The door opened at that exact moment, and Shannon sprang to her feet as Logan and Cole strode into the room. There was a heavy, dangerous air around them.
“What happened?” Maia said, getting to her feet as I did.
“He got the message,” Logan said, features tight with grim fury. “Without violence. Although I had to hold this one back the whole time.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Cole.
Cole looked ready to explode.
Shannon took a tentative step toward him, whispering his name.
Logan looked at Maia and then at me. “Let’s leave these two alone.”
I gathered my things as Maia hugged a very distracted Shannon good-bye. I touched her shoulder as I pa.s.sed her and grabbed Logan’s hand.
There was no point saying anything to Cole. His eyes were locked on Shannon, and I had a feeling I knew how he was going to expend all that unused energy inside of him.
I blushed at the thought and held tighter to Logan.
“Are you okay?” I said as soon as we were out of the flat.
“Aye,” he a.s.sured me. “I’ll tell you everything when we get home. Are you okay?”
“She was brilliant,” Maia threw over her shoulder as she led us out the building. “But I’ll let her tell you how it went.”
“Maia was there?” He frowned at me.
“No,” she said, “but I wish I had been.”
Since no one felt like cooking that night, we grabbed some fish and chips while we were out and took them back to Logan’s. We snuggled up in his sitting room, eating, while he related what happened.
His eyes glinted with triumph. “You should have seen his face when he saw these six blokes walking toward him. And then he saw me. By then it was too late. We were right in his face.”
“Were there other people in the park watching?” Maia said, her eyes bright with excitement at the thought of the drama.
Logan nodded. “Aye, we definitely had an audience.”
“The six of you are quite a sight,” I muttered, my lips twitching with amus.e.m.e.nt at the thought.
He chewed on a chip and then swallowed. “The first thing Ollie said was, ‘Where’s Shannon?’ Cole just lunged for him. Luckily, I’m fast. But I had to keep ahold of him the whole time.”
“So what else did he say?”
“Ollie basically said that he wanted to apologize for what he’d done. That he was a different person.”
“What did you say?”
“I said Shannon didn’t want his apology. She had moved on, had a life, a family, and a fiancé. Cole may have thrown a few expletives at him at that point. And then I told Ollie that Shannon never wanted to see him again and that if he tried to contact her we’d call the police.” He smirked. “And then Braden stepped forward and told him Shannon had a family here now and that family would protect her. He said it was best Ollie returned to Glasgow.”
“Is that it?” Maia grimaced, clearly disappointed there had been no fists involved.
Logan grinned at her. “It wasn’t what he said, Maia. It was how he said it.”
I shared a knowing smile with him. “These people are good people.”
He winked at me, obviously in agreement.
“Well, as long as this guy p.i.s.ses off and leaves Aunt Shannon alone, I guess that’s all that matters.” Maia shrugged, shoving a piece of fish in her mouth.
“Don’t use the word ‘p.i.s.s.’” I shook my head at her.
“b.u.g.g.e.r off?” she suggested, her mouth full.
I wrinkled my nose. “Chew before you talk.”
She swallowed and bugged her eyes out at Logan. “She’s bossy tonight.”
I shrugged. “It’s been that kind of day.”
“You still haven’t told me what happened with your dad.”
“Later,” I said, with more than that promise in my eyes.
Understanding, his own gaze grew heated. He looked away before Maia caught on. “Movie?” he asked her.
“Sure.” Maia put her plate on the coffee table and wandered over to the cabinet with the DVDs. “I guess this is as good a time as any to tell you I’ve got a date next Sat.u.r.day.”
Logan choked on a chip.
“A boy from the swim program?” Logan stood in my bedroom doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. “And I’ve just to say yes?”
I sat on the edge of the bed wearing a s.e.xy blue silk nighty, and that was the first thing he said to me upon his arrival. I had to stop myself from laughing.
“Well?” he said.
“She’s sixteen, Logan. She said that he’s also sixteen. It doesn’t sound like the end of the world. He could be nineteen and riding a motorcycle.”
“I have to meet him.”
“That’s your prerogative. But you will not scare him away.”
He glowered at me. “I thought that was part of my job.”
I chuckled. “A gentle warning perhaps – not a full-blown threat.”
He seemed to consider this, and then he sighed. “You’re sure she’s not too young?”
“She behaves older than most girls her age, and far more responsibly.”
“Maybe you should have the s.e.x talk with her just in case. You know, scare her off.”
I stood up, smoothing out the short nightdress. “If anyone should be getting the s.e.x talk, it’s you.” I gestured to my attire. “This should be getting a different reaction than it’s getting. I’ve checked…” I glanced over my shoulder at my b.u.m and deliberately plucked at the material covering it. “And it seems to accentuate all the right places, so I don’t think I’m doing anything wrong. That would be y—” I looked up again only to discover he’d silently crossed the room until he was inches from me.