“Hey, Logan,” I clear my throat and step back so he would release me. “What are you doing here?”
He raises a brow at me as if I asked a rhetorical question. “I work for the town, remember?”
How could I have forgotten that Logan is the town’s cop? I’d never run into him before when he was working, and since he’s not in his uniform, it must be his day off.
“Oh, sorry, I forgot about that.”
“How have you been?” He questions, eyes darting around, searching to see if I came alone. “You look great.”
“Thanks…” My voice trails off, but Logan appears distracted. “You haven’t been responding to any of my messages lately.” He glares, his voice growing harder.
I frown in confusion. His abrupt change in demeanor is giving me whiplash.
“Are you still living with that guy? Ben?” Logan continues. I try to answer, but he cuts me off. “He’s bad news. You need to be careful.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but… I have reason to believe that Ben isn’t who you think he is.”
I freeze.
“Excuse me?”
I watch with trepidation as Logan pulls out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and hands it to me. My hands tremble as I reach for it and unfold it with shaking fingers.
Subject: Benjamin Walker
Incident Report: Class D Misdemeanor — theft
Status: Unresolved Investigation
My chest tightens, and my eyes blur. It looks like a police report.
“You ran a background check on him?” My voice comes out shaky.
Logan moves closer, his voice low and worried. Repulsion floods me as his hand touches my shoulder, and I resist the impulse to recoil.
“I’m sorry, Emily. I thought you’d want to know what type of person you’re with. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you.”
Something doesn’t feel right. This whole situation feels like a setup. My gut twists as I try to make sense of what’s happening.
“Ben would never hurt me. He would never do anything to hurt me.” It’s the one thing I know beyond a shadow of a doubt. “You should go.”
A look of shock washes over Logan’s face as his expression falters. “I’m just trying to protect you.”
“I don’t need your protection. Not anymore.”
I look at Logan—really look at him. His expression hardens under the scrutiny, dropping the mask of concern. It was all an act to get me to distrust Ben. This was never about protecting me. This was about asserting his control over me, making me doubt my relationship, and keeping me in the past, where I used to see Logan as my protector.
I crumple up the paper and shove it into his chest. His hand comes up in surprise and briefly grips mine before I pull away in disgust.
“You need to stop, Logan. Lose my number and stop texting me. We’re over.” I glare at him, hoping he gets the picture and leaves me alone.
“Is there a problem here?” I stiffen at the sound of Ben’s gruff voice. At the feel of Ben’s arms around my waist, I breathe a sigh of relief. I’m warmed by his heat at my back, dispelling the chill Logan’s news has caused. Ben places a possessive kiss on my throat, and I turn my head slightly to him.
“Hey, you, there you are,” I say to Ben, relief evident in my voice. “Logan was just leaving.” I glare at Logan.
“Sorry, babe, I saw something I thought you’d like.” He shows me a shopping bag. My attention catches on the unexpected gift. I squeal in excitement and try to grab the bag, but Ben pulls it away from me.