“It could’ve been Moore himself who saw you in Atlanta,” Echo surmised. “Word is if a statement needs to be made, Moore delivers it personally.”
Still something nagged the back of my brain.
“I admit, everything fits but there’s something that’s not working for me. A gut feeling that we’re missing something big, that we’re not looking deep enough. And it bugs the fuck out of me that we have proof Guy’s been to all the cities and he’s not fucking hiding it. He travels under his real name. Except to Burma apparently. But anywhere in the US, he just waltzes around without a care.”
“He’s a smart fuck,” Jace put in. “Guy Stevens is hiding, right in plain sight. Smart, actually. We’re doing exactly what he wants, questioning why if he’s involved with the drug would he travel using his real name. Added benefit if he gets pulled in, a defense attorney is gonna be all over that. A man traveling to different cities for work; booking flights, hotels, rental cars all in his real name. Guy’s not hiding shit, but he is.”
That was when it hit, a delayed reaction.
I had put Lauren in danger.
None of this was about Guy being her ex. It wasn’t about Guy not wanting to let go of her, it was the case.
Which also made me wonder how Guy and Lauren met. Was it by design? Did he know he was being investigated? Did he target Lauren, date her to fuck with us?
“How’d Lauren meet Guy?” I asked no one in particular.
Luke’s head tilted to the side as he took me in, then his eyes flared, and his jaw clenched. Years of friendship, countless hours on the battlefield, made for a bond that tethered Luke, Matt, Trey, Carter, and I together. Meaning, I didn’t need to voice my thoughts, Luke just knew.
“You think?” he asked.
“That would make a fuckton of sense,” Trey put in.
“That shit would be whacked!” Matt added.
“You guys mind filling the rest of us in?” Brady requested.
“Logan’s wondering if Guy went after Lauren to get close to us, or the investigation actually, but you catch the drift,” Carter explained.
“That doesn’t leave this room,” Jasper growled. “I agree Lauren needs to be kept in the loop and her insight’s helpful. But she doesn’t need to know that shit.”
“Agreed.”
“One of you assholes with women need to start poking around,” Matt said. “One of them knows the story.”
Every phone in the room buzzed. Every man checked the notification, including me.
“Gotta roll, UPS is here.” Brady stood and with a lift of his chin, he was gone.
“We’re leaving, too.”
“See you, E. And, Jace, thanks for your help,” Nick added.
“I’m gonna go find my sister, then bounce. I’ll be in touch.”
Echo left and I wondered if he’d be saying goodbye to my sister as well.
Just because I was focused on the discussion and my woman didn’t mean I missed the way the beast’s eyes lit when Lauren announced my sister was in the building.
“You might have to look the other way with that, brother,” Matt mumbled from beside me.
“Whole way to the airport Jill was talking about Echo and Jackie. Or I should say she was talking about how hot she and Jackie thought he was, which, I have to tell you, she’s not my sister, but I still felt like I wanted to puke. But what Jill was really excited about was the way Echo looked at Jackie like he wanted to eat her. Her words, not mine.”
“Christ.”
“New leaf, Logan.”
“What?”
“You falling in love, accepting Ian into your family. You’ve turned over a new leaf. Don’t look back, not for a second. You keep moving forward with your woman and you’re going to have to accept that your sisters are beautiful women and they deserve to be happy.”
“With Echo?” I growled.
“With anyone they choose. And if Jackie chooses Echo you should be thanking the universe she picked him and not some dumbfuck we’d have to run a check on.”
Matt wasn’t wrong. I liked Echo, he was a good guy. So were his brothers River and Phoenix. And it went without saying, we all loved Shiloh. She was perfect for Luke.
“Maybe Lauren should get that shock collar.”
“Whoa there, buddy, I don’t need to know about your kinky games.”
I shot him the middle finger and added, “dumbass” before I turned to leave. I needed to find Lauren and say hello to my mom and sister.
“Logan?”
I craned my neck and caught Matt’s eyes.
“’Bout fucking time you’re happy.”
He wasn’t lying.
24
I was in the bathroom putting the finishing touches on my hair when Logan appeared in the doorway and in the reflection our eyes locked.
“Damn, you’re beautiful.”
I unlocked my gaze and used the mirror to do a slow perusal. Crisp white button-down shirt, black slacks, and even though I couldn’t see down to his feet I knew he hadn’t put on his shoes. If we were home Logan was barefoot. I don’t know why I liked that but I did—him in our home, relaxed, with no shoes on.
“You clean up well, Haines.”
His chuckle filled the bathroom and I closed my eyes.
It had been a week since I’d moved in with him. A whole seven days and there hadn’t been any drama, no more high-speed chases, no shootings, nothing. It was great. It also sucked because Moore and Robinson hadn’t been found, so Logan was still being way over-protective. I didn’t mention it. I gave him what he needed to feel comfortable and in return, he gave me everything. He laughed all the time. He smiled all the time. He was great with Ian. He even told me that if Jackie made a move on Echo or vice versa he’d mind his business. And he actually muttered, “She could do worse.” It wasn’t a ringing endorsement but it was good he felt that way because over the last few days I caught them staring at each other when they didn’t think the other was watching and they did it longingly.
I wasn’t sure how much longer Echo was going to be able to keep his distance. But if a move was going to be made one of them had better light a fire under it because last night at dinner Dee had said they were leaving in a few days. And, yes, Echo had been at dinner—like he’d been over a lot in the last week.
I felt Logan’s hands go to my hips and his lips on my neck and kept my eyes closed as I savored his kiss. I no longer felt desperate to memorize them, to commit every touch to memory. I didn’t need to; I knew that before the recollection had a chance of wearing off he’d touch or kiss me again and it would start all over. And Logan kissed me a lot but he touched me more. If he was close he was holding my hand, or his arm was around me, or my head was on his shoulder, or my feet were in his lap. It was divine. It was perfect. He was everything I’d ever dreamed I’d have.
“What are you thinking about, baby?”
“How happy I am. Are you happy, Logan?”
“Never been happier, Ren. Believe that.”
“Good.”
“I’m gonna let you finish getting ready.”
I opened my eyes and caught his in the mirror. My breath caught when I saw the hunger. You’d think I would be starting to get used to it. Logan looked at me a lot like that but every time I saw the desire in his eyes I felt it in my womb.