My blood stopped flowing when I heard the underlying implication. “Last time I checked, Brian was in jail. He had bail set at a few million; I made sure of that.”
“Then can you tell me why my sister got flowers and a card delivered to our door from him? It had a creepy poem on it.”
“Your sure it was him that delivered it?” That made no sense. Cortez would have notified me if Brian had gotten out of jail. I thought for a brief moment about having one of my security guards watch her apartment because I couldn’t be there. I didn’t, and I regretted that decision.
“Yeah, she said it was his handwriting on the envelope.”
“So? He could have written it in jail. That isn’t a big deal.”
“I suppose it wouldn’t be if the ink wasn’t still wet. It got on her hands. He was there, right outside our apartment door, and we had no idea. This guy; he is dangerous. He gets more daring, closer, loses his mind just a little bit more, Mr. Stoneridge. Over the last year, I thought that restraining order was enough, but I don’t think it is. I don’t think this man will stop until he has her. Mr. Stoneridge, my sister is the only thing I have in this world, and I thought when we moved here, I had fixed everything for her. I wanted her to have a better life, but now she is scared again. I don’t want to have to hold her through the night while she cries anymore.”
She cried? Did she have nightmares? I had to get over there. I needed to make sure she was safe with my own eyes. First, I was going to give Officer Cortez a call. I wanted to be there for Lucy and hold her in my arms tonight and keep her safe from it all. It would be another boundary I would cross with us. It seemed, her and I had the same thought this week of staying away from each other.
Lucy was scared, but I didn’t know what I was. My heart knew what I wanted, and I knew I wanted her, but my mind was playing tricks on me. What could I offer her? I was an asshole, and that was on a good day.
“I’ll go over there with you.” Logan and I stood at the same time, and it was then I saw the true difference between us physically. We were the same height, but I was thicker. He wore workers’ clothes, and I wore the clothes that showed I paid his bills, yet I didn’t feel above him, and I hoped he didn’t feel inferior to me. I wanted him and I to get along because he’d be seeing a lot of me.
“You don’t have to do that, Mr. Stoneridge. I can protect my sister.” His hand grabbed my arm when I turned away from him, and I glanced down where he touched me. No one touched me unless I permitted it.
“I’m not saying you can’t. I’m saying it isn’t your job anymore.”
“Like fucking hell it isn’t.” The professional Logan was gone, replaced with an enraged protective brother. His fingers tightened around my arm more, causing the patience I had to thin. “It will always be my job to protect my little sister. Always. I don’t know what you two have going on, but don’t think for one minute you can barge in and take my spot in her life. She’s my sister. I’m the one only two years older than her that still made sure she got her through high school, graduations, proms, everything. Me.” Logan pounded his chest, making it a point to show that it was him that he was talking about. “Don’t think for one minute I’m going to let any man try to come in and tell me it’s not my job to look after my sister. Not for one fucking minute.”
“It’s a good thing you love her so much and that I know you are the only important thing in her world, for now.” But I plan on being the most important thing to her on another level; I’m not trying to take your sister away from you, I’m just taking care of what’s mine and giving you the chance to put yourself first for a change. “ This is the first and last time you will ever touch me. Next time I’ll rip your damn arm out of your socket if you do. Let me make one thing clear, Mr. Green, I respect you wanting to take care of your sister, hell I even respect you for trying to take me on but make no mistake who the more powerful man is here.”
Logan took a step closer to me and sneered, keeping his voice low and slight on a whisper. “You think I care how powerful you are? You think I care if you have money? I don’t care about any of that. I stopped caring about you being my boss when you started eyeing my sister. Right now, your just a man trying to get close to her, and it is my job to make sure another man doesn’t become another Brian. Right now, you’re just that, another man.”
The words made my teeth grind together. Another man…I was not another man to Lucy. I was the man. In time, her and I would be together. In time. “Think what you want to think, Mr. Green, but I am not just another man. Whether you like it or not, I’m coming with you to your apartment.”
Logan glanced away for a second, jaw sliding back and forth, clearly unhappy about it, but I really didn’t give a fuck. “I understand. She’ll be glad to see you.”
Yeah, I doubted that. For the last week, Lucy had done everything in her power to ignore me, but I still found a way to be near her. I’d hover behind her, skim a touch down her arm, and while she pretended like she hated being near me, she never pulled away. She leaned in, wanting more, and I wanted to give her more.
Only when she was ready.
“Let’s go. There’s no time to waste. He could be there right now.” I rolled up the blueprints and stuffed it in a cylinder to protect it. Next, I grabbed my briefcase and sketchbook, and my charcoal pencils. I wasn’t like most people today that used a tablet or a computer to draw, I like the feel and weight of the sketchpad, the pencil in my hand, there was nothing better for me to destress. I loved to sketch, and it wasn’t always buildings. I liked to ease my mind off work and draw anything that didn’t involve damn windows.
“He isn’t there. Brian may be an idiot, but after what happened at the bar, he won’t risk coming into contact with her around people. As long as she isn’t alone, she’s fine.” Logan followed me out of the office door, and Barbara, the old minx, blew him a kiss. Logan paused at her desk and leaned his hips against it. “You can’t be teasing a man like that, ma’am.”
“I can do whatever I want. I’m double your age. If I want to blow a handsome man a kiss, I’ll do so.”
“Watch out; they might just kiss back.” And to my fucking shock, Logan wrapped his arms around Barbara, dipped her back from her chair like men did with women in black and white movies, and laid kiss right on her lips.
Barbara’s arms flew in the air, and her hands shook until they landed on the back of Logan’s head, deepening the kiss. Logan placed her back down until her feet were set on the ground and ripped his lips away.
“Well damn, Barbara, I think you met your match,” I said, respecting Logan for giving the woman a taste of her own medicine.
Logan winked at her as he walked away, and Barbara’s face was a flaming red. She fanned herself, and her pink lipstick was smeared around her mouth. “Oh my, I think you just made me feel forty years younger,” she said.
“You let me know when you need to feel that way again, and I’ll be here, gorgeous.”
“Oh, you,” Barbara giggled like a young girl with a crush. I guess that never changed with age, the feeling of love, lust, or interest. Barbara knew she didn’t have a chance in hell with Logan, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy herself. I hadn’t seen a smile like that on Barbara in years. I had yet to meet a man with the balls to do something about her flirtations.
I pressed the button of the elevator, and when the doors opened, Logan stepped in before me. When we started to descend, I snorted, and whatever tension that was between us faded as we both laughed.
“I can’t believe you do that,” I said, fishing for answers as to why he would.
“Why? She’s just an older lady wanting attention. She’s already had the love of her life. She just wanted to feel pretty again, young, and I gave her that. She doesn’t want anything else.”