Witness Protection (Defenders of Love Book 1) (17 page)

Chapter Seventeen

Angelina clicked aimlessly through the twelve channels offered on the hospital's television. After seven days confined to the small space, she was out of her mind with boredom. Every time the door opened her heart jumped in her chest hoping to see Logan standing by her bed. The last time she had seen or talked to him was right before Jack tried to smother her with a pillow. He had promised to come back, but as of that moment, he hadn't kept that promise.

There was no one to call, no one to ask if Jack was in custody. Anyone she called could give her away if Jack was still on the hunt, and she definitely didn't want word to get out to Salvatore she was still alive. To be honest, she felt safest where she was despite her burning desire to go home.

Not like she really had a home to go home to. The cottage on the lake was out of the question. At least for the time being. She was supposed to be dead. Until she knew what was going on with Jack, she couldn't call into the witness protection office, and she definitely couldn't go back to New York City if she didn't really want to end up dead.

Relaxing back against the stack of pillows,

Angelina shut down the television and sighed heavily, closing her eyes against the starkness of the hospital room. The doctor had told her she would be released in the morning. That was supposed to be good news but it was hard to be excited about it when she had absolutely nowhere to go.

The hinges squeaked as the door to her room opened for about the hundredth time that day. She didn't bother to open her eyes. Maybe if she pretended to be asleep the nurse would go away and just leave her alone.

Soft footsteps crossed the room and then stopped next to her bed. Angelina remained perfectly still, willing them to go away. She waited a full minute but the steady breathing beside her bed didn't stop. Whoever was there wasn't leaving anytime soon so she cracked an eyelid open slightly.

Logan, dressed in dark jeans and a freshly pressed white button down shirt stood smiling down at her. His hair, still damp from a recent shower, curled slightly over his ears.

"What are you doing here?" she asked carefully.

"Visiting hours don't end until six." He winked at her, his smile broadening a little.

"There have been visiting hours every day for the last seven days. Suddenly you show up today?"

"I've been busy."

"Busy?" she echoed, crossing her arms gingerly over her chest. The movement caused her lung to ache but she ignored it, determined to be disinterested and annoyed at the handsome man now pulling a chair up beside her hospital bed. She reached for the remote and turned the television on again. A soundless advertisement for hemorrhoid cream filled the screen.

Angelina couldn't figure out why she was so mad at Logan, but the truth was she was livid. On the other hand, it wasn't like they had any real ties. She was in trouble, he saved her life. Multiple times, the same thing any decent lawman would have done. He didn't owe her anything. No, he didn't owe her a single thing. If anything, she owed him. Big time.

If only her body would listen to the reasoning her brain was doing. Logan's close proximity had her nerves buzzing and her pulse humming. Still, she refused to make eye contact with the man sitting beside her. The hemorrhoid commercial morphed into a diaper advertisement. Angelina focused all her attention on the adorable little toddler wobbling across the tiny screen. For a moment she imagined herself holding a baby, a sweet little boy with cornflower blue eyes and shaggy blond hair just like his father. There was no doubt that Logan James would make beautiful babies. Angelina shot a sideways glance at the man but he was busy studying the floor tiles. Closing her eyes, Angelina let out a long sigh. It was obvious he was looking for a way to exit the conversation and her life.

Logan was quiet for so long, she almost wondered if he left the room without her noticing. Finally he spoke, "New York City is nice this time of year."

At the name of her hometown, Angelina turned her head to glare at Logan. "I
remember
. Thanks for reminding me."

Logan's blue eyes glinted. "Aren't you even at all interested as to why I was there?"

"Not really. You don't owe me an explanation. We barely know each other."

He leaned forward and took her hand in his.

Angelina tried to pull away but he wouldn't let her. Stormy blue eyes searched hers intently. "I'd like to change that."

"Change what?" Angelina whispered.

"Change the status of our relationship. I want to know everything about you.
Everything.
" He winked conspiratorially.

Despite the warmth that filled her at Logan's implication, she smiled sadly. "It won't work. As soon as I am out of here, I will have to go back into witness protection."

"I don't think so. That's part of why I was in New York."

Angelina eyed him suspiciously but said nothing, so he continued.

"I did a little poking around while you were recovering."

"Hmm...so that's why you never came back when you said you would."

"I'm here now." He lifted her hand and lightly kissed the back of it. "I should have come sooner, I know, but I couldn't. Not until I could tell you that you were safe."

"Am I? Safe, I mean?" Her voice broke on the last word.

"As safe as a baby in her mama's arms." He leaned over and kissed her forehead, rubbing his thumb gently down her cheek before he straightened up. Angelina bit her lower lip in her effort to resist the desperate urge to kiss him—
really
kiss him. She refused to throw herself at him. If he would just take her in his arms, she would never leave him. Never leave Virginia. The realization struck her hard, knocking the very breath from her lungs.

"How did you do it, Logan?" The idea that someone had tried to kill her was still really hard to wrap her mind around. That Logan had fought so hard for her was almost humbling. All the months she spent with Sal Junior thinking she had fallen in love with him. There was no way Sal would have done for her what Logan and the rest of the James's had.

"It wasn't hard, actually. Jack Mulholland sang like a bird in a cage. Gave up everyone he ever did business with in exchange for avoiding the death penalty. The feds weren't at all happy with him and Jack will go away for a very, very long time. Looks like Salvatore Ricci, Salvatore Junior, and their little posse of hit men will never see the light of day again either. That's why I was in New York—to give a deposition and tie up the loose ends." He was outright grinning by the time he was done.

Tears rolled down Angelina's cheeks. "It's really over then? I can go home?"

Logan's expression turned somber. He let go of her hand. "Yes, if you want to."

For months she had dreamed of going home, seeing her family, and getting back on the job. All of a sudden though, looking at Logan through tear-filled eyes, she wasn't at all sure if she really wanted to go anywhere.

"Thank...thank you."

"There's no need to thank me," Logan replied gruffly. "I was just doing my job."

Angelina searched his eyes for the truth. "Really? Is that all? Just doing your job?"

Logan nodded, refusing to meet her eyes. He looked at his watch. "I've got to run. The L.T. expects

to debrief me. I came straight here after I got off the

plane. Figured you would want to know as soon as possible."

Without another word, he stood up and walked out of her room. Angelina watched him go, wanting him to stay, but unable to find the words to stop him from leaving.

Logan had just said he wanted to really get to know her and now he was running from the hospital like she had Ebola.

Angelina fell back against the pillow and sighed heavily. Everything was such a mess now. Logan said she could home but would she ever really be safe in New York City? The Ricci family control was strong and far-reaching. Someone was bound to seek revenge on her for putting their beloved godfather in prison.

There was more to it than that though. She hated teaching, and she missed the city, but the idea of leaving Logan twisted a knot in the pit of her stomach. Closing her eyes, she could almost feel the taste of him as he stirred up desires she hadn't know she possessed.

"I don't want to go back to New York," she whispered to the empty room.

"Good," a familiar voice responded quietly. "I don't want you to either."

Her eyes snapped open. Logan stood in the doorway looking a little sheepish.

"I thought you left."

"I did, but I couldn't get on the elevator."

"Why not?"

"Because I forgot to do this." He strode across the room and bent over her placing his lips firmly against hers. Angelina's arms threaded up around his neck and pulled him closer, reveling in the heat that

flooded her veins.

A soft moan escaped her mouth against his lips. Logan seized the opportunity, deepening the kiss. Angelina cursed the tubes and wires that crisscrossed the bed, wanting nothing more than to pull Logan down into the bed with her. Just when she thought she might, Logan pulled back slowly and straightened up.

"Why did you stop?" she whispered, feeling the loss of his touch immediately.

"Believe me, I didn't want to, but what I want to do to you just isn't going to work in a bed with wheels." He motioned to the hospital bed all the while eyeing her hungrily.

Angelina laughed. "Yeah, I'm not exactly looking the part today either."

"You look absolutely beautiful to me."

"Nice of you to say but we both know it isn't true."

He leaned over and kissed her again, lightly this time. "Did you mean it when you said you didn't want to go back to New York?"

She studied him for long moment before replying. "No, I really don't think I do. Virginia's not such a bad place after all."

Due to unexpected infection, Angelina spent another five days in the hospital during which Logan spent every moment he wasn't at work by her side. They shared childhood memories—the good and the bad, discussed their hopes and dreams, and danced lightly around the idea of a future together.

As she sat on the edge of her bed waiting for the doctor to discharge her, Logan left to return a call to his boss. Swinging her feet above the floor like she had done when she was a child, Angelina smiled to herself. Despite nearly dying, she was happier than she

had ever been in her life.

The phone by the bed rang, startling her from her thoughts of Logan. Nothing could have prepared her for what happened next.

"Hello?"

"Angelina? Is that really you?"

The familiar voice brought on tears immediately. "Mom?"

"It
is
you!" It had been well over a year since she had heard her mother's voice. The older woman was sobbing into the phone. "Oh, Angie! I thought...they said you were dead! All this time...!"

"I'm so sorry, Mom! They had to tell you that! If anyone knew I was still alive witness protection wouldn't have worked."

"I...can't...believe...it's...you!" Her mother managed between sobs. "Oh, my baby! My little girl is
alive
! You don't know what it was like!"

"I missed you so much, Mom. Daddy, too. How is he?"

Her mother didn't say anything for so long Lucy began to fear the worst. Finally she said, "He will be fine now. He has not been himself since you...since you left. This will change everything. I wanted to come to you but your father can't be alone anymore.”

"Why? What's wrong with him?"

Floria sighed sadly. "The night of your funeral, he had a stroke, Angie. The doctors said it wasn't terrible but he has refused to get better. He sits in his chair all day and stares out the window with a picture of you in his lap."

"Oh, Momma, I am so sorry you have had to go through all of that."

"It doesn't matter anymore. You are alive! I

can't wait for your father to see you again. He will get well now, I know it. When will you come home, Angie?"

"Well, I..."

"Ah...," Her mother broke in with a knowing chuckle. "It's the handsome young detective, isn't it?"

"How did you know about Logan?"

"He came to see me. That's how I found out you were still alive."

"He what?"

Her mother cleared her throat. Lucy imagined her dabbing her nose with a lace handkerchief. Floria never went anywhere without one.

"He told me the whole story, promised me you would call when you could, but I had to hear your voice for myself before I could believe it. Angie, you are
alive!
"

"Logan didn't mention he went to see you."

"Don't be upset with him, dear. That boy loves you deeply."

Angelina smiled into the phone. "You really think so?"