“There’s a lot of cops over there. You really want their attention?” he threatens, while Logan’s eyes drift toward the scene under the bridge.

“Grant, stop it.” Natalie joins in my pleas.

“You think I’m afraid of going to jail?” Logan answers, standing a little taller.

Finally, after a long moment of tension between the two, Grant lets go of my arm, and I fall back toward Logan. I push him toward the street and back onto the path toward the tattoo shop, but he’s heavy as stone.

“Come on, Logan. Let’s go.”

“Be careful with him, Sierra,” Grant calls after us.

Finally, Logan relents and puts his arm around me as we walk back to where we were. My head is still reeling from this recent discovery. We walk silently again, but this time neither of us are hiding smiles. His arm is still around me as if he’s protecting me, and I’m clinging to his arm, but my mind is going a mile a minute.

“I don’t care about them. You know that, right?” Looking up at him as we come to a stop in front of his shop, I can see the way he averts my eyes and puts a wall up directly between us.

“That guy is an asshole. If he touches you again, I’m going to kill him.”

“No, you’re not.” He turns away, and I put my hands on his chest to calm him. “Hey, look at me.” Finally his eyes meet mine, but there’s still too much anger there to see clearly. “I don’t care about them. They have treated me like shit since I got here, and you’ve been nothing but amazing.” My hands drift to his sides, feeling the tense muscles under his shirt. “I won’t let them ruin our week.”

His fingers grace my cheek and down to my chin as the fire in his eyes fades. Leaning down, he plants a soft kiss on my forehead, then my lips. His kiss is soft and gives me the feeling of comfort that I’ve been craving.

“What time do you get off?” I whisper against his lips.

“I’m on all night. You going to wait up for me?”

“Of course. I’ll come back a little later…” I say in the form of a question.

He answers it with a pinch under my shorts that makes me squeal. Then, with a warm smile he smacks one more kiss on my cheek before I walk away and head home.

10

Sierra

I can hear my parents talking when I approach the condo complex. It’s only 2:00 p.m., and already it’s been one of the most eventful days of my life. Even after learning about Tyler, my mind won’t stop going back to those quiet moments together with Logan between the two shop buildings.

When I walk through the door, the hairs on my arm stand on end. I can hear the intensity in their voice. My mom is standing in the small kitchen talking with my dad who is sitting at the counter, reading something on his tablet.