The Boys Club

by Angie Martin

  She peeked over her shoulder. Jack’s lips moved in silent conversation, but Logan held his eyes on her. Guilt overcame her and she whipped her head back around. Her unfair words from last night echoed in her ears. If she had given him half a chance, his explanation would have made sense and she could have questioned him further. He had saved her life by taking her, and she rewarded him by slicing open his arm with glass and going on an angry tirade that downplayed everything he had done for her. Though natural reactions in her situation, his kindness outweighed everything else.

  She snuck another glance back at him and saw the men closing in on her. She slowed her pace and waited for them to catch up.

  “Ready to go back?” Logan asked.

  She nodded and followed his lead to the right. She ran in silence next to him, wishing Jack had stayed behind. She wanted to apologize to Logan and tell him she believed him, but remembered he warned her against trusting anyone but him. Jack seemed nice enough, much like Charlie, but she didn’t know how much he knew about her situation. She would have to wait until she caught Logan alone.

  Back at the house, she propped her hands on her hips and walked in a circle to wind down. The sight of Logan bent over with his hands on his thighs caught her attention. She detoured toward him, hoping to ask him for a moment alone. As she neared, he straightened up. With his back facing her, he reached over his shoulders and tugged his damp shirt over his head.

  Sara’s face reddened. Her legs shifted direction and she averted her eyes, as Logan turned around to face her. Having experienced Logan’s strength firsthand when he restrained her, she didn’t need to also see it. Just the glimpse of his back and shoulders jolted her enough.

  Jack walked up to her, saving her from further embarrassment. “Do you like Jim Carrey?” he asked.

  Sara’s brow furrowed. “Jim… Carrey? The comedian actor guy?”

  “Yeah, that’s him.” A smile accompanied his jovial tone.

  “Um… I suppose so.”

  “There’s a marathon of his movies on today. Would you like to join Charlie and me and watch them?”

  Excitement coursed through her veins at the thought of being out of her room all day. She didn’t care much whose movies played on the television, as long as she didn’t have to pass time staring at the wall in a locked room. Logan’s warnings about not trusting anyone floated through her mind. Wondering if the question was a trick, she looked at Logan. As the man in charge, she didn’t want to do anything without his permission.

  Logan gave her a slight nod of approval.

  She smiled at Jack. “That sounds great.”

  “I guess we’ll see you after we’re all cleaned up.” He opened the back door and entered the house.

  “Thank you,” Logan said, as soon as the door shut.

  “For what?”

  “For checking with me about what Jack said.”

  With her eyes lowered, she said, “I’m sorry I was rude to you last night. I thought about it and I think you were telling the truth about my dad.”

  “I wish it wasn’t true,” he said, taking a step toward her. “But I’ll do what I can to help you until we get you to the FBI.”

  He reached in front of her to grab the doorknob. She shuffled sideways to move away from him, but stepped on her shoelace as she crossed her foot over the other. Logan reached out to grab her, but she stumbled in the wrong direction and he missed her. Her palms cushioned the painful fall onto the concrete patio.

  Crouching in front of her, Logan asked, “Are you okay?”

  She lifted her hands and brushed them against each other. “Just clumsy, I guess. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of bruises later on.”

  “Here,” Logan said. He stood up and held out his hand. “Let’s get you up and make sure you’re okay.”

  His hand swallowed hers and he pulled her to her feet. The momentum brought her closer to him than she liked. The air thickened around her and her heart crashed into her stomach. Her eyes landed on his and her lips parted. She dropped her gaze and took a small step back, hand still in his.

  “I, uh…” Although she felt like she needed to say something, her mind blanked.

  “You sure you’re okay? No twisted ankle or anything?”

  Against her wishes, her eyes moved down his contoured body. She gasped at the number of scars spread across his shoulders, chest, and stomach. “Were you in a car accident?”

  “No.” He let go of her hand. “I guess I’m a little too good at my job sometimes.”

  “I see.”

  He opened the door and gestured for her to go in first. She instinctively reached for her ring finger, her fingertips circling the naked skin. Walking past Logan into the house, her forehead wrinkled, she could no longer deny her attraction to him, as much as she wanted to, but the impossible situation confused her. Grateful that she would spend the rest of her day with Jack and Charlie, her feet picked up speed so she could go to her room to shower and get as far away from Logan as she could.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  “Any news on the leak?”

  “Nothing that can tie it to one person,” Schaffer said.

  Logan slouched over the kitchen counter. “What have you found?”

  “Everything seems to be in order. The intel was vetted as much as it could be before it came to us. The feds found nothing out of the ordinary on their second look-through.”

  Logan narrowed his eyes. “As much as it could be?”

  “The job was handed down to us an hour after it was received. They had very little time with it before it came to me.”

  “Why the shortened timeframe?”

  “Because Sara’s life was on the line. They didn’t have a choice but to rush it through, same as us.”

  Logan straightened up and ran his hand over the stubble on top of his head. “That’s just what they wanted.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Logan lowered his voice to make sure no one else heard. “Whoever is working with Langston didn’t want us to have a lot of time to look into the intel. They made it so we focused more on saving Sara’s life rather than on where the intel came from.”

  “The source was anonymous,” Schaffer said.

  “Wait. Was the source on my last job also anonymous?”

  “Yes, but that isn’t proof they’re related.”

  “Not definitively,” Logan said. “One in five jobs come from anonymous sources.”

  “Two in a row could be a coincidence. Or maybe it isn’t.”

  “That’s what I’m thinking. Have you traced the hit?”

  “We don’t have enough info to do that.”

  Logan closed his eyes and shook his head. “What if there is no hit?”

  “No hit?”

  “What if this isn’t about Sara at all?”

  “It’s possible they used her to get you out in the open. But saying there’s a hit on her is pretty severe if there wasn’t one out there. They took the chance we would find out the truth.”

  “But they made sure we didn’t have enough time to do that. Now I’m in the open with Langston’s daughter.”

  Schaffer didn’t respond.

  “We need to find out if this hit is real,” Logan said. “Either way, Sara’s still in danger as long as she’s with me. The men coming after me may not care about collateral damage.”

  “I’ll focus everything on the hit. Do you have a back-up plan yet? You need a way to get her out of there if someone comes after you.”

  “I’ll get one ready now.”

  After they ended the call, Logan walked over to the breakfast bar and peered out into the living room. Sara sat between Jack and Charlie, and occasional laughter tinkled out of her as they watched television. She turned her head to Jack and exchanged inaudible conversation for a moment. Her lips mesmerized him as she spoke and smiled. He hadn’t dreamed they would be able to lift her spirits while she stayed with them, but Jack and Charlie had managed to make her happy, if only for this afte
rnoon.

  Her head turned and she glanced at Logan, sharing her warm smile with him. Logan tore his eyes away from her and walked back to the refrigerator. He wanted to smile back, to share even one little moment with her, but doing so was counterproductive to his job. The stress of protecting her, the knowledge of a mole working against him, the lack of sleep… all of it had already worn him down. Feeling something for her would make things worse, especially when she had to leave with the FBI.

  He fished a bottled water out of the refrigerator and walked out of the kitchen. Sara’s eyes bore through him as he walked past the living room, but he did not look over at her. He had a job to do.

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  As she watched Logan walk toward the front door, Sara frowned at his blank, unreadable stare. She turned back around to face forward on the couch and sighed.

  Jack and Charlie had calmed and relaxed her for the past few hours while they watched television. She worried at any time they might lock her back in her room, but the unfounded concern didn’t stop her from enjoying herself.

  Except for when Logan looked at her.

  Ever since they had spoken on the back patio after their run, uneasiness plagued her chest. She didn’t think he posed a threat; rather, his presence wrapped a blanket of security around her. Though she didn’t feel as safe with the others as she did with Logan, that same comfort also caused her fear and anxiety.

  When she tried to smile at him, he dismissed her with an indifferent glance before walking away. She didn’t think she had done anything wrong, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that he wanted nothing to do with her.

  “Does Logan hate me?” She posed the question to no one in particular.

  Both men turned to face her. “Hate you?” Charlie asked. “What makes you think that?”

  She stumbled on her words. She didn’t even know she felt that way until now. “I don’t know exactly. He avoids me and it seems like he’s angry with me for some reason.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Jack said. “He doesn’t hate you. It’s just that whole thing with Karen that bothers him.”

  Sara flinched at the unfamiliar name. “Who’s Karen?”

  “His wife—”

  “Jack,” Charlie said.

  The last thing Sara expected to hear, her eyes widened. “Logan’s married?”

  “We’re not supposed to talk about it,” Jack said. “Especially in front of you.”

  Charlie groaned. “Damn it, Jack. Stop.”

  Sara turned to Jack, since Charlie seemed unwilling to answer her questions. “What do you mean?”

  “Does anyone want some water?” Charlie asked, standing up. “I think it’s time for something to drink.” He walked off without waiting for a response to his question.

  Sara moved to the edge of the couch and turned to face Jack. “What are you talking about? Why aren’t you supposed to talk about Logan’s wife in front of me?”

  “She died a couple of years ago, but it’s still an open wound for Logan. We don’t talk about it in front of him.”

  Logan’s behavior finally made sense to her. He went through the motions of his job, of protecting Sara and doing what needed to be done, but did so in a constant state of mourning. If she outlived Stephen it would be hard enough to lose him, but she couldn’t imagine how hard it would be to go through life if she lost someone she actually loved as much as Logan must have loved his wife.

  Jack’s words about not talking about it in front of her came to mind. “Why aren’t you supposed to talk about it in front of me?” she asked.

  “Because Langston—”

  “Alright, that’s enough talk,” Charlie said, as he walked back into the room with a glass of ice water. “I’m ready for the next movie and then I’ll start working on tonight’s dinner feast.” He moved to the center of the couch and sat his coffee cup down on the coffee table.

  Sara scooted over to the end of the couch so Charlie could sit between her and Jack. She wanted to ask more questions, especially with the mention of her father, but Charlie’s deliberate separation of her from Jack warned her against further discussion.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Logan walked into the dining room after spending the afternoon working on his backup plan for Sara. He hoped he wouldn’t need it, but his gut told him otherwise. If there was a leak in their organization, which seemed more and more likely, then things had been much too quiet since kidnapping Sara. Someone would eventually come for her, and he needed to be prepared.

  Charlie came into the room with a plate full of corn on the cob. “Just in time for dinner,” he said.

  “I see that,” Logan said. “Can I help out with anything?”

  “I have plenty of help. Just sit down and enjoy.”

  “Hot, hot, hot!” Sara ran in behind Charlie, a round casserole dish in her hands. Charlie jumped out of the way and she rushed to get the glass dish onto the table.

  “Why didn’t you use oven mitts?” Charlie asked.

  “I couldn’t find any. I searched all the drawers—”

  “They’re in a cupboard above the coffeemaker,” Logan said. “We’ve never been too organized around here.”

  Sara glanced up at him and smiled. “Good to know. Um, Charlie said you didn’t like corn on the cob, so I heated up some green beans for you. I hope they’re okay.”

  Logan flinched. Sara had come a long way since their confrontation last night. “I’m sure they’re great,” he said. “Thanks for thinking of me.”

  “Couldn’t let you go hungry,” she said, flashing a grin his way.

  Logan looked down at the spread on the table, mainly to stop himself from staring at Sara. “You’ve made quite a feast tonight, Charlie.”

  “Steaks, roasted potatoes, corn on the cob, green beans, rolls. All with Sara’s help.”

  “Don’t forget the pie,” Sara said.

  “Did someone say pie?” Jack asked, as he came into the room with Lester in tow.

  “I didn’t know you baked, Charlie,” Lester said.

  “I don’t,” Charlie said, gesturing to Sara.

  “You made pie?” Jack asked.

  “I hope you don’t mind,” Sara said. “There were some fresh strawberries in the fridge and you had all the ingredients to make up a crust. It’s a pie I used to make with my mom.”

  “You went to a lot of trouble,” Logan said, as he pulled out the chair at the head of the table.

  Sara shrugged and sat in the chair adjacent to his. “Charlie said this might be one of our last dinners here and I wanted to do something as a thank you.” She glanced around the table at all the men, who were all now sitting and passing around food. “It’s just a small thing, but I didn’t know how else to say thank you for saving my life. I know I was a bit of a pain in the beginning—”

  “You weren’t a pain,” Charlie said, handing the bowl of potatoes to Lester. “A little spirited, maybe, but definitely not a pain.”

  Jack, who sat beside her, rested his hand on her forearm. “I think I speak for all of us when I say you’ve brought a lot of light into our world. Our jobs normally aren’t this interesting. It’s not every day someone we kidnap makes us a pie.”

  Sara laughed. “I really hope I’m the only one you’ve kidnapped.”

  “The first and last,” Lester said.

  During the friendly exchange, Logan focused on his plate of food and tuned everyone out. The light banter around him reminded him too much of how well Karen fit in with his team. After dating her for several months, he slowly introduced her to his work and those he worked with. All of the men took to her and welcomed her into the fold. They embraced Sara much in the same way, as if they still missed that connection with Karen as much as he did.

  “Of course, I did some cage fighting back in the day,” Jack said.

  A laugh bellowed out of Lester. “You did not.”

  Logan lifted his head at the new conversation. “I’ll vouch for Jack. I saw a few of his matches when
we were younger.”

  “I still don’t believe it,” Lester said. “No cauliflower ear, no cage fighting.”

  “I do too have some cauliflower ear!” Jack said.

  Sara stared at Jack’s left ear. “I don’t see any here.”

  Jack pushed his chair out and turned his head. “It’s on the right one.”

  Logan shook his head and resumed eating his steak.

  “Yeah,” Sara said. “Still don’t see it.”

  Jack huffed and pulled his chair back up to the table. “It’s there.”

  “Did you win any matches?” Sara asked.

  “My record was 8-0.”

  “8-1,” Logan corrected.

  “Everyone knows that last fight didn’t count,” Jack said.

  “Not this again,” Charlie said, as he munched on a corn cob. “Every time he talks about his cage fighting stint, it’s always that the last match doesn’t count.”

  “I’m still trying to come to grips with Jack cage fighting,” Lester said.

  Jack glared at him. “Let’s go out back and I’ll show you a takedown or two.”

  “After which I’ll ground and pound you into early retirement,” Lester said.

  Sara and Charlie joined in with Lester’s laughter, while Jack muttered under his breath.

  “Did you ever cage fight?”

  Logan looked up at Sara. Her raised eyebrows and curious smile warmed his heart, but he didn’t show any emotion on his face. “I didn’t,” he said. “That was Jack’s thing.”

  “He knew I could beat him,” Jack said. “He was too scared to face me in the cage.”

  Sara shifted her gaze between the two men. “Sorry, Jack. My money’s on Logan.”

  Charlie and Lester exclaimed with surprise at the same time, while Logan smiled on the inside.

  Jack shook his head. “And just when I was getting to like you,” he said, nudging Sara’s arm.

  “You still like me,” she said with a teasing tone.

  “Maybe.” He winked at her and grinned. “Of course, there’s plenty of time for you to win me over.”

  Sara’s cheeks flushed and she looked down at her food.