Page 111 of Logan
THIRTY
Logan
I stare down at the child tugging on my jeans. I frown. I’m not a fan of kids, but this one seems pretty quiet.
It’s Becca’s kid, Connor.
“Yeah?” I say, wondering what he wants.
He points to the bottle of water in my hand. Oh. He wants water.
“Where’s your mom?” I ask. He just shrugs. I hand him the bottle and he shakes his head.
“You lost your tongue, kid?”
He stares up at me, his big brown eyes not blinking once. Who the heck is this kid? He’s intimidating the fuck outta me.
“Oh, Connor!” Becca chastises, running our way. “You scared me. You know Mommy said not to wander off like that.” She glances up at me warily. “I’m sorry.”
I wave her off. “He’s fine. Just askin’ for water but wouldn’t take the bottle.”
“He likes it in a cup,” she says, like it should be obvious.
Well, I don’t speak five year old.
“He doesn’t say much,” I go on when she produces a cup from the giant bag she’s carrying. It’s one of those ‘mom’ bags that hold everything but the kitchen sink.
“He hasn’t spoken in a year,” she tells me. “Ever since his father was killed.”
I swallow. Okay, way to put my foot in it. The way she says it, killed, is laced with bitterness.
She’s a pretty thing. Long, honey-colored hair, green eyes, and a California tan. The kid looks just like her, too. He clings to her skirt as she pours the water for him.
“That’s too bad,” I say, palming the back of my head, unsure what to say. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. He’s part of the reason we’re in this mess.”
Payden comes behind me. She and Ivy have been thick as thieves for the last few hours preparing food for our last night here.
“Oh, hey!” Payden says. When they first arrived, Becca needed to put Connor down for a nap, so we didn’t really get much chance to talk. The girls, of course, get along like a house on fire, but I know Payden is dying to talk. “I didn’t hear you guys get up.”
“I dozed off while Connor was sleeping,” Becca says, thumbing to Connor. “He was thirsty and took off without me.” She runs a hand through his hair, looking down adoringly at him.
“If you guys wanna talk, I can, uh, entertain the little guy?” I offer, unsure what the fuck to do with a five year old.
“Actually, that would be great. I’ve got his coloring book and some crayons in here somewhere.” Of course she does.
She begins rummaging around in that giant bag she won’t let go of.
I motion over to the table nearby. It’s quiet at the moment and most of the guys are getting showered and ready for the meal the girls have been preparing.
“Thanks, Logan,” she says, taking his hand as she tells him that she has to talk to the nice lady.
I glance up at Payden. “You good?”
Payden nods. “I’m okay. What you told me about Ryan, it fucking sucks. I can’t stop thinking about it.”
“Yeah, well, lucky for him the boys let him go when they realized he was bein’ bribed and hadn’t orchestrated any of it,” I say. “He has to live with his actions of not goin’ to the cops when he should have.”
