Page 51 of Logan

“Look, I’ve been sent here to get it and I’m going to, one way or another.”

“You can’t take what I don’t have, dipshit.” Dixie pulled her phone from her pocket and sent a text to Logan. She knew she should dial nine-one-one, but figured if she got in touch with Logan, he’d get here sooner.

“Put the fucking phone down. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will.”

“You can try. I have a knife.”

The man’s grin showed through his ski mask. “So do I.”

Dixie widened her eyes when she saw the knife he pulled out from behind him. A huge knife that made hers look like a pocketknife. She swallowed hard but held out hope that Logan got the message.

“I called nine-one-one,” she lied.

“Then you’d better be quick and get that journal.”

The man stepped forward, making Dixie step back behind the counter.

“I’ll fight you tooth and nail. If I’m going down, I’m not going down easy.”

“I don’t mind a little scuffle, honey.Especially with a woman who looks like you do.” He smirked and stepped forward, but stopped when Dixie ran from him, but he caught her by her hair, making her scream. She dropped the knife and her phone to grab his arm to try to stop him from hurting her or taking her.

Chapter Nine

As Logan drove down the winding two-lane blacktop, his phone vibrated insistently in his shirt pocket. With a sigh, he retrieved it and saw a message from Dixie, causing him to immediately slam on the brakes. The SUV skidded sideways on the road’s slick surface before coming to a stop. He quickly checked the rearview mirror for any cars behind him before pulling over onto the shoulder of the road. His heart pounded in his chest as he read the urgent message again.

Help!

Logan’s mind raced with worry as he tried calling her back, only to be sent straight to voicemail. He knew Dixie well enough to know that she would never reach out to him for help unless it was truly dire.

Taking a moment to scan for traffic, he made a hasty U-turn and headed toward her place. He sped down the road but didn’t switch on the lights or siren because he didn’t know what was going on and if someone was there with her, he didn’t want to alert them. He slowed down as he approached her house. He noticed a car parked on the shoulder of the road across from her driveway and immediately called in the license plate number. Shutting off his headlights, he parked in her driveway, and waited for a response, but kept his eyes glued to the house. His gut churned with unease. It was never wrong.

“Logan? The tags belong to a rental car registered under the name Scott Jenkins. I ran his name, and he’s associated with Jimmy Cortez,” Nevada’s voice came over the radio.

“Shit,” Logan muttered under his breath before telling Nevada he was sitting in Dixie’s driveway.

“Do you need backup?”

“Yes, come in silent,” he replied, giving Nevada Dixie’s address.

“On my way.”

Turning off the vehicle’s engine, Logan opened his door and closed it quietly behind him. Unsnapping the retainer button on his holster, he withdrew his weapon and crept toward the house. Stepping onto the porch, he saw that the door was open and heard Dixie’s voice raised in alarm.

“Get the fuck away from me!”

“Just give me the fucking journal and I will. We know you have it,” responded a man’s voice.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Get out!” screamed Dixie, her voice quivering with fear.

Logan heard flesh hitting flesh followed by Dixie’s screams of pain and knew the man had struck her.

“Give me the fucking journal or I’ll kill you!” the man shouted again.

“C’mon, Nevada,” Logan whispered urgently, knowing that he couldn’t wait any longer. When Dixie screamed once more, he knew he had to act. Taking a deep breath, he held his weapon in front of him and entered the house. He gritted his teeth as he saw the man holdingDixie in a chokehold with a gun pressed to her temple.

“Drop the weapon,” Logan said, causing the man to look at him, still not releasing his hold on Dixie.

Before Logan could do anything else, the man aimed his gun at him and fired, hitting Logan and knocking him to the floor in excruciating pain. Dixie screamed his name. Through blurred vision, he watched as the man forced Dixie out of the house. Trying to get up, Logan found himself unable to move due to the intense pain radiating from his body.

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