by Cara Marsi
Logan pushed Bryce away from him. The other man stumbled, then righted himself to lean, shaking, against the wall.
“I’ve got to get to Candi’s,” Logan said.
Dan nodded. “My secretary has the address.”
Dan turned back to Bryce. “The police are on their way. I’m bringing charges against you for grand theft, among others.”
Bryce’s entire body quivered. “But, Dan, my family. What will I tell them?”
“Tell them you’re a worthless piece of...I don’t care what you tell them.”
Dan turned sad eyes to Logan. “I thought he was my friend.”
“I’m sorry, Dan.” Logan slipped on his jacket and reached into the pocket for his cell phone and turned it on. He’d kept it off during the interrogation. The message indicator flashed.
He punched in his password and listened. “Logan.” Doriana’s voice. He stiffened. “I got a call from Candi,” she said. “Her boyfriend beat her bad. He went out but he’s coming back. He took her car. She’s afraid he’ll kill her. I’m going to her house to get her out of there. Franco will stay here with Mom and Josh. I’ll be okay.”
Dread washed over Logan. “Damn Franco. He was supposed to protect her.” He snapped his phone shut and jammed it into his pocket.
He looked at Dan. “Send the police to Candi’s house and tell them we need an ambulance.” He rushed out the door.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Damn red light. Doriana gripped the steering wheel until her fingers hurt. She must have hit every red light between her house and the Fishtown section of the city where Candi lived.
Apprehension knotted her chest. Maybe she should have called the police. But Candi was adamant. If the police came she’d deny everything and send them away. She’d begged Doriana to come quickly and take her to a shelter.
The light changed and Doriana inched the car forward in heavy traffic. Memories of her parents’ maid Lila had propelled her to rush to Candi’s aid. They’d not been able to save Lila. Maybe she could save Candi. She wished Logan were here.
She sighed. Logan. He said they would talk. Did he love her? Would he stay for her? For Josh? She shook her head. She’d save those thoughts for later when she knew Candi was safe.
She found Candi’s street at last and eased her car into the nearest parking space. She turned off the engine and exited quickly, making sure to lock the car. Hurrying up the debris-strewn street, she checked the house numbers as she walked. The suspicious glares she drew from some of the residents made her clutch her purse tighter. She reached Candi’s house and lifted her hand to the dull brass knocker. Before she could touch it, the door creaked open.
“Candi?” Silence. She stood in the doorway. Should she stay or run? “Candi?”
“In here,” a small voice squeaked.
Doriana moved cautiously into the house. She blinked, adjusting to the dimness. The blinds were closed against the winter sunlight and the only light came from a small lamp in a corner of the living room. Furniture and knickknacks crowded every available space. The metallic odor of blood hung in the stale air. A chill raced through Doriana.
Candi rose slowly from the couch. She held a bloody rag to her face. One eye was swollen shut and her right arm hung limp by her side. Patches of skin showed on her scalp where the blonde hair had been pulled out.
Doriana screamed, then clamped a trembling hand over her mouth.
“He’ll kill me for sure this time,” Candi said in a quivering voice.
Doriana fought the urge to run as fast as she could from this place that reeked of death. “Let’s get the hell out of here.” She grabbed the suitcase that rested on the floor next to Candi and headed at a trot for the door. Moaning softly, Candi shuffled close behind.
Footsteps pounded on the cement steps outside. Doriana’s heart jerked. She stopped. Candi bumped against her and let out a small cry.
Doriana dropped the suitcase and reached an arm out to steady Candi. They backed away from the door. Whoever the guy was, he didn’t have anything against Doriana. Maybe she could talk their way out.
The door opened, then closed with a bang, making both women jump. A man, muscular and wiry, with sharp features, stood there staring at them. Shivers crawled up Doriana’s spine. She’d seen him somewhere before.
He swaggered toward them. Candi began crying.
“Well, well, what do we have here?” He scanned Doriana with red-rimmed eyes.
His cunning, evil voice raised the hairs on Doriana’s nape. She knew that voice. God, what had she gotten into?
He dropped the paper bag he held and walked closer. Candi ran to the other end of the room, leaving Doriana to face him.
He tossed Candi a malicious grin. “You did good, slut. Saved me the trouble of killing Miss Rich Bitch in her house.”
“Did you set me up, Candi?” Doriana kept her gaze on the man facing her and backed slowly away, scanning the room for a weapon, anything that would inflict enough harm to allow her and Candi to escape.
Candi sobbed. “I didn’t set you up, Doriana, I swear. I helped him with the bids, but that was for us, so we could get out of this dump. I knew about the other things, the calls and the vandalism, but he promised no one would get hurt.”
Doriana stared into the man’s malevolent eyes. Icy fingers of fear gripped her like a vise. “You’re the one who’s been calling me.”
His lips curled in a sneer. A gold tooth flashed in his mouth.
Doriana dug her nails into her palms to stop her trembling. “You were in the deli that day.”
He licked his lips. “You and Pretty Boy were having lunch, all googly-eyed. Now it’s my turn to have fun with you. I’ll show you things Pretty Boy never thought of.”
Doriana bit back a scream. She had to keep her wits. The small fireplace caught her eye. A poker lay on the floor in front of it. She inched away from the menacing figure staring at her with lust and hatred.
“Who are you?” she asked. “And why do you want to hurt me?” She had to keep him talking until she could get her hands around that poker.
His cackle-like laugh sent chills coursing through her.
He edged closer. “I’ll make your father pay for what he did to my family.”
Fear formed a lump in her throat. She had to be calm if she and Candi were to stay alive. “What are you talking about?”
“The last name’s Rove,” he said. “Mean anything to you?”
“My father had a partner by that name a long time ago.” She moved sideways, taking small steps toward the fireplace and the life-saving poker.
He slitted his eyes. “The great Dan Callahan ruined my father, stealing his share of the company. Your family got filthy rich. My father drank himself to death. Hard work killed my mother. I did jail time while you and your pansy brother went to fancy schools.” His face twisted with rage. “And Callahan’s coward of a foreman fired me just because I got a little rough with him. You’ll pay all right.”
He moved closer. She gagged at his stench of alcohol.
She inched toward the poker. “Your father wanted out. He couldn’t handle the stress. My dad bought his share.” She lifted her chin. “Don’t blame my father for your own weakness.”
He slapped her across the face and sent her reeling against the wall. She licked her bottom lip, tasting blood, and fought the urge to retch.
“Don’t hurt her, Charlie,” Candi said. Clutching her bad arm, she ran to Rove. “Doriana is only trying to help me. She didn’t do anything.”
“Shut up, bitch.” He hit Candi hard, knocking her down. She moaned, then lay still.
Doriana struggled to breathe. “You might have killed her, you bastard.”
He looked at her with cold, cruel eyes. She would die in this place. Panic froze her to the spot.
He reached out and grabbed her hair, pulling her toward him. She winced in pain and flailed her arms out at him. He bent her arms behind her back.
“A regular tigress, are
n’t you? Bet you show Pretty Boy a good time. Now you’ll find out how a real man treats a woman.”
Doriana choked back bile. She tasted the coffee and soup her mother had given her. Her mother. Her dad. Logan. Josh. She would not die in this place. “Hurting me won’t bring back your family. Let me go. My father will hire a good lawyer for you.”
He twisted her arms. She winced and stifled a scream.
“Don’t try to sweet talk me,” he growled. “Your dad played dirty, rigging the bid. Now I’ve got some very bad people after me. I had big plans for your riverfront site. Blow the whole thing up tonight. Then I was gonna be out of this hellhole.”
“What do you mean about rigging the bid?” she asked. Keep talking, Doriana. Buy yourself time. “What happened to all the money you got from selling the other bids?”
He laughed. “It went up my nose. The payout from this last job was better than the others. But your daddy ruined it.”
“Why did you hurt Candi?” Doriana asked. “You were going away with her, weren’t you?”
“That slut was two-timing me,” he said with a snarl. “She wasn’t going anywhere. And you talk too much, bitch.”
He crushed her against him and lowered his head. Doriana jerked free and ran toward the fireplace, diving for the poker. He tackled her and her head slammed on the hardwood floor. The blow made her ears ring and her head throb.
His vile body covered hers, pinning her. “Now, I’ve got you where I want you, bitch.”
Doriana screamed and reached out, feeling for the poker.
From somewhere she heard a crash and the sound of wood splintering. Then the foul body was pulled off her.
Logan slammed Rove against the fireplace and threw a hard punch to his jaw. With a roar, Rove rushed Logan. The men went down together, locked in a death grip. They rolled on the floor, hitting each other and knocking against furniture. Vases and knickknacks flew off tables, scattering shards of glass on the floor.
Doriana grabbed the poker and stood on unsteady legs. She held the poker with both hands, ready to help Logan.
Blood trickled from Logan’s mouth. He threw Rove on the floor and jumped on top of him, pummeling the man with his fists. She heard a bone-chilling crunch and guessed that Logan had broken Rove’s nose.
Sirens sounded down the street. The police. Tears of relief streamed down Doriana’s face and she relaxed her grip on the poker.
Logan straddled Rove. The anger and power in every thrust of Logan’s fists into the other man’s face made Doriana’s stomach tremble. Rove reached into his pocket and slid out a knife.
“Logan, watch out!” she yelled.
Rove jabbed the knife into Logan’s arm. Blood spurted onto the floor. Swaying, Logan loosened his hold on Rove. The other man put his hands around Logan’s neck, strangling him.
Screaming, Doriana held the poker high and rushed toward the men. She swung, slamming the poker against Rove’s head. He released Logan and looked at her with shock in his dull eyes. She swung again. He reached up and grabbed the poker from her.
“Police!” The shouted word came from the doorway.
Then it was over. Blue-jacketed police swarmed the room. Doriana ran to Logan. She knelt beside him and clutched him to her chest. His blood seeped onto her coat. She didn’t care.
Paramedics rushed in and pushed her aside. They began working on Logan, applying pressure to the wound on his arm. Other medics worked on Rove.
Strong arms lifted Doriana. A paramedic wrapped a blanket around her. When he tried to wipe the blood from her mouth, she pushed his hand away and went to Logan.
They lifted Logan onto a stretcher. Behind her, Candi moaned as medics wrapped her broken arm. Thank God Candi was alive.
Doriana took one of Logan’s cold hands in hers. “Logan, if you die on me, I’ll kill you.”
He opened his eyes and smiled. “We make a good team.” His eyes rolled back and he passed out.
* * * *
“I’m not an invalid. I can get up the steps on my own.” Logan gently brushed Doriana’s hand away and walked slowly up the steps leading to her townhouse.
Men! Doriana shook her head. Logan would be okay. And they were together. Despite the long hours in the emergency room, her lack of sleep, and the pain from the stitches on her lip, she felt gloriously free.
Rove was in the hospital under police guard. He would no longer hurt them. Candi wasn’t under guard, but the authorities would arrest her when the hospital released her. Sorrow for Candi tugged at Doriana. She would persuade her father to pay Candi’s bail. The woman deserved a break.
Her father and Franco had stayed at the hospital most of the day. Police had bustled in and out, taking statements from her and Logan and her dad. Her dad had spent a lot of time alone with Logan. The gruff Dan Callahan cared about his employees, even the temps.
Doriana opened the door and stood aside to let Logan into the house. She followed him into the living room and shrugged out of her jacket, tossing it onto a chair. She slipped Logan’s jacket off his shoulders and placed it over hers.
The still, quiet house felt like a welcoming shelter after a storm. Thankfully her mom had taken Josh home with her where she and Nonna could tend to him and spoil him.
Logan sank into the sofa and laid his head back. He looked pale and drawn with fine lines fingering his mouth. A pink-purple bruise rode one of his high cheekbones. Blood stained the front of his shirt and his arm was in a sling.
“You need to rest, Logan. Take the pain killers the doctor gave you and get to bed. I’ll help you.”
He sat up and shook his head. “I told you, no pain killers. I can handle it. I’ve been worse.”
“Worse? In the Army?”
A guarded look tightened his features. “The Army. And as part of my work.”
“Today was rough,” Doriana said. “But beating up bad guys isn’t part of your normal job description.” She let out a small laugh, trying to lighten the mood. When she didn’t get the laugh she expected from him, a warning sounded in her head. “What’s wrong?”
He let out a deep breath. “You might want to sit, Dorie. I have something to tell you.”
Fear roiled her stomach. She sat in the chair opposite him and clasped her hands on her lap. Would he leave again? Resolve stiffened her spine and she sat straighter. Logan wouldn’t leave without a fight from her.
“I never meant to hurt you, Doriana. Please believe that.”
She clenched her hands tighter. “Go on.”
“I told you I joined the Army after I left Philly.”
She nodded.
“I didn’t tell you everything.”
Give me strength, she prayed. “What didn’t you tell me?”
“I was in the Special Forces. After my military stint, I started my own business, using the skills I’d learned in the Army.”
“Business?” She couldn’t be hearing right. “You’re a temp worker.”
“That was just my cover,” he said. “I’m head of my own security firm based in Arizona. I’ve been working for your father.”
“Working for my father? What does that mean? He never told me.” A sliver of hurt stabbed her.
Logan’s gaze held hers. “Your father hired me to find who’s been stealing the bids and vandalizing the sites.”
Anger and confusion tumbled in her mind. She jumped up. “You lied to me.”
He stood. Tension crackled between them.
“I promised your father secrecy. I had to keep my contract with him.”
She stiffened. “What about me, Logan? Didn’t I deserve the truth?” Hurt, like a heavy mallet, punched her in the stomach. “Was everything between us a lie?”
“No, Dorie. Making love to you is the truest thing I’ve ever done,” he said softly.
“How can I believe anything you tell me?” She turned away to hide the pain she knew reflected in her eyes. “Was I just a temporary diversion until you can go back to your real life?” Choking back te
ars, she slid her gaze to his. “What is your real life? A wife? Kids?” The cut on her lip throbbed, a painful reminder that her world was crashing around her with the speed of a demolition ball.
He was by her side in two strides. He gripped her shoulder with his good hand. “No wife, no kids. I have no one. I told myself I was too busy building my business to settle down. But now I know the truth.”
“What truth?” she whispered. His gaze fastened on her mouth. Her body ached to hold him, to never let him go. She couldn’t, not now.
“Listen to me, Dorie. Please. It’s not easy for me. I’ve spent a lifetime keeping my feelings hidden.”
A tear slipped down her face. Logan gently brushed it away with his thumb. His touch ignited her with yearnings. She needed this man.
His eyes turned molten gold. She knew he wanted her. But did he love her? Not trusting herself with him so close, she jerked free and walked to the window. The partially opened blinds revealed dim streetlights and no traffic. She had nothing more to fear from Rove. But could she survive losing Logan?
“Talk, Logan.”
She heard his sharp intake of breath.
“When I took this assignment,” he said, “I convinced myself you were married to some hotshot lawyer and living on the Main Line. I knew you were a company vice president, but I figured that was an honorary title. I could have given the job to one of my subordinates. But I wanted to come here. I wouldn’t admit it, but I came for you.”
She kept her body rigid, not looking at him. “Don’t toy with me.”
He moved to stand behind her. His heat wrapped around her like a sensual blanket. He placed a hand on her shoulder. She drew a shuddering breath, fighting her need for him.
“I will never hurt you again, Dorie.”
She turned slowly. Longing, hope, and fear chased across his rugged face. He touched her arm. She wanted to believe.
“You gave me something precious,” he said. “You gave me my son. And you freed me from the past. I’ve made peace with my father. I’ll always be grateful.”
