“Maybe you can catch him, if you hurry,” Ellery said.
“I hope so.” Logan pivoted toward the door, then turned back. His mouth set in a determined line, he cupped his hands on either side of Ellery’s face and lowered his lips to hers. The tender kiss was short and sweet—entirely unsatisfying. Like a dropperful of water on the tongue of someone dying of thirst. As he withdrew, her arms wrapped around his neck in a vain attempt to prolong it. He chuckled, resting his forehead against hers.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, his thumbs caressing her cheeks. “Don’t come out of the dressing room until I come back, okay?”
“I won’t,” she promised. Her heart was banging so loudly the clipboard girl could probably hear it three feet away. Allegra had warned Logan felt nothing but pity, guilt, and obligation. Yet this seemed like more. Like so much more.
Maybe she was reading too much into it. But even if she was, she had to apologize. For leaving him. For hurting him. For not trusting him.
And most of all, she had to tell him the truth before it was too late.
I love you.
Her mouth opened, but the words never came.
“Be careful,” she croaked, unwinding her hands from his neck.
His warm lips brushed hers once again.
“Ellery,” he whispered, “I love you.”
And he was gone.
All the air whooshed from Ellery’s lungs. Had Logan really said he loved her? Or had she dreamed it?
She blinked, staring after his retreating figure until he reached the door and turned. Sporting a wide grin, he turned and blew her a kiss. Her heart soared. It must’ve really happened.
His mouth twisted, his brows crunching low, as he circled his hand in the direction of the dressing room. Obviously, he didn’t want to leave her until she was safe inside. She didn’t even care that he was being bossy.
While clipboard girl unlocked the door, Ellery danced on her toes, her smile so broad it hurt her jaw.
He loves me!
She couldn’t wait to text Kara and tell her what had just happened. Her stomach sank as she realized Logan had her cell phone in his pocket. She’d just have to wait until Logan returned.
As she stepped inside, she wasn’t surprised to see Candace lying on the couch in the back. At first, Ellery thought she was sleeping. But then her eyes—wide and frightened—locked with Ellery’s. And Ellery noticed something odd tied around her mouth.
That’s when she felt a sting in her arm.
The room narrowed and darkened.
And then there was nothing.
CHAPTER 28
Logan called Mack on his cell as he rounded the corner and scaled the stairs, two steps at a time. He tried to stay calm, though his fear for his friend mounted with each passing second. He would never forgive himself if something happened to Josiah.
Mack answered on the first ring. “What’s up?”
Logan started down the long, broad hallway toward the lobby, dodging around traffic like a motorcycle going the wrong direction on the highway. “Josiah’s trying to leave the building. Can you tell your guys to stop him?”
“Why would he do that?” Mack muttered something unintelligible. “Never mind, let me put out an alert first.”
“He’s not answering his phone.” Logan huffed as he ran. “He went toward the main hotel entrance, but hopefully he hasn’t made it outside.”
“We’re on it,” Mack said. “Where’s he trying to go?”
“To a drug store,” Logan panted, one hand loosening his tie. He barely paused when he reached the expansive lobby. Seeing no sign of Josiah, he headed for the entrance doors.
“We must’ve missed him,” he told Mack. “I’m going out—”
His body jerked painfully to the side, his arm in an iron grip.
“I’m sorry, Mr. West,” said a somber man in a dark suit. “I can’t let you leave the building.”
Logan jerked his arm, but the unrelenting grasp held firm. “Mack, tell your goon I’ve got to find Josiah!”
“Logan, Dan’s had multiple agents covering that entrance the whole time. There’s no way they’d let Josiah go out the front doors.”
“Fine. I won’t try to go outside.” Logan scowled at the agent, who finally set him free. “I guess if he were deliberately avoiding all of us, he could’ve gone out a side door, but I don’t know why he’d be so stupid.”
“We’re tracking his chip,” said Mack. “I was out on the floor, but I’m walking into the control center right now.”
Now feeling sorry for the poor agent who’d only been doing his job, Logan muttered an apology. Then he checked his cell for new messages. “Josiah sent me a text about twenty minutes ago,” he told Mack, “and that’s the last I heard from him.”
