I fought rolling my eyes.
“I won’t.”
“Not even to go to one of the other buildings.”
That time I fought against rolling my eyes and telling him I comprehended English and knew what ‘don’t leave the building’ meant the first time.
Instead, I gave Logan what he needed, “Got it.”
“If you need to go to the back offices, take Ian.”
My jaw clenched but it clenched with me forcing a smile.
“Okay.”
“I’ll be out as soon as I’m done.”
“Okay,” I repeated.
Logan’s eyes studiously roamed my face and I sat still and waited for him to take what he needed. Finally, he leaned over and gave me a lip touch. He was pulling away but still close when he muttered, “You did good.”
“Thanks.”
By the time I was on my feet, Ian was next to my chair. His hand went to the small of my back and he propelled me forward. Ian didn’t drop his hand until we were at my desk. Then I sat through a ten-minute rundown of the updates Ian had done to the system and he showed me how to view the new cameras. There’d been a blind spot by the front gate and two in the back of the building that were now visible.
Triple Canopy didn’t screw around with security, but there were now more cameras, motion sensors, pressure sensors, and motion lights than in most government buildings. You couldn’t make a move anywhere around TC without someone knowing.
Ian had just finished when it happened—Liberty, Addy, and Shiloh showed up at the front door the same time Quinn’s heels clicked around the corner.
“Ian, that’s my sister, my cousin Liberty, and Luke’s fiancée, Shiloh. They’re all on the approved list.”
From his computer, he unlocked the front door.
Addy yanked the heavy glass door open and stomped her way across the reception area.
“Is your phone broken?” she snapped.
“What?”
“Your phone? Did you lose it in the car chase? Did it get smashed, tossed out the window? Stolen? Misplaced? Broken?”
“Um?”
Actually, I hadn’t thought of my phone once. It was in my purse probably dead.
“Two of my sisters were kidnapped,” she whispered. Oh, no! “One of them shot and left to die on the side of the road. When there’s a drama you answer the goddamn phone.”
Guilt assailed me.
Delaney and Hadley had indeed both been kidnapped. Quinn had been shot and left to die; actually, she did technically die but was brought back to life. One could safely say that it wasn’t drama that surrounded these women—it was pure lunacy.
“I’m sorry. As you can see, I’m fine. Logan had everything under control.”
Addy was still shooting laser beams with her beautiful eyes and she looked fit to be tied.
“I’m really sorry, Addy,” I tried again. “I didn’t think to call anyone. Yesterday was crazy. The chase, Logan telling me he loved me, asking me to move in, everyone in and out of his house. By the time I had a moment to think I was so tired I went to bed.”
“He what?” Addy breathed.
“It was awesome,” Quinn interjected. “First Logan gave Ethan shit about wanting to question Lauren. He was all, ‘would you let someone near Honor?’ Then Ethan was like, ‘it’s like that, huh?’ Then Logan told the guys to junk his car because he didn’t want it back.”
“What?” Liberty interrupted. “Logan loves his Mustang.”
“Welp, Cousin, he was clear he loved Lauren more than he loves his car. That’s what he told Lauren when she said the same thing about him loving the car. He said he loved her more. Loved her—straight out said it and he got all growly and told her no way the woman he loved was sitting her ass in his shot-up ride.”
“You didn’t tell me that last night,” Addy accused her sister.
“Nope. I wanted to wait to tell you in person. Besides, I knew you were pissed and I figured you learning the news that Logan loves Lauren would soften you up.”
It was good to know that Quinn had my back but I really was tired of talking about the car chase.
“Can we please change the subject?” I asked. “Why are you all here?”
“He loves you,” Addy whispered.
Wow. That felt good, hearing someone else say that Logan loved me. My eyes were stinging and I didn’t trust my voice so I nodded.
“Told you so,” she finished.
“Addy’s the smartest of the Walker sisters,” Liberty said. “I’m really happy for you and for Logan.”
“I’m happy. Really happy. But I’ll be happier when all of this is over and I can slow down and process. I mean, Logan asked me to move in with him the same day he told me he loved me. And with everything that was going on I didn’t even get to call my girls and bitch he asked me to move in while sitting outside in the car while Shiloh, Lenox, and Echo did a sweep of his house. It wouldn’t be real bitching of course because, hello, he asked me to move in, but he has the shittiest timing. I told him if he asked me to marry him in the middle of a trauma like he told me he loved me and asked me to move in with him the answer was no.”
“You told him that?” Liberty laughed.
“Yes! Did you miss the part where he told me he loved me for the first time in a room full of people? This after he told me he’d never love me? A little privacy would’ve been nice, you know, so I could’ve told him I loved him, too. Maybe give him a kiss without an audience.”
I finished my rant and jolted when Shiloh clapped her hands.
“Game plan!” She all but shouted. “When this is over and you’re settled, move-in celebration at your new house.”
“Moved in, settled, and after my wedding,” Quinn put in.
“And maybe after Delaney has the baby,” Liberty added. “She told me yesterday she’s been having some contractions.”
“My mom’s freaking out,” Quinn admitted. “She’s threatened to write me out of the will if Delaney gives birth at Aunt Reagan’s house. At first, I thought it’d be worth losing her anniversary jewelry she’s promised me to watch Carter freak out the way Ethan did when Honor had Hudson on the kitchen floor. But now, what started as a joke is starting to worry me. I don’t actually want my sister to birth my niece or nephew on the floor. I just wanted to torture Carter with the thought of him being on the business end of childbirth the way Ethan was. I mean, who would’ve thought that Ethan’s son would be born on his birthday, the day Laney surprised Carter with a wedding? It’s an awesome story, we all laugh about it all the time.”
They might laugh about it now, but I knew for a fact Ethan wasn’t laughing about it when it happened. And if Delaney gave birth on his Aunt Reagan’s kitchen floor he wouldn’t freak, he’d go berserk.
“Maybe it would be a good idea to have an ambulance on stand-by in the driveway. So Jackson and Brice aren’t putting their EMT training to use,” I suggested.
“Excellent idea.” Quinn snapped her fingers. “Maybe she’ll have the baby early. She has a week before I get married.”
“Addy, how are your wedding plans?” I asked.