Declan had to hold him down a few times, restraining him, making sure that Logan stayed in their bunker while they listened with headsets to the variety of methods Andrei employed to demean and disrespect Holly. The comments were barely tolerable, Logan clenching his jaw at each snide sexual remark. But that fucking slap . . .

He could hear it clearly and painfully through the hidden microphone. He knew it was the sound of Holly’s sweet face being whacked with the back of a man’s hand. He knew how badly it must have hurt, both her face and her pride. It was amazing that she didn’t react to it.

He couldn’t help himself from reacting, lurching up out of his seat. He was tackled back down by Declan, a DARC SWAT associate who Logan had assumed more or less was dispatched to watch over the team’s loose cannon.

“There’ll be a time for that later,” Declan said.

“There’s time right now.”

“No.”

Logan fought out of his grasp. “We can rush in there and end it now.”

“You can. I’m staying put.”

Logan pushed free and held the headset over his ears, listening to an ominous silence on Holly’s end.

“And it won’t even be ended,” Declan said. “They still have her cousin. You rush in now and pull some crazy stunt, and you can say goodbye to the hostage.”

Logan knew that would also mean a goodbye to Holly, too. For one, she might not even survive the attack, or she’d likely become the newest hostage. But even if she had survived, and her cousin wouldn’t, would she want anything to do with Logan? No way in hell.

A voice over the radio sounded. Tansy. “Alright, guys, she’s on the move. She’s leaving, and I think she’s leaving alone.”

A wave of relief washed over Logan, but still the embers of hatred and vengeance burned in him. The need for revenge, but only after Holly and Beth had been taken care of.

Declan said, “You ready?”

“Yeah, let’s pack up and get the hell out of here.”

He stuffed the fancy electronics into several metal cases, his mind working a little too fast for his liking. Skipping steps, rushing to worry instead of planning. He couldn’t separate himself from the case. Holly, the woman who he was fast realizing still meant the world to him, was under all kinds of stress and incoming threats. She wasn’t just another innocent victim. She used to be his very life. His everything. Maybe she still was.

Logan led the two-man team down the staircase, wanting and needing to get to Holly as soon as possible. To see her first and make sure she was okay. Then see Andrei and make sure he was most definitely not okay.

He and Declan had to cut through two more abandoned buildings, using them as cover until they came to the first meetup spot where he’d expected to find Holly. After a minute of waiting, their breathing finally slowing and easing, Jackson’s voice came on the radio to tell them to abort.

“She’s already with us,” Jackson said. “Proceed to Base Camp Bravo.”

Logan moved. He didn’t care where it would happen. He just wanted to see her.

* * *

Holly was already waiting for them at the DARC headquarters. When Logan entered the briefing room, the first thing he did was check her face for any signs of a scratch or a bruise. But he had to be subtle about it, trying to focus more on her eyes than anything else. On those beautiful eyes . . . and a red splotch on the side of Holly’s cheek.

“It’s nothing,” she said, coldly. Angrily.

“Huh?” Logan said. “What’s nothing?”

“You know,” she said. “You heard what he did to me.”

Logan said, “I heard what you did. Good job.”

One corner of her mouth crept up, almost into the beginning of a smile. Then it flat-lined, dead on arrival.

“Your slap sounded a lot harder,” he added.

“Thanks.”

The door opened without a knock, and Logan knew it would be Jackson. He strolled in with a tired expression on his face, the DARC leader saying, “Alright, well, we got that over with.”

He didn’t seem too pleased with how it went down. Holly, too, seemed less than excited about the USB exchange in addition to the exchange of slaps. Perhaps Godev really did have the harder slap. Who was he kidding? The guy was twice her size. Red tinged the edges of his vision again. What kind of asshole hit a woman? Logan’s teeth ground together. He knew exactly what kind. When this was all over, no matter what the outcome, he’d make sure that Andrei Godev never saw daylight again.

Logan drummed his fingers on the table top, hoping the rhythm would translate to what he was about to say. But the words wouldn’t come. He at least knew to move off the subject of her getting slapped. For his own sake, too. He didn’t need to feel any more anger than what that bastard Godev had already stirred up in him. What he’d done to Holly . . .

Jackson said, “Got anything to add to this, Tansy?”

Logan hadn’t even noticed the hacker entering the room. Tansy walked over to their table, saying nothing, then snatching up the USB stick. He looked at it like it was some foreign object.

Jackson said to him, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Tansy said. “I’ll get on this tonight. Might take the whole night.”

Jackson turned to Holly. “Is there anything you want to let him know about the CIA system before he starts?”

“That’s not necessary,” Tansy said.

Holly said, “What if I tried helping? I mean, I’d like to try something.”

“You already did a lot,” Jackson said. “That took guts.”

And it was true. That kind of bravery, her grace under fire, was more than commendable. Logan watched her closely, trying to look past the mark on her face. Trying to forget what she’d just lived through. “You should try getting some sleep tonight,” he said. His voice was quiet, trying to keep the conversation between the two of them. He was sick of debating Holly’s every move—her future—with everyone. He wished so badly that they could just be alone, especially so immediately after the exchange. It was time for her to decompress, not sit through a briefing for these strange men. It was too much, whether they were helping her or not.

“Well, then,” Jackson said, “are we going to go over this or not? We’ve got a lot of work to do, and a lot to analyze from your discussion tonight with—”

“Jackson,” Logan said, interrupting his boss with perhaps a little too much gusto. “How about we give her a little break?”

“A break?”

“Do you really think she wants to go over this again? Right now?”

Jackson frowned at him. “It’s not about what she wants to do, Logan. We have some serious—”

“It’s about what’s best for her,” Logan said. “That’s what I care about.” He looked at Holly, to check her response. She’d been looking away, at no one, to what seemed to be the corner of the room.

“So you’re speaking on behalf of what’s best for her?” Jackson said, an eyebrow raised.

“Fuck yeah, I am.”

“Holly,” Jackson said. “Is this true? Does Logan speak for you now? Power of attorney and everything?”

Logan fought the urge to roll his eyes, and instead said, “Come on, Jack . . .”

Holly turned back, the dead look in her eyes sending chills down Logan’s spine. “I just want to . . . I think I want to go.”

“We can go,” Logan said. “It’s late enough. We can do this another time. Right, Jackson?”

Tansy had walked out of the room without another word.

Jackson stood and pushed his chair back under the table with a polite frown to Holly. “Take the night off,” he said, “to collect yourself.” It was clear by her silence that she wanted to be alone.

“She’ll be back in action tomorrow,” Logan said. “Right?” He was looking at her, beginning to worry whether she wanted to really be alone. Without him. Alone tonight. He hated the idea of it.

Logan thanked Jackson on his way out. That was when Holly finally spoke again, and said, “Thanks, Jackson. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Logan wanted to see her a lot sooner than tomorrow.

“Hey,” he said softly, waiting for eye contact. “I don’t care if you think this is weird, but I really think you should spend the night at my place tonight.”

“I don’t think that’s weird at all,” Holly said. She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m so tired I could probably fall asleep right here and now. Think that would be safe?”

“I don’t know,” Logan said. “Maybe. I just don’t want you to be alone. Ever.”

She scrunched her brows. “Ever?”

“Do you need anything? Do we need to stop anywhere along the way?”

“No, I just need this day to be over with.”

“It’s probably been a little more action than what you’re used to,” he said. “And a lot of traveling.”

“Normally, I just do all that from behind a computer screen.”

“And normally,” Logan said, “that’s how you encounter the bad guys.”

“Yeah, it’s easier that way.”

“Maybe for you,” Logan said.

“I think I’ve had it with this whole real-life thing . . . I can’t see how you can keep doing that. Flesh and bone. The threat of real violence.”

Logan had to make sure his face didn’t give away his real thoughts, that he’d gone right back to listening to her getting slapped. She didn’t need to worry about him, too.

“I mean, I handle all my conflicts through data. With you, it’s the real world. I sort of hate the real world, especially now.”

He caught her gaze. “I’m really proud of the way you handled it.”

“Thanks. It made me feel a little better knowing you were watching.”

His lips firmed. He still hated that, even now that it was over. But maybe she would handle it better that way, if she knew he hadn’t seen it happen. “I couldn’t see any of it.”

“But you could hear,” she said, wincing slightly. “I mean, you heard it.”

“You know what I didn’t hear? You calling for help. You handled it like a real boss. I think Andrei thinks so, too.”

She shrugged and then half smiled. “He’s got a lot more of that coming to him. Right?”

“A lot more,” Logan said with a full smile. “You ready to get out of here?”

“God, yes.”