Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 136507 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 683(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136507 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 683(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)
“I need you to keep her far away from me.”
A man and woman enter the hall then, stalling our conversation. I press my back against the wall opposite Logan, allowing them past so they can use the facilities. Our eyes are locked the entire time.
Once the doors shutter, Logan says, “My PO said Brad Whitley’s looking for any reason to put a restraining order on me, so is that what that was? Are they setting a trap for me?”
“No.” I may question Jenny’s parenting, but I don’t doubt she loves her daughter and would never allow anyone to use Holly as bait. “That’s just Holly being herself. Curious and wild and doesn’t think about consequences. She’s a beautiful girl who likes attention and unfortunately doesn’t seem to have much interest in boys her age.” Last year, there was a high school phys ed teacher, an attractive twenty-eight-year-old, who Isla confirmed several girls had a crush on. Holly flirted with him in class one day and that sparked a tale that he and Holly were seen having sex in a classroom after school.
The rumor was so potent that my detachment was called in to investigate. It turned out to be false—a group of jealous mean girls started it—but the poor man’s reputation was ruined. He transferred to a school district four hours away.
“Maybe she’s looking to brag about hooking up with a criminal,” I say, thinking out loud. Logan is more than double her age.
His jaw clenches.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“No, you’re just calling it like it is, right?”
Matt pops out of his office then, carrying a roll of printer paper. He jumps when he sees us. “Oh! Hey.” He looks warily at Logan before focusing on me. “All good here?”
“I’m fine.” It sounds sharper than it needed to be.
With a nod, Matt ducks past and vanishes around the corner to the front as quickly as he appeared.
Logan snorts. “Do they always worry about you like this? Or is it just because you’re near me?”
I stall on a valid excuse, or a lie, and I can’t come up with anything that won’t remind him what he is to these people now. Finally, I settle on, “It’s going to take time for everyone to see who you are.”
“And who am I?” He stares down at me, his lashes long and thick. “Huh, Em? Who am I now, to them?” His throat bobs with a hard swallow. “To you?”
“I have no idea,” I admit, and my voice cracks with desperation.
Besides the boy who broke me?
Tension pours from him. “I think I’ve had enough socializing for the night.” He pulls away from the wall. “I’d say I’ll see you around, but we both know that’s not likely.”
I watch his shapely back as he strolls away without a glance behind, my heart in my throat.
That encounter didn’t play out how I wanted it to. Not that I had a plan. I’ve been too busy hiding from him like a coward, and he just called me out for it.
I spend a few minutes in the washroom, gathering my nerve. When I reemerge, the band has shifted to ’90s rock.
Breanne wears a worried look. “What happened with that blond I saw Mike escorting out?” She nods toward her husband, who’s at the door chatting with the bouncer Joey. The table where Holly and her friends sat is now taken by an age-appropriate group.
I drop into my seat and collect my drink. “Nothing, because I got there just in time.”
“She looks young.”
“That’s Holly Monroe, Isla’s friend.”
“Oh.” Breanne knows the name well. She’s heard me vent about her on more than one occasion.
“She and Logan were talking.”
Breanne winces. “You think he would have—”
“No.” I don’t even let her finish that sentence.
“You sure? Because he’s been locked up a long time, and she is a pretty little thing.”
“He’s thirty-eight.” I give her a stern look. “And not a pedophile.” There is no world where I can believe Logan would fall that far, and the way he was trying to meld into that wall to get away from her only confirms it.
She shrugs. “I’m just saying … he looked very unhappy when he came out.”
“That wasn’t because of her.” It was because of me. I don’t say that out loud. If I’m struggling this much when I’m around him, how must he feel?
The crowd shifts, allowing me a narrow sightline to the other side of the bar, where Logan stands over his cousin, Jack. A moment later, Jack nods and climbs out of his seat.
Disappointment swells. I may have been avoiding Logan all week but now that he’s here, I don’t want him to leave, and that’s clearly what he’s doing. With a lazy salute to their table, the two striking men head for the door, weaving around people.
Halfway there, a tall, lanky figure stands. One I recognize instantly.