Logan clicked off and scanned the area. There were two white Taurus cars in the parking lot. Why couldn’t Dickhead drive a purple Caddy? Crumbling up the hamburger wrapper, he stuck it and his empty cup in the sack. He’d done as much as he could for the day, so he headed to Jared and Scott’s.
Although he kept an eye on the rearview mirror, his thoughts turned to Dani. Christ, he’d almost taken her on the floor—on a bed of popcorn, no less. His intention to be honorable was seriously at risk. Next time it happened, he needed to think of Mrs. Jankowski, and how disappointed she would be if he broke her number-one rule and screwed his best friend’s wife.
That damned mirror of Dani’s—the way her eyes had darkened and her breath had hitched when he’d traced the nude woman’s silhouette—had him wanting things. Things he’d managed to suppress for a very long time. And when she’d painted her toes the color of sunshine, unknowingly signaling she was happy, dangerous thoughts had crept into his mind. Dangerous to him anyway.
Claim Dani, make her his, and never let her go.
Yet, if he did, he’d have to face Mrs. Jankowski. From the day he’d received his first high mark in math and gotten a smothering hug from her—the first embrace of his memory—he’d begun to set goals. Get good grades, make Mrs. Jankowski happy. Work hard at the store, make Mrs. Jankowski happy. Be an honorable man, make Mrs. Jankowski happy and get a hug. Because of his self-appointed foster mother, he’d finally realized he could be more than Lovey Dovey had ever allowed him to believe.
His debt to Mrs. Jankowski was more than he could ever repay. If not for her, he would not be the man he was today, would likely be in prison. He had to decide between his love for Dani and failing the only woman who had been a steadying influence in his life. Mrs. Jankowski had, knowingly or unknowingly, set the bar high, and he suddenly had one question.
Was the bar fair?
Logan pulled over to the side of the road, his heart hammering so hard he feared he would blindly rear-end the car in front of him. He had to go see her. What if it didn’t count if his best friend was dead? What if he didn’t have to decide between love and honor? But he hadn’t brought Evan safely home to Dani. Did that take away his right for a chance with her? He had questions only Mrs. Jankowski could answer.
There were times when the influences of the two women who’d raised him clashed and his reasoning suffered for it—a weakness that he recognized and with which he struggled. Although he had turned his back on his mother’s lifestyle, he’d spent the first half of his existence living it, watching Lovey Dovey whore her way through life.
Then Mrs. Jankowski entered the picture. She’d been the light to his mother’s darkness. Once she’d shown him what could be, there had been no middle ground, no shades of gray for a boy determined to make a better life for himself and his sister. She’d taught him to reach for the stars, that they could be his. Could Dani be his, or was she a star far out of his reach?
Logan leaned his head back and closed his eyes, shutting out the noise of the passing traffic. What to do about Dani? Was it wishful thinking that it wouldn’t be wrong to pursue her? He could no more see the answer than he’d been able to see his hand in front of his face in a haboob, a massive sandstorm of the Middle East.
He had to talk to Mrs. Jankowski, and he didn’t want to do it over the phone, so it seemed a trip home was necessary. Whether Dani liked it or not, she and Regan were coming with him. It would do Dani good to get away from this situation and spend a few days at the beach.
Logan took out his cell phone and called Mrs. Jankowski to tell her he was coming home and bringing guests. He then called Buchanan. It wouldn’t hurt to meet with his team and have a strategy session to make sure they were all on the same page.
“Get anything on the license plate yet?” he asked as soon as Buchanan answered.
“Jesus, boss, you only gave me the numbers thirty minutes ago. Give a man a little time.”
“And it shouldn’t take more than five minutes to run it. Do you have anything?”
“Yes and no. The plate is registered to a company called Gateway, but it’s a dummy corporation. Gateway is owned by The Way. That’s as far as we’ve got, but it’s looking like there are layers of dummy companies here. What the hell have you stepped in this time, Kincaid?”
“I don’t know, but I’m not liking what I’m thinking. Those names, especially The Way, have the sound of a religious group.”
“Are you thinking cult, boss?”
“I don’t know what to think yet. We need more information. Our man could have stolen the truck and this is nothing more than an obsession on his part. If there is some religious group involved, then what the hell could they possibly want with Dani? Get Maria on this. She has a few more weeks before fall classes start. She loves this kind of thing, and if anyone can make sense of it, she can.”