Crazy for Her(52)

Holy moly. “You know what, Barbie?”

The Barbie-doll assassin raised a finely arched brow. “What?”

“You scare the hell out of me.”

That was apparently the right thing to say because the woman gave a hearty laugh. “Then we understand each other?”

“Oh yeah. Under no circumstance hurt the boss.”

Logan finished his call, walked to the door, and put his index finger on a pad. A green light flickered on, and he punched in some numbers. “Welcome to K2,” he said.

As she took in the inner room, she saw it was totally different from the lobby. It was what she imagined a government situation room would look like. Maps covered one whole wall—some with different-colored stickpins in them. Were those places he had operations going on? Opposite the map wall were offices, all with glass windows, though some had the blinds closed.

Several men wearing headsets sat in the back, watching what looked like a team of soldiers in some kind of jungle on a huge screen. One of the men looked behind him and did a double take at seeing her. He leaned over and said something to the man next to him. The screen went blank, and they got up and went into one of the offices, closing the door and blinds.

“I didn’t mean to disrupt whatever it is they’re doing,” she said.

Logan put his hand on her lower back. “No problem, they have a smaller screen in the office.”

She liked the feel of his hand there. “What were they watching?”

He hesitated as if deciding what to tell her. “Here, I’ll show you.”

He led her to a large table in the middle of the room, to a digital map of South America, and pointed to an area near Ecuador. “Some missionaries were kidnapped and are being held for ransom. The team you just saw on the screen is going to try and rescue them.”

“I didn’t know you did things like that. Who kidnapped them?” She wished they hadn’t turned off the feed in the main room, as she would’ve liked to watch the rescue.

“Drug lords. They want ten million to release them, and their church doesn’t have that kind of money.”

A shudder went through her. Drug lords were ruthless killers, and it was highly probable the team she’d just seen were former SEALs. This was the kind of danger Logan put himself in when he went on a mission, and what would keep her from committing to a permanent relationship with him. She refused to bury another man she loved.

His hand caressed her back. “Are you cold?”

“No, I was just thinking about the danger those guys are walking into.”

He tilted his head and studied her. She didn’t try to hide the emotions roiling inside her. If she hadn’t asked him to come to Asheville, would he now be in that jungle with his men? Would this be the day he died? Tears burned her eyes and she turned away. She had already shown him too much, and she didn’t have the right to ask anything of him.

From behind her, he sighed. “Come with me,” he said, and took her hand.

He led her to the back corner of the room, stopping in front of a tapestry hanging on the wall. Woven with gold, burgundy, and brown threads, it featured a scene of a desert in full moonlight. An oasis was visible in the far distance, the obvious destination of the man and woman dressed in flowing robes. Between them, holding each of their hands, was a child of about six, and following them were two camels. There was a loving smile on the woman’s face as she looked down at the child. Knowing Logan’s background, she understood why the tapestry had appealed to him.

“This is beautiful,” she said. “Did you bring it back from Afghanistan?”

“Yes.” He put his palm on the wall next to it and it started to move.

Startled, Dani squeaked. He chuckled and pulled her into the room. She looked around. “Oh my, did you decorate this, too?”

“Yes.”

The room, obviously his office as there was a massive desk of what she thought to be mahogany, was understated elegance. Mahogany bookcases lined one wall, and a deep-brown leather couch sat along another. Sand-colored Berber carpet covered the floor, and the coffee table looked like a large piece of driftwood, highly varnished. She went to it and slid her fingers over the glossy surface. “This is awesome.”

“It’s my favorite and cheapest piece. I found it on the beach one day, and all it cost was the varnish and base.”

“It’s incredible.”

“Come and sit.”

Dani sank onto one of the soft leather chairs in front of his desk. Logan turned the other chair to face her and sat. Steepling his fingers under his chin, he regarded her as though her thoughts were stamped on her forehead for him to read. She resisted the urge to squirm.