31
BLOOM
I t’d been Ben’s idea to fall back and act as if we’d lost the van. I would never forget the moment of terror that had filled me when the owner of the store had raised the alarm that someone with a gun had abducted Logan. The woman had tried to stop me when I ran out of the store still wearing my favorite of the wedding outfits, but I hadn’t spared her a second glance.
Ben, who had been sitting outside the café, had been quick to respond. It hadn’t been difficult to figure out the van barreling up the street was the one holding Logan. We’d trailed them for a while before Ben decided to fall back despite me yelling at him not to lose sight of the van.
If they knew we were following them, they would only be vigilant. If they thought they’d lost us, they would be careless. We’d fallen back, and Ben had called on the Reapers and Blood Hounds to meet us while I tracked Logan’s cell phone.
A dozen of us burst into the warehouse with guns. I zeroed in on the man who had Logan by the collar. The son of a bitch.
I’m gonna kill him. I’m gonna kill them all.
“Bloom, stay back!” Crowe growled at me.
Ignoring him, I stepped forward, my gun drawn. “Let him go now.”
The man wearing an eye patch drew his gun and aimed it at me.
“You let them follow you here?” the old man, dressed as if he was on his way to a funeral, cried.
“I thought I lost them,” eye patch replied.
“Well, you thought wrong, you motherfucker. Let him go now or Imma drop you right where you are.”
“Not before I shoot you,” eye patch said.
“Do not shoot him!” Logan shoved the man who’d collared him away. “This is all a misunderstanding. Lower your guns. All of you before someone gets hurt.”
Like hell I would do any such thing.
“What the hell’s going on here, Doc?” Crowe came up to my side. He hadn’t lowered his gun either. “Aren’t these the people who kidnapped you? Why are you still standing there after we came for you?”
“It’s not what you think. They’re not here to hurt me.”
Even though the words came from Logan, I didn’t trust them. I knew him too well. He would say anything if he thought it would keep me out of danger.
“If we wanted to kill him, he would have been dead already.” The old man placed a hand on Logan’s shoulder. “Keegan, why don’t you introduce us to your friends.”
“Right.” Logan gestured at the man. “This is my uncle Mickey. He wanted to talk to me.”
“So he kidnapped you?” I snapped. “What happened to knocking on your door or calling you on your phone?”
The man smiled at Logan. “He’s feisty. I can see why you’re keen on marrying him.”
Logan smiled, his eyes soft when he looked at me. “He’s one in a million.”
“He brought an army just to rescue you. Impressive.” He held up his arms and nodded at the man with the eye patch. “Bishop, put away your gun.”
Only when the man called Bishop holstered his gun did I rush forward and fist my hand in Logan’s shirt. “Are you okay?” I looked him up and down, patting his chest. When I got to his stomach, he winced.
“Bloom, I’m fine.”
“Then why did you just wince?” I raised his shirt, exposing his stomach, which had a bruising as if someone had hit him. I inhaled sharply. “Which one of you assholes do I gotta kill?”
“It’s all right. I’m all right.” Logan gently removed the gun from my hand. “You’re right. They could have done without kidnapping me, but they didn’t bring me here to kill me. Sorry everyone.”
“Are you sure?” Crowe’s frown was still hinged with suspicion. I didn’t blame him. Something about the situation didn’t feel right with me, though it could be that I was pissed someone got to him right under my nose.
“Positive. Uncle and I were really close before I left New York,” Logan said. “He’s been informing me of my father’s plans, that’s all.”
I tilted my chin, meeting his uncle’s gaze without flinching. “Why are you here in Smoky Vale? This is our town, and you’re not welcome here.”
“We had a feeling that would be the case, which is why we went to all this trouble kidnapping Keegan so we could talk to him.”
“Logan,” I shot back. “His name’s Logan Collier.”
“It doesn’t matter what he calls himself now. He will always be an Agosti. And not just any Agosti. He’ll always be the Agosti who betrayed the family, and for that, his life will always be in danger.”
“And what about you? Is his life in danger from you?”
“If we wanted to kill him, he would already be dead before you got here. It’s been over a decade since I’ve seen my nephew. Is it so strange that I showed up here? I’ve come to help him disappear so my brother can’t reach him.”
“He doesn’t need you for that.” I stepped between Logan and the man. “We’re his family now.”
“Bloom, enough,” Logan said softly. “I know you mean well, and I love you for it, but he’s not the enemy.”
The guy who resembled Logan scoffed. “Gotta hand it to you, Keegan. At least this one seems capable of handling himself, though he’s still no match for the men working for Pop. His neck will still make a snapping sound, and he still bleeds red.”
Logan placed a hand on my arm. “If you have a grudge against me, take it out on me, Emil, but leave Bloom out of it.”
“I’m afraid it’s already too late. He got involved with you. Pop told you he forbids you to be with a man, and you want to marry one? As pretty as he is, he still has a fucking dick, or did he turn it into a pussy just for you?”
Logan doubled his hand into a fist, but his uncle reacted faster, cracking his palm across Emil’s face. “That is enough out of you. Have you learned nothing over the years?”
Emil stumbled back, the imprint of their uncle’s hand bright red on his cheek. He clenched his jaw, and his eyes turned into hard flints, but he pinched his lips together.
“Sorry about that. Emil’s, unfortunately, got his father’s temper. Is this misunderstanding sorted out now, or do we need to explain further?”
Crowe made a signal, and the other bikers filed out of the warehouse. “How long are you staying in Smoky Vale?” he asked.
“I only came to have a chat with Logan,” Logan’s uncle said. “I had no intention of staying beyond that, but…I understand you two are getting married soon. If it’s not too much trouble, I would love to stay for that.”
“No.” I spat. This man represented Logan’s past and the family who wanted to hurt him. I didn’t care if he defended me from his nephew’s bitter words. He wasn’t welcome in Smoky Vale, and he definitely wasn’t welcome at our wedding.
“Actually, it would be an honor to have you there,” Logan said.
I gasped. “But, Logan—”
“No, sweetheart, I know. But this is the first contact I’ve had with family since…well, since everything that happened. Your entire family—the people who mean the most to you—will be at our wedding. This is my chance to have someone from my family, who wishes us well, in attendance.”
“Does it mean that much to you?”
Logan linked our fingers and squeezed. “I didn’t think it bothered me before, but it actually does.”
I let out a breath slowly and glared at his uncle. “You do anything like that again, and I’ll make you regret it. As long as you are who you say you are and you don’t hurt Logan, you’re welcome at our wedding, but then you leave.”
“I’ll need the address where you’re staying in town,” Crowe said. “And anyone who is here with you as well.”
“Sure thing. We have nothing to hide. It’s just us three.”
Crowe took down the address his uncle gave while I pulled Logan to the side.
“You scared me.”
“I’m sorry.” He brushed my cheek with the back of his hand.
“Why didn’t you make a sound? You just went with them willingly?”
He didn’t respond, but the answer was obvious. I would have reacted. I let out a sigh. “Let’s go. I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but I don’t care much for your uncle.”