Page 44 of Fast Kill

God, Taylor had to be scared out of her mind, special agent or not. Another agent shot through the head just in front of her house. Why hadn’t she called him instead of Charlie?

When he finally made it down the hallway, Jamie was waiting at the door for him. “She okay?” Logan demanded.

“Yeah, she’s in the living room.” Jamie stepped back to let him in.

Logan limped through the kitchen, and his heart did a painful little squeeze when he caught sight of Taylor. She was on the couch next to Charlie, wearing a T-shirt and lounge pants. He’d never seen her in anything but work attire before, and with her glasses on and her hair up in a ponytail she looked impossibly young and vulnerable.

She smiled when she saw him, but it was sad. “You didn’t have to come. I’m okay.”

Not come? There was no way he wouldn’t have come. He needed to make it clear that he cared about her. “You should have called me.”

Charlie got up and muttered something about getting drinks for them as she strode for the kitchen, giving them some privacy.

“I didn’t want to drag you farther into this mess,” Taylor said.

With a frustrated sigh, he closed the distance between them, sank down beside her and immediately pulled her into a hug. “Are you okay?” he murmured against her hair. It smelled faintly of smoke.

She wound her arms around his neck and rested her cheek on the top of his shoulder, making his heart squeeze. “Yes.”

“What happened?”

She ran through the night’s sequence of events, and at the mention of the disabled smoke/carbon monoxide detector, something hard settled in the pit of his stomach.

“The agent watching my house wasn’t answering his phone, so I went out to tell him in person and that’s when I found him.”

The idea that the killer might have had his sights on Taylor while she’d stood there in the rain made his blood run cold. He ran a hand up and down her back, relieved that she was okay. “Did the cops find anything wrong with a fireplace or the furnace?” Those were the first two places he’d check.

“The fire department was there when Chris showed up to bring me here. Someone will call me when they figure out what happened.” She let out a shaky breath. “The agent who died had a wife and a six-month old daughter.”

Logan hugged her tighter. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“I feel responsible. If I hadn’t stayed at my house, this never would have happened.”

“You don’t know that. It could’ve happened somewhere else, too. Whoever it was could have followed you wherever you went.” Might have even followed her here, which was why he was glad the agency had more eyes watching the place.

He was quiet a moment, debating how to ask the question he needed to. Since there was no gentle way to ask, he just put it out there. “Do you think it was Dillon?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. Or maybe someone working with or for him. God, I can’t believe he’s even capable of something like this, but I guess I can’t rule it out.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay.” It didn’t matter whether she thought Dillon was behind it or not. The agency would be gunning for him now. Logan didn’t believe in coincidences. It had to be Dillon.

She nodded. “I came here because I had to make a decision fast about where to go, and I couldn’t think of anywhere else that might be safe. But I’m not staying here. I won’t put Charlie and Jamie and everyone else in the building at risk for my sake. Chris is working with the agency to find me somewhere to stay temporarily.”

“You could stay with me.”

She lifted her head and looked into his eyes, their faces just inches apart. “I appreciate that, thank you. But I don’t want to put anyone else in danger.”

He could appreciate that, but he was fully prepared to face danger to keep her safe. “Stay with me. I’ll take you to my place right now and you can stay there for however long this takes.”

“Thanks. But I can’t.”

Pushing aside his frustration, he let it go. “The offer’s there if you change your mind.”

The smile she gave him pierced his heart. “Thank you.”

He stroked his fingertips over her cheek, savoring the softness of her skin. “What can I do to help?”

“You already have.” Taking his face between her hands, she leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

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