“What? Why?” his mother asked.
“Logan, anything we can help with?” Heath was on his feet in the blink of an eye, as were Jackson and Cooper.
Logan was already on the move, with one hand on Stella’s lower back, guiding her out the door, the other hand firmly around her upper arm. His brothers were right behind them.
“I’ve got this. Take care of Mom.”
Chapter Seventeen
“WHAT IS GOING on?” Stella asked as he helped her into the car. “Logan, please. Just tell me what’s going on.”
She had begun trembling the minute he’d taken her hand, and now the color had drained from her face. The call from the police had brought the best and the worst news. He hated that she’d have to face Kutcher again, but it was the only way to ensure that the dirtbag stayed behind bars for the longest possible time.
He climbed into the driver’s seat and started the car. “We have to go to Mystic.”
“Mystic?” Her voice cracked.
She reached for his hand.
She trusted him.
“Kanets talked, so Kutcher is being held. He can’t get out tomorrow, Stella. They’ll detain him and with a new trial, his sentence will likely be extended by several years.”
“So why do we have to go there?” Her voice shook as badly as her hand.
He kept his eyes on the road as he followed the ramp onto the busy highway.
“The only way to keep him behind bars for long enough to make a difference is for you to identify him as your assailant from the knife attack.”
She pulled her hand from his and moved closer to the passenger door. “No. No, Logan. I can’t do that. I won’t do that.”
“Why, Stella? Do you want to worry about him getting out in three years? Five years?” He reached for her hand, and she turned away. “Stella, if he’s in jail, he can’t hurt you. If you don’t do this, you’ll be afraid forever.”
Tears sprang from her eyes. “I don’t want to see him. I can’t. Logan, I can’t do this.”
“Stella—”
“No. I don’t want to see…” Sobs strangled her voice. “I can’t look at him.”
He pulled off at the next exit and drove into a parking lot.
“Please, Logan, don’t make me see him.” He came around to her side of the car, crouched beside her, and pulled her into his arms, holding her against him as sobs racked her body. He’d known he was taking a chance when he spoke to the police and turned in her phone and the bug he’d found in her picture frame. He’d known she’d hate the idea of identifying Kutcher to the police, but it was the only way to keep her safe.
“I know this is hard, Stella, but you can put him away for twenty years. Twenty years, baby. You can live your life, have a future without a fake name, without looking over your shoulder. You can see your mother.”
She fisted her hands in his shirt, burying her face in his chest. “I can’t.”
He appealed to her heart instead of her head. “Do you want him to go free and potentially hurt someone else?”
She held her breath.
“Breathe, baby. I’ve got you. Breathe. In and out.”
She let out a breath and hitched in another one.
“That’s it. That’s my girl.” He stroked her back, her head, held her tightly against him. He would breathe for her if he could. He knew how terrible facing Kutcher would be, but it was the only way.
“I’ll be right there with you, and he won’t be able to see you when you identify him.”
“But he’ll know. I was the one he attacked.”
Logan drew back and gazed into her damp, puffy eyes. “Baby, he can’t hurt you anymore. There are no more bugs. He can’t find you or bother you anymore. He’s going to stay behind bars for a long time, and you have the power to make that even longer. I will be right there with you.”
“But I’ve been awful to you.”
“No, baby. You’ve been afraid. You’re the strongest woman I know, and even if you don’t love me, I’ll always be there to protect you.”
Fresh sobs bubbled from her chest. “But I do. I do love you. I’m just so tired of being afraid, Logan, and I’m so scared all the time.”
“You don’t have to say that, Stormy.” The name slid from his lips like an endearment. She would always be his Stormy. “Don’t say what you don’t mean.”
“Logan, I do love you. God, you know I do. I fell for you the night we met, but I’m scared. Scared of losing you. Scared of being attacked. Scared of ruining your life because of Kutcher.”
He pulled her in close again, soaking in her words. “I know you are, but I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. You’ll never be alone again.” He felt her fingers dig into his skin as she fisted her hands in the back of his shirt, and he knew she was readying herself for something.
“Logan?” She looked directly into his eyes.
“Yes, darlin’?”
“I’ll do it. Kutcher’s taken enough of my life already. I’m not willing to let him take you away from me, too.”
Chapter Eighteen