Logan (Wild Boys After Dark, #1)(46)

“That’s really nice of you, but…” I’m not sure if I’ll have to leave town again, or if I’ll live for another week, or—

Logan draped an arm over her shoulder. “Thanks, Coop. She’s got a lot going on right now, but she may take you up on that offer in the future.”

“Interior design, that’s something I’ve always been interested in,” Mary Lou said. “Tell us about your family, Stella. Do you have any siblings?”

Stella had thought she’d escaped personal questions, since no one had asked her until now. She wondered if Logan had filled them all in on her situation, but apparently not. She was glad he hadn’t breached her confidence. Logan shifted his eyes to her and opened his mouth to say something, but just as he started to respond, his cell phone rang.

“Excuse me.” He withdrew his phone from his pocket and rose to his feet. He walked into the living room, and a minute later Stella heard the front door open and close.

Her stomach took a nosedive.

“Honey, you’re putting off some very nervous energy. Are you okay?” Mary Lou asked.

No, I’m not okay. I want to run after him and find out if the call is about Kutcher. All eyes were on her as she fidgeted in her seat.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

A minute later the front door opened and Logan strode into the dining room with a stern set jaw and a sheen of determination in his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Ma, but we have to take off.” Logan reached for Stella’s hand.

“What? Why?” his mother asked.

“Logan, anything we can help with?” Heath was on his feet in the blink of an eye, as were Jackson and Cooper.

Logan was already on the move, with one hand on Stella’s lower back, guiding her out the door, the other hand firmly around her upper arm. His brothers were right behind them.

“I’ve got this. Take care of Mom.”





Chapter Seventeen


“WHAT IS GOING on?” Stella asked as he helped her into the car. “Logan, please. Just tell me what’s going on.”

She had begun trembling the minute he’d taken her hand, and now the color had drained from her face. The call from the police had brought the best and the worst news. He hated that she’d have to face Kutcher again, but it was the only way to ensure that the dirtbag stayed behind bars for the longest possible time.

He climbed into the driver’s seat and started the car. “We have to go to Mystic.”

“Mystic?” Her voice cracked.

She reached for his hand.

She trusted him.

“Kanets talked, so Kutcher is being held. He can’t get out tomorrow, Stella. They’ll detain him and with a new trial, his sentence will likely be extended by several years.”

“So why do we have to go there?” Her voice shook as badly as her hand.

He kept his eyes on the road as he followed the ramp onto the busy highway.

“The only way to keep him behind bars for long enough to make a difference is for you to identify him as your assailant from the knife attack.”

She pulled her hand from his and moved closer to the passenger door. “No. No, Logan. I can’t do that. I won’t do that.”

“Why, Stella? Do you want to worry about him getting out in three years? Five years?” He reached for her hand, and she turned away. “Stella, if he’s in jail, he can’t hurt you. If you don’t do this, you’ll be afraid forever.”

Tears sprang from her eyes. “I don’t want to see him. I can’t. Logan, I can’t do this.”

“Stella—”

“No. I don’t want to see…” Sobs strangled her voice. “I can’t look at him.”

He pulled off at the next exit and drove into a parking lot.

“Please, Logan, don’t make me see him.” He came around to her side of the car, crouched beside her, and pulled her into his arms, holding her against him as sobs racked her body. He’d known he was taking a chance when he spoke to the police and turned in her phone and the bug he’d found in her picture frame. He’d known she’d hate the idea of identifying Kutcher to the police, but it was the only way to keep her safe.

“I know this is hard, Stella, but you can put him away for twenty years. Twenty years, baby. You can live your life, have a future without a fake name, without looking over your shoulder. You can see your mother.”

She fisted her hands in his shirt, burying her face in his chest. “I can’t.”

He appealed to her heart instead of her head. “Do you want him to go free and potentially hurt someone else?”

She held her breath.

“Breathe, baby. I’ve got you. Breathe. In and out.”

She let out a breath and hitched in another one.

“That’s it. That’s my girl.” He stroked her back, her head, held her tightly against him. He would breathe for her if he could. He knew how terrible facing Kutcher would be, but it was the only way.

“I’ll be right there with you, and he won’t be able to see you when you identify him.”

“But he’ll know. I was the one he attacked.”

Logan drew back and gazed into her damp, puffy eyes. “Baby, he can’t hurt you anymore. There are no more bugs. He can’t find you or bother you anymore. He’s going to stay behind bars for a long time, and you have the power to make that even longer. I will be right there with you.”