“I have people who find out things that I need to know. I wasn’t stalking you.”
“It sounds like stalking.”
“Everything I know about you can be found on the internet.” He leaned back into the cushions and draped his arm across the back of the couch. “Where you went to school, the last place you worked. Even the neighborhood you live in. You’re not very shy on social media.”
“And yet you still decided to have someone tail me?”
“No. I had a private investigator look into everyone close to Charlie. Don’t worry. There was nothing immoral involved.”
She guffawed and rolled her eyes. “You keep telling me not to worry. Like you know damn well I should be worried.”
Logan’s lips twitched upward. It was a lot of fun verbally sparring with her.
“Anyway.” She scrubbed a hand across her face. Even with bags under her eyes, she was beautiful. He wondered if she knew it, if every time she looked in the mirror it became painful to look away. “You think we should stay around here for a few days? Huh. There go the rest of my travel plans.”
“I’m sorry, but…”
“It’s okay.” She waved her hand, smile tight. “I’m not trying to be an ass. It just came out that way, probably due to exhaustion. I didn’t get much sleep last night, on account of being kidnapped and auctioned off.”
Her voice softened at the end, and she stared at the floor.
Logan’s throat felt thick. “I’m sorry.”
She lifted her face to eye him. “I didn’t see any other women there, but I can’t help but think about them. There must be others.”
He couldn’t hold eye contact. “I’m also sorry about your trip being cut short. This is for the best, though.”
“Yeah. I know.” Her lips twisted. “Purely out of curiosity, what if I did try to leave? What would you do?”
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. It was a question he really didn’t want to answer.
“I guess you’ll be keeping an eye on me, then,” she said.
Damn, she was good at putting him on the spot.
Luckily, he was good at dancing around matters. “I would like to trust you.”
“You’d like to trust me,” she said slowly, rolling the words over for inspection. “But you can’t yet. As it stands, I’m still your captive.”
“No,” he said, quick as lightning. “You’re not.”
“And yet you’ll be keeping an eye on me. Constantly.” Her emerald eyes flashed. “Like you own me.”
“I promise I will make it as painless as possible.”
Even from several feet away, he saw her pupils dilate. With that came the flush of her cheeks.
Hold on. Was she… attracted to the idea of him keeping a tight hold on her?
Heat flared through his body.
A second later and the doorbell rang.
“That should be breakfast.” Jumping to standing, he rushed to the door.
Sweet distraction.
Or maybe not. Could be that having Terri around would turn out to be one of the greatest challenges of his life.
One thing was for sure, though. Her presence would make their time together anything but dull.
Chapter 5
Terri
Breakfast turned out to be a mix of American and Vietnamese, with eggs, bacon, fried rice, and milky rice porridge. Logan took his time spreading the food across the island in his sleek kitchen, and poured them both some cold tea.
Though she was so tired she could hardly keep her head up, Terri dug into the meal. Part of her wanted to sleep for days, and the other part wanted nothing more than to find the men who had kidnapped her and bring them to justice.
Anyone would probably feel the way she did, but years of studying and helping enforce laws probably exacerbated her desires. Nothing irked her like seeing criminals get away.
“I want to go back there,” she said, after they’d been sitting on opposite sides of the counter and eating in silence for a few minutes.
Logan cocked an eyebrow. “Where?” he asked slowly.
“The warehouse. You can take me there.”
He wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin and sighed. “Are you sure that’s the best idea?”
“Yes,” she said automatically.
His lips pressed tightly together. “I want to oblige you.”
“But, what? It would look too suspicious?”
“Among other things.” His gaze fixated on hers.
Her face turned warm. Though she suddenly felt bashful, she stopped herself from looking away.
“What other things?”
“It could be dangerous, and we won’t find anything.”
“What makes you say that?” She picked up a piece of bacon, but then put it down. Her hunger had dissipated.
“Black market 101 involves constantly moving around.”
“Right. Of course.” Her shoulders slumped forward.
“I’ll keep my ears open, okay? We’ll see what comes our way.”
She twisted her lips. “Okay. Thanks.”
It was something.
Another ring of the bell made them both sit up straighter.
“Be right back.” Logan slid off his stool.
She took the moment alone to further inspect the kitchen. Marble countertops. New appliances. A cutting board built into the end of the island. The place was a cook’s dream, but everything had a new, untouched quality. It didn’t seem Logan cooked at all, if ever.
Another thing she’d noticed about his place was the lack of photos. Most people had at least one up, whether it be of family or friends.
Or their significant other.
“Nope,” Terri whispered to herself, stabbing that forgotten piece of bacon with her fork.
She wasn’t going there. Logan was attractive, but all signs—from him knowing about the trafficking ring to being suspected of insider trading—made him bad news.
Her loose plans after the world-wide trip were to begin casually dating again once she returned to Chicago. And normal, sane people at that. Not mysterious rich guys who operated on the edges of illegal trades.
There was the sound of the front door closing, and Logan entered the kitchen carrying her tote bag and backpack. The sudden appearance of her belongings brought tears to Terri’s eyes. It was only stuff, but when you were on the complete other side of the world away from home, things could take on a heightened meaning.
“Thank you,” she gushed, grabbing the bags from him.
Immediately, she went through the bags. As she’d feared, her wallet and phone were gone.
“Shit.” Closing her eyes, she bit her bottom lip.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. If only I had…” Before she could finish the thought, she remembered the secret compartment in her backpack.
Turning the bag around, she fished in the bottom. As her fingers grazed her passport, she sighed in relief.
“Thank God.” Pulling the little blue book out, she flashed it at him. “It’s there.”
His face brightened; he looked genuinely pleased.
Which was weird. Nice as he was being, she still didn’t fully trust that he cared about her wellbeing.
“Now can I use your phone?” She put the bags on the floor.
“Of course.” He nodded at the living room. “The land line is on the far wall.”
For some reason, she hadn’t noticed the phone when they came into the apartment earlier. No surprise there. Plenty of other things had been on her mind.
Crossing the living room, she picked up the phone and dialed Charlie’s number, which she knew by heart. As it rang, she debated what to tell him.
Though Logan was in the other room, he had to be listening in. He’d asked her to not mention the trafficking ring, and for the time being, she’d have to obey that.
The phone rang several times with no response. Terri tried to do the math in her head to figure out what hour it was in Chic
ago, but her temples ached and all of reality had gone foggy. She didn’t even know if it was day or night there.
“This is Charles Lane,” the voicemail answered. “Leave a message.”
After the beep, Terri drew a breath and glanced over her shoulder. If Logan listened, he was at least being inconspicuous.
“Hey, Charlie. It’s me. My cell phone, uh, broke. Sucks. Anyway, I’ll call you back tomorrow to check in. I’m still in Ho Chi Minh, so everything is… good.”
Her voice took on a slight tremble. There was no one she was closer to than her brother. It made lying to him extra hard.
“Talk to you soon,” she added and hung up before he noticed how bad her voice shook.
It only occurred to her after she’d hung up that he would have appreciated a number to call her back at. Then again, maybe it was best she hadn’t given one. If Charlie was investigating Logan, he might be able to track the number to Logan’s penthouse.
“Everything good?”
She started at the sound of Logan’s voice. Spinning around, she found him leaning against the doorway to the kitchen, hands in his pockets.
“I hope so. He didn’t answer.”
He nodded and looked thoughtful. Lips parting, he looked like he might say something, but then he closed his mouth and smiled.
“What?” she asked.
“I was thinking you might like to rest.”
It was surely a lie, but whatever.
“Yeah,” she agreed. “I should try and sleep.”
How she would ever sleep again, she had no clue. The moment she closed her eyes, the terrifying night would be sure to replay over in her head.
“What about you?” she asked.
“I can’t sleep during the day. It’s always been a habit of mine.”
“Ah.” Taking her bags from the kitchen, she retreated to his bedroom. “See you in a little bit, I guess.”
“Let me know if you need anything,” he said, a new, husky quality to his voice that made Terri weak.
Like what? She wanted to ask. Anything?
But that would be flirting, and this was hardly the time or place and he was hardly the man to do that with.
So she nodded instead and went into his bedroom, closing the door firmly behind herself. It was a space as simply designed and practical as the rest of the home, with nothing notable other than the king-sized bed covered in pillows.
Dropping her bags on the floor, she collapsed onto the bed and drew the blankets up to her chin. A faint spiciness enveloped her, and it occurred to her for the first time that she was in a bed Logan had been in only hours before.
Oddly enough, the thought brought her some comfort. Encased in the walls of his penthouse, no one could get to her. The terrible men who’d dragged her from the hostel were gone for good.
Still…
Throwing off the covers, she got up and locked the bedroom door. Just in case.
Snuggling back into bed, she closed her eyes. The apartment had gone quiet. Whatever Logan was doing, he was being very discreet about it.
Did he wonder about her as much as she did about him? Or had he already dug up everything he wanted to, thanks to his private investigator?
Tucking her hands under her chin, she thought about home. Her brother. Parents. Friends. Even thinking about her potted plants and her cozy reading corner brought her joy.
One day soon, all of this would be in the past. With that knowledge, she drifted right off into sleep.
Chapter 6
Logan
Logan waited a while in case Terri needed anything, but not so much as a peep came from the bedroom. Cell phone in hand, he slipped into the gym and called his Chicago assistant.
“Hello, Mr. Denton,” AJ answered.
“Hey, AJ.” He took a seat on the weight bench. Even though it was past eight in the evening in Chicago, AJ was available—something Logan didn’t mind, since he paid AJ far more than he would make at any other personal assistant job.
“How’s your time in Ho Chi Minh?” AJ asked.
“It’s decent. Give me an update, will you?”
The young man didn’t need clarification. “Charlie Lane came by the office today asking to speak with you.”
Logan bit back a curse. Though he’d learned from informants weeks ago that Charlie had become interested in him, this visit to the office was the first firm move he’d made.
“What did Denise tell him?” Logan asked, referring to the front desk receptionist.
“Apparently, Mr. Lane wasn’t satisfied with the explanation that you simply weren’t available. Denise called me down and I told him that you were occupied with work and we could take a message. I said nothing about your being out of town.”
“Good, good.” He’d taught his employees well. The vaguer they were about their boss’ comings and goings, the better. “Did he leave a message?”
“No, although I imagine he expected we would let you know about his visit.”
“Of course.” Logan ran his hand over his jaw. Stubble scratched his palm. “I’ll be back in Chicago in a few days. Keep track of everyone who comes to the offices, no matter who they are. Even someone as innocuous as the mailman. You understand?”
“Loud and clear, sir.”
“Good.”
Anyone could be a plant working for Charlie, going undercover and trying to slip into Logan’s offices. Well, not on his watch.
Satisfied for the time being, he ended the call and went to take a shower. Luckily, the apartment had two full bathrooms, so he didn’t have to disturb Terri. After finding a clean T-shirt and jeans in the laundry room, he went into his office and checked the first round of messages for the day.
As always, there were plenty of them. Usually, he was good at focusing. Not today.
His mind kept going back to the man hot on his heels. And his captivating sister. It took twice as long to get things done, and his lack of sleep certainly didn’t help. About six hours later, when he heard the bedroom door open, he was almost glad for the distraction.
He met Terri in the living room, where she still wore his clothes. Before he could stop himself, he smiled. She looked damn good in his oversized shirt.
“Hey.” She rubbed her ruffled hair. “What are you doing?”
“Working.”
“You don’t have an office here?”
“Yes, but considering things, I thought it best to stay here.”
“Oh.” She fiddled with the hem of her shirt. His shirt.
His shirt that she was wearing, and that he couldn’t get his mind off of.
“What time is it?” she asked.
“About two. How do you feel?”
“Really weird. It’s strange, sleeping all day. Everything feels off.”
“How about we keep that going?”
She narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I need to get out of here, and I think I owe you a good time considering your vacation has been cut short.”
A slow smile stretched her face. “I don’t think I should argue with that.”
“Then don’t. Get dressed and I’ll take you to a place that I swear won’t disappoint.”
“Oh, really?” She tilted her head as she laughed. “Is that a bet?”
“Something tells me I’d be an idiot to make any bets with you. You don’t seem to kid around.”
“Yeah. Neither do you, though.”
With that, she turned on her heel and disappeared back into his room. Wearing a giant grin, Logan headed to the laundry room for the second time. If he was lucky, there would be a clean dress shirt in there.
As it turned out, a recently-pressed suit he’d forgotten about hung from the rack. After slipping into it, he rummaged in the second bathroom and found a comb to run through his hair. At the sounds of Terri leaving the bedroom, he cut his grooming short.
He only made it a step into the main area before his stride faltered. The woman standing looking out the windows took hi
s breath away.
She stood with her profile to him, one hand touching the glass as she watched the bustling city. Her short hair had been pinned back from her face, and a red velvet dress hugged her curves before coming to a stop several inches above her knees. A pair of tan heels made her already long legs seem to go on for days.
Logan’s heart skipped a beat. He stayed frozen, soaking in the vision come to life in his penthouse. If he’d ever seen anything half as lovely, he couldn’t remember it.
As if feeling his gaze, she turned to look at him. “Hi.”
He had to swallow before answering. “Hello.”
“You look nice.” She gestured at him.
“Not half as nice as you.”
“Thanks.” Her voice held an air of confidence, but she bit her lip and looked down.
Logan fought the impulse to curse. He really needed to watch himself.
“Shall we?” He gestured at the door.
“Sure. Where to?”
“You hungry?”
“I think so.” She shrugged. “It’s kind of hard to know what I’m feeling right now.”
“Understandably.”
He could have gone on about the symptoms of shock and how the experience she’d had might impact her in the days to come, but Terri was smart. She knew all that.
Best to keep things succinct and as positive as possible. Tonight would be about fun.
Though it wasn’t even yet time for early dinner, he called a car and had it take them to one of the nicest bars in the city. As they exited the car, he extended his arm to Terri, not even thinking too much about it. It was simply something he was used to doing while out with a woman.
To his pleasant surprise, she looped her arm through his and sent the faintest smile his way.
Inside the dark bar, fish tanks lined the walls, with the wraparound bar square in the middle of the room.
“I’m starting to see a theme in your life.” Terri took a seat in a plush booth.
“Oh, really?” He settled across from her.
“You like fish.”
“And everything else that can be found in the ocean.”
A blowfish swam by them, followed closely by a gray-and-blue fish Logan didn’t recognize. He’d have to look that one up later.
Bidder - An Auctioned to the Billionaire Romance (Criminal Passions Book 2) Page 3
