“Listen, I’ll put out feelers. I’ll be subtle—keep it quiet—but if you ask me it probably was Ricketts and he’s lying. But I’ll see what I can find out.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
“Hey, don’t sweat it. You and I—we’re a team. I got your back, man, always.”
He walks out the door, leaving me with guilt burning through my veins.
Anna
A
fter reading Annabelle a bedtime story, I make my way to the porch steps and stare out at the lighted tree, the warm evening breeze and hot tea doing nothing to calm the fear that’s been plaguing me since Logan left. I glance down at my cell phone to check the time again and pray for a text from him, something—anything, but there’s nothing.
Come on, Logan, please hurry.
The sound of the front door opening brings me out of my turbulent thoughts. A moment later Julia sits next to me and puts her arm around my shoulders.
“Annabelle asleep now?” I ask softly.
“Not yet. She roped Jax into a second bedtime story. She said the one you read wasn’t long enough, and of course he fell for it.”
I chuckle. Of course he did, he can never say no to her, but I don’t blame him, I can’t either.
“You doing okay?” she asks, even though she already knows the answer.
“I will be once he’s back here with me and I know he’s safe.”
Her hand squeezes my shoulder. “I’m sorry, I know what it’s like to worry, believe me, but he’ll be here soon.”
I nod. “I know, I just hate it. After all this time we’re finally back together, and I’m terrified he’ll be ripped from me again.”
“And I know that feeling, too. It’s scary to think about losing our loved ones, especially when we know how it feels. I’ll never forget how long it took me to get over losing Jaxson that first time. When I got the call that he was hurt, and they didn’t know if he would make it…” She shakes her head softly. “It’s something I try not to think about or I’ll go crazy. All we can do is have faith and cherish the moments we get with them. If we constantly live in fear then we’ll end up missing out on the here and now. As hard as it is, try to remember that. Instead of dwelling on the time you and Logan have missed out on, try using it to make up time lost.”
What she says makes complete sense and logically I know this but it’s hard. The regret of time lost with him is still fresh. Maybe it will be easier when he isn’t caught up in this mess and we can focus on a future together. Although, I have no idea what that future holds. The unknown of that is killing me, too. There’s a lot we need to talk to about… I trail off on that thought and look at Julia. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course, anything.”
“When Jaxson came back, you know, after what happened in Iraq, did he…did he open up to you about it?”
Something passes over her expression, something painful, before she releases a sigh. “Not at first, no, and even when he did finally open up to me it wasn’t much, but it was enough for me to be there for him.”
“How did you get him to open up?” I’m hoping she can shed some light so it can help me get Logan to open up. Especially concerning whatever it is that happened to have him so scared to have his back open, to make him so much harder than he used to be. Whatever his demons are, I want to rid them from him like he did mine.
“Well, I don’t really know. After he got back I knew he had more scars than the ones that marked his body.” Just thinking of Jaxson’s back has my throat burning something fierce. “I always tried to be there for him and waited patiently, hoping he would finally open up. One night he had a horrible nightmare and that’s when I pushed, I couldn’t wait any longer for him to come to me. I knew it was the right time, he couldn’t keep his turmoil to himself any more.”
I swallow thickly, my heart hurting over his torment, one I’m sure we shared but very differently. “Do you think it helped him when he opened up?”
I’m sure it did. It’s something I’ve learned a lot about, not just from my personal experience but also in school. However, I think it helps when you have the right person to open up to. I’m not sure where I would be if I hadn’t met Logan all those years ago. Therapy helped me but he’s the one that helped me overcome it all.
“I think so. I’m sure some of those internal scars will be there forever, how could they not? But I think many factors come into play at the ones that have been healed.”
“Like what?”
“Well, you for one. Some of his biggest torment at the time was his guilt over what happened to you, that he didn’t make it in time.” My eyes close as pain slices through me, hating that he harbored any guilt over me. “But seeing what a beautiful, young woman you’ve turned into, with a promising future, healed that,” she adds with a smile. “Then, of course, there’s Annabelle.”
I smile. “Yes, we must not forget her. How could her sweet face not heal everything?”
Julia chuckles. “I agree, and we both know she has Jax wrapped around her finger.”
“That she does.” My smile dims a bit with what I’m about to say next. “You’re forgetting one more factor, maybe the biggest one of all when it comes to his healing.”
Her eyes narrow in confusion. “What’s that?”
“You.”
She gets another smile, this one so radiant you can feel it all the way to your heart. She wraps her other arm around my shoulders and pulls me in close. “You and I, Anna, are two peas in a pod. We both love men who are sexy, stubborn and possessive. But they have more honor than most men could ever hope for. They may drive us crazy, but we need them as much as the air we breathe.”
My arms wrap around her waist since I’m one step lower than her, my heavy heart feeling a little lighter. “I’m really glad I met y’all, Julia. I love you guys more than I could ever say.”
“Me, too.”
“Am I interrupting?”
We break apart and look behind us to see Jaxson walking out the front door. We both wipe away a few tears that escaped during our moment and smile up at him.
“Not at all, come have a seat,” Julia says.
I expect him to sit next to her but he ends up forcing himself between us and draping an arm around both of us. “What are you girls talking about? Or maybe I don’t want to know,” he adds, taking in our melancholic state.
“We were talking about how amazing you are,” I answer honestly.
“Yep,” Julia agrees, kissing his cheek.
He grunts, uncomfortable with the compliment, but holds us a little tighter. “Save that ass-kissing for Evans, he’s the one who likes that shit.”
We both agree with a giggle.
“Is our daughter asleep?” Julia asks, changing the subject.
“Yeah, she fell asleep quickly,” he replies, before looking down at me. “I just got off the phone with your dad.”
I tense, and the light feeling I just had evaporates. “Oh, and what did he want?” I try to keep the bitterness out of my tone but don’t succeed. I love my father, but I’m still so angry at the way he acted.
“He was just checking on you, making sure you’re okay.” I harrumph then immediately feel immature for it. “I know you’re mad, but cut the guy some slack. He loves you and he was caught off guard.”
“I get that but you don’t know how bad he acted or the horrible things he said, especially about Logan.”
“Actually, I do, and if it’s any consolation I told him it was shitty too, especially because we all know why Logan went to jail. He said shit he didn’t mean… I can kinda relate.”
“Well at least you apologized, he hasn’t, and until he does I am not speaking to him.”
“Fair enough.”
“Darn right it is,” I grumble which makes him chuckle.
The sound of a motorcycle breaks up the conversation. A ton of bricks feel like they’ve been lifted off my chest as Logan pulls in. “Oh thank God!” I push away from Jaxson and run over to the garage where Logan parks the bike.
He climbs off and heads in my direction. “Hey, baby. Sorry, I—”
I throw myself at him and cut his words off with a kiss. I inhale everything he has to give me, needing reassurance that he’s okay. With a low growl he more than delivers, stealing my breath as he takes control of the kiss.
“Please tell me you’re okay,” I whisper against his lips.
“If I tell you I’m okay are you going to stop kissing me?”
“No, I’ll never stop kissing you.” If I have it my way I’ll kiss this man for the rest of my life.
“Then yeah, I’m okay.” I pull back with a smile but it dies quickly when I notice his jaw is swollen and the corner of his eye has a cut on it, the outdoor garage light shining directly on the injuries. I reach up and gently drag my fingers along the wound. “I’m okay, Anna, I promise.”
“Did you at least win?” I ask softly, not really sure if that matters.
“Of course I did.” A smile touches my lips at his cocky reply. “But we need to talk.”
My heart plummets at his expression. “What is it, what’s wrong?”
“It’s okay, I just need to ask you something, but let’s join Jaxson before he shoots me, thinking I’m doing more with you over here in the dark than what I am.” Kissing my forehead, he drops me back to my feet and keeps an arm around my shoulders as we walk back to Jaxson and Julia on the porch steps.
I expect Jaxson to make a remark about what took us so long but he doesn’t. He doesn’t even look annoyed. His sharp gaze is focused on Logan only. “So, how did it go?”
Logan shrugs. “Depends on how you look at it. I won, but now I’m left with a lot of questions, ones I’m really needing some answers to.”
“What do you mean?”
He releases a breath then looks down at me. “Have a seat, baby.”
I do as he says, sitting on the step next to Jaxson’s feet. My heart pounds a million miles a minute, wondering what the heck is going on with him. He passes me his phone, showing me a picture.
“Who’s this?” I ask as I stare down at a man I’ve never seen before.
“Look closely. Does he look familiar at all?”
I feel Jaxson lean over top of me to look as well. “Why are you showing her a picture of Ricketts?”
“This is Ricketts?” I ask, knowing that’s the guy he fought tonight.
“Yeah.”
“This isn’t the guy who threatened me.”
I feel Jaxson tense behind me, and something that looks like disappointment passes over Logan’s expression. “Are you sure? You said you didn’t get a good look at the guy.”
“I know, but I’m positive it wasn’t this guy, because the man who threatened me had dark brown eyes, not green like this ones.”
He nods then takes his phone back and does something before handing it to me again. “What about this guy?”
I stare back at a guy I know. “Kolan? Yeah, of course I know him. Or at least I’ve met him before.”
“But it wasn’t him?”
I rear back in shock. “What? No, of course not.”
“What the hell is going on, Knight?” Jaxson asks.
He blows out a frustrated breath and runs his hand through his hair. “I don’t know, man, I don’t know what the fuck is going on but shit isn’t adding up. Ricketts swears he had nothing to do with what happened to her, and for some reason I believe him.”
“Then who else could it have been?”
“Hell if I know. Maybe someone who has money placed against me? Lewis is putting out feelers to see if he can find anything, but…” He shakes his head. “I don’t know, nothing is adding up any more.”
“Fuck!” Jaxson stands and starts pacing, looking as concerned as I feel, because this means whoever wants Logan dead is still out there. “So what the fuck is with you showing her a picture of Slade? What the hell does he have to do with it?”
“That day at the gym, I swore I recognized him from somewhere and I know he did me, too. It wasn’t from seeing him on TV, because I don’t watch it. I could tell he was lying about knowing me, but I had no idea why he would. Tonight, as I climbed out of that ring, I saw someone watching me in the far corner. I couldn’t see him clearly because he had a hood on but he sure as hell reminded me a lot of Slade. As soon as I saw him he slipped out the side door, and by the time I made it outside he was long gone.”
“No way, I don’t know Slade well but I can’t see him jeopardizing his career for this shit. He doesn’t need to, the guy is top of the industry right now.”
“I thought that too, but I’m telling you, Jaxson, it sure fucking looked like him.”
“I don’t understand what he would be doing there? He has nothing to gain from it.”
“Maybe scoping it out to make some extra cash?” Logan suggests.
Jaxson shakes his head. “I don’t know. Anything’s possible I guess, but I can’t see it.”
“So what does this mean for you?” I ask softly, having a difficult time voicing the question past the lump in my throat. “If Ricketts isn’t the one who wants to hurt you, then someone else does and they’re still out there.” My voice cracks at the end, showing just how scared I am.
I feel Julia reach over and rub my back before Logan drops down in front of me, taking my face between his hands. “Hey, come on, baby, I told you—I can take care of myself and whoever sent you the warning that night knows it. It’s too late now. I’m going to the final, so whatever they were hoping to achieve didn’t happen. I promise, Anna, I’ll be okay. But…” he pauses and I know immediately what he’s about to say before he even says it, “maybe it’s not a bad idea for you to stay here until this is—”
“No! I told you already I won’t do it. I’m not leaving you. If you’re that sure of your own safety then you shouldn’t be worried about mine.”
He exhales an anxious breath, dropping his forehead to mine. “I’m always worried about yours, even if there’s nothing to worry about.”
With his lips close to mine I take the opportunity to brush a kiss along them. “I can’t leave you, so please don’t ask me to.” I hold my breath, waiting for his reply, praying he doesn’t push me away.
“Are the feds still following her?” Jaxson asks, breaking into our moment.
Logan pulls back and looks up at him before answering. “Yeah, when she’s not with me or you. And I’m pretty sure Cooper has someone driving by my place constantly, too.”
“Then let’s keep doing it how we have been, especially since there’s a lot of protection on you guys right now.” I turn back to Jaxson in surprise. His expression goes hard as he points down at me. “But if anything happens, Anna,
anything
that gives us more cause for concern, you will be coming here whether you like it or not. Got it?”