Page 19 of Sapphire Sunset

“Is that it?” Rodney asked once Logan stopped talking.

“Yes, sir. I hope I handled the situation correctly. I knowit’s only my—”

Rodney waved a hand in the air. “No, no, no. You were fine.And you made the right call not to kick them out of the hotel entirely. I knowthat’s probably what Connor wanted, but he can be pretty self-righteous, if youknow what I mean. How was the party before that?”

“No incidents of any kind, but I wasn’t there from the start.Sir, if there’s some concern about how I handled the party crashers, I’d be—”

“My concern’s more for you, to be frank.”

“Me?” Logan was startled.

“Yeah, you’re a cut above what we usually get here, Logan.Your military background, your fight training. I think you could be a realasset to our security department. So if my nephew ever makes you uncomfortable,I want you to come talk to me about it, okay?”

Well, that came out of nowhere. And for the firsttime, Logan sensed the presence of an agenda he hadn’t quite anticipated, anagenda that was a few ticks off the one he’d feared. And reversed.

“Uncomfortable?” Logan asked.

“Unwanted attention, that sort of thing.”

“What sort of unwanted attention?”

“Doesn’t matter, as long as it’s unwanted. If he’s trying totell you how to do your job. If he’s hitting on you or… Look, I know you’regay. There’s probably some workplace discrimination law against me saying that,but it’s all fine since I don’t have a problem with it. I can see past it. Tothe real you.”

Ah, the real me,as opposed to the fake gay me?

“But,” Rodney continued, “that doesn’t change the fact thatwe need to make sure Connor’s appropriate whenever he’s in your presence. Andhonestly, you guys might be on the same team, but a big strong manly man likeyou, you’re probably into other big strong manly men, right? You’re not goingto want a little f…flibbertigibbet like Connor getting handsy with you.”

Thatfsound had been primed and ready to hook upwith a far more demeaning word, Logan was sure.

He realized, suddenly, what he had walked into the middle ofwithout meaning to. Realized it might have something to do with the real reasonConnor’s party was shut down before its scheduled end time. Logan wasn’t aboutto be reprimanded for how he’d handled the drunks or his little trip down tothe sea caves. There was bad blood between Connor and his uncle, and somehowLogan had ended up standing in a river of it.

His boss wasn’t concerned for his personal boundaries. Hewas asking him to be a secret agent. Against his own nephew. The idea wouldhave turned his stomach even if he and Connor hadn’t just shared a mind-blowingkiss.

Given the pressure he was under, given how much he neededthis job, a spirited defense of Connor in this moment could cost him everything.

But Logan couldn’t bring himself to smile or chuckle or doanything to act like he was appreciative of his new boss calling him a big strongmanly man, a gay man masculine enough not to trash when his back was turned.Unlike his own nephew.

“I think your nephew is amazing.” Logan heard his words asif someone else was saying them. “That party he organized was off the charts,like something you’d see in a magazine. And he made everyone there feel likethey were the guest of honor. I saw him treat the catering staff with a levelof respect I honestly didn’t expect out of him. And he was ready to handle thesecurity incident himself before I intervened. I’ve never met someone asimpressive as him.”

Slowly, Rodney allowed all four legs of his desk chair toreturn to the floor before his feet joined them there. “Obviously he made agood first impression on you. But first impressions change. Let me know if thisone does.” Rodney’s smile returned, but it was a vague suggestion of its formerself. “I don’t want to lose you, Logan. Every other weekend we’ve got asituation here go sideways that doesn’t need to. A man with your experiencemight be able to keep things on the beam.”

“That’s exactly what I’d like to do for you, sir.” Logan satup as straight as he could, glass balanced on his knee, daring Rodney to makehis repulsive request more specific.

Rodney nodded but didn’t say anything further, a tactic nodoubt intended to leave Logan hanging as punishment for not giving him what hewanted when it came to his nephew.

“Knock off early,” he said. “You’ve earned it.”

Not exactly a sendoff that implied he’d be fired tomorrow,but not a guarantee of the opposite either.

Logan rose, set the glass down on Rodney’s desk, then henodded at the man and left the office, eyes on the floor as he navigated thewarren of windowless back offices that made up most of Sapphire Cove’sadministrative center. He dropped his earpiece in his locker, fetched hiswallet and car keys from within, then it was out the side door and into thewarm night air between the office door and the employee parking lot.

He was eager to get some distance between him and SapphireCove before he did anything else that put his father’s medical future injeopardy.

If he’d blown it, he’d at least walk away with his prideintact, but what good would his pride be when it was time to pay the doctors?If he wanted the paycheck and the benefits Sapphire Cove gave him fromsomewhere else, he’d need at least a few years of school under his belt. Who’dpay the bills in the meantime? Who’d pay for school?

He was almost to his truck when it occurred to him thatmaybe Connor might have waited around for him. Might even be expecting to pickup from where they left off. His phone buzzed, and he pulled it out. The textwas from a number he didn’t recognize.

Mtg seemed to go long so didn’t want to cramp yourstyle, Lethal Weapon. Or should I say…

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