hair bristling as he stood guard over his mistress. Curled up like a kitten, Stacy was still sleeping soundly.
“Good dog,” Logan murmured before slipping from the room to head to the front door and the driveway. Before he reached it, the door opened, so he cocked his gun.
“Don’t shoot,” his brother said with his hands lifted above his head.
“Then don’t sneak up on a man who’s been getting shot at,” he cautioned Parker. Just in case he might be tempted to use it on his twin, he set his weapon on the butcher-block counter of the island situated between the open kitchen and living-room area. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s that whole getting-shot-at thing,” Parker said. “I’m checking up on you.” He glanced back toward Logan’s SUV—he must have closed the passenger door. “Making sure everything’s all right...”
If he’d only been acting out of concern as a brother or even out of professional concern as a bodyguard, why hadn’t he come alone? Their sister and their top security expert, Candace Baker, had come along with him in their own vehicles. As the women joined Parker inside his house, Logan asked, “What’s really going on?”
“You tell us,” Parker said.
“I wish I knew,” he admitted. He had been so convinced Stacy was behind the attempts on his life. And maybe she was—maybe that was why she’d proposed. Or maybe she’d proposed to save him, as she’d said. But who was going to save her? Because that bomb was proof that he wasn’t the only one someone wanted dead...
Parker expelled a ragged sigh of relief. “I knew Mom was messing with us.”
“Mom doesn’t mess with us,” Nikki hotly defended her. She had no idea just how manipulative—albeit with good intentions—their mother could be.
Her face tense, Candace curtly explained, “She told us that you’re marrying Stacy Kozminski.”
He had thought news of the bomb at Stacy’s apartment might have brought them here as backup. But now he realized why they’d really shown up.
Parker shook his head. “She’s gotta be messing with us. That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”
It was crazy. And Logan couldn’t believe his mother’s audacity in announcing his fake engagement to everyone. He really should call both her and Stacy liars. A marriage was out of the question. But an engagement...
He might be able to use that to his advantage. “What’s so crazy about it?” he asked.
Nikki gasped. “I knew Mom wasn’t lying, but I thought she was mistaken. You and Stacy Kozminski...”
“Would kill each other,” Parker said. “You can’t stand each other!”
“Is that why you guys are here?” he asked. “Is this some kind of intervention?” Maybe he needed one because he was afraid he’d lost his judgment where Stacy was concerned. He found her entirely too attractive...and damn near irresistible.
“Since the definition of an intervention is getting someone to stop doing harm to himself, that’s exactly what this is,” Candace replied.
“I’m not hurting myself,” he said. It wasn’t exactly a lie; the cold shower hadn’t actually hurt him. That much...
“She will,” Candace said. “She’s been threatening you for years—every time her father came up for parole she threatened you to not show up.”
She’d asked him not to speak at his hearings. She’d even begged once, and while he’d respected how hard that must have been for a woman as proud as she was, he hadn’t granted her request. He’d spoken...and maybe his words had influenced the board to deny his parole.
“When her father died after the last hearing, I knew she would make good on her threats. I knew she would try to kill you,” Candace said, her face reddening with outrage on his behalf.
She had protected him once from shots fired at him. But Logan had thought then that those shots had been intended for Cooper. Now he knew...
Candace reminded him, “You thought she was the one behind the
“Good dog,” Logan murmured before slipping from the room to head to the front door and the driveway. Before he reached it, the door opened, so he cocked his gun.
“Don’t shoot,” his brother said with his hands lifted above his head.
“Then don’t sneak up on a man who’s been getting shot at,” he cautioned Parker. Just in case he might be tempted to use it on his twin, he set his weapon on the butcher-block counter of the island situated between the open kitchen and living-room area. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s that whole getting-shot-at thing,” Parker said. “I’m checking up on you.” He glanced back toward Logan’s SUV—he must have closed the passenger door. “Making sure everything’s all right...”
If he’d only been acting out of concern as a brother or even out of professional concern as a bodyguard, why hadn’t he come alone? Their sister and their top security expert, Candace Baker, had come along with him in their own vehicles. As the women joined Parker inside his house, Logan asked, “What’s really going on?”
“You tell us,” Parker said.
“I wish I knew,” he admitted. He had been so convinced Stacy was behind the attempts on his life. And maybe she was—maybe that was why she’d proposed. Or maybe she’d proposed to save him, as she’d said. But who was going to save her? Because that bomb was proof that he wasn’t the only one someone wanted dead...
Parker expelled a ragged sigh of relief. “I knew Mom was messing with us.”
“Mom doesn’t mess with us,” Nikki hotly defended her. She had no idea just how manipulative—albeit with good intentions—their mother could be.
Her face tense, Candace curtly explained, “She told us that you’re marrying Stacy Kozminski.”
He had thought news of the bomb at Stacy’s apartment might have brought them here as backup. But now he realized why they’d really shown up.
Parker shook his head. “She’s gotta be messing with us. That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”
It was crazy. And Logan couldn’t believe his mother’s audacity in announcing his fake engagement to everyone. He really should call both her and Stacy liars. A marriage was out of the question. But an engagement...
He might be able to use that to his advantage. “What’s so crazy about it?” he asked.
Nikki gasped. “I knew Mom wasn’t lying, but I thought she was mistaken. You and Stacy Kozminski...”
“Would kill each other,” Parker said. “You can’t stand each other!”
“Is that why you guys are here?” he asked. “Is this some kind of intervention?” Maybe he needed one because he was afraid he’d lost his judgment where Stacy was concerned. He found her entirely too attractive...and damn near irresistible.
“Since the definition of an intervention is getting someone to stop doing harm to himself, that’s exactly what this is,” Candace replied.
“I’m not hurting myself,” he said. It wasn’t exactly a lie; the cold shower hadn’t actually hurt him. That much...
“She will,” Candace said. “She’s been threatening you for years—every time her father came up for parole she threatened you to not show up.”
She’d asked him not to speak at his hearings. She’d even begged once, and while he’d respected how hard that must have been for a woman as proud as she was, he hadn’t granted her request. He’d spoken...and maybe his words had influenced the board to deny his parole.
“When her father died after the last hearing, I knew she would make good on her threats. I knew she would try to kill you,” Candace said, her face reddening with outrage on his behalf.
She had protected him once from shots fired at him. But Logan had thought then that those shots had been intended for Cooper. Now he knew...
Candace reminded him, “You thought she was the one behind the
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