His serious tone was beginning to worry Ellery. Maybe someone really did want her dead. Maybe some crazy person who’d been caught behind her when she was driving under the speed limit. Road rage was a real thing. But how would this man’s security company know about it? Or did he even work for a security company? He’d claimed he did, but he hadn’t provided any proof. And his uniform said otherwise…
“Uh…” Ellery cleared her throat, not wanting to offend this guy who looked like he could snap her in half with his bare hands. “Do you happen to have any ID?”
“Sure.” He fished his wallet out of his pants, sporting an amused smirk. The license he handed her had an official Texas seal and read Private Security Registration.
“He’s the real deal, Ellery,” said Kara. “He already swept the whole house for bugs.”
“I’m afraid you won’t be able to attend the Limitless fundraiser tonight.” Sympathy softened Jake’s ice blue eyes, but it didn’t lessen the shock.
“Who told you about that?”
“My company was employed by Logan West. We’ve had a detail keeping watch over you round the clock.”
“So Logan’s been spying on me, huh?” Ellery fumed. “And now he thinks he’s found a way to keep me from modeling at the Limitless banquet. Well, you can go back and tell Logan it didn’t work. I’m doing the fundraiser, and that’s that!”
Jake pulled at the collar of his too-tight uniform. “No, ma’am. That’s not what’s happening, I promise. This threat is very real. I can’t give you all the details until I drive both of you over to Logan’s house.”
“And what happens if I refuse to go?” Ellery folded her arms.
“Then I suppose the FBI will come get you.”
“The FBI?” she squeaked. This made his story sound way too real. And way too scary.
“Yes, ma’am. They’re waiting for us at Mr. West’s residence. They only sent me to fetch you because we’re trying to keep everything on the down-low. The perp doesn’t know we’re onto him yet.”
“Okay.” Ellery’s heart pounded in her ears. Was it true? Or were they about to get in the car with some crazy lunatic posing as Logan’s security? Or could it all be some elaborate plan of Logan’s, designed to keep her from working the Limitless fundraiser? She pulled out her phone, intending to call someone to verify the crazy story. But who can I call? Would Josiah know? A notification flashed on her phone for a missed text. It had come from Logan. He must’ve unblocked her number.
Logan: Don’t panic. Everything will be fine. Jake knows to drive slowly.
“I can’t believe this is happening.” Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, muffling the voices in the room.
“You might want to pack a bag,” Jake said.
Her mouth was sticky dry. “They expect us to stay overnight?”
“Come on, Ellery. Let’s hurry.” Kara pushed up from the table.
Jake winced. “If I were you, I’d pack for a couple days.”
“Are you kidding me? I can’t be gone that long.” Ellery stood, trying to balance on legs that felt like they didn’t belong to her.
He shrugged. “Could be longer, but we can retrieve anything else you need. You don’t have any pets, right?”
“No, we don’t.” Kara was all smiles as she hooked her arm around Ellery’s and dragged her toward the bedrooms. “We’ll get packed really fast. Back in a jiffy.”
“Kara, what’s with you?” At the end of the hallway, Ellery shook free from Kara and grabbed her shoulders, bending until their faces were inches apart. “This is a nightmare, and you act like it’s some fun adventure. It’s like meeting this hunky guy fried your brains.”
“No doubt Jake is about as mouthwatering as they come.” Kara fanned herself as she glanced toward the kitchen to assure their conversation was private. “But guess who’s going to be at Logan’s house when we get there… Cole Miller!”
CHAPTER 26
Ellery sat on a sofa ten feet across from Logan, but she might as well have been a mile away. She hadn’t made eye contact with him the entire time Mack summarized the details of the situation. Though she put up a brave front, she was shaken… that much was certain. Logan spotted the tiny quiver of her fingers when she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. And he watched her throat convulse with every strained swallow. She was scared to death, and it was his fault. She probably hated him now, if she hadn’t before. But at least she was here, and she was safe.
“Aren’t they going to wonder why you’re suddenly not making plans at the kitchen table like you were before?” Ellery asked.
“I think you should trust the experts to handle this,” Allegra said with an exaggerated drawl that sounded more Georgian than Texan. “I’m sure they know what they’re doing.”
Flanked by Kara and Josiah, Ellery’s face went crimson. Both shot Allegra dirty looks, which she ignored.
Mack gave Ellery an encouraging nod. “No, that’s a good question. We’ve planned out our conversations to be overheard so it seems like nothing’s changed. And we’ve got the television going in the family room, always leaving a few of our regular people up there talking. And just like we kept you and Kara quiet until we got you downstairs, our federal friends don’t speak where they can be heard. At least for now, Dimitri shouldn’t have any idea anything’s changed.”
“Let me step in here and say how much we appreciate the cooperation of E-Force Security.” Dan Fitzpatrick, the leader of the FBI team, spoke up. “Mr. Miller. Mr. Schaeffer.” He nodded at Cole and Mack. “Thank you for bringing us in on the case from day one. And I apologize for keeping the rest of you in the dark, but we requested that no one else be notified of our involvement until we knew what we were up against. And who was involved.”
Allegra lifted a hand, displaying slender fingers with perfectly manicured nails. “I’d just like to say how much I appreciate your help, Dan. And Cole, your team has been incredible.” Having failed to secure a seat next to Cole, Allegra had to settle for blinking her lashes at him. Logan knew she was politicking on her dad’s behalf, but it still made him uncomfortable. And from the shifting in the room, he wasn’t the only one. “I’ll be sure to tell my father what an outstanding job you’ve done.”
“Thank you, Ms. Edwards. We’re only doing our jobs.” Dan’s even expression never faltered. “As I was saying, when Mack obtained photographs of Chester Abercrombie and two other men, it was our first solid piece of evidence.”
“I thought you already had a bunch of pictures,” said Josiah.
“Yes, but all of those came from Logan’s stepfather. Chester showed them to Logan and Mack, but refused to let Mack take them to be analyzed.”
“That was our first red flag,” Mack said. “A father should be willing to do whatever it takes to protect his children, even if it means incriminating himself.”
“Yes, we suspect that was simply a ruse to get Logan involved,” said Dan. “The photo E-Force obtained was dark, but we ran it through our enhancement software, and got a positive ID. One of the two men with Chester last night was Alexander Krupin, brother of Viktor Krupin. And we’re not surprised. We’d never heard of Dimitri, but this had the Krupin brothers’ handwriting all over it. Viktor tends to make the decisions, and Alexander is the enforcer.”
“So we know who it is, and we know Chester’s involved,” Logan said. “What’s next? Arrest Viktor’s men? And my stepfather? Will he be arrested?”
