(Present)

The moment he walks into my office I know that I have been lied to. I was told that time and distance would help my feelings fade but that’s not the case. Looking at him in the doorway, I want him now more than I ever did before. My heart aches when he doesn’t reach out and hold me. I don’t know what I was expecting when he entered. Did I think he’d shake my hand or pull me in for an embrace? It was stupid to expect a hug but I think in the back of my mind, that’s exactly what I was hoping for. My heart sinks from the rejection. Even with everything that’s going on, my desire to be in his arms nearly overwhelms me.

When he asks me what’s going on, I stall because I want to know what’s going on with him. I want to hear his voice and get a window into his life. I know that he’s here for me and that his focus is on his mission. But I don’t want to be a mission. I want to be…

What do you want to be, Shay? His girl? You had that, and how did that work out?

It’s clear that he wants to stay on task. I can tell by his tone and his alert posture. God, I forgot how large and imposing he could be. I remember being stunned to find that while his body was firm and strong, his touch was gentle—when he wanted it to be. But there were also nights when his hold was firm and deliciously possessive.

I miss him reading over my shoulder and nibbling on my neck, trying to distract me. It didn’t take a lot. When his lips brushed against my skin, he ignited a spark in me that I couldn’t control.

Is that spark all gone?

While I’m offering him drinks I know he does not want, I look at his hands—big mistake. I remember what those hands were capable of doing to my body. I recall all the places he skimmed, slid, and slurped on: places that have been waiting for him to visit once again. My body craves him like a damn drug. And being only a few feet away from him is giving me serious withdrawal symptoms. One gaze into his heart-stopping eyes and he destroyed my will.

The only thing Logan did better than fuck me was love me. He loved me better than any girl had a right to hope for. He never gave me flowers; instead he gave me his undivided attention. He never took me to the movies, but when he parted my pulsing opening with his tongue, he’d make me see stars. He never let go of my hand—not while we kissed, not while he made love, or even when we slept. He never let go of me. Logan Hunter loved me. That loved showed itself in his silence, in his sighs, and in his inability to look away when I entered a room.

But now, as I sit down on the sofa and ask him to join me, something becomes painfully clear: that love is gone. He won’t even sit next to me. I know why he feels this way but it still hurts. I tell him about Joanne and while he doesn’t come sit next to me, he hands me the tissue box, so I guess all hope is not lost.

God, how pathetic is it that I am trying to find meaning behind someone handing me tissues?

He patiently waits for me to continue. I dry my eyes, reach for the water bottle on my desk, and drink the rest of its contents.

“Sorry about that,” I reply before I continue.

“You lost your friend; you have every right to cry. I can wait if you’re not ready to talk,” he offers again. I inhale deeply and assure him that I am in fact ready to continue.

“What happened after he killed her?”

“I hid in the closet and escaped when he went to make a call. I ran out of the building and ducked into a coffee shop. By the time I stopped shaking long enough to call the cops, the crime scene had been altered.”

“How the hell did that happen?” he asks.

“I think he’s actually far more powerful than Joanne let on. The official story is that there was a break-in that went wrong. They have Malone’s DNA all over the crime scene but…”

“It’s his wife’s office, he argued he goes there all the time,” Logan says.

“Exactly. The only hope we had was the footage of him entering the office building, but that was stolen. And to make things worse, he got a number of staff members to alibi him. They all claim he was with them going over paperwork.”

“So the DA had to use the only thing he had left, an eye witness. He convinced you to testify,” he says to himself bitterly.

“He didn’t need to. I’m happy to go to court and put that psycho behind bars.”

“Let me guess, they want you to go into witness protection until the case goes to court,” he says.

“Yeah, but I said no.”

“Sounds like you,” he mumbles, shaking his head.

“Hey, I’m not gonna run away from his. I watched Malone kill my friend, I’m not gonna let him get away with that.”

“Then you’re going into WITSEC, there’s no other way around it,” he says with finality in his voice.

“I can’t. This center is everything to me. I can’t turn these women away.”

“Someone else can run it,” he says.

“No, this is my baby. I have turned this place around. And every day we tell women to be brave. How would it look if the director of the center went into hiding?”

“It would look like she had some damn sense!” he barks.

“I am not a coward,” I remind him.

“Maybe not but I don’t need you to be brave right now, I need you to be smart. Staying in town is stupid, and you need to be smart about this.”

“Logan, the mayor’s office is honoring some of the women in our program for their bravery and their hard work. I have a million things to do to get everything ready. The women in this program, my staff, everyone has worked tirelessly to make this happen. I can’t just pull out of this ceremony,” I beg.

“Well you can’t stay here. This Malone guy could have figured out Joanne wasn’t alone. Then where would you be?” he pushes.

“He knows I was there. He must have looked at the tape of that night. He knows it’s me.”

“What makes you so sure?” he says.

“He came to the center and went on about how much he misses his wife and how it would be a shame if I met a similar fate. He was such a bastard. He said he’d keep me in his prayers in hopes nothing bad happens to me.”

Logan’s jaw tightens as his hands form tight fists. I watch as his chest expands in anger and his nostrils flare.

“When is the trial?” he asks.

“In two weeks,” I reply.

“How long has this thing been going on?”

“For the past two months,” I reply carefully.

“So for the past two months he’s been trying to get you to recant but you haven’t?” he says.

“No, and I won’t.”

“Yeah, I remember who you are,” he mumbles.

“Why do you say that like it’s a bad thing?” I push.

“Never mind,” he says.

Ouch.

“Okay, now what aren’t you telling me?” he accuses.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“This has been going on for weeks and you didn’t contact me. Then suddenly you place a call. So, what was the catalyst? What made you call me?”

I missed you. I miss us. I wanted your embrace as well as your protection.

“When it looked like I really wasn’t going to change my story, Malone tried to intimidate me. He had me followed, he sent me threating emails, and had the center trashed. I thought that was the end of it but last night, I came home and…”

“And what?” he pushes.

“There was blood on the floor and I hear moaning… He killed my dog,” I reply, trying to keep down the bile in my throat. He swears under his breath and shakes his head in disgust.

“She was cut open and lying on floor… I just couldn’t believe…” I stop and pause to get myself under control. If I let my anger take hold, there’s no telling what I might do.

“Okay, look, I know you don’t want to skip out on this hearing, but given everything that’s happened, no one would blame you if you did,” he reasons.

“I would blame me. I can’t walk away. That’s why I called you. I don’t have anyone else to turn to,” I admit, hating how vulnerable I sound.

He says, “I saw a cop car across the street. Are they offering you protection even though you won’t go into witness protection?”

“No, your brother arranged it just for tonight.”

“Which one?” he asks.

“Wyatt.”

“Wyatt knew about this?” he says.

“Yeah, it’s not his case but he heard I was involved and he wanted to help me out,” I reply. Wyatt is the youngest of the Hunter brothers. He works homicide. He’s almost as hot as Logan. He’s also very protective and goes above and beyond for his family. However, unlike Logan, Wyatt has a laid-back demeanor. Logan has always had a quick temper and very little patience.

“He didn’t say a word to me,” Logan mumbles.

“That’s my fault. I begged Wyatt to keep it between us.”

“Oh, so you talk to Wyatt?”

“Um, yeah. I bump into him once in a while,” I reply.

“And you two are…close?” he says with a hint of jealousy.

“What? No! It’s not like that. That’s your little brother!” I scold.

“You had no issue with my best friend, I’m not really sure where the line is with you,” he says.

He really does hate me. I bob my head up and down and purse my lips. “I don’t know what to say about that. Logan, there’s a lot of things that you and I—”

“You know what, I shouldn’t have said anything. This has nothing to do with what happened three years ago. I just want to stay focused on the task of keeping you safe until the trial,” he says. “Get your stuff, we’ve got to go.”

Damn, I want to tell him the truth about the night he found me with Jack but now is not the time.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“We’ll head to your place, get your stuff, and move you into a hotel. I have some things I need to see to in the morning. I’ll have some guys I trust take you to work and stay with you until I get them done.”

“Okay, give me a few minutes,” I reply as I get up and start to gather my things. When I’m done, he opens the door for me but doesn’t place his hand on my lower back like he used to when guiding me out the door. He doesn’t watch my ass like he used to as I walk through the doorway.

Yup, he is totally over me…