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“You’ll have a whole entourage!” Bea exclaimed.
Gabriella doubted Leo knew what entourage meant, but he looked happy about it anyway.
“Please…” Leo begged her.
It would be nice for Leo to have Logan as a distraction his first day being driven to school by Jag, and Gabriella felt better knowing Logan would be there. She had no doubt that Jag was capable of guarding her five year old, but after the parking garage incident, she wouldn’t turn down a little extra protection for her son.
Or that’s what she told herself anyway.
She turned to Logan. “If you’re sure you don’t mind…”
“Not at all.”
She felt like he meant it. “Thank you.”
“Hear that, big guy? Your mom says we are on for the ride to school.” Logan clapped. “I’m guessing that means you need to brush your teeth or something.”
Bea ushered Leo off the stool. “Come on! Logan’s got it right. Go brush your teeth and get your backpack while I pack your snack.”
Ella watched Logan usher Leo upstairs. The kitchen was suddenly quiet with both of them gone.
She turned away from the hall to find Bea watching her with a grin.
“What?” Ella asked.
Bea’s grin grew wider and she started filling Leo’s lunchbox with cheese, crackers, and fruit. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Stop!” Ella’s cheeks were flaming. “I’m going to get ready for work.”
She hurried for the stairs, eager to leave behind the insinuation in Bea’s smile. If she wasn’t careful, the other woman would be planning a wedding for Ella and Logan by dinner.
17
Logan spent the day back at the penthouse, going over the specs for Ella’s new security system with Ford and reviewing the transportation protocol for holes. He’d been determined to create an airtight security plan before, but after spending time with Ella and Leo — and Bea — his sense of urgency had increased.
Sleeping under the same roof as Ella and Leo, spending the morning with them and taking the kid to school, had made the job even more personal, and he’d handed Leo off to one of the teaching assistants at drop-off with his heart in his throat.
Leo was so small. So vulnerable. The thought of anyone trying to hurt him filled Logan with a protective rage that was unfamiliar.
He’d gotten back in the car and ordered Jag not to leave the front of the line until Leo was inside, much to the annoyance of the other parents, who honked at them for a solid two minutes while they waited.
They’d dropped Bea at the house, and Logan had made sure August and Max were in place outside before heading back to the penthouse. Bea was the only one at Gabriella’s, but he wouldn’t take any chances with her safety or a breach of the house.
After going over some questions Beck and Ryker had about Ella’s schedule, they’d retired to get some shut-eye. They’d pick Ella up after work and be back on her street that night. It was important they were rested and alert.
Logan had called Hawk to touch base about Ella’s case and the others they had in process at Imperium, then gone to his bedroom in the apartment to take a nap. Jag was parked outside Leo’s school, waiting to take him home at the end of the day, and Holt was taking advantage of his day off to see some of the city.
The apartment was experiencing a rare moment of quiet, and Logan hadn’t slept well in spite of the comfortable room at Ella’s house.
He told himself he’d nap, check in with the men on duty that night, and spend the evening at the penthouse with the ones who were off. But a few hours later, he found himself in the car, looking at the warm glow of lights from Ella’s house just like he had the night before.
The rain was lighter tonight, and he looked at the house with something he was afraid to name as longing. He’d arrived just before the pizza delivery guy, who Beck had intercepted in the driveway. The poor kid had looked confused, but he’d gone back to his car, and to his credit, had waited to make sure Beck took the pizza inside.
They couldn’t afford a breach as stupid as that. From now until the trial, anyone not previously vetted would have to go through them to get to Ella and her son.
He thought of them inside, probably watching a movie with their pizza if the schedule Ella had provided was any indication.
It had been strange to sleep in her house, to think of her just down the hall, soft and asleep, and their conversation in the kitchen had lingered in his mind until weak sunlight had dawned over another rainy day.
