Logan (Blue Halo Book 1)
Logan: Chapter 24

Logan slid out of bed, careful not to wake Grace. It was early morning, the room was still dark, but he could see everything.

Moving around the bed, he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. A soft sigh fell from her lips as she snuggled her head deeper into the pillow.

Everything in Logan called for him to protect this woman. Keep her close. That’s why there hadn’t been a single hope in hell that he would have let her disappear into the world without him there to keep her safe.

Walking out of the room, he headed into the living area. Jason and Aidan were already waiting for him. Blake had his daughter last night, and the rest of the team was either at the hospital or working with Steve to hunt down Kieran Hayes and Beau Prater.

Logan dropped onto the couch. “Thanks for coming over so early.” Fortunately, they all functioned well with minimal sleep.

“How is she?” Jason asked.

“She was set on leaving. The fear in her eyes…God, it tears me up just thinking about it.”

Fear had completely consumed her. He’d work as hard as necessary to chase it away and replace it with safety.

“If she’s here, the asshole will probably stay,” Aidan said quietly. “It will make it easier for us to get him.”

Fuck, that left a sick feeling in his gut. But he needed this guy caught. Not just because he needed to die for what he’d done to Grace and every other woman he’d hurt, but also because otherwise, she’d spend a lifetime looking over her shoulder.

Not going to happen.

“I spoke to Wyatt,” Jason said quietly. “He’s looking into local businesses here in Cradle Mountain, working out which ones have surveillance footage that he can hack. He’s going to use the footage of Kieran from the hospital for photo recognition.”

“He found the car, though,” Aidan added. “It was left on the outskirts of Cradle Mountain, near the border to Ketchum.”

“Figures.” The asshole wasn’t dumb enough to continue driving the thing. “Her patients are going into witness protection tomorrow. After that, I plan to keep her with me until he’s caught.”

“Wyatt’s also searching for Prater using similar methods,” Jason said. “But he’s broadening his search to surrounding towns for the guy.”

The sound of his phone ringing from the bedroom pulled his attention. Logan cursed under his breath, realizing he’d forgotten to grab it before coming out. And the thing wasn’t on silent.

He was just standing when he heard the rustle of Grace climbing out of bed. A few seconds later, she entered the room, his phone in hand.

She stopped at the sight of Jason and Aidan, her eyes widening just slightly. She was still wearing her clothes from yesterday after they’d fallen asleep in them, her hair was rumpled…and damn, but she was cute.

“Hey.” She nibbled her bottom lip. “Sorry, I didn’t realize…I’ll leave the phone and go.”

She walked the phone over to Logan, but before she could step away, he took her hand, tugging her to his lap. “It’s okay. This involves you, too.”

He pressed a kiss to her head, enjoying the way she curled into him.

When his phone rang again, he noticed it was Steve. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“We got Beau Prater.”

Jason and Aidan straightened, while Logan’s hand tightened on Grace’s waist. The phone wasn’t on speaker, but he knew everyone could hear, including Grace, since she was so close. “Your friend Wyatt helped us locate him, then your team ran him out of Ketchum. My guys found him on the border of Ketchum and Bellevue. The girl was with him.”

He felt Grace stiffen. With relief or apprehension, he wasn’t sure. He stroked her side as Steve continued.

“We’ll keep her safe tonight before transferring her to one of the safe houses tomorrow. We’ll also take Prater into custody and try to get information from him on Kieran’s location.”

“I want to question him,” Logan said immediately.

Steve sighed. “Logan—”

“I know what you’re going to say, that your boys can do it. That it’s their job. But I can do it better.”

Not only was he thoroughly trained in interrogation strategies from his time in special forces, he was also more motivated than anyone else to extract the information.

Steve sighed. “Fine. I’ll make it happen. But you need to do it this morning. Within the next hour. We’re detaining him in Bellevue for now. There’s too much red tape for me to wade through after that.”

“Done.”

Hanging up, Logan looked at Grace.

She was frowning. “I hope she’s okay.”

He prayed for the same thing. Pressing a kiss to her head, he met her gaze. “I hate to ask you this, but are you okay—”

“Yes.” She cut him off before he could finish. “It’s important for you to be the one to question Prater, and I want to be where you are. So, yes, I’ll go to Bellevue.”

He nodded. “Thank you. I’ll need you to remain in the hall with one of the guys while I go in, but you’re safe with them.”

Nerves rattled Grace’s stomach. She was anxious about being in the same building as a man so similar to Kieran. So close to Kieran.

She took a deep breath as Logan parked the car in the police station parking lot. Reaching out his hand, he wrapped it around hers. And that’s how easy it was for the man to make her feel safe. “Jason will sit with you in the foyer. I’ll be just down the hall.” Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the Find ɴøᴠel.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

She nodded, even though the very thought had her heart beating wildly. Not because she was worried about herself, but for Logan. Theoretically, she knew how much stronger, faster, and just generally more lethal Logan was, but mentally and emotionally…she didn’t want Logan anywhere near the guy.

Logan remained silent for a moment, studying her closely. Suddenly, he shook his head and started the engine again. “I’ll have the guys question him. You and I can spend the day together doing something else.”

“What? No!” Her seat belt was off and her door open before he could start reversing. “This is important to you, so you’re doing it.”

She jumped out of the car, hearing his curse seconds before the car switched off again and he was in front of her. She turned toward the station, but Logan shifted, blocking her path. Two warm, hard hands went to either side of her face.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Yes. Let’s get this done, Logan.” The sooner it was done, the sooner everything was over…hopefully.

Sighing, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. It was a kiss that tugged at her heart, that had her wanting to pull him close and never let go.

At the sound of footsteps, they parted slowly. Jason and Aidan walked up beside them. Together, the four of them walked into the police station. They’d only just stepped inside when a door opened down the hall and shouting sounded.

A man with sandy-blond hair and tattoos scattered across his body was being tugged out of a room by police officers. Aggression and violence thickened the air around them. When he looked up, he briefly scanned Logan, Aidan, and Jason.

Then his eyes landed on Grace.

His struggles momentarily paused, his feet rooting to the floor. “Holy shit—it’s you!”

Grace almost took a step back at his words. At the way a hundred percent of his attention sat solely on her.

Logan moved in front of her, blocking the man’s view. Jason and Aidan edged closer, warming either side of her.

Even though she couldn’t see him, his voice carried to her ears. “Grace fucking McKenna! Your hair’s different but I’ve seen your face enough times…”

Her blood ran cold at the sound of her name. Her real name.

“He’s not going to stop, you know.” He sounded farther away now. “Even after all these years, he’s just as obsessed. He’s going to find you! Your time is limited, sweetheart!”

A door opened and closed. The voice disappeared from the air but remained in her head. Haunting her.

Turning, Logan cradled her cheeks. “Hey. Look at me, honey.”

She did. She watched Logan’s deep brown eyes as they washed over her face.

“You’re safe.”

She nodded. She was. “I know. Safe with you.”

His lips pulled up at the corners. “Safe with me.”

She nodded toward the hall. “Go get some information from that asshole. I’ll wait here.”

He chuckled softly, his mouth touching her forehead, his lips lingering, before he straightened and walked down the hall with Aidan.

Jason nodded his head toward a bench, waiting for her to sit first before lowering beside her. Beau’s words were still repeating in her head, but Logan’s voice was louder. Washing out the doubt and fear that tried to creep in.

Turning to look at Jason, Grace noticed he had a frown on his face. It was a look of concentration. He was listening, or at least trying to.

Were they close enough to hear? Could he hear over the noises of the police foyer? The sound of footsteps and shuffling papers and other movement?

“Are you worried about Logan?” The question slipped out before she could stop it.

Jason turned to look at her, the frown gone. “About him in that room? Or him in general?”

“About the lengths Ice…Kieran…will go to in order to get rid of him and take me.”

“No.”

So sure. “You’re that confident in his safety?”

“Yes.”

Memories of her last bodyguard flashed through her mind. A shiver rocked her spine. “I know he’s tougher than most guys, but he’s not invincible.”

Jason dipped his head. “True. But he’s as close as they come. He’s been through the best training in the world, both during his time in special forces and with his time at the Project Arma compound. Add in everything else he can do, and he’s definitely the man you want watching your back.”

It made sense. It did. But when feelings were involved, sense sometimes took a back seat. “I still worry.”

“I know. I can see that. But trust me, the man stops at nothing to protect his own…and he’s definitely claimed you as his own.”

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