Chapter 15 — Logan

Logan called Kellen early the following morning. His head was all over the place and he barely slept all night. “Morning. Is this too early?”

"Hey, Logan. No problem, I'm a morning person anyway. I was just getting ready to go to breakfast with Preston before we head to the garage.”

Logan smiled, remembering their Sunday morning ritual. “I have some more information for you, and I’d like you to run a check for me."

"Sure. Shoot.”

Logan explained to Kellen about the incident with Mason and his friend Chris from the night before. When they spoke last week, he'd already voiced his suspicions about them but last night just added further suspicion to his theory. He had a bad feeling about them and it would be worth looking into their whereabouts.

"I'm not getting great vibes with these guys at all—particularly Mason. Can you poke around to find out if either of them were in the city during the time of the last two incidents—the break-in and Tokyo? It’s worth a shot to see if anything comes up.”

"Geez, I thought they’d had disappeared off the face of the earth. I know we talked about it in the week but I thought it was a random coincidence. Fuck.” Kellen exhaled loudly. “I’ll get on it right away.”

“Thanks. Call me if you get anything—though I won’t hold my breath. Honestly, between them, I’m not convinced they have that many brain cells.” He ran a hand over his cheek, the light stubble feeling strange in place of his beard. “By the way, thanks for the package you sent up. I received it yesterday, but I haven't had a chance to give it to Reed yet—I think he’ll be in need of it today.” Logan chuckled. "He hit the beer and champagne pretty hard last night.”

Kellen laughed. "Good to see he had a night out—think he was feeling quite claustrophobic. I can't wait to have the guy back in the city; it doesn’t feel the same without him.”

“Understood. I’ll get your boy back as soon as I can."

It was still early in the morning and Logan knew that Reed was fast asleep. He sank back onto the sofa and sipped his coffee while his mind replayed the events of the night before. He silently groaned—just the thought of it had blood rushing to his groin.

God, he had never felt something so amazing as he did with Reed’s mouth on him. The feeling was new, intense, special—not something that he’d ever thought he'd experience in his life. He was feeling all kinds of confused about his feelings but one thing was certain—he didn't want Reed’s parents to think that he was taking advantage of their son. Not that they’d given any indication that they’d feel that way, but Logan was naturally cautious.

Logan flattened his lips, his brows drawing together. I have a job to do and I’d better do it well. Falling in love with his client was out of the question. Maybe once the threat was neutralized, they’d be able to explore their growing feelings, but for now, he had to remain professional—he couldn’t take his eye off the ball while Reed’s life was at risk.

Decision made, Logan decided to go out into the barn and tinker around while waiting for Reed to wake up. He left him a scribbled note on the counter and then headed outside to try and clear his thoughts, and start working on that beautiful Harley.

The morning soon faded into early afternoon, as Logan worked on the bike. He forced his confusion and feelings to the back of his mind and concentrated solely on the machine in front of him. It was after noon when Reed popped his head into the barn, a huge smile on his face. Logan sat up from under the bike and wiped his hands on a dirty rag.

“Morning," Reed said, leaning against the door, sipping on coffee.

Logan smiled, his heart beginning to thump at the sight of him, looking all rumpled as he'd clearly just woken up. His blond hair was sticking up in all directions, giving him a younger look. He was wearing a casual t-shirt and shorts.

“How’s it going?” he inquired. “Sleep well?"

There was no point in explaining to Reed about how his head was all over the place. He figured that maybe they’d have a talk later and get this all sorted out. He heard a vehicle coming up the drive and immediately moved to the entrance. In the distance, he could see the truck pulling up with Reed’s parents and their friends.

"Yeah, not too bad, thanks. How’s that head of yours?”

Reed winced. "Yeah, not feeling too great." He held up his cup of coffee. “But, I’m hoping a few of these will make all the difference.” He winked at Logan and looked over his shoulder to watch his parents hop out of the truck. They watched in silence as his Mom and Dad said their goodbyes.

“Hey Mom, Dad,” Reed shouted out. “Over here.”

George dropped their bag on the ground and threw an arm around Susan’s shoulder as they came over.

"How's it going?” Susan called out. “You boys have a good night’s sleep?"

I have the distinct feeling that Susan is catching onto us. He smiled pleasantly and nodded his head.

"Yeah," Reed said, rolling his eyes. “Remind me never to mix beer with champagne again."

George laughed and slapped him on his back. "Oh, you young ones, you all think you're invincible." He shook his head, smiling at Logan. "Hey Logan, how's it going with that bike?” He nodded in the direction of the Harley. “I hear you popped into Monty’s motorcycle shop this last week."

"Yeah, I thought I'd check out what they had in store and get a little accustomed to what this beauty needs.”

Reed glanced at them and Logan thought he saw a flash of disappointment in his eyes as the conversation steered towards bike parts. He linked arms with his mother, throwing back a smile. “We’re gonna head inside. See you later.”

Logan felt slightly relieved. He wasn't ready to have that conversation with him just yet. He knew he messed with Reed’s feelings last week and he didn’t want to screw that up again. This was all new to Logan and on top of that, he wasn't exactly one to talk about his feelings. He had to tread carefully. While he didn't want Reed to think that he wasn't interested, he also had to somehow make it clear that his priority was Reed’s life and not a budding romance. Not right now, anyway.

"So, what were you doing this morning on the bike?"

Logan explained what he thought the bike needed. “I think we can start looking up parts that we need to order this week. I'm getting an idea of what she needs."

George nodded, pleased with his response. "You know, don't feel like you have to spend all your spare time out here. You should also take time to relax.” His blue eyes twinkled with a smile as he looked at Logan fondly. “I don’t want you to think that I’m treating you like a work horse or anything.”

“It’s totally fine,” Logan shrugged. "I love bikes and I’d rather be here than sitting inside, doing nothing.”

George nodded and was about to walk away when Logan thought of something. "Hey, what do you know about Mason Lockwood and his friend—the name’s Chris?”

George frowned. "Mason. Yeah, he’s pretty messed up. He and a bunch of guys made Reed’s life hell when he was younger. I'm sure Reed told you all about it."

Logan nodded. “Yeah, I understand that he's got some pretty harsh homophobic views. Is there a story to him or has he always been like that?"

George ran his hand through his thick, silver hair. "He’s always been bad news, but the story is that his father ran off and left Mason and his brothers to fend for themselves. Their mother was an alcoholic, too drunk off her ass to provide any care for them.”

“So his father ran off and they never heard from him again?” He was trying to build up a picture of Mason's childhood in his mind.

“Exactly. But there’s more. Turns out his father was gay. And ever since then, Mason has been hating on gay guys—guess they remind him of his father. So yeah, he's pretty messed up in general. Why do you ask?"

Logan exhaled, crossing his arms. He decided to be straight with George, telling him what happened in town last week as well as the incident last night.

George visibly paled in front of him. "My goodness, that's awful. We didn’t hear anything.” He paced the floor. “I’m not having anything happen to my boy again. Not this time.”

Logan stepped closer and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m not going to let anything happen to your son, George. That’s a promise.”

George nodded, looking away. "Thanks for being honest with me. I'm gonna duck inside and speak to him."

“Sure. I’m just gonna hang out here for a while longer. Be inside a little later.”

Sometime later that afternoon, Logan wandered into the kitchen and fixed himself bite to eat. He found Susan relaxing on the sofa, watching a soap opera. Logan remembered that it was her day off. She looked up when he wandered in.

"Hey, Susan.” He took a bite of the grilled cheese sandwich he’d thrown together and sat in the empty seat. “Where's Reed?”

She glanced at his plate. “You should have told me you wanted lunch and I’d have made something nicer than just a plain old cheese sandwich."

Logan smiled and shook his head. Susan had gone out of her way to make him feel comfortable, like the mother he never had. Reed was very lucky to have such amazing parents. "Not at all. I certainly don't expect you to cook my meals for me every time. Besides, this is delicious.”

“Fine, and just so you know, I don’t mind. Anyway, Reed’s having a little rest. He told me he was still feeling quite tired after last night." She grabbed the control and lowered the volume of the TV. Her face became serious. "George told me about what happened with Mason and Chris in town and again last night. I'm really worried, Logan. I don't want those men hurting my son."

Logan lowered his sandwich onto the plate and placed it onto the coffee table. "Like I said to George earlier, nothing is going to happen to Reed, Susan. I promise you both that. Kellen and I are working on some leads and we’ll have some info soon. The faster the stalker’s found, the better, and then we can get Reed back to the city and he can resume his life, away from jerks like Mason and Chris."

Susan nodded, her brows still joined together. "I hope that’s the case, Logan. We want nothing more than for Reed to be safe.” She smiled sadly, glancing at her hands. “Truth is, we’re really enjoying having you both around. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed not having Reed here, you know? Sure, we visit him from time to time, but it’s nice to have him home.” She sighed loudly. “Anyway, he's resting, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you need to wake him for something."

“No, that’s fine. Let him rest—I'm gonna go back outside to the barn. But can you do me a favor when he’s awake?”

“Sure. What is it?"

Logan held up his finger indicating he’d be right back and dashed upstairs to his bedroom. He collected the package of toiletries that Kellen had sent and dashed back to the living room. "Would you mind giving this to Reed, when he wakes? It's just a bunch of toiletries I thought he could do with while he’s out here."

He tried to sound as impartial as possible, but a warm smile spread over Susan's face.

"That's very thoughtful of you. Sure, I'll give it to him as soon as he’s up."

Logan gobbled the remainder of his sandwich and headed back out to the barn, staying out there well into the early evening.

Logan cleaned up for dinner in his bedroom. Just as he pulled open his door, he found Reed on the other side, his fist raised as if he was about to knock.

“Oh, hey. Was just going to see if you’re ready for dinner.” He grinned at Logan and leaned a little closer. “I’ve missed you all day. You been avoiding me or something?”

Logan inhaled Reed’s clean scent. Fuck, he smelled so damn good. “Nah, thought you’d could do with a break from your constant shadow.”

Reed raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “I’m kinda getting used to you being around. Thanks for the package of goodies, by the way—that was an awesome thing to do.”

Logan shrugged his shoulders. “No big deal.”

Reed glanced over his shoulder then looked back at Logan, dragging the tip of his tongue over his bottom lip. Logan was transfixed with the movement. Next, Reed placed his hands on Logan’s chest, running them up slowly until they hit the top of his shoulders. “I’ve been thinking about you all day.” Closing his eyes, he began to lean closer towards Logan’s lips.

Logan froze.

He was incredibly attracted to Reed and wanted nothing more than to kiss him but this wasn’t the right time. Or the right place. He put his hands on top of Reed’s and backed up.

Reed’s eyes fluttered open, realization dawning before he blinked rapidly. “What’s the matter?”

“Reed.” Logan inhaled sharply. “We can’t do this.”

Reed bit his bottom lip and dropped his hands to his side. “Sure, I understand.” He fixed a smile on his face but Logan could see the hurt in his eyes. Shit.

“Reed, let me explain—”

He held up his palms and backed away. “It’s cool, Logan. You don’t need to explain anything.” Reed spun around and went to the stairs. “Hurry, dinner’s ready and Mom and Dad are waiting for us.”

Logan followed him to the top of the stairs. “Reed, wait.”

“Don’t, Logan. Please. Just forget about it.” He raced down the stairs before Logan could say anything else.

Dinner was awkward and for the first time since being here, Logan felt totally out of place. Reed avoided his gaze at all costs and even the conversation was strained between them at the table.

Susan and George looked at both of them, concerned, but neither said anything.

As soon as they finished their meal, Reed pushed back his chair and announced that he wasn’t feeling too well. He made his excuses and headed up to bed, without a backward glance or word to Logan.