by Kate James
The more probable explanation was that whoever was targeting Ariana was part of the smuggling ring and was trying to set her up. The explosives dust would’ve been purposely planted on the bills of lading to ensure they were found. But if that was the case, why draw attention to the smuggling?
No, none of it made sense to him. It was time he had a chat with the ATF and DEA agents.
Logan had wanted to give Ariana a heads-up about what was going on. Both Calvin Murdoch and Ralph Sterling seemed to trust that sniveling spineless bureaucrat Stewart more than their own chief of security. He didn’t know much about Dennison, but he didn’t like him. Based on what Ariana had told him and their relationship, he’d expected her predecessor to stand up for her. After all, he had a vested interest, as he’d had a role in her getting her job.
Logan believed in loyalty, in integrity. Whatever they thought themselves, they should have stood up for her in the meeting. He’d anticipated one of them, if not all three, to speak up for her, defend her competence in the face of Stewart’s allegations. When none of them had, and Calvin went on the attack against her, too, Logan did so himself. It shouldn’t have been left to him.
He knew he hadn’t endeared himself to anyone in that room, but he had to do what was right. He lived by a few simple principles, including doing the right thing, regardless of where the chips might fall.
He was prepared to breach confidence for Ariana, for her best interests. But whatever had gotten her so riled, she didn’t give him the chance. He was pretty good at understanding women. He’d thought Ariana was as logical and rational as they came. She hadn’t behaved that way just now.
He pushed through the exit doors to the parking garage.
Maybe it was fortunate they hadn’t moved faster on their relationship, he considered as he climbed into his vehicle. If he didn’t come up with a plausible answer to what those bills of lading were doing in Ariana’s office, she’d be deemed a suspect in the investigation. If he didn’t want to risk his job, he’d have to stay away from her until the investigation was concluded and she was cleared.
Tomorrow was the annual canine tactical challenge competition he’d talked Ariana into attending to see him compete. He wondered if, after what had just transpired, she’d show. Should he call her and remind her? See if they were still on for the competition and for dinner afterward? Maybe he should call and make some excuse to avoid having her show.
He let Boomer in the back of his SUV, climbed in and started his engine. He rubbed his hands over his face.
Sometimes it was smarter to let things take their own course.
He pulled out of the parking garage and called dispatch to get him connected with the two federal agents leading the smuggling ring investigation.
In view of the circumstances, even though it was Saturday, they agreed to meet early the next morning before he had to be at Qualcomm Stadium for the competition.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ARIANA DROVE HER vehicle into the parking lot at Qualcomm Stadium. She found it hard to believe that she was actually here. With her fear of dogs, how on earth had Logan talked her into coming to watch the annual law enforcement canine tactical challenge? Add to that what had happened yesterday at work, and she’d considered calling him and making some excuse for not attending.
But then she’d thought about what had really happened. Logan had come to see her. Would he have been so brazen to try to undermine her with her bosses, then see her immediately after? Or was there another side to the story?
She hadn’t given him a chance to say what he’d come to say. That was rude and unfair of her. On that basis alone, she decided she’d come and, given the opportunity over dinner perhaps, ask him what he’d wanted to talk about, and then draw her conclusions.
Qualcomm Stadium was the home of the San Diego Chargers and had ample parking, yet the surface lot was packed. The dog competition must be a popular event.
Most police departments from Southern California, the Port of San Diego’s Harbor Police K-9 Unit and other law enforcement organizations with service dogs were competing for the annual honors. Still, the place was much busier than she’d anticipated.
Logan had told her that he and Boomer held the championship position in explosives detection two years in a row. He’d said he expected stiff competition from an up-and-coming contender from the Harbor Police but that he felt comfortable that they could win again. She admired his confidence and wished for his sake that it was true.
Finding a spot, she shut off her engine and shook her head, still surprised that she was actually here. There would be hundreds of dogs present...
Logan wanted her to be here. She had to admit that she was curious about it, too.
She hopped out of her car, grabbed her bag and locked the doors. Consulting the ticket Logan had given her, she made her way to the appropriate gate.
The SDPD had a section of reserved seats. Logan had told her that she should watch for Rick Vasquez and he’d introduce her to the others present. He’d explained that Rick usually competed, too, but his longtime canine partner, Sniff—another championship title holder—had recently retired. Rick’s new partner—Nitro, the former explosives detection dog who’d worked the airport—showed great potential, but was still being retrained for narcotics detection. Logan said he believed Rick and Nitro would be serious contenders in next year’s competition.
Ariana showed her ticket to the attendant and he directed her to the proper staircase. She stopped at a concession stand to buy a soda before making her way down the stairs. She could see the dogs on the field. As she’d guessed, there were hundreds.
Of course, with the SDPD being the host organization, they had their seats closest to the action...and all the dogs.
What on earth had compelled her to come to this event?
The answer was simple. Logan.
Despite everything that was going on, she was in love with him. There had to be a logical explanation for what had happened yesterday. For now, he wanted her here for him and she was.
She took a steadying breath, hitched her bag higher up on her shoulder and headed down.
She spotted Rick right away. With his height, dark coloring and rugged appeal, he was hard to miss. There was another tall, athletically built man standing beside him. She’d seen him somewhere before. A cop, too, she surmised.
A number of other people were gathered around them. They appeared to be a close-knit group.
As she neared them, Rick moved to the side and Ariana stopped short. Rick’s large form had blocked her view as she was approaching. Now she saw both the redhead and the blonde from The Runway, the night she’d seen Logan there after they’d first had drinks together.
She narrowed her eyes. There was no mistaking the redhead as the one Logan had spun around and kissed. Except she was even more stunning, if that was possible, in the bright light of day. Ariana again had the urge to turn around and leave, and not because of the dogs. She’d thought the redhead had been Becca, but now she knew that wasn’t the case. She’d been so wrong about Becca, though. Surely that was the case with the blonde and the redhead, too. Knowing she was being irrational didn’t help her overcome the reactions she was experiencing. Looking at the redhead and the blonde, she remembered where she’d seen the other cop. He was with Logan’s group at The Runway.
Just then Rick raised a hand in greeting. All the others turned toward her, too.
There was no way to back out now without appearing foolish.
Rick left the group and scaled the steps two at a time until he was standing in front of her.
“Hey, it’s great to see you, Ariana. Come meet everyone.”
He placed a hand lightly on her elbow and guided her down to where they were gathered.
Ariana felt the redhead, in particular, scrutinize her. She noti
ced the blonde watching her, too. The two women exchanged a glance, just as Ariana stepped into the box.
Then she saw Logan’s sister, Becca, at the far end of the group. Becca’s friendly wave and bright smile went a long way to calming her. Becca quickly made her way over to Ariana and gave her a warm hug.
Rick introduced Ariana first to a few other K-9 Unit officers, Cal Palmer—the one she’d recognized from The Runway—Shannon Clemens, whom she of course had met, and their newest recruit from the Harbor Police, Brett Holloway, an officer who’d replace Brody.
“A rather sly move by Logan,” Rick said with humor in his voice, “to hire Brett to start with us before the competition, seeing Brett and his canine partner have been Logan and Boomer’s stiffest competition the last couple of years. Since he’s just joining us, he doesn’t have a dog yet to compete with.”
Brett shook Ariana’s hand and grinned. “I’ll have a whole year to make sure I’m ready to take the title from Jagger next time. It’s great to meet you, Ariana. I understand I’ll be working with you at the airport.”
“Yes...it’s nice to meet you, too, and congratulations on the new job. Let me know if you’d like me to arrange a tour of the airport for you.” She had only a moment to wonder why Logan hadn’t told her there’d be a new K-9 Unit officer working the airport instead of him before Rick continued with the introductions.
Rick turned to the blonde next. “This is Jessica Palmer, Cal’s wife,” he said, just as Cal slid a protective arm around his wife’s shoulder and gently touched her protruding stomach.
She was pregnant, Ariana noted immediately, and that explained who the blonde was.
“Last but by no means least...” Rick motioned to the redhead. Ariana tried to will her palm not to be clammy when she shook hands with the woman. “This,” Rick continued, “is my fiancée, Madison Long.”
The love and pride was evident in Rick’s voice and glowed on his face. He’d put emphasis on the word fiancée and went on to explain that they’d just gotten engaged recently.
Ariana hoped her face didn’t reflect her embarrassment although the heat that warmed her cheeks suggested otherwise. The night she’d seen Logan pick up the redhead and kiss her, he was probably congratulating her on their engagement.
So much for her brilliant ability to read people. Still, relief flowed through her, along with little pangs of hope and pleasure.
Rick pointed out to Ariana where Logan was on the field. He let out a piercing whistle that made Logan look over at them. When he saw Ariana, he waved to her, but even at a distance she saw an odd expression come over his face. Then he signaled to Rick to come join him. Rick got Ariana settled next to Madison before he hopped over the side of the bleachers and jogged toward Logan.
Ariana stretched her legs out in front of her, took a sip of her drink and watched Logan.
“He’s quite a catch,” Madison remarked next to her.
“Sorry?”
Madison chuckled, and motioned with her own soda toward Logan, who was running Boomer through some drills with Rick’s help. “Your sigh as you were watching him. It told me more than words could. So I said, he—he being Logan—is quite a catch.”
Flustered, Ariana glanced toward Rick Vasquez. “I could say the same about your fiancé.”
The grin on Madison’s face widened. “No question. I’m very lucky to have met him and have him fall in love with me.”
“The way he looks at you, I think he considers himself to be very fortunate, too.”
Madison’s eyes sparkled. “What a nice thing to say! Thank you.”
Watching Logan give Rick a one-armed hug, Ariana’s warm, misty feeling persisted. She couldn’t catch herself in time to avoid another breathy sigh. She laughed. “Listen to me! How silly do I sound? Sighing like a schoolgirl?”
“Not silly at all,” Madison assured her.
Ariana glanced over at her.
“Actually, you kind of sounded like someone in love—”
“I didn’t say that,” Ariana objected quickly.
Madison waved it away. “Okay, let’s not split hairs.”
“Well...” She didn’t know what else to say. She really was in love with Logan.
Rick rejoined them shortly before the official start of the event. Ariana watched and cheered with the others, and kept conversations going. Rick and Cal explained most of what was going on to her.
She enjoyed speaking with Jessica and Madison, when they weren’t concentrating on the competition, getting to know them, learning how they’d met their significant others.
Ariana felt the cold sweat along her spine, especially when the suspect apprehension trials were on. She watched with a dread she tried to conceal as the dogs were dispatched to chase and apprehend the “suspects” wearing heavily padded guards. Every time they’d get up in good spirits and obviously uninjured, she felt her heart rate settle.
When it was time for the explosives detection dogs to get to work, Ariana and her companions fell silent. Ariana found that she could watch and enjoy the competition, and was surprised that she felt mild apprehension about the dogs rather than her customary paralyzing fear.
The cheers from their group were near deafening when Logan and Boomer placed first in their category for the third year in a row.
She watched Logan leave the field with Boomer. Rick explained that he would put the dog in a pen while they finished watching the other competitions.
When Logan joined them, he got high fives and slaps on the back from the other cops, but Ariana sensed the change in him immediately. Madison started to get up from her seat to let him sit beside Ariana. Before she was up, he placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her where she was and took a seat on the far side of Becca instead.
Logan had to leave them again for the awards ceremony. Ariana watched on the Jumbotron as Logan and Boomer received their first-place ribbon. Rick and Cal whistled loudly while the others cheered. He seemed happy on the podium and she couldn’t figure out what had happened to change his demeanor toward her so drastically from the night before. She loved him and was getting tired of the ups and downs. They were going out to dinner with the others to celebrate, but she had to find a moment alone with him, tell him how she felt about him and ask directly what was going on with him.
When the awards presentation was finished, Rick and Cal started to move them out of the stadium with the rest of their group, explaining that because Logan had Boomer with him, he’d meet them outside by their vehicles.
Ariana glanced over her shoulder at the large screen once more and spotted Logan walking away with Boomer. She watched him long enough to notice that his smile was gone, and he walked with his head hung and shoulders slumped. Then the screen flickered and the Jumbotron went black.
Dread settled over Ariana, but she didn’t know why.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
LOGAN CAUGHT UP to Ariana and the others in his group just as they were exiting the stadium. It was hard for him to keep a distance from Ariana, but he had to.
“So, champ, where do you want to go for dinner?” Cal asked.
“About that. I’m sorry but I won’t be able to make it.” He glanced at Ariana and could easily see the hurt and disappointment on her face. He hated lying to her, and to his colleagues and friends, but after his meeting with the two federal agents that morning, he had no choice. “I got a call as I was leaving the field. I have to go into the division.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Cal’s look was skeptical, and Logan couldn’t blame him. Even more concerning—and nearly ripping his heart to shreds—so was Ariana’s.
“I’ll take the call,” Rick suggested. “You should go out and celebrate.”
Logan shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, but this one is for me.”
“All right
. Ariana.” Rick turned to her. “Why don’t you come with us, and Logan can join us once he’s done?”
Logan could read Ariana’s face clearly and knew that she wasn’t fooled. “Oh...thanks for asking, but I think I’ll just go home. Congratulations, Logan.”
She said a quick goodbye to everyone else, waved to him and hurried off before anyone could stop her. Logan was sure she was barely holding back tears. He wanted to rush after her and take her into his arms, apologize and tell her he loved her. But after what he’d been told that morning by the federal agents, it wasn’t possible.
The feds had busted the members of the smuggling ring in Texas. Their leader was carrying a phone programmed to another mobile phone—stupidly enough containing a number that was listed as San Diego International’s head of security.
In combination with the bills of lading found in Ariana’s office, she was now the feds’ prime suspect.
* * *
ARIANA’S HEART WAS truly and completely broken.
Logan called her later that evening. He thanked her for coming all that way to watch him and Boomer compete, and apologized for having canceled their dinner plans on such short notice. She wasn’t fooled for an instant and when she repeatedly asked to see him so they could talk things through, he finally confessed that he just wasn’t good at relationships and it wasn’t possible for there to be anything more than friendship between them. He told her that he’d hired a new K-9 handler for explosives detection—she’d met him at the stadium. As a result, once the current investigation was over, she wouldn’t have to see Logan again. He said he hoped she understood and he wished her well.
So, Ariana tried to focus on her job. She spent Sunday analyzing all that had been going on in hopes of finding some answers. She thought about people she’d had confrontations with. Her job wasn’t without them. Dave Langdon was a perfect example. But hard as she tried, Ariana couldn’t think of a person or situation that could have been serious enough to precipitate the spate of events they were experiencing. She kept circling back to motive and outcome, and none of it made sense.
