High-Sided (Armed & Dangerous #3)(27)

“Jesus Christ, Kassie, what are you thinking? It’s not safe to ride around at night by yourself.”

Her lips pursed and she stood her ground with the exact same defiant look on her face I’d seen plenty of times before. “I’m not the same girl you knew eight years ago, Logan.”

I glanced up and down her body, remembering all too well what it felt like to touch her. I’d give anything to touch her now. “That’s definitely apparent. You seem to be even more stubborn now.”

A small smile spread across her cheeks. “I am.”

She followed me inside and I shut the door behind us. Everything looked the same as it did the last time she was there. It made me wonder what memories were going through her mind.

“Want anything to drink?” I asked.

She glanced at me over her shoulder and shook her head. I walked past her into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water from the sink. She sat down at the bar and I took the seat beside her. I waited for her to look at me, but all she did was look down at her clasped hands. Her knuckles were almost white from clenching them so hard.

“Tell me everything, Logan. I need to know what happened between us. I keep trying to tell myself it doesn’t matter, but it doesn’t work.”

It turned out, the answer to her question was right in front of us. Opening my laptop, I tapped the keys to awaken it. “You might think I haven’t been around the last few years, but I have. You didn’t see me, but I saw you.”

Her head jerked up and she gasped. “What?”

I nodded. “Many times. I’ve come back many times, Kassie. I watched you graduate.” Her lips trembled. “I even came when your mother passed away.”

Tears fell down her cheeks, but her gaze never wavered. “How is that possible? I would’ve seen you.”

“I’m good at staying hidden.” She looked skeptical, so I turned my laptop toward her. “I’m sure you can figure out which folder is yours.” It was the one labeled with her name.

She looked down at it, then back over at me, her gaze narrowing. It didn’t surprise me when she clicked on another folder, the one labeled Wyoming.

I watched all the pictures pop up and smiled when her mouth gaped. She looked at the pictures, closed her eyes, and studied them again. “Am I seeing things?”

I laughed. “I spent a lot of time in Wyoming, with my friend Blake and his wife, Hadley. You might know her as Hadley Rivers?”

She gasped, her eyes lit with wonder. A small smile spread across her cheeks and for the first time since being back, it gave me a sliver of hope. It was good to finally see a real smile on her face. “Are you kidding me? She’s my favorite country singer.”

Grinning from ear to ear, I pulled out my phone and showed her a picture of me and Hadley, standing in her barn with my arm around her shoulders. We were covered in dirt.

“How did you meet her?”

I set my phone down, her body so close her thigh touched mine. “I was called in to help her when she had to go into hiding. I escorted her to Wyoming so my friend, Blake, could bodyguard her. He was so pissed at the time.”

“Why?”

I smiled, remembering everything about that day. “He felt like being a bodyguard was a joke, especially to a spoiled brat. Little did he know at the time, she was anything but that. I’d gotten to know her during our travels.”

“And then he fell in love with her?” she added.

“Yep, like I knew he would.”

“Wow,” she murmured in awe. “I bet you get to see a lot of amazing things.”

I nodded. “And a lot of bad. My job isn’t glamorous, Kassie. I go after the worst of the worst. I’ve seen more death than you could imagine.”

She swallowed hard. “Have you killed people?”

I stared into her eyes, then turned my head. I didn’t like the killing part of my job, but I had no choice. “Yes,” I admitted honestly. “Sometimes, it’s either kill or be killed. It’s part of my job.”

She rested a hand on my arm and I closed my eyes, wishing like hell I could pull her into my arms. “When you were in college to earn your degree, I never thought about what being an agent would entail. I guess I never could imagine you killing anyone.”

I opened my eyes and turned my body toward her, resting my hand over hers. She sucked in a breath as I trailed my fingers up to her face. “Does it scare you that I’ve killed people?” I asked.

She leaned into my touch and closed her eyes. “No.”

“Then why are you shaking?” Her whole body trembled under my touch. The last thing I wanted was for her to see me as a murderer. I did what I had to do to stay alive and bring people to justice.

“Because,” she whispered, opening her eyes, “I never would’ve realized the truth if I didn’t come here. What I don’t understand is why you kept it all a secret.”

I clicked on the folder with her name, and there on the screen were pictures of her at different times through the years. There were ones of her walking across the stage in her cap and gown as she graduated college. The others were at various races, when I’d gone to watch Levi.

Tears filled her eyes and she clapped a hand over her mouth. “Why didn’t you let me know you were there? Did Levi know?”