Chapter 55
fifty-five
LOGAN
“I think that covers everything. I’m sure you’re all exhausted and ready to go home. If we have any more questions, we’ll reach out.” The burly middle-aged cop stands from the desk and extends a hand to each of us. “Rest assured, we’ll make sure she spends a long time in jail.”
It’s been an exhausting day.
After being checked out and cleared by paramedics and being told that everyone looked okay—but they’d recommend being seen the following day by our primary care physicians—we opted to decline a transfer with a promise that we’d follow up.
Then the questions began.
We’ve spent the better part of seven hours at the police station. They questioned us all individually and then together, and the whole place became a bit of a scene once the Isla, Lexi, and Mira spilled into the station, worried and pissed off.
There are reporters outside, and each of our agents as well as the team has been brought up to speed regarding the batshit crazy events of the day. Which means the day isn’t over. I want to get Blair and Reed home without fighting through a crowd of curious reporters, but that’s not in the cards.
“Did she say why she did it?” I ask the detective. “Why did she fixate on me?”
The detective clears his throat, looking between me and Blair. We sent Reed out with the guys and their significant others as soon as he was no longer needed. He doesn’t need to be exposed to any of this longer than necessary.
“We’re still investigating everything.”
“Yeah, but she must have said something, right? I just need to know why she targeted me and the people I love.” I press a kiss to my girlfriend’s head as she rests it against my shoulder. “You must understand that.”
“Look, all I can say—off the record—is that Miss Jones claims the two of you have a history.” The detective sounds as tired as I feel. “And that she presents like a jilted lover.”
I rear back, instantly defensive and pissed off, because what the hell? “I’m sorry? I don’t know that woman. She’s certainly not a former lover.”
“She told us she used to work for the Rogues organization. That the two of you had a flirtation, and that she was fired for the attention she paid you.”
“What?”
“Wait.” Blair turns to look up at me. “When I got hired, Bryson made some vague comments about the woman who had the position before me getting fired for having inappropriate interactions with some of the players. I thought he meant she was dating someone and that it must be against the rules, but obviously that’s not a thing. But could it be her?”
A stomach-churning realization hits me, and I understand now why the blonde woman looked familiar when I saw her at the restaurant.
“Oh my god. I do remember her. She seemed nice when she first started. A little starstruck, maybe, but that’s not unheard of.
I only ran into her a few times, but then she’d start showing up at practice.
She always had some excuse about why she was there, but she’d always flirt with me. ”
I play back a few of our interactions and wince.
Because women like her were the reason I always had my one-and-done rule and was very careful not to get involved with women who seemed like the relationship type.
Every time Becky Jones looked at me, I could practically see the hearts bubbling up and floating out of her eyes.
She had the look of a woman who thought she could change me, but beneath that, there was always something a little off about her.
Something too eager and maybe a little unhinged.
“She started asking me out, and no matter how many times I said no, she never got the hint. It made me so uncomfortable, I finally went to the team and told them what was happening. They fired her shortly after.”
They fired her, and a month later, Blair took her place. If she hadn’t creeped me the hell out, I never would have gotten her fired. And if I’d never gotten her fired, Blair would never have been more than a one-night stand. If even that.
The only reason Blair was at the club that night was because she wanted one last hurrah in LA.
In some fucked up way, all of this—meeting Blair, her getting the job with the Rogues, us falling in love—is thanks to my unhinged stalker. The realization is a wild one.
“Well,” the detective says, “it seems she held on to her obsession with you, and when photos of you and Miss Sherman started popping up online, it triggered her to escalate her behavior.”
“Fuck, angel. I’m so sorry.” I squeeze Blair tighter to my side. I’m never letting her go again. If there’s a way to permanently glue her to my side, I’ll find it.
“This isn’t your fault,” she says, offering me a tired smile. She looks exhausted, and she keeps scratching at the soot on her skin. I need to get her home, get her cleaned up, and get her into bed. She looks like she’s ready to drop, and I can’t imagine Reed is doing much better.
“All right. I’m going to get my family home. Please give me a call if you have any more questions.” I shake the detective’s hand before leading my girlfriend out of his depressing little office and out into the main part of the police station, where Reed and our friends wait.
The minute we walk out, Reed rushes his sister and throws himself into her arms. Looks like I’m not the only one contemplating super gluing her to my side.
“Hey, Reedy. You okay?” Blair runs a gentle hand through his sooty, tousled curls and holds him just as tightly as he clings to her. Reed nods, looking childlike and small in her arms despite being only a few inches shorter than her.
“Come on, you two. Let’s get you home.” I turn to my teammates and the women they love. The amount of gratitude I feel for each and every one of them cannot be overstated.
They helped me save Blair and Reed. They’ve shown up again and again, taught me what family should be like, what love looks like, and stepped in to offer that same love to Blair and Reed. I don’t know what I did to deserve any of them, but I’ll never take them for granted.
“Thanks, everyone. I know we planned to hang out tonight, but can we postpone?”
“Of course,” Isla says, smiling softly at the three of us as I wrap Blair and Reed in my arms. “We’re here whenever you need us, you know that.”
And I do.
“Love you all.” I make eye contact with every single one of them, so they know I mean it. I’ve never been a sappy asshole, but after all this? I’m going to tell the people I love how I feel about them because you never know when life will try to take them away.
“We love you, too,” Sebastian says. “Get some rest and let us know if you need anything.”
“Thanks, guys.” Everyone exchanges quick hugs, then we spill out of the police station and go our separate ways.
The ride to my apartment—our apartment—is quiet.
We’re all lost in thought, all exhausted beyond belief.
I’m sure there will be a lot to talk about in the days to come.
We’ll have fears and feelings to process, theories to kick around, and questions to answer.
But for now? For now, we just need to spend time together, make sure our nervous systems know we’re all okay, safe, whole, and together.
And sleep. We need a hell of a lot of sleep.
There are a few reporters camped out at the front of my building, but we bypass them when we park in the private resident parking garage.
Travis meets us there to make sure none of them get close to us.
I told him it wasn’t necessary, but when he found out what happened to Kai, he was beside himself.
It didn’t matter that we’d told both of them that Blair and Reed only needed one bodyguard when they were together.
It didn’t matter that Kai was attacked from behind, and that if he’d been there, staking out a different part of the building, he probably would have met the same fate.
He still feels partially responsible for everything Blair and Reed went through.
I know the feeling.
“I’m so glad you’re all okay,” Travis says when he meets us at Blair’s door after we park. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there.”
“Travis, none of this is your fault. I’m glad you weren’t there to get hurt too.” Blair gives his hand a little squeeze.
“Better me than you two,” he says, turning to Reed. “You good, kid?”
“Yeah,” Reed says, jutting his chin out.
“I heard you protected your sister.” Travis reaches out and gives Reed’s shoulder a squeeze. “That you were really fucking brave.”
“Language, please,” Blair says automatically.
Travis chuckles. “Right, sorry. I’m proud of you, kid. But if something like that happens again, you run, got me? Because your job is to protect yourself, and I know your sister agrees.”
“I do,” she says, nodding.
“She always protects me,” Reed says, his voice gaining strength. He stands taller, straighter, and it’s like watching the little boy melt away, a man taking his place. “And I’ll always protect her.”
“Fair enough. Let’s get the three of you up to your place. I’m going to hang out outside of your door tonight, just in case.”
“You really don’t have to do that, man. They caught her, and as far as anyone can tell, she was working alone.
You should go home and sleep in your own bed.
” Even as I speak the words, I know he won’t listen.
And sure enough, Travis falls in step with us, bracketing Blair and Reed between us.
Even though the threat has been taken care of, I can’t deny his presence brings me peace of mind.
We say goodnight to Travis at the door, and the three of us walk into my apartment, exhausted and drained.
“Welcome home,” I say, turning to Blair and Reed. “It’s not exactly the way I was hoping to celebrate, but we have time for that.”
“Home,” Blair whispers, her eyes glassy as she takes in the space like she’s seeing it for the first time. Then she turns to me. “Yeah. We’re home.”
Reaching up, I brush her hair from her face and cup her cheek. “You sure as hell are.”
Blair sighs when I lean down and press a lingering kiss to her forehead.
And when I slant my mouth over hers, she hums. They’re the best sounds I’ve ever heard.
More intoxicating than any moans or the way she cries out when I’m filling her.
Because these soft little sounds? They say she’s content. She feels safe. She’s able to rest.
Blair hasn’t been able to rest since her parents died. For five long years she’s been carrying the weight of the world all by herself. But not anymore. That soft little sigh is permission. Surrender. Relief.
And it’s everything.
“Get a room,” Reed teases, snapping us both out of it.
Blair giggles, her face flushing with heat.
“Right. Reed, why don’t you go get showered?
” I pause, realizing that, outside of the few bags they’d packed and brought over when they first came to stay with me, all their clothes and belongings are still at their apartment and they’ve either been burned to a crisp or are unwearable because of the smoke damage.
“Shit, we’re going to need to go shopping and get you two more clothes. ”
“I didn’t even think about that,” Blair says, visibly sagging. “There’s so much to do now.”
“Hey, don’t worry about that right now, okay? I’ll take care of everything I can. Both of you, go shower. What’s mine is yours now, and you can both borrow whatever you need.”
“Thanks, bro,” Reed says. “And thanks for coming for us.”
My fucking heart almost breaks when his eyes grow glassy and fill with tears. This kid has been through more than anyone should by thirteen. It’s left its mark, but it’s also made him strong, caring, and fiercely loyal.
And I’m going to protect him and his sister for the rest of our lives.
“I’ll always come for you.” I reach out and palm the back of his head, bringing our foreheads together. “Always. You got that?”
“Yeah,” he says. “I think I do.”
All three of us have tears in our eyes when I pull away.
We were well on our way to becoming a family before today, but now? We’ve been forged into something solid and unbreakable.
They’re mine, now. And I’ll always protect them.