by Avery Duncan
“Ya’ did the right thing,” he said, leaning down to pat her shoulder. The men around her also took suit, making a point to pat her shoulder. For some reason, the action had a bubbly laugh escaping her throat. Was that a hint of hysteria she sensed?
“God… We have to help Logan.”
Logan. She prayed that he was okay. Claire knew that he could handle himself, but against so many men? Her heart clenched.
“No, we have to stay right where we are —“
The barn door slammed against the wall, cutting Frank off. Instantly, she was surrounded by a wall of cowboys with not even a chance of seeing over their shoulders.
Which, to be honest, wasn’t that bad. She didn’t want to know what was on the other side of them. Her nerves were shot, but that didn’t stop fear from shooting through her not for the first time that night.
“Where is she at? Is she here?”
Logan.
That was Logan’s voice. Oh god, that was Logan’s voice!
Relief, sharp enough to bring her to her knees, shot through her. She shoved past the men and there he was. There was a streak of blood running across his jaw, but other than that he looked unharmed.
She flung herself at him, wrapping her arms and legs around his body as tightly as she could. Her face pressed into his neck as his arms cam around her. A shudder ran through him, and she could have cried. He was okay. He was here. He was with her.
“Are you hurt? Are they gone? What did you do? Logan, I was so scared you were hurt. They wouldn’t let me leave to help you —“
He shut her up by pushing a hand in her hair, dragging her head back, and then crushing his lips on hers. She could taste the fear, the relief, the hotness that was Logan. She moaned into the kiss, her panic and terror finally depleting.
Heat tore through her, and she was reminded of what had happened just earlier that night. Claire was so consumed by their kiss, so drunk on the taste and feel of him, that she forgot there were other people in the barn, watching them.
Logan pulled back, and she sighed drunkenly. “I was so scared,” she murmured, pressing her face into his neck again. Her body was shaking, but not from the cold. No, she was so thankful that Logan was okay and with her again.
“I know. I’m sorry…you aren’t hurt? I heard the shot and I didn’t know…” She stared up at him. His face was drawn into tight lines of worry and it sounded like he could barely talk.
“I wasn’t the one being shot,” she reassured him, hating herself all over again for being the one to shoot the gun.
“Thank god. I thought so when I saw the body on the floor…” He trailed off when her face paled.
“They’re all taken care of.”
He pulled back from her then, staring down at her with pressed lips and an unreadable expression in his eyes.
“What?” she asked, beginning to get worried.
“There’s also something else…and he’s waiting out by the barn.”
“Who?” Her eyes widened with confusion, and she grabbed his hand as he began to move farther back from her.
Logan closed his eyes for a second, then let out a hiss of a breath. He guided her silently around the barn, everyone in there following them. Frank was close behind, his face screwed into a tight frown. Her expression matched his.
“Ah,” he started, sounding awkward, before moving behind her and giving her a clear view of who exactly was out there.
Claire froze.
There, standing in the shadows, in black slacks and a sports jacket, was her… “Dad?”
Chapter 22
“Wait, he’s done what?”
“You make me repeat myself a lot,” Carl complained. But even so, he said, “Her dad showed up. With a lot of agents.”
Thick silence. Carl winced and began to speak when Joey hissed, “Did anyone notice you there?”
Carl frowned. He hadn’t talked to anyone since showing up and finding Ms. Campbell, well except for Joey, so the answer was a no. He told Joey so and had to stop himself from frowning at the second round of silence. Sometimes that man was so over dramatic that it hurt Carl’s head.
A sigh came from over the line, and then something breaking. Carl’s frowned deepened. “Are they taking her back?”
Carl shrugged, even though Joey couldn’t see it. “I dunno. I’m behind a bunch of bushes that are just a couple yards away from the barn… Senator Campbell just walked up to Ms. Campbell.”
“Well get closer, you dumbass!”
Carl glared. “I don’t like being called names like that, sir. I can’t get closer anyways, even if I wanted to.”
“Why the hell not!” Joey roared through the phone. Carl pulled it back and punched the button on the side, lowering the headset volume. He glowered silently, wondering if he should even respond to such a stupid question.
“Because,” he finally said. “If I get closer, one of those agents mind find me. And if they find me, they find the phone. The second they see me and your number on my phone, you’re screwed. Do you really wanna risk it?” he growled, his high-pitch voice reaching the sound of a normal-sounding man.
His chest clenched at the unfairness of it before he was forced back to the situation by Joey’s irate sigh.
“You need to move fast then. If you have to, kill both the Senator and the girl. I don’t care anymore,” he snarled. Carl watched the lights in the barn flicker. Several agents limped from the house — they sure had gotten a major beating from Logan, he thought, watching them with a wince.
He pulled back into the shadows, under one of the close trees, and considered what Joey had said. “Kill them both?”
“Yes. Kill the cowboy —“
“No.” The word was short, hard, and abrupt. He would not kill Logan Marshal.
“No? You son of a bitch — you can’t tell me no. I’m the one that helped you out of prison! I’m the one that’s paying for your freedom. You can’t tell me no!”
“I can’t kill Marshal,” he said, stubborn, even though his heart quickened.
“He’s a man. Kill him. Kill everyone that’s at the house when you make your move. And I want it to be soon, Carl.” He paused for effect. “Or it’ll be you that’s the one paying.”
Chapter 23
It was a very long time before Claire could think of something to say.
About anything.
Logan, her father, the four men that she now knew by name, and herself, were all sitting in the drawing room. Not shooting at each other, not shouting at each other, not even arguing with each other. Instead, she listened as her father explained what he was doing there.
“Shooting at me? Explain that.” Logan had been stony and quiet the whole time. Claire was sitting next to him, her hand clenched in his. She wondered if she could feel how tense she was – she sure could.
He was leaning back into the sofa, an arm around her back, and his hand was loosely on his thigh, fingers twined with hers. Logan never interrupted her father as he spoke to them.
“We did not know if you were a threat or not. All I knew was that Joey was planning something and I had to track down my daughter – we didn’t know if you were a threat or not.” There was a reserved note in his voice as he spoke to them. Claire could feel her father’s eyes burning into the spot where their fingers were twined.
Blake took a bite of his apple, laughing – coldly. The sound was hallow, almost mocking. “It was a poor job your men did.”
“It was a rushed mission,” her father defended, a frown forming on his brows.
“Sloppy.” Luke nodded in agreement as Blake took another bite. The sound of the apple and his teeth chomping through it was oddly loud in the silent room. Claire took a shuddering breath, and Logan’s fingers tightened around hers.
She drew support from that.
“What now?” she asked. She swore the sound of her own voice was as loud as a blow-horn in the quiet room.
“We take you home. Sending you away was one of the most rash and foolish thi
ngs I have ever done. Claire,” he said, his voice breaking. “I’m so sorry for what I put you through.”
Claire stared at him. Again, drawing a blank. She curled her hand into a fist as she struggled to speak. “I can’t… Daddy, I’m not leaving.”
He paused. “Of course you are, honey. I will be able to keep you safe until my election is over.”
She barely noticed the two agents that entered the room just then, standing behind the chair her father sat in. Claire’s head shook, and her blonde locks slid over her shoulder. “No. I’m not leaving.”
Her father took a calming breath, closing his eyes. “Yes you are. This is not up for discussion.”
“Daddy –“
Logan cut in just then, sitting forward slightly. She looked at him with worry and noticed the glint in his eyes. “If her safety was so important to you from the beginning, then why didn’t you just drop out of the election?”
If someone had dropped a pin in the room, it would have sounded like an explosion.
Her father drew his shoulders up, meeting Logan’s dead eyes with the gaze of a polished politician. “I was not aware that Joey would –“
“You know you’re speaking to a politician when everything he says is a lie. Did you major in law?” Blake asked, the barb clear.
Her father’s lips pressed and he turned to Claire, standing. “Let’s go, Claire. We have a helicopter waiting to take you home. Marley has missed you and she is glad you’re coming back.” He held out his hand. “Let’s go.”
Claire stayed where she was, mind racing. The one thing that Logan had left out when they’d been talking was that she had a big honking ring on her finger for a reason. Her father obviously hadn’t noticed it – how, she wasn’t sure. But she knew her father wasn’t going to be pleased in the least… Maybe that’s why she hadn’t said anything.
Feeling her heart drop to her stomach, she got to her feet. Logan tightened his fingers around her hand, but she twisted them lose. Blake and Luke slowly rose to their feet.
As she stared at her father, she realized several things.
The first among them was that leaving…wasn’t an option. Her father loved her, yes. Her father wanted to protect her, yes. But would he do a better job than Logan? Tonight had been a fluke – she’d had such an amazing feeling of finally having her time with Logan that they had both been caught unaware. The other men, the specially trained ones, though, hadn’t. They’d known and they’d warned them.
And the cowboys…
Her father’s mansion, surrounded by trees and people and other houses, was not a safe option. Here, it was a vast open space where there wasn’t much that a person could hide behind.
She felt Logan stand behind her, his chest just brushing against her back, sending her the support that she needed. Another thing that flashed through her mind – would she really be happy away from Logan? Hiding with her father? She knew that Logan might not ever love her – but with him, she had something that she’d never gotten from her father.
Passion. Security. Strong arms wrapped around her at night that stilled the panic attacks. A man who would care for her with all that he had left of his heart.
Logan had been right about one thing – her father cared more about the election more than he did about her safety. Even when her life was so dangerously placed on the line, he still refused to back out. Even for his daughter.
Her heart hammered in her ears. Feeling pale, lightheaded, but strong with Logan’s presence behind her, she shook her head and looked him straight in the eyes as she said, “I’m not leaving here. Take your people and go home. Finish the election. Logan will take care of me.”
She leaned back into him, drawing as much emotional comfort as she could. Tears threatened to build in her eyes as her father’s hand slowly lowered.
“What happened.” His voice was nothing but a low, ragged, whisper.
Logan kissed the back of her head subtly before reaching in front of her, picking up her hand. She didn’t fight him as he presented it to her father. The precious ring glistened under the lighting of the room.
Everyone except Claire, Logan, and her father left the room immediately.
“That’s… Claire… What have you…”
“Her legal name is now Claire Marshal,” Logan said lowly. Despite the tense situation, pride rung in his voice and it caused a warmth to surface in her chest. Feeling her face start to heat, she dropped her hand.
Her father lunged for it before it could drop to her side fully. “What,” he breathed, staring at the ring as if it were a demon’s mark, “have you done?”
She flinched as he shouted the last word. Claire pressed back into Logan, but held her ground with her father. “I got married. To a man that will take care of me.” Much better than you ever did, she added silently, feeling pain flash through her as she realized how correct she was.
“You have got to be kidding me,” he roared, his cool, neatly collected façade cracking even more at the seams. “You married my daughter?”
Logan was silent behind her, but she knew the warning his eyes held.
Her father, with blue eyes raging, looked at her. Actually looked at her.
“When I win the election, I will be coming back for you. And you won’t have a say in the matter. I’ll call my lawyers to have this annulled immediately.”
“You can’t do that,” she whispered, eyes going wide. Logan’s body turned tense behind her.
“I can, and I will.” He turned to Logan sharply, seeming to shut her out completely. “If you think you can stop this, you won’t know the meaning of ‘fucked’ when I’m done with you.”
Chapter 24
Logan held onto Claire as the door slammed behind her father. He felt her shudder and then heard the soft, pained gasp. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around to look at him.
Tears tracked down her cheek in a steady rhythm, and his heart broke at the sight. “Claire…”
“Don’t, Logan. Please, just…don’t.” And then her body crumpled against his and the shaking turned into full out sobbing.
Her body was small and frail against his. Wrapping his arms tightly around her, he stood there for a second, just letting her get it out. She started to mumble about her father, about how it was wrong, about how she wanted him to come back. And each watery, broken word had his heart breaking just a little more.
When her sobs died off, Logan pulled back to wipe his thumbs under her cheeks, hating how defeated she looked. Hating how he felt defeated.
She turned her face into his hand, and another rush of tears trailed down her cheeks, this time silent. Logan put his arm behind her knees and then swooped her up, an arm under her back and her face pressed into his chest.
“I don’t think he’s going to come to our real wedding,” she murmured. The wetness of her tears soaked into his shirt. With every spot of dampness he felt, he wanted to wring the bastards neck.
He carried her to their room, pushing open the door and, after kicking the door closed behind him, laid her down on the bed. She curled on her side, a shaky breath leaving her delicate body.
“Don’t think about that,” he said, using a low voice. He laid behind her, wrapping her up in his arms, holding her.
“Logan, I really think I messed up… I hurt him.”
“And what has he done to you other than that this whole past year?” he asked her softly, tightening his arms around her. “You did what you felt was best. You stayed with your husband.”
“I… I know that. But he’s my father and he’s always tried…”
“’Tried’ is the a poor excuse to what he should have done for you. Claire, you know that I’ll do anything I can in my power to make sure that you’re safe. When I married you, I wasn’t doing it just to make sure you had somewhere to stay where you would be safe…”
Her head turned. Big, innocent blue eyes met his. She turned her body around fully to look at him, her lip trembling. “What do you mean?�
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“I married you so that I could keep you and protect you. I think it was your innocence that made me want to keep you,” he said, voice light. Her face turned a bright shade of pink.
“My innocence?” She pulled back, eyeing him warily now. At least the complete and utter pain was gone, replaced by confusion.
He smiled, tipping his finger to her nose. “Yes. Your innocence. You laugh at things easily, you tease me without being scared that I’m going to kill you. You aren’t afraid to let me know what you’re thinking and you definitely have a way with making me smile.”
“And not a lot of people can do that?” she hedged. That pink blush was quickly turning dark red.
“Not a one. Before you, it’d been a long while since I had anyone at this house. After Christina left… I just didn’t want to waste my time on another one of her.”
“Logan,” Claire began admonishingly, leaning up on her elbow with complete seriousness. “Not all women are alike. For one, my friend Tiffany is very rude. And then my other friend, Malikai? She’s such a sweetheart. I think it’s because of her name and how she got teased a lot. Very shy person.” She nodded her head, her hair sliding around her shoulders to brush against his chest.
Her scent wafted over him and his eyes closed on their own accord as he inhaled. God. There could be a raging war outside the door, right this instant, and he would still want her more than he wanted to breathe.
“…So you see,” she continued, “we are not all alike. And I am definitely not innocent. I mean, I’ve kissed a guy before you!”
By now, she was sitting up fully, half-way on his chest, half-way on the bed. His hands came up on their own to cradle her hips, watching her lips as she spoke, not really listening to a word she said.
She still had on the same shirt she’d been in when Logan had found her in the barn — which she’d put on after previously being naked. Which meant that she had no bra on. As he pictured the soft swells, the peaking nipples, so red and puckered from his mouth…
