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Chapter Seven
Outings
Logan had the decency to leave me alone after that. However, I couldn’t help but notice the contented smile that crept onto his lips every time I glanced in his direction. I tried not to let it distract me, but the research wasn’t getting me anywhere. When evening rolled around, I sighed heavily and closed the cover on the last book in front of me.
“This isn’t working,” I said. “There’s nothing here, it’s all too general and not helpful.”
Logan nodded, glancing at his watch before grabbing the backpack to go. I stretched as I slid into my sweater and followed him out the door. A crew was working on the hallway, so we took a narrow corridor toward the garage. Logan stopped at the end of the corridor to enter his passcode and I came up beside him, rubbing a hand over the stiff muscles in my neck. He glanced absently at the ceiling, where loose wiring hung from what was probably a camera before the work crews had taken it down, and his hand stilled on the handle of the door.
His eyes met mine, and my arm froze as I abruptly realized how close we were. He hadn’t spoken since my humiliating revelation, but the silence had been different then. Now, it was fully charged, and he was inches away from me.
“Brianna,” he whispered.
I couldn’t help that my gaze fell to his mouth when he spoke, but when he returned the gesture my throat went suddenly dry.
He moved closer, slowly, infinitesimally, and his eyes came back to mine. I waited, unable to move, until he finally said in a low voice, “Is it now?”
There was no question as to the “it” he was referring to, and a kind of thrilling terror spiked through me. The rational part of my brain was lost, but I knew it was somewhere, screaming,This is no time to kiss a stranger. After a moment, I managed a squeaky, “No.” However, it was quiet, because my chest had clenched too tight to gather more than a whisper’s worth of breath.
Logan smiled, but it wasn’t the same smile he’d worn earlier. I didn’t have the chance to fully classify it, though, because he pressed the final button and the keypad beeped as it allowed the door to open. I followed him through the next hall, heart pounding and hand pressed to my stomach, but when we reached the car, Logan opened the door for me as if nothing had happened. As if this situation was entirely normal.
As if I hadn’t just told him I’d had visions of us making out. I smacked a hand over my face, but quickly dropped it to my lap as the driver’s door opened. Logan slid in, checking my seatbelt was in place before starting the engine with the press of a button beside the steering wheel of what must have been an eighty thousand dollar car.
“Logan,” I asked, wanting to change the subject, but nearly losing my train of thought when he glanced over at me, “are these your cars?”
He smirked. “Security pays good, Brianna, but not that good.” I pursed my lips and he answered more fully. “On this particular assignment, I have unlimited access to both Council and Division resources.”
“So …”
“Pretty much anything I want.”
I considered that on the drive back to the Southmont house, though I couldn’t see what benefit it would be to my dilemma. I needed something intangible. I needed a miracle.
Emily was waiting on us this time, casually flipping through the last pages of the book she’d brought me during my recovery. Caught, she snapped the cover shut and stuffed it quickly behind a cushion. I grinned, not needing to announce to Logan that my sister had some kind of perverse penchant for reading only the end of a novel. She didn’t acknowledge my knowing smile, instead standing to give Logan a small wave. It struck me then that I had the perfect comparison for the prophecy. It was like reading the end of a book, knowing what would happen but having to wait to see how the chapters played out in between.
I turned to him, but started as Brendan walked out of the other room. My bedroom.
My gaze flicked to Emily, who was watching Logan stare at Brendan. It appeared a mild enough look, but somehow, I knew the expression held something more.
“Brianna,” Brendan said, completely ignoring Logan and his stare. “We finished bringing up your things.” He gestured toward my room. “I was just doing a final security sweep.”
Logan didn’t speak, but a muscle twitched in his arm where he stood beside me.
Brendan stepped closer, speaking only to me. “I didn’t realize you’d be leaving the property. I assure you, our teams will be ready for your next … outing.”
“Oh,” I said, not wanting Logan’s men to be caught in the middle of whatever tension my protection was creating, “I only went to the archives. I—”
Brendan cut me off. “As I said, tomorrow, we will be ready.”
“That won’t be necessary, Brendan,” Logan announced. “Brianna’s work at the archives is complete.”
Brendan’s jaw flexed, but his eyes stayed on mine. “Please, let me know if there is any way I can assist in your efforts.”
Emily rolled her eyes. “Actually, Brianna has an engagement with me this evening, so if you boys could just …” She made a shooing gesture with her hands. When the men were gone, the door closed behind them, Emily said, “What’s it like being a celebrity?”
I flopped down onto the couch. “Exhausting.” I turned back to her. “Is it not like that for you at Council?”
Emily shrugged. “I can’t exactly do anything exciting.” She winced at the implication and tried to cover it. “Like predicting the future, I mean.”
