hand and kissed it. “I can, I will, and I am. It just takes time. You saw the setup at Vigilance. Right now Ginger’s assignment is to focus on this, nothing else. She’s running every program and writing new ones if she has to. It’s a little more difficult because it looks like your father created electronic walls and traps to protect himself.”
“He knew what he was doing.” The thought was so hard to get her mind around. “But was he burying all this for whoever he was involved with or to protect himself?”
“Hard to tell. I’d say probably both. If he was mixed up with some really bad guys, he’d want to give himself an edge. Just in case.”
Devon didn’t want to ask in case of what.
“What about his phone? Any further news to report on that?”
“We’re looking at a form of encryption more complicated than we’ve seen before.” He sighed. “It seems that the moment companies like Vigilance find a way to crack a code, someone invents a tougher one. But they’re on it nonstop.”
“I know. It’s just—” She threw up her hands.
“Come here.” He drew her into his arms. “You have my promise that we’ll get to the bottom of this, and soon. And that I’ll keep you safe.” He brushed his mouth over hers. “Meanwhile I prescribe another glass of wine and a nice dinner. And maybe a hot bath.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “That’s Dr. Malik’s prescription.”
She laughed, knowing that’s what he wanted from her. “Yes, sir. I’ll do my best to follow doctor’s orders.”
Devon had trouble concentrating on dinner and even sitting still. She kept expecting the phone to ring again with a call from the men dogging her. And every time there was a noise from outside she jumped, even though she knew every single sound was being monitored. Logan had even set up a laptop in the kitchen so he could keep an eye on things while they ate.
“I think you’ve pushed that piece of chicken around on your plate long enough.” Logan’s voice held a touch of amusement. “Let’s just say you get an A for effort and leave it at that.”
She dug up a smile for him. “I’m sorry. I don’t seem to have much appetite. I can’t get my mind around everything Avery told us and all the possibilities. It’s unbelievable that my father would be involved in stuff like this.”
“When we get the details, it may turn out not to be as bad as we think.”
“That’s nice of you to say, but you don’t have to be careful of my feelings.”
“What I do have to be careful of,” he told her as he pushed away from the table, “is making sure you get enough rest. You’ve had a traumatic couple of days.”
He stacked the dishes from the table and carried them to the sink.
“Wait.” Devon rose and picked up the few things still left. “I can do this. You cooked. I’ll clean up.”
He took the things from her hands and put them on the counter.
“Most women would rejoice at being waited on.”
“I’m not most women,” she pointed out.
Logan turned to face her, cradling her chin in his palm. “That’s for sure. And thank the Lord.” He dropped his hand and linked his fingers through hers. “Have a nice hot shower.” He leered at her. “Then I’ll tuck you nicely into bed.”