by Cara Marsi
Josh blinked his good eye and tried to smile. “You’re both here.”
Logan reached over and gently ruffled Josh’s hair. “We’ll always be here for you, son.”
Did she imagine the catch in Logan’s voice? She glanced at him. His eyes shone. Tears? Love filled her. She and Josh needed this man in their lives.
She stroked Josh’s forehead. “You have to rest, baby.”
“I will.” He slid his gaze between the two of them. “Mom, Dad, I’m sorry.”
Doriana’s throat thickened with tears. “We’ll get through this together.” Logan pulled her tighter against him.
“How’s my car?” Josh asked.
“Totaled,” Logan said.
Josh grimaced. “Bet Grandpop is mad.”
Doriana lifted an eyebrow. “You’ve got more problems than an angry grandfather. Now, no more talking.”
* * * *
“Josh is napping,” Doriana said, coming into her kitchen and taking the mug of steaming coffee her mother held out to her. “He’s got a long road ahead of him, but at least he’s home. And the doctors say he’ll make a full recovery.”
Doriana inhaled the cinnamon-laced liquid. “Smells delicious, Mom. Thanks.”
“I made soup,” Lena said. “I’ll fix you a bowl.”
“Soup’s good,” Logan said, smiling at Doriana. He sat at the center counter, a bowl of thick soup and a slice of crusty bread in front of him.
Lena swung her gaze to Logan, then back to Doriana. “You both look tired. Your dad and I wanted to stay at the hospital last night, but at our age, we just couldn’t.”
She fixed Doriana with a pointed stare. “Your father was up half the night ranting that no one told him about Josh and Logan. He shouldn’t have had to find out something like that in a hospital.”
Doriana set her mug on the counter. “I know, Mom. And I’m sorry about that. I should have told you.” She let out a breath. “But, you and Dad knew I didn’t want Josh to have a car and you bought him one anyway. I tried to tell you he’s not responsible enough yet.” She stared at her mother, leaving unsaid the accusation that hung in the air between them.
Lena reddened. “We owe you an apology too, Doriana. If we hadn’t bought him that car, none of this would have happened.” Her eyes glistened with tears. “What if Josh had been killed?”
Doriana gave her mother a quick hug. “Josh is going to be okay, thank God, and we’ve all learned something from this.”
Lena swiped at a tear. “Sit, Doriana, and have some soup.”
Doriana sat at the counter and Lena ladled soup into a bowl and placed it in front of her. “It did Josh good to have both his parents there,” Lena said.
Doriana’s face heated. She dipped her spoon into the bowl of soup and stirred, not looking at her mother.
“You and Logan need sleep,” Lena said. “In separate beds.”
Doriana dropped her spoon. It clattered onto the tiled surface of the counter. “Mom!”
Logan chuckled and Doriana narrowed her eyes at him. He tried, but failed, to squelch his smile.
“I could use some sleep,” he said, scrubbing a hand across his face. “But I have to check with the police first. I want to see what charges they’re filing against Josh.”
“Drag racing,” Lena said, shaking her head. “How could he do that? And what kind of friends was he hanging around with?”
Doriana bristled at the recrimination in her mother’s voice. “Josh has been rebelling for a long time. I knew he was up to something, but I couldn’t get it out of him. I would have stopped him if I’d known he was involved with drag racing.”
Lena relaxed her stance. “You did the best you could, Doriana. You always have. The stress has been hard on us all.” She grabbed a towel and began wiping the counters.
Doriana smiled. Just like her mom to clean to relieve her worries.
The phone rang. “Maybe that’s Dad.” Doriana reached for the phone hanging on the wall.
“You played dirty, bitch. Now I’m going to hurt you.”
The evil voice on the other end of the line made Doriana freeze.
Logan jumped up from the table. He moved Lena out of the way and grabbed the phone.
Shaking, Doriana sank back into her chair.
“Scum hung up,” Logan said, replacing the receiver.
“Who was that?” Lena asked.
Doriana swallowed. She couldn’t look at her mother.
Logan crouched in front of Doriana until they were eye level. “What did he say, sweetheart?” he asked, brushing hair back from her face.
Doriana knew her mother was watching them, but she didn’t care. She took Logan’s hand and kissed the palm, needing his comfort.
“He said I’d played dirty and he’d have to hurt me.”
“What?” Lena shrieked the word. She leaned toward Doriana. “What’s going on?”
“That son-of-a....” Logan glanced at Lena and stopped. He stood slowly. “Don’t worry, Dorie. I won’t let anyone hurt you. I promise.”
“Who was on the phone?” Lena asked.
Doriana released a shaky breath and met her mother’s worried gaze. “I’ve been getting some calls. Daddy and Logan are taking care of it.”
“Madone,” Lena said, crossing herself. “And no one told me?”
“Mom, I’m sorry. We didn’t want to worry you.”
Lena sank into the chair opposite Doriana.
Another phone rang somewhere, a low, trilling sound. Doriana jumped.
“It’s mine.” Logan reached into his jeans pocket, pulled his cell phone out and flipped it open. “Tanner here.”
He listened for a few minutes. His features tightened. Doriana watched him, her senses on alert.
“I can’t leave now,” Logan said into the phone. “Doriana just had another call.” He listened some more, then nodded. “Okay. I’ll be over once Franco gets here.”
He closed the phone and slipped it into his pocket.
Doriana stood and touched Logan’s arm. “What is it?”
He glanced at Lena. “Let’s go into the other room, Dorie.”
Lena twisted the dishtowel in her hand. “What’s wrong?”
Logan smiled at her. “There’s nothing to worry about. That was your husband on the phone. I need to go into work. Franco’s on his way over. You’ll be fine.”
Lena jumped up from her chair. “What do you mean we’ll be fine? Are we in danger?”
“Mom, sit and relax,” Doriana said. “If Logan says everything is okay, it is.”
Doriana slipped her arm through Logan’s. “We can talk in the living room.”
With a glance at her anxious mother, Doriana left the kitchen with Logan.
When they reached the living room, he turned to her and took her by the shoulders. His gaze was soft and lit by something that made Doriana’s pulse trip with hope.
“Thanks,” he said.
She frowned. “For what?”
“For that vote of confidence in front of your mother.”
“I meant it. I know you’ll protect us.”
He pulled her close and held her against him. “I’ll protect you with all I’ve got. I don’t want to leave you now, but I have to. It’s important. If things go the way I hope, we’ll get rid of your caller.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, pulling away to look up at him. “What’s going on?”
He kissed her lightly on the lips. “I’ll explain everything soon. Just keep trusting me.”
Her gaze searched his. “Okay.”
His smile made her breath catch.
She stroked a finger down his cheek. “Go now. The sooner you leave, the sooner you’ll be back. I’ll set the security alarm and Franco will be here shortly.”
“I won’t leave you until Franco gets here.”
Despite the love that washed over her, a frisson of foreboding tingled up her spine, making her shiver. “I have a funny feeling. Be careful.”
H
e hugged her close. “I’m always careful.”
He set her gently from him and looked at his watch. “I need to get some things from my room.” He ran up the stairs.
Doriana paced, waiting for him. She chewed her lip. Something was very wrong.
A knock at the door made her jump. “Who is it?”
“Franco.”
She let in a puzzled-looking Franco. “What’s going on?” he asked. “Dad told me to high-tail it over here.”
“I don’t know. Mom’s in the kitchen with homemade soup.”
He grinned. “That makes up for the speeding ticket I got on the way over.” He loped off to the kitchen.
Logan ran down the stairs, car keys in hand. “Was that Franco?”
She nodded.
Their gazes locked. “I’d better go,” he said, turning.
“Logan, stop.”
“What, sweetheart?”
She ran into his arms and gave him a fierce hug.
“What’s that all about?” he asked.
“I’m afraid.”
“I can take care of myself.”
She looked deeply into the eyes of the man she loved. “I can’t let you leave until I tell you something I should have said a long time ago.”
His eyes darkened. “Go on.”
Doriana clasped her hands together to stop their trembling. “I want you to be part of Josh’s life. He needs you, Logan.”
His eyes softened to molten gold and he cupped her shoulders. “And what about you, Dorie? What do you need?”
She licked her lips. “I need you too.”
He closed his eyes for a second and exhaled as if he’d been holding his breath for a long time. When he looked at her again, joy lit his face. “I’ve waited so long to hear you say that, sweetheart.”
He touched her chin and tilted her face toward his. He kissed her with a tenderness that spoke his feelings louder than words. “I have something to tell you too. We’ll have a long talk when I get back.”
* * * *
“Sit down,” Dan said, ushering Logan into the small conference room next to his office.
Logan took a seat in one of the upholstered chairs.
Dan paced the small room, agitation evident in the rigid set of his shoulders. He whirled to face Logan. “If I’d known about you when my Doriana was scared and pregnant, I would have found you. And I would have hurt you.”
Logan stiffened. He stood slowly to face Dan. “We made mistakes in the past. Some things can’t be changed. But Doriana and I should have told you the truth before you had to find out at the hospital last night.”
“Damn straight,” Dan said. “My grandson is injured, his car totaled, and I find out that the man who’s worked for me for almost two months is his father.” Dan ran fingers through his close-cropped graying hair. “That was a hell of a way to find out what I should have known sixteen years ago.”
Dan’s eyes darkened to thunderclouds. Logan expected lightning bolts to shoot from them. Dan Callahan could teach some Colombian drug lords a thing or two.
“I don’t blame you for being upset,” Logan said. “Doriana and I may have mis-handled things in the past. But I intend to do right by her and Josh now.” Pride surged through Logan and he squared his shoulders. “They’re my family,” he said softly.
“You hurt my daughter again,” Dan said in a tight voice, “and you’ll answer to me.”
“I won’t hurt her, Dan. I never meant to hurt her before. If I’d known she was pregnant, I would never have left.”
Logan straightened under Dan’s unflinching gaze.
“I believe you,” Dan said at last. His shoulders sagged. “I should have listened to Doriana and not bought that car.” Regret crossed his face and he turned and walked to the window, his back to Logan.
Logan kept quiet, letting Dan deal with his private pain. He slid his gaze to a Picasso print hanging on the opposite wall. His insides felt like the jumbled colors and shapes in the painting. He’d meant what he told Dan. He would never hurt Doriana again. She hadn’t said she loved him, but she told him she needed him in her life. Wasn’t that the same thing? He wanted to get back to her as soon as possible, to hold her and never let her go.
“Let’s get to work,” Dan said, turning from the window. “I’m paying you to do a job so let’s finish it.”
Logan exhaled. He could easily deal with the powerful mogul Dan Callahan. The wronged father was another matter.
Dan sat at the table and gestured to Logan to take a seat opposite. He handed Logan a paper from the stack in front of him.
Logan scanned the paper and set it down. ”This is your bid,” he said, raising his gaze to Dan’s.
Dan nodded. “The winning bid, I might add.”
“Congratulations,” Logan said.
Dan pushed another piece of paper across the table. “This is the nearest competitor’s bid. I told you I had ways to get the information.” A shadow passed over Dan’s face. He pushed another sheet forward. “This is what Bryce James submitted.”
Logan did a quick calculation in his head. He blew a silent whistle and looked at Dan. “The competing bid is just enough under James’s figure to get the contract. If you hadn’t submitted a second one, the other company would have gotten the job.”
Dan nodded. “You were right about Bryce. He’s involved in the thefts. I got that out of him earlier. But let’s hear the whole story from him.”
Dan got up from the table and walked to the door separating the conference room from his office. He opened the door and gestured to someone. “Get in here.”
A cowed-looking Bryce James walked slowly into the room. His eyes behind his black frames were huge and frightened.
“Sit,” Dan barked.
Bryce sank into one of the chairs surrounding the table.
“Tell Logan what you told me earlier.” Dan settled into a seat next to Bryce.
Sweat beaded Bryce’s forehead and his gaze darted from Dan to Logan. “What are you doing here, Tanner?”
“He’s my security expert,” Dan said.
Bryce sneered. “I knew there was something funny about you, Tanner.”
Logan tamped down his impatience. He wanted to jump across the table and demand Bryce start talking, to tell what he knew about the scum threatening Doriana. But they’d get more information by careful questioning.
“Damn it, man,” Dan shouted. “We don’t have all day.”
Bryce jerked as if he’d been electrocuted. Logan feared he’d bolt for the door.
“Take it easy, Dan.” Logan leveled his gaze at Bryce. “Tell us what you know. All of it.”
Bryce cleared his throat. “I sold the bids.”
“Were you the only one involved?” Logan asked.
Bryce shook his head.
Logan imagined his hands around the man’s neck. Pulling information from James was harder than running a cable down thirty floors in one of Callahan’s buildings. “Who else was working with you?” Logan asked as calmly as he could.
“Candi Whiting.”
He spoke in such low tones Logan had to strain to hear. “Candi? You sold the bids to her?”
Bryce nodded.
Disgust and sadness arced through Logan. He’d hoped Candi wasn’t involved. Under her blatant sexuality and coarseness, he sensed a decent person trying to get out. She’d sure played him for the fool. Straightening, Logan forced himself to focus on Bryce. “How did all this come about?”
Bryce fidgeted in his seat and ran his finger around his collar. “Candi approached me about nine months ago and said she had a way to make us both some money.” Bryce’s thin lips twisted in a leer. “Candi’s hot. I’d been trying to get into her pants for a long time. She promised to put out for me as part of the deal. And I had some gambling debts to pay.” He slid a frightened glance to Callahan.
“You’re dumping the whole thing on Candi?” Dan said. “And you’re gambling again?” Disgust dripped from his voice.
&n
bsp; “Spare us the slimy details, James,” Logan said. “You gave Candi the bids and she gave them to someone else. Right?”
Bryce nodded. “She gave them to that no-good boyfriend of hers. As long as she put out for me, I didn’t care.”
Logan fisted his hands, fighting the urge to throw Bryce across the room. Candi may have used Bryce but he’d used her too.
“You sicken me,” Dan said, throwing Bryce a look of contempt. “You sold me out for a piece of ass.”
Bryce’s face reddened. He swallowed and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.
Logan narrowed his eyes at Bryce. “Who paid Candi’s boyfriend for the bids? Was it the other companies?”
“I’m not sure,” Bryce said. “The boyfriend has mob connections. I assume he sold the bids to them and they gave them to the other companies for a cut. The mob is involved in tons of construction jobs around the city.”
Dan pounded his fist on the table. Bryce jumped. “My God, man. The mob? Are you out of your mind?”
Logan held a hand up, silencing Dan. He pulled his attention back to Bryce. “You know we faked the bid this time.”
Bryce’s features tightened. “I got a frantic call from Candi this morning. She didn’t come to work. She said the boyfriend’s in big trouble over the wrong bid. He’d been beating on her. She sounded scared.”
Apprehension skittered up Logan’s spine. “Where’s Candi now?”
Bryce shrugged. “Home, I guess.”
Logan leaned over the table until his face was inches from Bryce’s. The other man moved back. “The scum beat Candi up. And he’s likely not finished with her. And you did nothing?”
Bryce curled his lip. “Why do you care about Candi? You want a little piece of the action too? If you’re not already getting it.”
Logan grabbed the man by his tie and dragged him across the desk. “You pathetic piece of shit.” He threw Bryce away from him. Bryce hit the wall and slid to the floor. Logan yanked Bryce up by his shirt. The stench of fear covered Bryce like poured concrete.
“What do you know about Doriana getting threatening calls and about the vandalism?” Logan asked. “I want the truth.”
The other man’s eyes bugged out and sweat poured from him. “I wasn’t involved with any of that, I swear.” He looked at Dan. “Believe me, Dan. Candi alluded to the calls and the vandalism, but I didn’t want to know. I had nothing to do with that. I don’t know why the guy had it in for you.”
