Chapter 49
forty-nine
LOGAN
Every woman holding a sign tonight could be her. Hell, any woman in the arena could be her.
“Keep your head in the game, Byrne,” Maddox commands as we fly down the ice on a breakaway. “She’s safe. But you won’t be if you don’t fuckin’ pay attention.”
He’s right, and I know it. It’s too easy to get hurt if you’re not locked in on the ice. Hockey’s a brutal game, and there are too many ways the opposing team can take you out.
I allow myself one last glance up at the family box to reassure myself that Blair and Reed are fine, then I focus on the game. Wright dribbles the puck down the ice, passes to Graves, who maneuvers around one of Chicago’s defensemen before chipping it back to me.
The Blizzard’s goalie tracks it all. His body sways with each movement, already anticipating where the shot may come from. When we get closer, I pull my arm back like I’m about to take the shot, and he drops to the ice, his leg pads blocking the lower part of the goal.
But I don’t take the shot. With my eyes still on the goal, I tap the puck over to Graves, who doesn’t hesitate to take the shot. Chicago’s goalie almost tracks the move in time, his glove shooting up to catch the puck, but he’s half a second too late, and the biscuit hits the net.
“Fuck yeah,” Griffin cheers, pulling Maddox in for a hug.
I join, tapping our helmets together before looking up at the family box.
All the ladies are jumping around and cheering, hugging it out in a celebration of their own, with Reed in the middle, looking amused but awkward. My chest squeezes tight.
That’s my family cheering me on in the box.
They’re not sitting, unmoved, tracking every mistake like my dad always has.
They’re not making a list of everything I could have done better.
They’re cheering. For me. And I know they’d still be cheering me on, even if I was having the worst game of my career and missed every single shot.
Because they love me no matter how I’m performing. The way real family should.
“You good, man?” Wright asks as we leave the ice so the next shift can take over.
“Yeah. Really fucking good. Well, except for the stalker situation, obviously.”
Griffin nods. “The team will figure out who she is.”
“I sure as hell hope so, man. I need to keep them safe.”
“We’ll make sure you’re all safe,” Ryder says. He’s the one who suggested getting bodyguards for Blair and Reed. After everything blew up with Lexi and our former coach last season, Ryder hired a bodyguard for her. She was getting too much public attention, and it made them both nervous.
“Everything will be fine.” Madds tracks the guys on the ice, handing out fist bumps when the line changes again and our teammates file onto the bench. “For now, keep your heads in the game. Being distracted won’t help anyone.”
“You’re right,” But my eyes still wander over the crowd, snagging on every sign that says things like I love #27 or Marry me, Logan. I used to think things like that were kind of funny. Weird and awkward, but mostly harmless.
They don’t feel so harmless, now. Every sign with my name on it and some declaration of love feels like a potential threat to me, Blair, and Reed.
Shaking my head, I force myself to look away from the crowd and focus on the ice.
And when the shift changes again, and it’s our line’s turn to get back on the ice, I’m resolved to win for Blair and Reed.
I won’t let some crazy fan with an obsession take anything away from us.
Not my girl, not our ability to go out with my team after the game, and not a win.
“Hey, angel.” The world slows down as I wrap my girl in my arms. Squeezing her tight, I bury my nose in her hair and inhale the floral fragrance of her shampoo. “Love you.”
“Love you too,” she says. “Good game tonight.”
“Thanks. It was a close one.”
“Yeah, man, I was a little worried in the second period,” Reed says as I pull away from his sister and drag the kid into a group hug.
“Me too,” I admit. “Luckily, Bash was on top of his game. The Blizzard didn’t go easy on us, that’s for sure.”
“What’s that one guy’s problem?” Reed asks.
I don’t even need to ask him who he’s talking about. “Chase Bowen? He and Ryder are kind of rivals. It’s not as bad as it used to be, but there’s some history there I’m not fully in on.”
“He’s a dick,” Ryder grumbles, having heard our conversation as he greeted his fiancée.
Lexi giggles. “He is, but don’t worry, he has his own little hate club to make sure he knows it.”
Blair arches an eyebrow. “Hate club?”
“My besties live in Chicago, and they go to games whenever they can. They make new signs each game to torment him.” Lexi’s eyes twinkle with glee at that.
I’ll never forget the game she and her best friend, Rachel, showed up with signs calling Chase Bowen’s manhood into question.
I doubt Bowen’s forgotten, either. He was fucking pissed.
“You still want to go to Chasers?” I ask Blair and Reed.
Although I want to hang out with everyone, part of me also hopes they’ve changed their minds.
It’s safer in the privacy of their apartment, but I won’t ruin the night by voicing my hesitation.
Between me and the rest of the guys, we’ll be able to keep them safe.
That doesn’t mean I’m happy about the possibility of letting our stalker anywhere near them.
“Yeah,” Reed says enthusiastically. I already know Blair won’t want to disappoint him.
“All right then, let’s go.”
I keep my head on a swivel as we walk to my SUV, when we walk into Chasers, and as everyone makes room for the three of us in the booth. We’re in the middle this time. No one will get close to Blair or Reed tonight.
I laugh and joke around with my boys, but I can’t quite relax. There are too many people here. Too many eyes and phone cameras turned our way.
“You okay?” Blair asks softly, her warm palm coming to rest on my thigh.
“Yeah. Just a little on edge, I guess.”
She nods, resting her head on my shoulder. “Me too. I just want all this stuff with the stalker to be over.”
“Same. After the game, Coach said the team thinks they’re getting closer to figuring out who it is. Hopefully, we can put this behind us soon.”
“Yeah.”
We lapse into silence, Blair’s head on my shoulder and her fingers linked with mine.
I turn to kiss the crown of her head when my gaze connects with a blonde woman near the bar.
There’s something familiar about her that tickles the edges of my awareness.
But then Ryder asks me something, and by the time I look back, she’s gone.
I scan the bar for her, and no less than six other women catch my eye, smiling flirtatiously at me. All of them look vaguely familiar because all of them are probably regulars. Hell, there’s a chance I slept with one or two of them before meeting Blair.
That’s what makes all of this so frustrating.
I can’t help thinking this is my fault. I spent years flirting with women, bringing them to bed, and I did my best to make sure each and every one of them knew there was no future with me.
But how many of them hoped I’d change my mind?
How many of them said they were fine with it while secretly harboring delusions that we’d end up together?
If I’d kept it in my fucking pants more, maybe we wouldn’t be in this situation.
Because odds are, the woman who’s sending Blair threatening messages is a woman I’ve slept with.
Which means I’m partially to blame.
Reed yawns next to Blair, and I smirk when I watch him do a slow blink. He’s so tall and mature for his age, sometimes I forget the kid’s only thirteen. And that we’re way past his normal bedtime.
“I think your brother’s about to fall asleep at the table. You ready to go?”
Blair glances at Reed and chuckles, her body pressed against mine enough that it vibrates through me and makes my dick stir. “Yeah, let’s go.”
“I think we’re going to head out,” I announce.
“Already?” Reed slurs, blinking over at me.
“Yeah, bud, already. You’re too big to carry up a flight of stairs if you fall asleep in my car.” I reach over and ruffle his curls, earning me an epic eye roll.
“So fucking cute,” Griffin says to his wife. “Daddy Logan has to take his kid home for bed.”
I choke on a laugh, glad Reed didn’t hear that, because he would not have been pleased. “You’re ridiculous.”
Griffin shrugs. “And you’re the cutest papa in town, bro.”
Mira elbows him. “Don’t embarrass Reed.”
“Reed can’t hear me, wifey. Besides, I wouldn’t want to embarrass the kid. But I do want to embarrass Logan.”
“It’s all good, Mir,” I say to his wife. “I’m used to his shit.”
“You know I love you, bro.” Griffin levels me with a shit-eating grin.
“Yeah, yeah. Right back at you, you giant idiot.”
“Rude.”
“True.”
We say our goodbyes, and everyone takes turns hugging Blair and Reed as we spill out of the booth, causing a bit of a commotion.
I promise the guys I’ll text once we’re safe at Blair and Reed’s, much to Blair’s amusement.
And yeah, maybe it’s a bit over the top, but I can’t deny how amazing it is that we’ve got this family around us who loves us enough to worry.
The walk to my SUV is uneventful, and even though I’m hyperaware of every single person we pass, I also allow myself to enjoy the way Reed and Blair banter, how he tries to push her away when she wraps an arm around his shoulder, but we can both tell he doesn’t mean it.
I allow myself to enjoy the way he loops his arm around her waist and that she reaches for my hand.
It’s all so simple, so domestic, so blissfully normal to them, but to me?
It’s fucking everything.
“Wanna watch a movie when we get in?” Reed asks when I pull into a spot and we climb out and make the quick, but cold, trek into their apartment building.
“You can’t even keep your eyes open,” I tease.
“And it’s way past your bedtime. Nice try, Reedy, but it’s straight to bed tonight.”
“Aw, man, come on,” he whines, sounding every bit like the thirteen-year-old he is.
“Nope.” Blair hip-checks him before unlocking their apartment and pushing the door open. Reed grumbles and complains as he almost trips inside, but he heads straight to the bathroom with a wave.
“Well, that was easy.”
“Yeah, he talks a big game, but I give it five minutes before we hear him snoring.” Blair unzips her coat and hangs it in the closet. She reaches for mine when her attention snags on something on the floor, and she frowns. “What the hell?”
There’s an envelope on the floor in front of the door. Nothing is written on it, but my heart begins to pound all the same. “Baby, wait.”
Before she can grab it, I’m there. I hold the nondescript white envelope like it’s a venomous snake that may bite at any moment. I don’t have a good feeling about this.
“It’s just an envelope,” Blair says. Her voice wobbles, like she’s trying to convince herself more than me. “My landlord probably slid it under the door or something.”
“Does your landlord often slip envelopes under your door?” I already know the answer. It looks like Blair does, too, based on the way her frown deepens.
“Well, no.”
Sucking in a deep breath, I slide my finger beneath the flap and tug out the single piece of lined notebook paper folded inside. All I can hear is my heart pounding in my chest and Reed moving around in the bathroom as I unfold the letter.
“Oh my god,” Blair whispers as she reads the note over my shoulder.
Oh my god is right.
My hand shakes as I try to comprehend what I’m reading, but it doesn’t fully sink in until the third time.
I warned you, bitch. I told you to end things with Logan, and you didn’t.
Now you’ll pay.
“Night, guys. Don’t stay up too late doing st—” Reed’s voice cuts off.
When I look up from the letter, he’s wearing a scowl. I don’t know what I look like, but the color has drained from Blair’s face. If I look anything like that, it’s no wonder the kid looks instantly concerned and on alert.
“What happened?” His sharp brown eyes track to the letter gripped too tightly in my shaking hand. “What is that?”
Reed snatches it away from me before I can stop him, and I watch, helpless, as his expression shifts from worry to abject fear. He seems so young when he looks up at his sister, then me, with those big, brown eyes blown wide. “What the hell?”
“You don’t need to read that,” Blair says, grabbing the note from her little brother’s hand.
“You’ll pay?” he whispers. “What does that mean?”
Blair grabs Reed, pulling him into a fierce hug. She stares at me over his shoulder, silently asking me what to do while whispering reassurances to him.
“Both of you, pack a bag. Everything you need for the rest of the weekend. We’ll send Kai and Travis back for the rest of it.”
“What?” Blair blinks at me.
“You’re coming to stay with me. My building has security and a private garage.
No one can just walk in off the street like they can here.
So, pack a bag or two. I’m calling Kai and Travis to meet us here, then I’m calling the cops, and we’ll tell them they can meet us at my place if they want to ask us questions. ”
“Are you sure?”
Leaning down, I press a firm kiss to Blair’s forehead. “Hell yeah. I should have insisted on this sooner. Now go pack.” I give her ass a little swat. She’s so out of it, lost in her worry, that she barely reacts. Not a good sign.
“Everything’s going to be all right,” I promise them as I tug them toward me and wrap my arms around them both.
“Promise?” Reed asks. His voice is quiet. Childlike. “You have to keep my sister safe.”
“I promise. I’m going to keep both of you safe. No one will hurt my family.”
Not ever.