CHAPTER 9 #4
Her knees felt weak. She sank down in the easy chair. “I was afraid he wouldn’t do it. I couldn’t believe . . .”
“Believe.”
Monty was hers. No more threats. He was safe.
Logan’s gaze was on her face. “You’re . . . radiant.”
She felt radiant. She felt as glowing as the sun. “He’s safe.”
“Yes.”
She closed her eyes. “I’ve been so worried about him. Dogs are helpless. They can’t protect themselves from cruelty.”
“But you protected him.”
She opened her eyes as she felt his handkerchief touch her cheek. “What are you doing?”
“You’re crying.” He wiped her tears and then handed her the handkerchief. “Why do women always cry when they’re happy? It doesn’t make sense.” He went over to the sink. “And it’s disconcerting as hell.”
“Why?”
“Tears are a sign of sorrow, and it’s primitive instinct for a man to try to heal sorrow in a woman.” He was returning to her carrying a damp dish towel. “It messes up our minds when there’s no sorrow to heal. Give me your hand.”
“What?”
“You’re bleeding.” He took her right hand and gently dabbed her bruised knuckles with the towel. “And that’s a wound I can heal.”
“It’s barely a—”
“Hush. You’ve got a wicked right hook. Where did you learn it?”
“Ray Dawson.”
“Who’s Ray Dawson?”
“He’s a fireman, one of my EMT instructors. He said that in natural disasters or tragedies people sometimes go crazy. Looters, relatives of people you can’t manage to save. You have to be able to protect yourself.”
“I can see that.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the bruised knuckles.
“To make it better. Not scientific, but it satisfies my primitive instinct.” He rose to his feet.
“I have to call Margaret and make sure that she gets a man out to ATF headquarters right away. Anything else I can do for you?”
She shook her head.
“Sure? Dragons to slay? A diamond tiara?”
“You’ve done enough. Thank you.”
“Enough for you, but what about me?”
“What about you?”
“I like this. It makes me feel ten feet tall making you look like you do right now. I think it may be addictive.”
She swallowed. “You’ll get over it.”
“I’m not sure. We’ll see.” He pulled out his phone. “But evidently it’s making you uneasy, so I’ll go outside and make my call.”
As soon as he walked out the door, she released the breath she hadn’t known she was holding. Christ, she was actually shaking. The last thirty minutes had been too charged with emotion: anger, relief, bewilderment, joy.
And lust.
Don’t dodge it. It was lust she had felt, lust for Logan. Strong and hot and basic.
He had felt it too.
But he hadn’t pushed. He had stepped back and turned away.
And she had been disappointed. Stupid. God, that was stupid. A sexual involvement was the last thing she needed with a man like Logan. He was too strong and dominant and would interfere with her life.
But why would he interfere? They could be just ships that pass in the night. There was no way he would want any kind of commitment. She was really nothing to him.
Stop thinking about it. Stop thinking about him.
She got to her feet and moved toward the back porch. Monty was lying next to Maggie as usual but looked up and lazily wagged his tail.
“Some friend you are.” She knelt beside them. “Here Logan and I have been working to get you out from under Madden, and you’re in here making eyes at Maggie.”
Beautiful. Love.
“How do you know? Maybe it’s sex.”
Love.
“Maybe.” She stroked his head. “But you’ll have to convince Maggie.
She’ll demand a commitment. She’ll mate for life.
” But the bond between men and women wasn’t as unshakable.
A long time ago she had hated her mother’s emotional instability and been determined to marry for life.
But that was a child’s dream. She had learned in a hard school that relationships between men and women were often casual and fleeting.
Love.
Not for her.
And not for Logan.
“I’ll get right on it,” Margaret said. “This is a good thing, John. I thought the pup belonged to her.”
“So did I.”
“Shall I stop the investigation into Madden’s background?”
“No, I want to know everything I can about him.”
“You sound grim.”
“I feel grim. I want to hang him out to dry.”
“Why?”
Because he was jealous as hell. Because he’d never had a stronger urge to destroy someone than at the moment he’d learned Madden had been Sarah’s lover. “Why not? He’s a sleazeball.”
“You run into a lot of sleazeballs. You usually ignore them unless they get in your way.”
“I’m not ignoring this one. I’m taking him down.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll try to have more information on him in a few days.”
He hung up and dialed Galen’s number.
“Where the hell is Rudzak?” he demanded when Galen picked up the phone.
“Hello to you too. Where are your manners, Logan?”
“Have you found Sanchez?”
“Last night. He didn’t know where Rudzak was, but I persuaded him to make a few phone calls. He was told Rudzak had returned to the U.S. a few days ago.”
“Where?”
“Destination unknown. But before he left he made a buy from a Russian dealer for a hell of a lot of explosives and detonators.”
“Shit.”
“He’s through playing penny ante and it’s a good bet he’s going after his prime objective. We should be able to make a guess. Dodsworth?”
“Probably. But I’ve got seven factories and twenty-two research facilities in the U.S. I’ve increased the security on all of them and ATF is making regular checks.”
“Not enough.”
“I know that, dammit.”
“But you’re lucky. You have me flying to your aid even as we speak.
I should be landing in San Francisco in a couple of hours.
I’ll go check out the plant in Silicon Valley tomorrow, since that’s your largest facility, then Dodsworth.
After that I’ll tap my contacts and see if I can get a lead on Rudzak.
If that meets with your approval, of course. ”
“And if it didn’t, you’d do it anyway.”
“What can I say? So I have an overabundance of initiative. How’s the dog lady?”
“Fine.”
“Do I detect a sour note? That was a distinct growl.”
“I don’t growl.”
“Well, you might come to a better understanding with her if you did. She seems to have an affinity for animals. But I thought you’ve been on friendlier terms lately.”
You are an animal.
Logan’s hand tightened on the phone as Madden’s words to Sarah came back to him. “Just find Rudzak. Fast.”
“I’ll find him.” Galen hung up.
Logan shoved the phone into his pocket, his gaze on the sun setting behind the mountains. He should go in, find Sarah, and smooth over the ripples of discord he had stirred after Madden left. He’d bungled it badly. With Rudzak no longer a continent away, he must not be forced to leave Sarah.
He couldn’t go back in the cabin. Not yet.
Damn Madden. With a few sentences he had blasted through Logan’s composure and shocked him into losing control.
She fucks like a wild animal.
He closed his eyes. “Jesus.” He could feel his body ready again even while fury and jealousy coursed through him.
She’s the only woman I ever screwed who never said no.
What erotic games had she been willing to play?
Get control. This almost painful lust wasn’t natural to him. Sex had always been an exquisite pleasure, not a driving obsession.
It wasn’t obsession. He wouldn’t let it be. He had reacted with instinctive arousal to Madden’s words, but any man would have had the same response.
And as soon as he could get his body in check, he’d go back in the cabin and make Sarah forget that he’d made that slip.