And this is exactly why I HATE shopping on weekends.
I got a few funny looks as I went, before eventually bursting out and turning off Main Street and back towards my car. The crowd thinned immediately, the other streets lacking in many points of interest, although there was a beautiful church that did seem to catch the attention of a group of Chinese tourists.
I let out a gasp as I reached my car, opening it up and chucking my bags on the back seat. As I leaned in I felt a tug behind me, ripping at my arm. It was the strap of my handbag, someone pulling it from my body.
I turned to see a hooded man scrambling at the bag, dragging the strap over my arm as he ripped it towards him.
My heart was almost catapulted from my chest as the mugger hugged the handbag to his pec like a football and turned, twisting on the spot and galloping off out of the parking lot and down the street.
I heard a shout behind me as I stood, stricken against the side of the car.
“HEY!”
In the blink of an eye a man went shooting past me from behind. He sped like a cheetah hunting its prey, flying towards the mugger as he shot off down the street. But he had too much of a head start. There was no way he'd be caught.
Fucking little toad.
I could tell that the chaser realized the game was up quick enough as well. He must have been about 50 meters in front of me when he turned around.
I lost a breath when I saw who it was.
Crash.
That intense, irritatingly good looking, guy from last night.
As he turned I saw that his eyes were burning in rage again, although they quickly changed at the sight of me. I didn't exactly consider my purse getting stolen to be funny, but his face made it pretty clear that those were his thoughts on the matter.
Of all the people to try to be my savior.
He slowly walked towards me, the amusement in his eyes gradually washing away at the look on my face. I wasn't quite sure what to think, so much had already happened in the last 24 hours that I wasn't even sure if I was actually awake.
OK Elle, time to wake up. Lets get back to reality.
But this was reality. I had actually been mugged. I was actually now glaring at this guy walking at me, the type of guy I'd usually be too shy to even look at.
“Are you OK,” he said as he got closer. He was taller than I remembered from last night. He must have been at least 6' 3”, his shoulders wide beneath his jacket. He wore a sharp suit without a tie, dark grey over a black shirt.
“I'm fine. Thanks for trying to help.” I spoke more confidently that I usually would with a guy like this. I guess it must have been the adrenaline. Somehow talking to a hot guy wasn't quite so intimidating when you'd just had your bag snatched away from you.
“Don't mention it. Elle, right?” He eyed me up quickly, snaking his eyes over me and reaching out a hand.
I nodded, taking it. I was surprised he remembered my name. He didn't seem to take any notice of me at all when Alice introduced me last night.
His grip was firm, his hand engulfing my petite fingers and palm.
“We never met properly last night. I had other things on my mind.” The blaze in his eyes was gone, although I could still see a fire burning back there. I wondered if that intensity ever went away.
“What did he take?” he asked, sliding his hand back away from mine.
I quickly turned to the car to see my keys still hanging in the door. Thank God I still had those.
“My handbag,” I said, turning back. “Shit, I had my purse in there, all my cards, my phone.”
This was the worst timing ever. Why was this happening to me right now. Seriously, why was I being punished like this!
“You'd better cancel your cards right away. Come on inside, you can use my phone.”
“Inside?”
“The casino. It's mine.”
Chapter 5
Crash
I stood looking down over the casino floor from the balcony outside my office. Elle was inside, using the phone. By the sound of it, she had several cards to cancel. Probably another spoiled college rich kid using daddy's money.
My father had always been rich, he'd always had money. But he never gave any free tickets, never gave us money without making us work for it first. He'd placed us all in charge off several of his business as we got older, when we'd proven we were able to handle the responsibility.
Me, I'd managed a bar of his when I was only 19. I'd done that for a few years before he felt comfortable enough to hand over the keys to the casino. It was a great way of teaching us that money for nothing meant just that, nothing. Only money earned had value.
And I'd earned everything I had. I'd worked hard for him, hard for the family. I'd helped grow the casino, increasing our yearly takings year on year. Now I had plans to expand further, even beyond what he'd achieved. Hopefully he'd be looking down on me, feeling proud.
I'd been on the outskirts of town that morning. I had to put that shit with Kyle out of my head for now. There were much more pressing things to attend to.
Casino's what was I knew, and a lot of land was being put up for auction in a prime spot outside of the city. I'd been at a meeting with investors to secure the plot, and the funds to build a casino to put Logans to shame.
There was no way I could afford it on my own. Even if I liquidated all of dads assets, it still would fall way short of the amount I'd need. This was the big time, something beyond my father's wildest dreams. But I knew casinos. I knew I could make something that would make the other family businesses look like lemonade stands at the side of the road by comparison.
I heard a click behind me and Elle walked out. She didn't look best pleased.
“All done?”
She nodded. “Thanks for helping, I appreciate that.”
“Don't mention it.” She looked remarkably downcast, more than if you'd only lost a few credit cards and your phone. I'm sure she'd have insurance for that.
“Hey, you look like you could use a drink? I've got a meeting in about half an hour. Wanna help me fill the gap?”
She looked up at me, a sheepish look on her face, and nodded.
“Thanks,” she said, “that might help.”
I turned her round and pointed her back towards my office. “It doubles as a bar,” I joked, trying to lighten the tone. There was something delicate about this girl, something innocent.
I walked her in and sat her down on the leather sofa, stretched along the right wall of the room.
“What's your poison then? You don't seem like a hard spirits kind of girl!”
She screwed up her face and shook her head. “Only when part of a fruity cocktail.” She smiled, her face lighting up briefly, before closing her lips tight once more.
“OK, well I have some lemonade here. How about that with some vodka?”
She nodded before I poured the drinks, mine without the lemonade.
“So Elle, tell me,” I said as I sat down beside her, “how long have you known Alice?” I wondered whether she was one of her colleagues, whether she worked for Kyle.
Impossible. Not this girl. Look at her, she'd blow over in a light wind.
“About 18 hours.”
“Only 18 hours! So you're a friend of - what's her name - Tess?”
“No, only just met her as well. I just moved here yesterday.”
“Ahh, so you're at college. Funny time to join isn't it?”
“Yeah, it's a long story. I'm not sure there's time to tell you before your meeting,” she joked, a smile once more growing on her face.
It was a cute face, her features small and soft. She had these sky blue eyes and shoulder length blonde hair. There was a purity about her that I rarely came into contact with. Not in my line of work. Not with the sort of girls I dated.
&nb
sp; “Another time perhaps.”
“And you,” she said, “how long have you run this casino. You don't seem old enough for the job.”
She was coy when asking the question, as if she felt she might be overstepping the mark.
“A few years. It belonged to my father, he had me run it for him. He was killed several months ago.”
The words still stung as I spoke them. She didn't push the issue, just passed along her condolences. I'd had enough of hearing how sorry people were though.
No, I wanted revenge.
We spoke for a little while longer as she sipped away on her vodka lemonade. She grimaced slightly as she sipped it - I'd probably overdone the ratios.
I felt strangely open talking to her. I don't know what it was. Maybe the fact that she was unlike anyone else I knew. Maybe it was because she was detached from my own life, someone who'd just moved here and had no preconceptions about me.
I knew what people thought of me. I knew they saw me as this intense guy who'd fly into a rage over anything. Sure, I had a temper, but that wasn't all I was. It was just what people remembered about me. The fury. The anger. They knew nothing of me really. No one did.
Even my name, Crash. It was like a self-fulfilling prophesy. The name had stuck from when I was a teen, getting into fights and stamping my authority over the other kids. My friends said I was like a car crash, wrecking lives and causing pain.
Great friends they were.
I liked the name at first. It went with my bad boy image, this merciless motherfucker who'd take no shit from anyone.
“Crash is coming, and he'll fuck you up.”
No one messed with my brothers, no one messed with my friends. And not only because my father was Charles Logan.
Because I was Crash Logan.
....
A sudden knock at the door broke me from my thoughts.
I looked up to see Kyle standing behind the glass, a stern look on his face. And they say I'm intense. The way Kyle's been recently I wouldn't be surprised if he developed a worse reputation than me soon enough.
“Elle, there's my 2.30. He doesn't look like he'll want to be kept waiting.”
She glanced through the glass at Kyle. “Yeah, I'll go. I don't wanna get caught in another one of your slanging matches.”
It seemed that drink had loosened her tongue slightly as a grin swept over her face. It was cute, like the rest of her.
“Thanks again for the help, and the drink,” she said as she stood.
I walked her to the door and ushered her out, watching Kyle eye her closely as she passed by him. There looked to be an element of distrust in his eye. Or maybe it was just confusion at seeing her in my office.
“You move fast brother. She only just arrived yesterday.”
I walked around to the other side of my desk and sat down in my chair. “Not what you think, and not why you're here.” I didn't have any interest in small talk with Kyle. Not right now.
“Sit down, you look uncomfortable lingering there.” I could see his expression hardening at my words. He'd never liked taking orders from me.
He slowly pulled out the chair opposite me and sat down, staring at me the entire time. Our relationship had been strained ever since our father died, ever since I'd taken up the mantle of being head of the family. I guess taking orders from dad was one thing, taking orders from a brother only two years your senior another.
I understood where he was coming from. I wasn't so arrogant and conceited that I couldn't put myself in his shoes.
But there was more to it than that. Kyle had spoken to me of his desire to do something else with his life, move somewhere else and start afresh. He wanted to take Alice with him, this girl he'd only known a few months.
It wasn't our father's wish. It wasn't his will.
I was his will now, and his voice. If Kyle was to leave, he'd be cut from our inheritance, his lines of credit removed, his fancy lifestyle no more.
He sat there now, ahead of me, an anger in his eyes. I could feel it radiating from him. He'd been like that for weeks.
“It's time we cleared the air Kyle,” I said, trying to sound as pragmatic as possible. “You're my brother, and I love you. We should be closer now that father's gone, not divided.”
“I agree. You can start by not trying to rule me like a fucking peasant.” His words were heavily set with resentment.
“Rule you?” Do you really think I'm trying to rule you?”
“You're forcing me to stay in a job I can't do any more Crash. I can't run that club. It's not right for me now. Not with...” he stopped short before finishing the sentence but I finished it for him.
“Alice.” I said.
His eyes flashed at the sound of her name and he nodded.
“You know how father would feel about her Kyle. You never mix business with pleasure. You're disrespecting him with her.”
He gritted his teeth, his eyes deeply set in his skull. There seemed to be so much he wanted to say, but he wouldn't spill it up.
“I love her Crash. I can't help that.”
I sat up and leaned in, seeing his eyes soften. “You love her? How can you love a girl like that?”
He stood up fast, the chair he was sitting on flying backwards. “Don't you fucking dare talk about her like that. You don't know anything about her.”
I raised my hand in apology. “You're right, I don't. I'm sorry.”
He gathered the chair and sat back down, his eyes still fiery.
“What would you do then?” he said. “If you were in my position, what would you do?”
“I'd honor our father's wishes, his will.”
He sat back in his chair, tilting his chin to the heavens, and laughed. “Of course you would. You're the golden child, the second coming of Charles Logan, the man who'd do anything to honor his lordly father.” His words were full of sarcasm and bitterness. I never knew he harbored such feelings towards me, or dad.
“So what would you like me to do? Ignore father's wishes, let you run off with your little girlfriend and fuck around with his money? You know the will, Kyle. If you leave the family business, you're cut.”
“I won't fuck around with his money!” he shouted, his voice rising. “I just want to do something else in the business, get away from that fucking club. I've served my time there, let me run the bar and Jude can take the club.”
I sat and thought. What could be so bad about running a strip club. Hell, I knew a lot of people who'd kill for a job like that.
“You never seemed to hate the job so much before? What's changed?”
He sat up straight and looked me straight in the eye, his eyebrows raising slightly. “You know what's changed Crash, don't act dumb.”
That fucking girl. Always a fucking girl.
I thought for a moment. I wanted to build bridges with him, I wanted him to be happy. Perhaps it was time for him to move on, leave the club, step up to work with me at my side.
“There is something I'm working on. It's big.” I said finally, seeing his eyes rise to mine.
“What?” he asked quickly, an interest creeping into his voice.
“It's a long term project, something that will put everything else in its shadow, even this place.”
I could see his eyes sparkle with intrigue.
“Look, there's nothing finalized about it all yet. I don't know whether it's going to go through. If it does, though, maybe you could help me with it, or run this place or something?”
He nodded slowly, his eyes growing wider with a sense of hope.
“I'd like that Crash.”
“For now, though, I need you back at the club. I'll think about a replacement for you. Not Jude, it's too much for him. I'll think of someone else.”
He stood up and looked me straight in the eye. “Yo
u know, maybe I was wrong about you. Maybe you're not such a dick after all.” The corners of his mouth crept up in a smile, his eyes narrowing.
I love you too brother.
Chapter 6
Elle
I stood in a long white corridor staring at a noticeboard. In front of me were a series of timetables, but I only had my eye on one of them.
I traced my eyes over it, looking for my preferences.
Contemporary, Jazz, Latin, Street, Ballet. The list of different styles went on, each one with several classes for beginners through to experienced dancers throughout the week.
I was stood in a local dance school near college. It wasn't connected at all, but I'd been told by someone in my literature class that they catered to just about every sort of dance style you could imagine.
I felt invigorated standing there, all of this possibility in front of me. Last time round I'd taken an age to start dancing again, held back by Brad and his dead weight.
I wasn't going to make the same mistake again.
I heard a door open over to my right and saw a bunch of girls come flowing out into the corridor. They wore tights and T-shirts, most of them lean and slim, their hair tied back and glistening with sweat.
I quickly ran my eyes over the timetable - contemporary, that's what they'd been doing. It was a style I enjoyed.
I looked back up to see one of them approach. She was petite, with short blonde hair and big bright blue eyes. She probably looked similar to me to a passer by.
“Hey,” she said, her voice as light and bright as she appeared, “I haven't seen you here before. You thinking of joining?”
“Yeah, I am. Was that contemporary you were just doing?”
She nodded and smiled.
“Is the tuition good?” I asked.
“Ah its amazing yeah. Costs a bit though. Are you looking to be a full time dancer or just a bit of part time stuff?”
“Oh, I'm at college, so it would just be evenings. How much is it per class?”
She squiggled her nose up as she thought about it. “I'm not sure on a, like, per class basis. But you can pay monthly for a certain number or maybe buy a batch?”
The Logan Brothers - Books 1-4: (EXPOSURE, CRASH, TWIN PASSIONS, and ADDICTED TO YOU) Page 22