Page 98 of Until the Sea Runs Dry

Logan studied his expression but couldn’t read him. “I can’t tell if you approve of him or not.”

Stonewall sighed the long-suffering sigh of any parent. “I don’t approve of her being in love or any of the things that go along with it… but, as a man, he’s probably the best I could have hoped for. He dotes on her. They’re even engaged now.”

The word “engaged” seemed to cause him physical pain.

“He’s an ex-marine,” Mandy revealed to Jane. “A real-life hero. And he has the most incredible dog who should have his own movie franchise if you ask me.” She elbowed her husband, this being a conversation they must have discussed, many a time.

“Now who’s talking work?” Was his smooth reply.

“Maybe we should ask them to help us with Loki,” Jane suggested. “Logan’s dog is adorable, but he hasn’t a clue how to train him.”

“I’m sure something could be arranged,” Mandy smiled. “Kane actually trains both dogs and their handlers for the security firm he works for.”

Stonewall frowned at Logan. “I seem to remember you saying that you weren’t one for pets?”

“I wasn’t. He was kind of sprung on me. I didn’t have much choice in the matter.”

“Lexi’s going to be upset that she couldn’t convince you to adopt one of her dogs,” Mandy commented. Their daughter worked at PAWS, a local animal shelter with a no-kill policy.

While they chatted, paparazzi surrounded them, their cameras working overtime, taking shot after shot of the group. The constant name calling and vying for their attention was becoming hard to ignore.

“Shall we give them the money shot so they’ll go away?” Stonewall asked.

With the women in the center, the four smiled into the cameras for the shot that would become the cover of all the newspapers in the morning.

It seemed that Jane was introduced to the entire entertainment industry. Everywhere she looked, celebrities and VIPs greeted them, though none with the same warmth as Mandy and her husband. Behind their smiles, their eyes glittered with self-importance, and barely concealed malice in a few cases.

There was one particular moment of unpleasantness.

Spotting them from across the room, a man with a ruddy complexion barreled rudely past the guests until he reached them. Without waiting for Logan to finish speaking to his audience, he interrupted.

“I guess they let anyone in nowadays.”

Jane felt herself freeze, sure that the comment had been meant for her, but the man’s gaze was on Logan. Logan excused himself from his current conversation, his eyes a study in impatience.

“It would appear so.”

“Touche,” the man yanked at his bowtie, loosening it. The scotch he held in one hand swished around his glass. “Then again, I might have made more of myself if you hadn’t stabbed me in the back.”

Logan sighed, a long-suffering sigh. “Each time we bump into each other, we have another of these unpleasant meetings. When are you going to move on and let sleeping dogs lie?”

“That’s easy for you to say. You hadn’t risked your entire career and fortune — even your marriage — on that movie. You walked away from it at the last minute, tanking the entire deal and destroying my life.”

“I’ve said this before, Jon, but I’ll say this again in the hope that my answer will finally get through that dense head of yours. It wasn’t personal. It was a business decision. Unfortunately, you had personal stakes involved — which, in fairness, anyone could have told you was a bad idea — but you gambled hard, and lost. You need to face up to that instead of blaming me, as frankly, I’m getting tired of this bullshit.”

Jane hadn’t said a word, watching them over the top of her glass of champagne. The air was charged with intensity. She didn’t like this man and wished he would go away. She took a step back, only to draw his attention.

“Honey, I’m not the one you should be worrying about,” Jon sneered. His face loomed close, large and threatening. She could smell the alcohol on his breath, feel the anger seeping through him.

“Step away from me, please.”

She hated the tremble in her voice and how scared she sounded. This man was likely full of bravado and drink. There wasn’t anything he was going to do to either of them, yet she couldn’t stop the irrational dread that had taken hold.

Seeing her face turn the color of chalk, something snapped inside Logan. He stepped in front of her, blocking her from Jon.

“If you don’t leave by the time I finish this sentence, I will have no problem tossing your sorry ass out of here. This is a charity ball for kids, for Christ’s sake. Get a hold of yourself.”

His voice was raised now, his words carrying over to the guests partying close by. Faces turned to stare, pinpointing Jon — with his flushed face and unsteady hand spilling scotch over the floor — as a troublemaker.

---