AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Logan needs you to be safe, and Mama needs her caretaker.” Joe squeezed my arms again and peered into my eyes. He was doing everything he could to make sure I stayed safe as well.
Zoey and Lily joined us.
“What’s going on?” Zoey asked.
“I’ll fill you in later. I gotta run, but I’ll be back. Take care of Aria, okay? She needs her besties.” He pulled both women against him and kissed them deeply in turn. “Miss you already.”
As Joe left the apartment, Lily and Zoey fawned over me.
“Whatever it is, you can fill us in. But first, let’s focus on Mama,” Lily suggested.
“We’ve got you, girl,” Zoey assured me.
I knew for certain they did.
* * *
I was exhausted. Mama was a proud mother of six healthy little pups, four boys and two little girls of all different colours. I was especially smitten with the fawn baby who had blue on his nose and ears, and the little blue fellow with a fully white face and blue patches on his eyes. Maybe my menagerie would be started with Mama and one of her pups?
Unfortunately, the joyful scene in front of me couldn’t stop my mind from wandering to what Logan might be caught up in. I made sure to check on the health of each newborn, but I could barely focus.
I constantly checked my mobile phone for messages, but none came. I busied myself with the clean-up, but it was more to keep myself moving so I wouldn’t appear to be so jittery. No matter what I did, though, I couldn’t help the anxious feeling that had settled deep within me.
Logan, the only man I’d ever loved, was in serious danger and there was nothing I could do about it.
Or was there?
I glanced over at Lily and Zoey, who were huddled together on the couch with the TV on some music channel. Utterly distracted by the pups and one another, they cooed over the puppies and discussed which one Zoey should keep.
From my vantage point at the kitchen bench, it would take nothing for me to scoop up my purse and keys and sneak off to find Logan. I lowered my hand over my keys and slowly closed my fingers around them. I lifted them slowly, hoping they wouldn’t rattle too much as I did. I crept over to my bag, dropped them in, and slipped my bag onto my shoulder. I tiptoed over to the door and slid my feet into my flip-flops. As my hand fell upon the door handle, I was ecstatic that I was getting away with this.
“Where exactly do you think you’re going?”
With a gasp, I spun around and came face-to-face with Zoey.
“Uh . . .”
She slammed her hands onto her hips. “You’d better not be going in search of Logan.”
With a sigh, I put the strap of my purse over my shoulder. “I have to.”
“No, you don’t. It’s not safe, Aria!” Lily exclaimed from her spot on the couch.
“That’s exactly why I have to go.”
“That’s exactly why youshouldn’tgo!” Lily argued as she launched herself to her feet.
“What would you do if it was someone you cared about? What if it was Zoey or Joe?” I cried, waving my hands in the air.
“It is Joe!” Lily shouted. “He’s out there trying to save your guy’s skin! But we have faith in him, Aria. We believe that he can take care of himself and the people he has to help. He’s trained for this and so is Logan. You’re not!”
“I can’t simply stand by and wait. Logan needs me!”
“He needs you safe,” Zoey insisted.
I shook my head and opened the door. “I’ll never feel safe while he isn’t.”
I ignored my besties’ incredulousness as I walked out of the apartment. I pushed them out of my mind as I left the building and made my way to the subway, determined to get to Harlem and my man’s side.
