Protecting His Heart (A James Family Novel Book 1) Read online

  Clara sat down in a chair opposite from where Angelina stood and reached across the table to pat her hand. "I raised my nephew to be a good man. Anyone he sees fit to spend his time with is welcome in my home—no matter the circumstances."

  "Thank you, Ms…. Um… Clara. I appreciate your kindness more than words can express. These clothes are real great too." Angelina gestured to the borrowed items and smiled.

  "You are very welcome, dear. Now why don't you go on outside and find that nephew of mine? I imagine his ego is suffering a bit."

  "I suppose I ought to go and try to smooth things over."

  She smiled wanly at Clara as she pushed back her chair and made her way to the door. It was time to eat a little crow, and apologies were never something she was very good at.

  16

  Logan

  Logan kicked at a loose rock as he paced the yard in front of Aunt Clara's bunker. He was angry that Angelina thought he would sell her out after all he had done to protect her.

  After all that had happened the night before.

  That was exactly why he avoided relationships. They were too damned complicated and the last thing he needed in his life was complications. Not that he had a relationship with Angelina anyway. A couple of near death experiences and a few hot kisses did not a relationship make.

  Just the memory of those few hot kisses sent his body into a fit, the front of his jeans tightening again as he almost felt her body pressed against his. He couldn't seem to keep his man parts in check since meeting Angelina.

  Knock it off, cowboy. He shook his head to clear it of the images that had been assaulting him over and over since they had arrived on the mountain. Angelina Ferrara is a damsel in distress. You have always been a sucker for distressed damsels.

  Only Angelina was no damsel. She was a big city cop on the lam from a mob hit man. She had held her own against one of the biggest crime families in New York City and she would hold her own now. She didn't really need protecting.

  If only Logan hadn't found her in that ravine, then he wouldn't be involved up to his eyeballs in a situation that didn't involve him one little bit. And Angelina would have been dead by the time the sun rose that morning. But at least she wouldn't have accused him of feeding her to the sharks.

  He kicked another rock. This time it bounced off the base of the windmill with a loud ping.

  "That windmill do something to make you angry?" Angelina asked softly from behind him. He had never even heard her coming.

  "At least it didn't accuse me of giving it up to a murderer." Logan scowled, regretting the words the instant they left his mouth.

  Angelina looked up at him through sad eyes. "I'm sorry about that, Logan. Really, really sorry. I don't know why I would say such a thing after you have done so much to protect me. It's just so hard to believe that the one person I was assured I could trust might be the one who sold me out."

  She hugged herself tightly as she spoke, fear and exhaustion battling the sadness in her expression. He felt instantly horrible. Taking Angelina by the elbow, Logan led her around the side of the bunker into a sunlit area containing an old style picnic table, a fire pit, and a glorious view of the valley below them.

  "Oh!" she exclaimed. "It's beautiful!"

  Logan laughed, pleased to see her smile finally. Angelina had a warm, beautiful smile sexy enough to make a grown man melt a little in his boots.

  Motioning to the picnic table, he dropped onto the bench and crossed his long legs in front of him. "This is my favorite place in the entire world."

  Angelina perched somewhat tentatively on the bench next to him. "I can see why," she murmured as she turned to face him again. "I really am sorry. I'm more grateful than you will ever know for your help. I don't want to die…" Her words trailed off.

  Logan's heart nearly broke in his chest as he watched the sadness consume her again. Reaching an arm out, he lazily rested it across her shoulders.

  "You won't," Logan promised with a ferociousness that surprised even him. "I… and Aunt Clara… won't let that happen. We just need to find someone we can trust on the outside."

  "Definitely not my witsec agent," she said. "Isn't he supposed to be making sure this never happens? Why would he sell me out?"

  "We don't know that he did. What makes you so sure it was him?"

  "Who else could it be? No one else even knows I am alive, let alone where I live. Jack is the only plausible explanation."

  Logan pulled her against his side. Having her that close made his blood sing in his veins. "It could be about money, maybe. Greed can make people do crazy things."

  "It better have been a pile of cash, let me tell you. I'd hate to think that my head went for a few thousand bucks." She sounded bitter, but who could blame her? He had no idea what it was like to be in her situation.

  "We don't know for sure that's what happened. What if Salvatore's man was just really good at his job? For many killers, hunting down their prey is a big part of the thrill. Almost more exciting than the actual kill, believe it or not."

  Logan felt her shudder. "It would have been so much easier if I'd just died on that pier." Angelina leaned against his chest and let out a soft sigh.

  "I couldn't agree less," Logan replied vehemently, hugging her tight. "I, for one, am very glad you didn't die that night."

  "I don't want to die now either. What am I going to do, Logan?" she whispered.

  "I don't know yet but I will figure something out. I promise." Logan smoothed her thick curls away from her face with one hand. "I like your hair so much better like this." He took one curl and wrapped it around his forefinger. He imagined her natural hair color had to be infinitely better than the brassy blonde it currently was.

  "Me too. I hate the color even more than wearing it straight."

  "One day soon, you won't have to deal with any of it."

  "One day soon, I would like to go home. Get my job back and resume the life I was forced to leave behind."

  Resting his chin on top of her head, Logan breathed in deeply of the floral scent of Aunt Clara's homemade soaps. There was no way he could blame her for wanting those things. The trouble was, he wanted her to stay right where she was. There was so much about Angelina Ferrara he wanted to learn, so much he wanted to know about her. She had the right to be safe, to have the life that was stolen from her so abruptly. How far away was New York anyway? They could manage something long distance if they really wanted to. None of this was making him feel any better. Best to just stick with the problem at hand, protecting her.

  "We are going to stop this guy, Angelina. I promise."

  They sat that way for a long time. With each passing moment, Logan wanted more and more to lay her down right there in the long grass and wild daisies that grew everywhere in Aunt Clara's yard.

  He would have too, if his shirt wasn't suddenly feeling a little damp.

  Was Angelina crying? She had held it together through so much, it would surprise him more if she didn't break down eventually. He was oddly sort of pleased that she did it with him.

  He sat back and studied her tear stained face. It melted his heart. A heart he had almost forgotten he had. Wiping away one lone tear with his thumb, Logan looked deeply into her troubled eyes for a long time.

  "I don't know why I keep crying. This is so unlike me. I'm usually the strong, stoic one."

  Wrapping his arms around her he breathed deeply of Aunt Clara's homemade soap in her hair once again. It was amazing how the floral mixture seemed to have been created especially for her.

  "I can't imagine what it must be like having to give up everything and take on a life you didn't choose."

  "I miss my family and my job for sure. But, honestly, it's my appearance that I miss most. I feel like I'm in one of those movies where people switch places. I think like me and act like me but I'm not me when I look at myself. It's very disconcerting."

  "I suppose you had to change everything for the move to be successful."

 
"In the end, it didn't matter. Salvatore still found me." Angelina let out yet another defeated sigh.

  "He is not going to get you. We won't let him that close. You know Aunt Clara won't think twice about using that shotgun of hers. The James family excels at protecting one of its own. "

  "I'm not part of your family. I'm not part of anyone's family anymore."

  Logan closed his arms around her a little more snugly. "You're with me. As far as my family is concerned, that's enough."

  "Logan?" She looked up at him through those big green eyes and he thought his heart just might melt in his chest.

  "Yes?"

  "I am glad you were the one who rescued me from that ravine."

  "Me, too." He leaned down and kissed her softly. "Getting lost just may have been the best thing to happen to me in a very long time."

  17

  Angelina

  The feel of Logan's strong arms around her was perfect. Logan enjoyed the feel of her just as much, if the firm bulge against her back was any indicator. The sun shone in the clear blue sky, birds sang as they went about their business, and a monarch butterfly hovered nearby in a patch of wildflowers. She had finally begun to relax for the first time in forever when Logan's powerful body suddenly stiffened against hers.

  "Shhhh…" he whispered against her ear. "Did you hear that?"

  "Hear what?" she mouthed back but Logan never had the opportunity to answer. Chaotic sound filled the air as hundreds of birds flew up out of the trees at once. That only happened when there was an imminent threat; that much Angelina knew. But what sort of threat? Logan leaned down slowly and removed a small hand gun from an ankle holster hidden by his jeans.

  "Go inside."

  "I'm not leaving you here."

  Logan took her by both shoulders and stared deep into her eyes. "I'll be fine. Right behind you… I promise. Now, run. I'll cover you!"

  Angelina hesitated for a fraction of a second, unable to believe that Salvatore's goon had found her on the side of a mountain in the middle of nowhere. A loud popping sound followed by a whizzing noise next to her left ear convinced her quickly as a small tree behind her splintered into dozens of pieces.

  Someone was definitely shooting at them.

  Not waiting for Logan to encourage her, Angelina took off for the bunker, hunched low and moving fast. Resisting the urge to see if Logan was following her, she threw herself at the heavy steel door and yanked it open. Clara was already standing there loading a handful of shells in to a twelve-gauge shotgun.

  "I see we got ourselves a little unexpected company." Clara chuckled as she pulled on a metal hatch in the wall beside the door and stuck the shotgun through the opening. "You know anything about guns?"

  "I'm a cop, remember?" Angelina snapped.

  "I mean real guns! Not those sissy things you big city cops carry around on your hip," Clara teased as she pulled the trigger and popped off a round into the trees.

  "I'm Italian and I'm from New York! Give me a damn gun and let me shoot something!"

  "Here, take this one then. Fire a shot every thirty seconds or so to confuse the shooter while I go save that nephew of mine."

  A hint of envy fluttered low in her gut. She wanted to be the one to help Logan. Several shots fired from outside, quickly reminding her that this was no time to get possessive. Angelina fired one powerful blast into the trees just as Clara had done and instantly the shooting outside switched directions.

  Where was Logan? There had been plenty of time for him to run after her.

  Unless the shooter or shooters had him pinned down at the picnic table? Angelina couldn't bear the thought of him being trapped out there on her account. She should have stayed and fought with him, not run like a little girl whose dolly had been taken by the bully on the playground. Of course, without her gun she would have been as helpful as a heart attack.

  She fired another round into the trees and a hailstorm of automatic rifle fire rained against the front of the bunker. At the same time a loud commotion sounded in the back. She could hear Logan shouting but couldn't make out the words. Focusing on her job as the distraction, she fired another round into the trees. A flurry of bullets slammed against the steel door once again.

  Anxious to know what was going on in the back of the house, Angelina turned to follow the sound. A second round of automatic rifle fire peppered the front of the structure, one of the large caliber bullets penetrated the steel plate covering the hole where Angelina had just had her shotgun. The bullet lodged into the wall in front of her. Dropping to her knees, she scurried to the kitchen, hiding in a corner by the pantry. The yelling in the back of the house got louder as the gunfire stepped up its tempo. There were shotgun blasts and handguns firing mixed in with the rifle fire. Angelina tensed and covered her ears with her hands.

  The ambush reminded her all too clearly of that fateful night on the docks, the last night of her life as she once knew it. She covered her ears and begged her sanity to stay intact.

  A deathly silence replaced the hail of gunfire.

  She didn't hear Logan or Aunt Clara moving or speaking. Were they injured? Or worse, had they both been shot to death? It would only take minutes for Salvatore's men to figure out she wasn't among the dead. What if they came in to the house after her? There was no telling what men like that might do… before they killed her. Looking around for the shotgun Clara had given her, she tried to convince herself that it was big enough and deadly enough to defend herself with. A loud pounding on the steel front door sent her heart down into her stomach. This was it; Salvatore was about to win once and for all.

  "Open up!" a voice called. "We know you're in there!"

  "Please go away. I don't want to die," she whispered quietly, her head buried against her knees.

  Footsteps sounded through the bunker followed by Clara's sunny voice. "Hold your horses, you two! This old lady can only move but so fast!"

  Angelina sagged against the wall in relief. She wasn't alone. Clara knew the person knocking on the door.

  So, were the shooters gone? Dead? She really needed to see Logan. Pulse pounding in her ears, adrenaline coursing through her veins, Angelina closed her eyes against the spinning and heaving going on in her abdomen. What the hell was wrong with her? This wasn't her first rodeo.

  The heavy steel door pulled open, scraping on the stamped concrete of the entryway floor. Angelina tried to stand up while pulling herself out of sight just in case it was actually the assassin on the other side. Her legs refused to obey her brain's commands, however, and she slumped back against the wall.

  "Mom!" an unfamiliar male voice sounded, echoing through the bunker.

  "Kaiden! I'm so glad to see you!" An equally pleased Clara responded. "Where's that brother of yours?"

  "He's out back, behind the bunker, with Logan."

  Logan was okay! That was the only thing she needed to hear. Angelina scrambled to her feet on legs that trembled violently. She stumbled forward, her legs barely beginning to function again. It became imperative that she see for herself that Logan was all right. Unfortunately, she nearly stumbled headlong into the wall. A pair of strong arms grabbed her shoulders and steadied her.

  "Well, now what do we have here?" Two twinkling blue eyes looked down at her from a face that very much resembled Logan.

  "Who are you?"

  "Name's Kaiden James, ma'am." He tipped an imaginary hat. "And you are?"

  "Angelina Ferrara."

  Kaiden stuck out his hand with a grin. "Nice to meet you, Angelina. Despite the circumstances, that is."

  "What do you mean?" Angelina snapped a bit more abruptly than she intended. She reluctantly offered her hand in return.

  "Oh, you know, getting shot at and all." He grinned again, resting one hand on the butt of a pistol secured at his hip. "My mother was right—you are adorable."

  "Adorable? I am a lot of things, but adorable is not one of them!" Angelina faced off with the newcomer, hands on her hips in indignation.
<
br />   Kaiden just laughed. "Yup. You are absolutely perfect for Logan."

  "You are absolutely infuriating!"

  "Women tell me that all the time!" Kaiden chuckled again.

  Angelina glared at him and stormed off toward the front door. Her near miss with death left her with no interest in being baited by the man, no matter the fact that he may have just helped to save her life.

  Never had she ever been so happy to see someone as she was to see Logan. Making her way back to the same table that they had perched on together just a short time ago, she heard his voice carry from behind Clara's bunker. Angelina jogged the short distance, but stopped dead when she saw Kaiden talking to Logan.

  Marching right over to where the men stood, Angelina was full of indignation at the whole James family, never mind the man that had just tried to kill her. "How did you get out here?" she demanded of the newcomer.

  The man slowly turned to look at her, a lazy grin on his face. "You must be Angelina?"

  "Of course, I am! We just covered that in the kitchen!" She glared at him.

  Logan burst out in laughter. The side splitting, hold your gut with your arms kind of laughter. Angelina felt the heat of anger and embarrassment color her cheeks. "What are you laughing at?" she demanded, stamping her foot for emphasis.

  Logan just laughed. Angelina turned on the other man ready to pick a fight with him too but then she noticed there was something distinctly different about him. He was Kaiden… only he wasn't.

  Shrugging and grinning once again, he introduced himself with a dramatic bow. "Name's Keegan James, Miss Angelina. I believe you have already met my twin brother Kaiden?" He motioned toward the corner of the house as the man she had met in the kitchen, appeared in the yard.

  "How?" she sputtered, sending Logan into another fit of tear rolling laughter. "Oh right. Clara told me. You are twins," Angelina said, remembering her talk with Clara about becoming a widow with twin toddlers. She was so over this day and people trying to kill her. Logan stepped up and threw a casual arm around her shoulder. She attempted to ignore the sparks of electricity the light touch flooded through her body as she tried to step away from him. Logan held her in place, a little smile tugging at the corners of his lips.