When I Found You

by Kate James

  Ariana felt the comforting warmth seep through her again. She’d be stupid and ungrateful to push back. “All right,” she acquiesced softly.

  She heard Logan’s release of breath as he moved to the back of his vehicle and let Boomer out. Ariana glanced at the dog. “I understand why you want to bring him, but I have a cat.” How Boomer would get along with Sabrina was a legitimate concern, but she also didn’t want to contemplate the dog running loose in her apartment.

  “We’re a team,” Logan stated, obviously trying to ease her discomfort. “On a more serious note, I want to make sure your apartment door isn’t rigged. I don’t think it is,” he was quick to assure her. “I don’t believe his goal is to hurt you, and he’s confined all his activities to the airport, but I want Boomer to do a fast sweep of your place regardless.”

  Ariana understood the wisdom of that, too. She’d like to think she’d be safe in her own apartment, but there was no harm in making sure.

  “As for cats—” Logan reached down to rub Boomer behind his ears “—he’s gentle with other animals. If your cat’s okay with dogs, Boomer won’t be a problem.”

  She let Logan and Boomer lead the way. They checked her door before she opened it. Boomer did a quick sweep of her apartment, then Logan let him relax. Thankfully, there was nothing amiss.

  No longer focused on his job, Boomer greeted Sabrina with enthusiasm. The cat wasn’t quite ready to call the Malinois a newfound friend. She gave him a haughty stare and, with an imperious flick of her tail, sauntered away. Unmindful of the visitors, she sprang up on the sofa and curled into a tight little ball.

  “Well, now that you’re here, why don’t you stay for dinner?” Ariana asked, thankful that she’d finally found the time to stock up on groceries.

  “Are you worried about being alone?” Logan asked.

  Ariana shook her head. “No. Honestly, I’m okay to be alone. I don’t need someone babysitting me.” She placed her hand on his chest before he could argue, and raised up on her toes to brush her lips across his and smiled up at him. “But I would appreciate the company.”

  * * *

  LOGAN FELT A tightness in his chest. After everything that had happened that day, Ariana wanted to cook him dinner. She might become a suspect in an active investigation, and all he wanted to do was spend time with her.

  He straightened, wrapped an arm around her and lowered his forehead to hers. The combination of his affection and need for her, and the realization that he could’ve lost her in any one of the recent incidents, terrified him. They’d have to talk about what had happened—including those bills of lading they’d found in her desk—but not now. He didn’t want to revisit the horrors of what she’d been through just yet.

  He drew back, released her and brushed a fingertip along her cheek.

  “Let me get dinner started,” she said, her voice not quite steady, saving him from saying something he might regret.

  “You’ve been through a lot today. I don’t want to put you to any trouble. We can order in.”

  “I’ve been through a lot? It’s not as if you’ve had your feet up watching a ball game.”

  Sabrina hopped off the sofa and strolled over, giving Boomer a disinterested look. She wound her way around Ariana’s legs, then wandered off again. Boomer’s eyes followed her, but his only action was to thump his tail on the floor.

  Ariana smiled at her cat, before continuing. “Neither one of us has had anything to eat since lunch,” she said. “We both need to eat. It won’t be fancy, but it’s the least I can do.”

  Logan really didn’t want to impose. Although he felt weary enough to sleep for a week, the thought of not being with Ariana caused a strange churning in his gut.

  “Okay. As long as it’s not much bother.” He looked down at his torn and bloodstained shirt. “Do you mind if I take a shower and change first? I’ve got clothes in my duffel in the truck.”

  “Of course. It’ll give me a chance to get organized.”

  While Ariana rummaged around in the kitchen, Logan secured Boomer’s leash to a coffee table leg, tightening it to give the dog enough room to move without being able to get sufficient momentum to pull the table with him, should he think of attempting it.

  “What are you doing?” Ariana asked when she reentered the room.

  Logan tugged on the leash. “I thought you’d feel more comfortable with him secured.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it. Will he be okay like that?”

  “Yeah. He’s had a long day, too. See?” Logan motioned to Boomer, lying on his side and sleeping again. “He’s already settled. I expect he’ll stay that way while I get my duffel and clean up.”

  “Okay. I’ll leave towels, antiseptic and bandages in the bathroom for you,” Ariana offered.

  Logan went down to his truck and by the time he returned, Ariana was humming some catchy tune she had playing as she prepared pasta...quick and easy, she explained, as it was canned sauce. She had garlic bread in the oven, heating up from frozen, and a bottle of cabernet sauvignon breathing on the counter. She offered to help bandage his arm, but he assured her he could take care of it.

  Placing a gentle kiss on her lips, he headed for the shower. Stepping under the steaming-hot water, he let it run over his head and down his face, enjoying the feel of the massage setting on his skin. With eyes closed, he stood in the stream of water, thinking about Ariana.

  He’d never enjoyed being with a woman as he did with her. She was smart and independent, and she was beautiful—inside and out. The more he thought about her, the more one thought crystalized in his mind.

  He was in love with her.

  When had that happened? They’d been on a roller-coaster ride since the day they’d met, but to think he loved her...that meant a long-term commitment to him. It had snuck up on him. He was in love.

  When the memory of the life his mother had had to endure as the wife of a cop pushed its way into his consciousness, for the first time ever, he disregarded it. A lot of cops had happy family lives and their spouses accepted the risks they faced most days. Take his closest friends and colleagues, Cal Palmer and Rick Vasquez. Cal had already tied the knot and was happier for it, and Rick was ecstatic about his upcoming wedding. Thinking about having agreed to be Rick’s best man, Logan grinned as he got out of the shower, dried himself, bandaged his arm and pulled on his clean clothes.

  Yeah, it worked for his pals, and Ariana was as strong as Jessica and Madison. He hadn’t been able to move beyond witnessing his mother’s pain...until now. In addition to loving Ariana, he had a lot of respect and admiration for her. She was tough enough to handle it.

  He’d never said the words “I love you” to anyone other than his immediate family.

  He needed to lighten up; otherwise he might just blurt out to her the feeling that was consuming him. And that wouldn’t be wise under the circumstances.

  He ran a brush through his wet hair. After stuffing his dirty clothes into his duffel, he hoisted it over his shoulder and exited the bathroom.

  They had an enjoyable dinner, and after he helped her clear the dishes, they settled in the dining room with coffees.

  Logan felt the urge again to tell Ariana that he loved her, but once he said the words, there was no taking them back. He wanted to be very sure before he said them.

  Looking around the room, he tried to distract himself. “Where’s your cat?”

  Ariana chuckled. “I don’t think she’s terribly fond of Boomer. I saw her go into my bedroom. She’s probably curled up on my pillow.”

  “Smart cat.”

  Ariana glanced at Boomer, lying on her living room carpet. “How can you do it?”

  “Do what?”

  “You seem so close to him. How can you face the possibility that he...?” She waved her hand. “You know...he might g
et injured or...worse in the line of duty?”

  Logan drew his lips into a straight, hard line and shook his head. “It’s not easy. We’re told when we sign up for the K-9 Unit that our dogs are tools. That we shouldn’t get too close to them. They’re not family pets. We’re not supposed to let them stay inside our homes.” He laughed without humor. “I don’t know a handler who can do any of that.”

  Logan thought of Cal Palmer having gone into a collapsed building after an earthquake, against a direct order, to rescue his dog, Scout. Cal had been injured, and Logan had to write him up for insubordination. There was no skirting it. He’d hated doing it, as he knew perfectly well that he would’ve done the same if it was Boomer trapped in that building. Their dogs were much more to them than simply tools of the job.

  “Our dogs are like family to us.” He ran his palm along her arm, took her hand in his. They both watched Boomer, stretched out and snoring softly.

  As if Boomer sensed their attention, he stirred and looked up at them with warm chocolate-brown eyes.

  With a hesitant smile at Logan, Ariana let go of his hand and approached Boomer cautiously. She held a palm out to the dog. Logan could see it took a lot out of her to do it, by the tensing of her muscles, a slight tremble of her fingers. He saw her faint smile when Boomer touched a cold wet nose to her palm, followed by a wetter tongue.

  “That’s major progress,” he said encouragingly and was glad for it, but he didn’t want Boomer to accidentally startle Ariana and cause a setback. He joined them and took her hand into his and drew her into a hug.

  * * *

  LOGAN INSISTED ON a firm assurance from Ariana that she’d wait for him in her apartment until he came to pick her up the next morning. He was adamant that she shouldn’t open the door for anyone...not even if she thought it was him, unless he’d texted her first that he was standing outside the door, and she confirmed through her peephole.

  There was no point arguing with him. After she agreed to all his terms, he said good-night. Instructing Boomer to sit-stay by her front door, Logan circled an arm around Ariana’s waist and slid his other up her back to her neck.

  “I need you to stay safe,” he murmured, before brushing his lips across hers.

  When Ariana locked the door behind him, she found her normally steady hands were shaking—from fear or emotion, she wasn’t sure.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  LOGAN MET ARIANA at her apartment the next morning as he’d said he would. He followed her to the airport, waited for her to park and walked her to her office. He was still onsite when he got the request to attend a meeting with the CEO. He spent the time before the meeting with the SDPD officers on duty, and entered the executive boardroom a few minutes before the appointed time. Ariana not being there surprised him, as he knew her to be extremely punctual. He checked his watch and expected she’d be right along.

  “Close the door, would you please?” Calvin Murdoch, the airport’s CEO, called to him as he entered. “We’ll get the meeting going.”

  Logan raised his brows but did as he was asked.

  Calvin introduced Logan to Ralph Sterling, chairman of the board of directors, who was obviously presiding over the meeting. Logan already knew one of the other two attendees, TSA’s federal security director, Angus Stewart. He was shocked to learn the identity of the final person in the room, George Dennison, Ariana’s predecessor.

  “Help yourself to coffee, water, whatever.” Ralph waved toward a sideboard holding a variety of hot and cold beverages.

  “I’m fine, thanks,” Logan replied, taking a seat at the middle of the table. He noted that FSD Stewart didn’t hesitate to rise to help himself to a coffee and several cookies.

  “Thank you both for coming on such short notice,” Ralph began once Stewart was seated. “The board and our leadership are taking the recent incidents very seriously. Passenger safety is our top priority, and we will not compromise in that regard.”

  “Shouldn’t we wait for Ariana Atkins?” Logan asked as soon as Ralph paused.

  Calvin and Ralph exchanged glances.

  “Where is she?” Logan persisted.

  “In her office or somewhere in the terminal building, I assume.” Ralph glanced to Calvin for confirmation. At his nod, Ralph gazed down at the notes in front of him. “So, as I was saying—”

  “Hold on,” Logan interrupted him again. “Why isn’t she here?” He also wanted to know why Dennison was, but held back from asking.

  “I don’t see why that’s your concern,” Ralph retorted.

  “Because we’re discussing safety and security of the airport, and she’s the head of your operation. I assumed you’d want her here as she’s your expert, and our key contact,” he said. He didn’t like that they’d excluded Ariana. Had someone leaked the information about the bills of lading they’d found in Ariana’s office? He might have his own questions about it, but she had a right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty as much as anyone. Then a thought occurred to him. They wouldn’t have let her go? No, because Sterling had said she was still in the building. Were they planning to? Was that why Dennison was present? Yeah, Ariana had talked about quitting. As much as he’d tried to talk her out of it, at least that would’ve been on her own terms. For her to get fired? Not only was it unwarranted, he didn’t want to think of what it would do to her.

  Logan shifted his gaze to Dennison. His curiosity about why he was there must have been obvious, because Murdoch addressed it without Logan’s having to ask. “In keeping with our fiduciary obligations to the airport, the chairman and I considered it prudent to retain independent expert advice.” He smiled briefly at Dennison. “No one knows the airport and its operations better from a security perspective than George, with his twenty years of unblemished service to us before his retirement.”

  George stared at Logan, almost as if challenging him to argue the point.

  “Does Ariana know?” Logan asked.

  “Not yet.” Calvin waved the question away. “But as Ralph stated, passenger safety is our utmost concern. Frankly, the recent events are unprecedented in my experience. We’ve always had a stellar reputation, and now it’s being tarnished.”

  “We can’t have that,” Ralph added. “We plan to take every possible measure available to us to restore safety and security at this airport, and thereby our reputation. It’s come to our attention that it might be Ariana who’s attracting the occurrences.”

  Unblinking, Logan held Ralph’s gaze. Thankfully, it didn’t sound as if they were aware of the latest development or the possible smuggling ring operating from their facility.

  “Isn’t that right?” Ralph persisted.

  “We’re investigating,” Logan replied noncommittally. He didn’t like where this was going. Were they trying to lay the blame on Ariana? He had a moment of guilt, remembering that he’d questioned her involvement, too, but for a very short time. For him, it was all part of due process. Eliminate possibilities to concentrate on the probabilities. He adjusted his gaze slightly to take in Stewart on the opposite side of the table. He was curious about how he’d weigh in about Ariana. He’d witnessed Stewart’s adversarial stance toward Ariana before, but didn’t the TSA have some responsibility?

  Stewart shifted in his seat, flapped his hand in a nervous gesture. “We all know it was her office door that was rigged with the IED. Doesn’t that answer Mr. Sterling’s question in the affirmative?”

  Logan narrowed his eyes. So they did know about the incident...but not the bills of lading. Would Stewart throw Ariana under the bus to protect himself and his organization? And where did Dennison weigh in on all this? Ariana had called him a mentor. Said that he’d encouraged her to apply for the job. Surely, he would support her now.

  Dennison’s face was stoic, but he was fidgeting with his pen. What was he worried about? Logan wondered.


  “Before you cast blame, how do you think the person responsible is able to keep getting into the secure areas to leave explosives and notes? We know how he did it the first time, but what about most recently?”

  Angus made a sputtering noise. Logan expected he was about to protest again but Ralph cut in.

  “The TSA’s competence is not what we’re here to discuss.”

  In Logan’s opinion, it should have been an ongoing topic of discussion, but he held his tongue. He was so angry, he was tempted to storm out of the boardroom, but he couldn’t do so without getting himself in trouble with the chief of police. More importantly, he wanted to know where they were planning to go with this meeting. If they were intent on setting Ariana up as the scapegoat, he’d rather know about it.

  “We’re thinking it might be appropriate for Ariana to...take a leave of absence,” Calvin said. “George is willing to come back for an indefinite period of time.”

  Logan wanted to lunge out of his chair and grab the guy by the throat. The fury of it surprised him, but that wouldn’t have helped his cause. Or Ariana’s. He leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. “Why would you do that?”

  “For her personal safety, of course.” Calvin had a self-righteous expression on his face. “And if she’s the target and she’s not here, the airport can resume normal operations.”

  Logan leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “Let’s take your assumptions one at a time, shall we? If she is the target it doesn’t matter where she is. She might, in fact, be safer here, in a secure facility, than she would be somewhere else, on her own.” He ticked the point off on his finger.

  “Secondly, Ariana is knowledgeable, professional and dedicated. The short time she’s been at the airport, she’s made numerous improvements to safety and security, and—”