“I appreciate that more than you know.” Logan’s throat swelled. “Mom and I have been alone for a long time.”
Cole’s arm swung across Logan’s shoulder, the green prosthetic hand clasping hard enough to make him wince.
“Sorry. I still don’t know my own strength.” Cole titled his head in and lowered his voice. “I want you to know that family group already extends to Ellery.”
“I wish that were true,” Logan said, craning his head to get a glimpse of her as two men ambled past, intent on some deep conversation. “I wish we were married. That way I could really protect her. I would’ve just forbidden her to come tonight.”
Cole clamped his lips between his teeth, merriment in his eyes as he shook his head. “Buddy, if you and Ellery ever get married, you go ahead and try telling her what to do. Let me know how that works for you.”
Nodding at the pair who were standing next to her chatting about a different fundraiser they’d recently attended, Ellery glanced at Logan, cutting her gaze back before he caught her looking. He was so handsome she couldn’t think straight. She was a sucker for a man in a tux. That’s what had made her fall for him in the first place… or at least contributed to it. Then she’d been an idiot and pushed him away, and now it seemed there was no coming back from her mistake.
Allegra had trampled on Ellery’s fledgling hopes earlier that day, confronting her in the stairway from Logan’s basement.
“Logan is a nice guy… a little too nice.” Allegra had stopped and turned to face her, looking down from several steps above. “People like you take advantage of him.”
“Are you talking about me? I haven’t done—”
“I know you didn’t mean to.” Allegra had cut her off. “But Logan feels sorry for you. Like he needs to take care of you. And now, with this threat from those maniacs, he’s piled on guilt for getting you involved. He does feel obligated to protect you. But you need to know it’s nothing like the bond he has with me. And it never will be.”
In a matter of seconds, Allegra had reignited Ellery’s insecurities.
“Whatever, Allegra.” She’d stood frozen while Allegra hoisted her perfect nose high in the air and continued up the stairs on her perfect legs. Eyes watering, Ellery had considered multiple comebacks she could’ve spouted off. But none of them had kept her from fearing the truth of Allegra’s claims.
“Hey! Were you waiting for me?” Kara had asked, coming up behind Ellery several minutes later.
Ellery had repeated the gist of the conversation, careful to guard her tone and hide the deep damage Allegra’s comments had done to her fragile confidence.
“Ignore her. She’s just trying to get to you.” Kara had dismissed Allegra’s words with a toss of her hair. “But guess what! I got to talk to Cole Miller. He said to email him about doing an internship at Phantom! Can you believe it?”
“That’s awesome,” Ellery had replied, trying to be happy for her friend.
Ellery told herself the only thing that mattered was Logan’s happiness. She hadn’t had a chance to talk to him alone. But as soon as she did, she was going to apologize for everything. He needed to hear her admit she’d been wrong. She was going to take Josiah’s advice and confess her true feelings… even if he rejected her. She had to absolve Logan of any misplaced guilt.
“Are the earrings part of the set?” The female voice intruded into Ellery’s musings. The kind-faced woman with a mass of curls too black to be natural gave her husband an obvious wink. “We do have our fiftieth anniversary coming up.”
“Congratulations!” Ellery smiled, putting enthusiasm into her tone. “The diamonds would be a perfect anniversary gift.”
A warm hand tucked under her elbow, and she jumped at the electric tingle. Surely by now she ought to be accustomed to Logan’s touch.
“Auction item number eighteen. Good luck!” said Logan, tugging her away. “Ellery, we need to talk.”
The urgency in his tone made her shudder. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said as he herded her against a column, leaning so close she could smell the spicy scent of his skin. She expanded her lungs, inhaling his heady aroma, more invigorating than pure oxygen. His eyes, unfathomable green mists, bored into hers as his grip relaxed on her arm. He could probably tell from her body language she had no desire to move away from him. “But I haven’t had a chance to be alone with you. And tonight, anything could happen. I mean, I won’t let anything happen to you, but…”
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “I’m nervous, but I’m not afraid. I know Mack and Dan will do their best to keep me safe. And this is our best chance to put all this behind us for good.”
“Yes, yes. But that’s not what I’m trying to say.”
His lips descended. Slowly. His probing gaze asking permission. Her heart pounded as she gave a nod, light-headed, not daring to breathe. His mouth captured hers, setting her heart aflutter. She’d missed him so much. His touch. His kiss. His tender concern. It had become her daily bread during their summer together. Only now did she realize she’d been gradually starving without him.
His mouth claimed hers with passion. Surely he couldn’t be faking it. Did this mean he still had feelings for her?
He pulled back—his chest rising and falling rapidly, his pupils so dilated they disappeared in the dark depths of his eyes. “Ellery, I want you to know… no matter what happens tonight… that I… I—”
A piercing alarm rent the air.
Pulse racing, Ellery clamped her hands over her ears. Logan backed her against the wall, turning to scan the room while shielding her with his body. Their faces masks of confusion, people began to crowd around the exit doors.
It must be a fire! Sheer terror shot through her blood vessels. She could face the possibility of kidnapping or even death with courage. But the thought of fire filled her body with liquid panic. On and on, the alarm blared, excited shouts rising above it.
After about forty-five seconds that felt like forever, a voice came across the PA system, barely audible over the siren. “It’s okay, folks. Someone set off a smoke alarm, but we’re—”
The alarm stopped, and silence rang in Ellery’s ears, along with “ahs” of relief from the milling crowd.
“As I was saying,” Cole continued from the stage. “Someone set off a smoke alarm, but there’s no fire. Everything’s under control. Sorry for the disturbance. Continue to enjoy yourselves and we’ll begin seating in fifteen minutes.”
There’s no fire. There’s no fire. She repeated the phrase in her mind, willing her heart and lungs to slow down. Expressions still wary, guests filtered back inside, quiet music playing through the overhead speakers once again.
“Come on.” Logan grasped her hand and dragged her along. In her stupefied state, she barely kept her balance as they weaved through the tables to the front of the room where Cole stood with Jake at his side. “What’s going on?”
“Just a sec.” Jake frowned and pointed to his earpiece, indicating he was listening to someone. “Okay, here’s the scoop. All we know is someone cut a wire on the smoke alarm back stage. Dan says it could be as innocent as someone wanting to sneak a cigarette and not realizing the alarm would go off when they cut the wire.”
“What does Mack think?” Cole asked.
“Mack thinks it’s a distraction. He thinks it means Alexander is here. Or at least his men are here.”
