Saved By The Enemy (Hacienda Heights Book 3) Page 10

  A crowd of people waited on the tarmac. For a dizzy second, I was sure that it was the paparazzi, waiting for a glimpse of Keenan. But no, almost every face in the crowd was a familiar one. The Senator. Mom. Gideon. And a dozen women stood behind them. My beautiful Hustler girls were here as well, waiting for my return—Clara, Aurora, Bella, and all the others.

  A knot formed in my throat and tears stung my eyes. I sniffled, wiping at my eyes before they could fall. It felt like I’d done a lifetime’s worth of crying since starting this whole debacle. But the sight of my family, new and old, waiting for me did me in.

  Hands reached for me, clasping my arms, rubbing at my shoulders. I was swarmed, bodies pressing in on me from all sides. Logan allowed it, though he refused to let me go. When the crowd pulled back, I found myself wrapped firmly in the Senator and Mom’s arms. I leaned into her side heavily, and the tears finally broke loose.

  “I have so much to tell you,” I said in a hushed whisper. “I missed you so much. Thank you for coming.”

  “I know, honey, and I missed you too,” she said with a small, sad smile. “But it should probably wait until morning. Logan says you haven’t been well. Your father and I are going to be staying in the guest house for the time being.”

  “Why in the morning? Why are you staying in your guest house?” I pressed. I clung to her, not wanting to let her go.

  “Because we have to deal with Isadora,” Gideon said, slinging his arms around me for a tight bear hug, “and your girls have been staying at your parents’ house until the danger has passed.”

  “Isadora? Danger?” I said, recoiling. I’d sensed that the men had been holding something back from the covert glances they’d given each other, but I hadn’t wanted to do anything other than sleep. “Is she here?”

  “She’s returning to the States,” Gideon said with a grim nod. “Logan, Keenan, and I are going to deal with her tomorrow. But your girls have been through quite a shock and I thought you might want to stay with them, at least for a few hours.”

  Anxiety tightened my chest and I found it hard to speak past the lump in my throat. “Oh God, Gideon. What’s happened now?”

  “Everything is fine,” Logan said, gently extracting me from Gideon’s embrace. He kept the possessive note out of his voice, but I could feel it in every fiber of muscle that held me. He didn’t like Gideon touching me. “I had Gideon do a bomb sweep. Someone placed a device beneath the porch that would have blown the place sky high if detonated. The girls are shaken, but none of them were harmed.”

  My stomach dropped into my toes as I stared at Logan and Gideon in horror. A bomb? Isadora had planted a bomb on Hustler premises? When? And what the hell had I ever done to Isadora to deserve this level of backlash? I’d seen her father, yes. But I’d never been physical with him. I’d never posed a threat to her empire. The arrangement with him had ended shortly before he died.

  I sought out my stepfather’s face in the crowd. I wasn’t exactly eager to be under his roof again. But if he’d taken in my girls, perhaps he really had changed. “We can really stay at your estate? Logan and I could take them to his house. Kathleen too.”

  “I insist. They are all welcome.” There was no room for argument with the steely-eyed Walter Blakely.

  I nodded after a moment. Though I didn’t trust him personally yet, I did trust him not to hurt the dozen women he had taken in. To be abusive wasn’t in his nature. Once I spent some time with them, I’d retreat to Logan’s house for my own peace of mind. It was a shock to realize his house would soon be my house as well, by law. I was going to marry him as soon as humanly possible. But first, I had to make sure my girls were okay. I couldn’t abandon them in this state.

  My stepfather nodded, the light catching the silver at his temples. “Good. Your room is being prepared as we speak. We’ll stay in the guest house as long as you need.”

  The announcement was short and sweet, but I saw it for what it was. He was offering me an olive branch, allowing me and my girls to stay even though he’d never approve of my profession. I could shove it back in his face or accept the kindness. The choice was mine.

  I gave him a shaky smile. “Thank you, Walter.”

  I wasn’t ready to call him Dad, like I used to. But I hoped one day that would change. I missed him too. His mouth turned up at the edges, and I knew he accepted my olive branch in return.

  I slid my hand into Logan’s, and we started toward the distant terminal. I was surrounded by people I loved and who loved me in return. The day would have been perfect, if my enemy wasn’t still lurking, waiting to snatch it all out from under me.

  “I want to go with you tomorrow,” I said to Logan in an undertone. “I won’t just stand idly by while you try to punish her for me. When you confront Isadora, I want to be there.”

  Logan frowned. “We’ll talk about it in the morning.”

  “But—”

  Logan tipped my chin up and kissed me, cutting off my protest. I couldn’t even be angry with him. I was too grateful to him for single-handedly saving me, saving these women I loved. And I knew he had everything to do with even Keenan and my family being here.

  “In the morning,” I said with a nod.

  “Until then, I’m going to keep you too busy to think,” Logan promised in a husky voice.

  I shivered. “Looking forward to it.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Logan

  Mina was finally curled up next to me on the bed, hogging all the covers, as usual. I didn’t begrudge her them at all though. After all she’d been through, she could have stolen every linen in the Senator’s house and I wouldn’t have complained.

  Though I’d urged her to sleep after our second round, Mina had insisted on one last romp before she finally fell asleep at four in the morning. Breakfast for all the Hustlers was due to be ready in four hours, as per the Senator’s request. The old man really was trying to be accommodating, which was the least Mina deserved after the hell she’d survived.

  When my phone buzzed, I swiped to answer automatically so that it wouldn’t wake Mina. She needed sleep. I knew from when I took a bullet in Falluja that the body took a long time to heal. I wasn’t going to cost her one nanosecond of sleep.

  I brought the cell up to my ear and in a low voice said, “Yes?”

  Gideon’s voice was breathless on the other end. “I found it.”

  “Found what?”

  “I think I found the motivator, even if I’m a little iffy on the why where Mina is concerned.”

  I sat up straight and slung my legs over the side of the bed, slipping on a pair of the Senator’s house slippers as I padded into the hall. “What did you find, Gideon?”

  “I had to bribe a coroner to unseal them, but I finally got the real copy of Alastair Anwick’s autopsy results. The one made public had redactions.”

  My pulse sped. This was it. The elusive reason. “What did it reveal?”

  “That Anwick didn’t die of a heart attack, like everyone thought. He died of heavy metal poison. The first coroner to look at his body suspected murder, but it was swept beneath the rug. Money talks. There’s no link to Isadora yet though, officially.”

  “But it’s a good bet she killed him,” I said, rubbing my eyes as I paced the hall.

  “I was thinking the same. I’m also thinking the motive had something to do with Mina, though God only knows what that could be other than her and Alastair’s professional relationship.”

  “I’ll talk to her about it later. Tomorrow Mina and I will be getting married.”

  There was stunned silence on the other end of the line for a moment, before Gideon let out a breath, his voice strained as he said, “Congratulations.”

  “You don’t have to say that, you know. I know this hurts, and I’m sorry for that. You deserve to be happy.”

  I was not sorry enough to let her go. But I knew what it felt like to love Mina and be unable to have her. I’d lived through that hell for six years, and the par
ade of women I’d slept with had never been able to dilute the bittersweet taste of that love.

  Gideon sighed. “I’ve seen the way she looks at you, Logan. I never stood a chance.”

  “It still stabs like a bitch though.”

  “Yeah.” Gideon let the silence grow thick between us before he spoke again. “Isadora is going to be back to work on Monday. I’m going to arrange a meeting. I’ll fake the names. I assume you’ll want to be with me when it goes down?”

  “Yes. Keenan too. I think he’s earned the right to meet his sister’s blackmailer.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  Once again, Gideon hung up without saying goodbye. I couldn’t even blame him this time. I’d have been crushed in his place. I didn’t envy him the next few months, trying to drown the memory of Mina in gin or a faceless woman.

  I padded back to the room and found Mina awake, propped up on one elbow, waiting for me. I didn’t resist when she pulled me into the bed and clambered on top of me.

  “You should be sleeping,” I said, trying to keep my tone light.

  “You promised to keep me busy until morning,” she purred, molding her body to mine in an utterly indecent way. She wore very little, having donned only a nightshirt after our last tryst. I could feel just how wet she was against my thigh as she wiggled enticingly against me, coaxing me further.

  I surrendered with a groan, rolling her beneath me. In seconds, I was painfully hard. I slid into her in one smooth stroke, letting out a moan when her walls clenched enticingly around me. She lifted her good leg to hook around my waist, urging me on.

  I thrust into her hard and to the hilt. I sought out her mouth, my tongue delving in to taste her even as I pounded into her tight, wet heat. I couldn’t imagine anything better than this. Mina, in my bed, making soft little sounds of pleasure. Mina, gloriously beautiful and proudly wearing the ring I’d given her on her finger.

  “You’re mine,” I growled, moving my lips to her throat.

  “All yours,” she agreed as she motioned for me to flip her. She struggled to her knees, sliding herself over my body with sinuous grace. Reaching between us, she cupped my arousal and guided my cock to her entrance. She lowered herself onto me with a moan, her head rolling back to expose the creamy expanse of her throat as she surrounded me.

  She met me thrust for thrust, her breasts moving in time with her firm downstrokes, and the roll of her hips against mine had me seeing stars. She dug her nails into my chest, staring down at me with a look of triumphant satisfaction.

  “Don’t forget though,” she panted. “You’re mine too.”

  Fucking Mina wasn’t just a pleasant experience. It was a phenomenon.

  She rode me until we were both out of breath and slick with sweat. I pulled her close to my chest as the telltale flutter of her impending orgasm stole my breath. When she came in my arms with an indecent sound that made me smirk, I found my own release seconds later.

  “I’m yours, and you’re mine,” I murmured into her ear as she snuggled contentedly into my side. “‘Til death do us part.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Mina

  Heather burst into tears. Again.

  I let out a small, watery chuckle and dabbed at my eyes. “Stop crying, Heather. You’re going to make me cry again and I know you don’t want to do this makeup for a third time!”

  Heather smoothed my veil down, maneuvering me in the small dressing room so we could admire my reflection in the mirror.

  Logan had sent us out on our clandestine mission shortly after breakfast, telling me to charge whatever I liked to his card. I could have bought everything myself, especially now that the Senator had restored my trust, but he’d insisted. After only two hours of browsing bridal boutiques, I’d found the perfect dress. The creme-colored wedding gown had a beaded sweetheart neckline, a lace bodice and a flaring tulle skirt that fell to my ankles. We’d found a matching pair of flats at the boutique and a veil that fit perfectly with the elaborate updo Heather had arranged my hair in. We’d also purchased a lavender dress for my one and only bridesmaid to wear when she stood up with me.

  If I’d had my way, I would have had every Hustler stand up with me. They were all family to me, and choosing between them would have been nearly impossible. But Logan didn’t have thirteen other friends to stand up with him at a moment’s notice. So we’d decided that Keenan would stand by Logan’s side, and Heather would for me. The Hustler girls had arrived with my parents not too long ago, and everyone was waiting for us in the chapel.

  “What if I trip?” I said, biting my lower lip that was expertly done up in red. My hair had been impossible to restore completely to its natural color. Heather had done her best to find the right shade, but the ringlets were more copper than the natural, indecisive shade of my hair. Still, I couldn’t deny the effect was gorgeous.

  “You’ll be fine,” Heather said with a sniffle. “Logan won’t care if you come down that aisle in scuba gear, Mina.” She blinked back tears. “I just can’t believe my best friend is getting married.”

  Clara opened the door and poked her head in. “It’s time!” she sang.

  Kathleen pushed in behind Clara and handed me the bouquet of white roses I would be carrying. “You look perfect,” she whispered.

  Nerves settled into my stomach as Heather led me out in the hall. A moment later, she was on Keenan’s arm, strolling down the aisle.

  Soft strains of the bridal march began, and the Senator stepped up, winking at me. “You look positively stunning today, Mina.”

  “Thank you,” was all I was able to get out before my throat closed with emotion. The Senator had been going out of his way for me to the point that it was like he was another man from the one I’d known.

  I took my stepfather’s arm, and a moment later, the doors opened. As the Senator led me to doorway, my breath caught.

  The wedding chapel that Logan had booked was absolutely stunning. The floors were an off-white marble and the walls were lit up with dozens of strands of glowing faerie lights. Silver chairs were arranged in neat little rows, and every single person in attendance rose to face us. Heather waited, beaming at me from the front.

  Looking around, I was frozen to the spot by the sight of Logan, waiting at the end of the aisle for me.

  He belonged on the cover of GQ. He was simply unreal, decked out as he was in a black tux. A violet vest stretched across his broad chest, an echo of the color of Heather’s dress—she must have texted Keenan as we were purchasing wedding attire. Logan had cropped his hair short, in the crew cut I knew he so enjoyed wearing. I wanted to run my fingers through his shorn hair and pull him in for a hot, needy kiss. This was the man I’d missed. My Logan was back. And I was about to marry him.

  Only the tether of my stepfather’s arm kept me from sprinting to my fiancé and kissing him full on the mouth.

  When we finally reached the altar, the rest of the ceremony passed in a blur. As I said my vows, Logan’s face lit like a Christmas tree. And when the minister’s voice pronounced us husband and wife, I stood on tiptoe and threw my arms around Logan, pulling him down for the longest, most passion-filled kiss I could give.

  Logan pressed me down into the mattress until all I could see was my husband.

  I scrambled to undo the fastenings on his vest as he struggled with the zipper of my dress.

  “Fuck, why is this thing so hard to get off?”

  “Because you’re impatient,” I said with a giggle. “Slow down. We have all night.”

  “Can’t,” he murmured against my throat. “I want to be inside of you. God, it’s all I’ve thought about all day. Thank God we didn’t stay after drinks.”

  The rest of the bridal party and my parents had stayed at the reception after we’d left, drinking champagne and dancing. Though I’d insisted on the traditional dances, I had carefully avoided my own flute of champagne when we’d toasted, spilling the contents onto the table in a brilliant display of clumsiness. If Logan ha
d guessed the reason, he hadn’t said.

  “Mmm-hmm,” I agreed heartily, running my hands over his shorn hair. It felt a little odd beneath my fingers, but silky and soft.

  The rasp of my zipper in the darkness made my heart thud faster. Logan pushed the dress off my shoulders, baring my breasts entirely. I hadn’t been able to find a strapless bra in my size on short notice and had decided to go without. Logan groaned, kissing down to one firm breast, palming it in his hand. His lips found the nipple, and my back arched as he used his tongue and teeth on that sensitive bud, bringing the flesh to attention. He did the same with the other, even as I managed to undo his fly.

  “Pants off,” I snapped.

  Logan yanked me up off the bed and to my feet. “You first.”

  The half-sleeves fell down to my elbows and I wiggled my hips, wriggling free of the dress. It pooled at my feet with a soft hissing sound. Logan stared raptly at me, hunger clear in his eyes. The look made my pussy clench tight with need. It wasn’t just Logan who’d been anticipating this union. I wanted him inside me too.

  Logan undid his belt leisurely and let it fall to the floor, watching with amusement as irritation played across my face.

  “We have all night,” he reminded me at the impatient mewl that escaped my throat. Then he pushed his pants down, and his erection sprang free.

  I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Commando, at his wedding. But it worked. All of my concentration focused on his member, and I dropped to my knees in front of him, ignoring the twinge of pain from my leg.

  Logan groaned when I wrapped a hand around his cock and licked along the underside, following the vein all the way to the succulent head. His hand came down to fist in my hair when I ran my tongue along the mushroom head, pulling him into my mouth like the most delicious sucker I’d ever had.