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She glanced toward the white jet and spotted his staff waiting by the base of the stairs.
He followed her gaze. “My staff will make sure you’re comfortable. As long as you stay here with them you won’t be in any danger.”
Stiffening, Logan turned back to face him. “Why would I be in danger? It’s just the paparazzi.”
“Bronson was shot late last night in London.” Rowan’s voice was clipped. “He’s in ICU now, but the specialists believe he should make a full recovery—”
“Wait. What? Why didn’t you say something earlier?” Bronson was the oldest of the five Copelands and the only son. “What happened?”
“Authorities are investigating now, but the prevailing theory is that Bronson was targeted because of your father. The deputy chief constable recommended that all members of your family be provided with additional security. My team has already located Victoria and is taking her to a safe location. Your mother is with Jemma already. And now we have you.”
Logan felt the blood drain from her head. Fear made her legs shake. “Please go get Jax. Hurry.”
“Give me your phone.”
“I won’t call anyone—”
“That’s not why I want your phone. I’m taking it so I can be you and make sure Joe understands what I need him to do.”
“You’re involving Joe?” she asked, handing him the phone.
“You trust him, don’t you?”
She nodded. “The password is zero, three, three, one.”
Rowan started for the helicopter and then turned around. “Didn’t we meet March 31?”
She went hot all over. “That’s not why it’s my password.” She heard her defensive tone and hated it.
“Never said it was. But it does make it easy for me to remember your code.” And then he signaled the pilot to start up the chopper and the blades began whirling and he was climbing in and the helicopter was lifting off even before Rowan had shut the door.
CHAPTER THREE (#ue2492efa-854f-574b-af30-3adf5073df1a)
ROWAN WAS GONE for two hours and twenty-odd minutes, and during those long two plus hours, Logan couldn’t let herself think about anything...
Not Bronson, who’d been hurt. Or her family who were all being guarded zealously to protect them from a nut job.
She couldn’t think about her daughter or how frightened she must be.
She couldn’t think about her huge event taking place tomorrow and how she now wouldn’t be there to see it through.
She couldn’t think about anything because once she started thinking, her imagination went wild and every scenario made her heartsick.
Every fear pummeled her, making her increasingly nauseous.
But of all her fears, Jax was the most consuming. She loved her brother and sisters but they were adults, and it sounded as if they now had a security team protecting them. But Jax...her baby...?
Logan exhaled slowly, struggling to keep it together. Rowan had to be successful. And there was no reason he wouldn’t be. He was the world’s leading expert in hostage and crisis situations and removing a toddler from a Santa Monica bungalow was not a crisis situation. But that didn’t mean her heart didn’t race and her stomach didn’t heave and she didn’t feel frantic, aware that all kinds of things could go wrong.
But Rowan being successful meant that he would be with Jax, and this terrified her. The haters and shamers had hardened her to the nonstop barbs and insults, but Jax was her weakness. Jax made her vulnerable. And maybe that’s because Jax herself was so vulnerable.
A light from the cockpit drew her attention and she glanced up, noting the three men up front—two pilots and the male flight attendant.
They were an interesting-looking flight crew bearing very little resemblance to the pleasant, professional, middle-aged crew you’d find on a commercial plane. These three were lean, muscular and weathered. They looked so fit and so tan that it made her think they’d only recently retired from active duty with the military. As they spoke to each other in low voices, she tried to listen in, but it was impossible to eavesdrop from where she sat.
Abruptly the three men turned and looked at her and then the male flight attendant was heading her way.
“Did you need something, Miss Copeland?” he asked crisply. He didn’t look American, but he didn’t have an accent. He was an enigma, like the rest of the crew.
“Is there any water?”
“I’ll bring you a bottle. Would you like a meal? Are you hungry?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think I could eat. Just water.”
But once she had the bottle of water, she just held it between her hands, too nervous to drink more than a mouthful.
The minutes dragged by, slowly turning into hours. She wished someone would give her an update. She wished she knew something.
But just when she didn’t think she could handle another minute of silence and worry, the distinctive sound of a helicopter could be heard.
She prayed it was Rowan returning—
The thought stopped her short. Just hours ago such a prayer would have struck her as ludicrous. But he’d gone after her baby and she was grateful for that.
Who would have ever thought she’d pray to see him again?
As the helicopter touched down the flight crew stood at the entrance of the jet as if prepared for battle.
Logan arched her brows. Rowan was serious about personal safety, wasn’t he?
But then the helicopter was down and the door was opening. Rowan was the first to step out and he was holding Jax, and as he crossed the tarmac, Joe Lopez was close behind carrying two suitcases.
What was Joe doing? Had he insisted on accompanying Jax to be sure she was safe? Or had Rowan wanted Joe along in case Jax got scared?
Either way Logan was delighted when the men stepped onto the plane with the baby.
Jax squealed when she saw Logan. “Momma!”
Logan opened her arms and Rowan handed the child over. “Hello, sweet girl,” Logan whispered, kissing her daughter’s soft cheek again and again. “How’s my baby girl?”
Jax turned her head to kiss Logan back. “I love Momma.”
“And Momma loves you. What did you think of the helicopter?” Logan asked her, giving her a little squeeze. “Was it noisy?”
Jax nodded and clapped her hands to her head. “Don’t like ear things. Bad.”
Rowan met Logan’s gaze over Jax’s head. “Not a fan of the headset.”
“Not surprised. She has a mind of her own,” Logan said.
“She does like Joe, though. She insisted on sitting on his lap during the flight. He’s good with her, too,” Rowan said.
Logan glanced back toward the galley where the flight attendant was taking the two suitcases from her assistant. “It was nice of him to come. Or did you make him?”
“I didn’t make Joe do anything. He is apparently very devoted to you—”
“Don’t start again.”
“Just saying, he’s here because he insisted.”
“I appreciate it. He’s been awesome with her since the beginning.” Logan frowned at the size of the two suitcases. “How long are we going to be gone?”
“Your buddy Joe did the packing. Apparently you girls need a lot when you travel.”
Logan’s eyes met Rowan’s. She gave her head a slight shake, her expression mocking. “You sound a little jealous of him, you know.”
“Me, jealous, of that...kid? Right.” Rowan made a scornful sound and turned away as Joe approached Logan.
“You all right?” Joe asked Logan even as he handed Jax a sippy cup with water.
Logan nodded and shot Rowan’s retreating back a disapproving look. “I hope he wasn’t rude to you,” she said to Joe. “If he was, don’t take it personally. He’s that way with everyone.”
Joe smiled and shrugged. “I’ve met worse.”
Logan gave him a look.
His smile broadened. “He doesn’t bother me. And he was actually pretty sweet with Jax—”
“Don’t say it. Don’t want to hear it.” Logan cut him short. “So is he going to send you back in the helicopter or are you having to grab a cab back? If you need a cab, just put it on my account. I won’t have you paying for something like that. It’ll be ridiculously expensive.”
“I’ll grab a rental car and drop it off at LAX.” Joe hesitated a moment. “Are you going to be okay?”
Logan kissed the top of Jax’s head and nodded. “Need tomorrow’s event to go off without a hitch—”
“It will. The fund-raiser will be huge, and the fashion show will be wonderful. But you’re the one I’m worried about.”
“Don’t. I’m fine. And my company...it’s everything. It’s my reputation. My livelihood. It’s how I provide for Jax—” She broke off, overwhelmed by stress and the weight of her reality. Her reality was harsh. People didn’t give her the same benefit of the doubt they gave others. She didn’t get second chances or opportunities...no, she had to fight tooth and nail for every job, forced to prove herself over and over again.
“I’ll handle it,” Joe said quietly, his deep voice firm.
“Thank you.”
And then he kissed Jax on the top of her head and he left.
Rowan didn’t seem to even notice that Joe had gone and it burned Logan up, how arrogant and callous Rowan was. Joe had been a huge help and Rowan didn’t thank him or care.
Why couldn’t Logan fall for someone like Joe...someone smart and kind and caring? Someone with emotions?
And then as if able to read Logan’s mind, Rowan was returning. “We need to go.” He nodded at the toddler. “Are you going to hold her for takeoff, or do you want me to buckle her car seat into a chair next to you?”
“Which is safer?” Logan asked.
“Car seat,” he answered promptly.
“Then let’s do that.”
“Has she ever been on a plane before?”
Logan shook her head. “We don’t...go out...much.” And seeing his expression she added, “We don’t need the attention.”
“Have things been that difficult?”
“You’ve no idea.” And then she laughed because it was all she could do. The haters and shamers would not win. They wouldn’t. She’d make sure of that, just as she’d make sure her daughter would grow up with a spine and become a woman with courage and strength.
* * *
Rowan glanced at his watch. They’d been flying four hours but still had a good four to five hours to go. He was glad that the toddler finally slept, though. Earlier she’d cried for nearly an hour when she couldn’t have her blanket. Joe had brought the blanket when they met up at the Santa Monica airport. The blanket was either in a seat or on the floor of the helicopter or perhaps it got dropped on the tarmac during the transfer to the plane. Either way, the baby was inconsolable and Logan walked with Jax, up and down the short aisle, patting her little girl’s back until Jax had finally cried herself to sleep on Logan’s shoulder.
Now Logan herself was asleep in one of the leather chairs in a reclined position, the little girl still on her chest, the child’s two miniature ponytails brushing Logan’s chin.
Seeing Logan with the child made him uncomfortable.
He didn’t like the ambivalence, either. He didn’t like any ambivalence, preferring life tidy, organized, categorized into boxes that could be graded and stacked.
He’d put Logan into a box. He’d graded the box and labeled it, stacking it in the corner of his mind with other bad and difficult memories. After he’d left her, after their night together, he’d been troubled for weeks...months. It had angered him that he couldn’t forget her, angered him that he didn’t have more control over his emotions. He shouldn’t care about her. He shouldn’t worry about her. And yet he did.
He worried constantly.
He worried that someone, somewhere would hurt her.
He worried about her physical safety. He worried about her emotional well-being. He’d been so hard on her. He’d been ruthless, just the way he was with his men, and in his world. But she wasn’t a man, and she wasn’t conditioned to handle what he’d dished out.
He’d come so close, so many times to apologizing.
He’d come so close to saying he was wrong.
But he didn’t. He feared opening a door that couldn’t be shut. There was no point bonding with a woman who wasn’t to be trusted. Trust was everything in his world, and she’d lied to him once—Logan Lane, indeed—so why wouldn’t she lie again?
Maybe the trust issue would be less crucial if he had a different job. Maybe if his work wasn’t so sensitive he could be less vigilant...but his work was sensitive, and countless people depended on him to keep them safe, and alive.
Just as Jax depended on her mother to keep her safe.
He wanted to hate Logan. Wanted to despise her. But watching her sleep with Jax stirred his protective instinct.
At two years old, Jax was still more baby than girl, her wispy blond hair a shade lighter than her mother’s. They both had long dark eyelashes and the same mouth, full and pink with a rosebud for an upper lip.
Sleeping, Jax was a vision of innocence.
