Billionaire Bodyguard
Page 20
Logan leaped to his feet, whirled on Rick. “Get. Out. Before I throw you out.”
Rick stormed off.
Focusing on Allison again, Logan leaned in coaxing gently. “It’s just you and me now. You’re safe.” He tried to ease her through the transition from unconsciousness back to the world of hostility and fear that had overwhelmed her. “Everything’s okay.”
As she regained her grip on the present, she seized up. “It’s not okay, Logan.” The way she cupped her abdomen caused him to arch an eyebrow. “Everything is a mess.”
“What were you saying before?” he urged. “Something about a baby?” For some reason he had trouble breathing.
A wretched look stole over her features. “I didn’t want to tell you like this.”
“Tell me what.”
“Logan, I’m pregnant.” She chocked back a sob. “And you’re the father.”
CHAPTER 5
Logan’s heart came to a standstill.
Pregnant?
Slowly, the news penetrated.
Allison was pregnant with his child.
Awe swelled in his chest. Archaic triumph awakened inside him.
Unexpected? Yes. Unwanted? God, no.
Suddenly, his world centered on a hope he’d forgotten to wish for. Something that had crossed his mind but he’d dismissed, his focus on building his business. There hadn’t been time to pursue anything else. Honestly, he’d assumed since he hadn’t found the right woman or the right situation, a family wasn’t going to happen for him. He’d been okay with that.
But now…
That faded hope came into sharp focus. Everything he’d thought was important before drifted away like a handful of feathers. All that mattered was Allison and this baby.
“It’s okay.” He said it to her as much as to himself, as it all sank in. “We’ll figure it out.”
Recognition flared of what now threatened this awakening dream. A danger Rick had created like a one-man wrecking ball, when he should’ve stayed the hell out of it.
At the same time, Rick’s logical retaliation came at him hard—that Allison could be making up the pregnancy to blind Logan to a bigger, darker truth. He hesitated.
Then he looked at Allison.
Shoulders hunched, she stared at him with eyes full of dread. She appeared on the verge of weeping.
No, she wasn’t faking this. Logan dropped to his knees and cupped her face. “We’ll be okay, sweetheart.”
“How?” Her disbelief crushed him.
“We’ll work it out.” He kissed her forehead. His mind flashed to the past two hours, the suspicion and doubt he’d caved into so easily—shame on him—and the threat Rick had dredged up by pawing into her past. “I have to take care of something.”
He dug out his cell phone and made a call to the manager who headed the bodyguard division of Stone Security. “Send a detail up to my office. Yes, one of our security guards. Yes , my office. No one comes in or out except me.”
“Where are you going?” Allison asked, worry clinging to her words.
“To hand Rick his ass.”
“Don’t leave. Please.” Her green eyes were misty like a field after a thunderstorm. “It’s not Rick’s fault. He didn’t know. No one was ever supposed to know.” A tear leaked from the corner of her eye.
Reaching out, he brushed it away. “Sit tight. I’ll be back before you know it.”
Heading for the door, he flung it open. He marched into the hallway and collided with a dark-haired whirling dervish. “Geez, Logan. Watch where you’re going.” Devon dusted herself off. “I’m glad I ran into you. You’ve got to tell Rick to back off his Spanish Inquisition,” she demanded.”
“Exactly what I’m doing.”
“Logan, every piece of intel on Trevor Hurtz is laced with encryptions and alerts that lead back to an untraceable IP address. The man has his online information strapped with virtual tripwire.”
“That’s what I figured.” He returned on course.
Devon grasped his arm, tugging him until he stopped to shake her off. “What?”
“Listen to me. Your girl is scared to death and she should be. Trevor’s a pro. I’ve never seen anything like him.” Devon’s dark eyes widened. “Did you know the first year of their divorce she took out three restraining orders on Trevor Hurtz—and he broke every one?”
Logan’s jaw clenched. “Come with me.”
Devon’s heels clicked behind him. Reaching the end of the hall, he shoved into Rick’s office and pointed a finger at his chest. “You just hit a hornet’s nest with a sledge hammer.”
“I’ll say.” Devon set her hands on her hips. “I hope you’re happy, Dunn. Because whatever favor you thought you were doing for Logan has jeopardized this entire company.”
“You’ve backed us into a corner,” Logan stated.
Rick glared. “Now you two think Allison walks on water, and I’m the problem?”
“Yes,” Logan and Devon said simultaneously.
Rick’s nostrils flared. “She turned both of you against me.” He grunted. “Should’ve seen that coming.”
“What you didn’t see coming,” Logan said, getting in Rick’s face, “is a man who’ll stop at nothing to find and take back what he thinks is his.”
Rick scoffed. “Let him have her. One less thing to worry about.”
Logan’s chest heaved at the idea. “No way in hell.”
Devon paced, her hands waving frantically. “Of all the days to take your idiot pill, Rick, you pick this one.”
Rick crossed his arms. “It can’t be that big a deal.”
Logan sent him a look threatening dismemberment. “You have no goddamn idea.”
“Out of my way.” Devon bumped Rick aside and commandeered his laptop. “I’ll show you what you’ve done.” She talked as she typed. “ARIN.net maintains records of owners of all IP addresses.”
Rick lowered his eyebrows doubtfully. “Every single one?”
“Here’s Stone Security’s chunk of the ARIN pie.” She showed them the ongoing list of addresses for all the people in the company and affiliated with them.
Rick shrugged. “So?”
“Each time you clicked on Trevor Hurtz’s name, an alert was sent to one IP address. I tracked it as far as I could, but it leads to the Caribbean. The Bermuda Triangle of IP addresses. The address is untraceable, but I’ll bet you coconuts to cow turds it belongs to Trevor Hurtz.” Devon stared at Rick pointedly. “That means with each search you made on Trevor, you left a breadcrumb trail right back to Stone Security. Won’t take him more than a week to connect the dots and realize Allison is here.”
Rick stormed off.
Focusing on Allison again, Logan leaned in coaxing gently. “It’s just you and me now. You’re safe.” He tried to ease her through the transition from unconsciousness back to the world of hostility and fear that had overwhelmed her. “Everything’s okay.”
As she regained her grip on the present, she seized up. “It’s not okay, Logan.” The way she cupped her abdomen caused him to arch an eyebrow. “Everything is a mess.”
“What were you saying before?” he urged. “Something about a baby?” For some reason he had trouble breathing.
A wretched look stole over her features. “I didn’t want to tell you like this.”
“Tell me what.”
“Logan, I’m pregnant.” She chocked back a sob. “And you’re the father.”
CHAPTER 5
Logan’s heart came to a standstill.
Pregnant?
Slowly, the news penetrated.
Allison was pregnant with his child.
Awe swelled in his chest. Archaic triumph awakened inside him.
Unexpected? Yes. Unwanted? God, no.
Suddenly, his world centered on a hope he’d forgotten to wish for. Something that had crossed his mind but he’d dismissed, his focus on building his business. There hadn’t been time to pursue anything else. Honestly, he’d assumed since he hadn’t found the right woman or the right situation, a family wasn’t going to happen for him. He’d been okay with that.
But now…
That faded hope came into sharp focus. Everything he’d thought was important before drifted away like a handful of feathers. All that mattered was Allison and this baby.
“It’s okay.” He said it to her as much as to himself, as it all sank in. “We’ll figure it out.”
Recognition flared of what now threatened this awakening dream. A danger Rick had created like a one-man wrecking ball, when he should’ve stayed the hell out of it.
At the same time, Rick’s logical retaliation came at him hard—that Allison could be making up the pregnancy to blind Logan to a bigger, darker truth. He hesitated.
Then he looked at Allison.
Shoulders hunched, she stared at him with eyes full of dread. She appeared on the verge of weeping.
No, she wasn’t faking this. Logan dropped to his knees and cupped her face. “We’ll be okay, sweetheart.”
“How?” Her disbelief crushed him.
“We’ll work it out.” He kissed her forehead. His mind flashed to the past two hours, the suspicion and doubt he’d caved into so easily—shame on him—and the threat Rick had dredged up by pawing into her past. “I have to take care of something.”
He dug out his cell phone and made a call to the manager who headed the bodyguard division of Stone Security. “Send a detail up to my office. Yes, one of our security guards. Yes , my office. No one comes in or out except me.”
“Where are you going?” Allison asked, worry clinging to her words.
“To hand Rick his ass.”
“Don’t leave. Please.” Her green eyes were misty like a field after a thunderstorm. “It’s not Rick’s fault. He didn’t know. No one was ever supposed to know.” A tear leaked from the corner of her eye.
Reaching out, he brushed it away. “Sit tight. I’ll be back before you know it.”
Heading for the door, he flung it open. He marched into the hallway and collided with a dark-haired whirling dervish. “Geez, Logan. Watch where you’re going.” Devon dusted herself off. “I’m glad I ran into you. You’ve got to tell Rick to back off his Spanish Inquisition,” she demanded.”
“Exactly what I’m doing.”
“Logan, every piece of intel on Trevor Hurtz is laced with encryptions and alerts that lead back to an untraceable IP address. The man has his online information strapped with virtual tripwire.”
“That’s what I figured.” He returned on course.
Devon grasped his arm, tugging him until he stopped to shake her off. “What?”
“Listen to me. Your girl is scared to death and she should be. Trevor’s a pro. I’ve never seen anything like him.” Devon’s dark eyes widened. “Did you know the first year of their divorce she took out three restraining orders on Trevor Hurtz—and he broke every one?”
Logan’s jaw clenched. “Come with me.”
Devon’s heels clicked behind him. Reaching the end of the hall, he shoved into Rick’s office and pointed a finger at his chest. “You just hit a hornet’s nest with a sledge hammer.”
“I’ll say.” Devon set her hands on her hips. “I hope you’re happy, Dunn. Because whatever favor you thought you were doing for Logan has jeopardized this entire company.”
“You’ve backed us into a corner,” Logan stated.
Rick glared. “Now you two think Allison walks on water, and I’m the problem?”
“Yes,” Logan and Devon said simultaneously.
Rick’s nostrils flared. “She turned both of you against me.” He grunted. “Should’ve seen that coming.”
“What you didn’t see coming,” Logan said, getting in Rick’s face, “is a man who’ll stop at nothing to find and take back what he thinks is his.”
Rick scoffed. “Let him have her. One less thing to worry about.”
Logan’s chest heaved at the idea. “No way in hell.”
Devon paced, her hands waving frantically. “Of all the days to take your idiot pill, Rick, you pick this one.”
Rick crossed his arms. “It can’t be that big a deal.”
Logan sent him a look threatening dismemberment. “You have no goddamn idea.”
“Out of my way.” Devon bumped Rick aside and commandeered his laptop. “I’ll show you what you’ve done.” She talked as she typed. “ARIN.net maintains records of owners of all IP addresses.”
Rick lowered his eyebrows doubtfully. “Every single one?”
“Here’s Stone Security’s chunk of the ARIN pie.” She showed them the ongoing list of addresses for all the people in the company and affiliated with them.
Rick shrugged. “So?”
“Each time you clicked on Trevor Hurtz’s name, an alert was sent to one IP address. I tracked it as far as I could, but it leads to the Caribbean. The Bermuda Triangle of IP addresses. The address is untraceable, but I’ll bet you coconuts to cow turds it belongs to Trevor Hurtz.” Devon stared at Rick pointedly. “That means with each search you made on Trevor, you left a breadcrumb trail right back to Stone Security. Won’t take him more than a week to connect the dots and realize Allison is here.”
