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33

MIA

I couldn’t stop smiling, and my heart constantly felt as if it was floating in my chest. How could I not be happy when I was in love and things were going great? Michael and I were still in the honeymoon phase of our romance, but I was confident that things would remain the same. He wasn’t likely to change and start treating me like shit as so many other beaus have. The boyfriend curse had been broken.

Chuckling at the thought, I grabbed the bag I’d packed and aimed for the door. Michael and I were back in LA after our weeks-long travels. We had plans to fly to Minnesota next week to get Poppy together. He made me feel like part of their family. The fantasy I had in my head of being one of them was becoming my reality. Sometimes, I wanted to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming. I was still amazed how my relationship with Michael had blossomed.

He was everything I’d been looking for—strong, steady, reliable, and he treated me like a princess. Maybe he didn’t love me as I loved him yet, but if we continued on the current trajectory, he would soon. In my giddy state, I skipped down the hallway toward the stairs because the elevator was out of service. My phone buzzed, and I fetched it from my pocket. It was Michael, who was waiting for me in the car.

“Hey,” I chirped.

“How many things are you packing, woman?” he drawled. “You’ve been up there a while.”

“I just grabbed a few things. I’m on my way down right now, but I’m taking the stairs. The damn elevator is broken again.”

“Okay.”

I ended the call and shoved the phone back into my pocket. Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I started to jog down the stairs. I heard footsteps coming up and thought it was Michael, but there was no way he’d reach the seventh floor already. When I saw who it was, I froze mid-step, and my heart plummeted. I’d been on cloud-nine for weeks and I tumbled right off. The problems I’d pushed aside stared me right in the face.

“You,” I snarled.

“Mia. Boy, am I happy to see you.”

I gawked at Logan, my ex-boyfriend from hell. The bastard was alive after all… and I wanted to kill him. “Happy to see me?” I scoffed and eyed him with pure disdain. He was like an omen of doom coming to cast a shadow over my new, happy relationship.

Logan’s shaggy blonde mane had grown out, and his facial hair gave him a scruffy appearance. He had bags under his eyes, and his clothes seemed like they could use a spin in a washing machine. He looked awful, but I didn’t feel an ounce of sympathy for him because where was he when I was scared and calling him for help while being threatened by his associate?

“Jeez, have you been hiding in a hole in the ground?” I asked, giving him another once over.

He wiped a hand over his face. “You and your jokes.”

I raised my eyebrows at his biting tone. I wasn’t even trying to be funny. He looked filthy. “Right… If you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere to be.”

To my chagrin as I tried to edge around him, he moved to block me.

“I don’t know what you’re doing here, Logan, but go away.”

I tried to step around him again with no success.

“Get out of my way,” I bit out.

“Come on, Mia. I just want to talk.”

“Oh, now you want to talk? What about when I was calling you and begging for help with the criminal you set on me?”

“I didn’t…”

“You ran away, hid, and left me to fend for myself against people I’m sure are capable of murder, you asshole.”

He scoffed as if I were talking nonsense. As if I’d pulled the story of being in danger out of my ass. Logan really was a horrible human being, and I kind of hated myself for having a relationship with him—brief though it was.

“Mia, you’re overreacting.”

My molars almost turned to dust the way I ground them together to keep my temper in check. “You heartless sonofabitch. You tried to con con artists like an idiot and left your debt on me . You left me to deal with your mess! You have no idea what I’ve been through, Logan!”

He hung his head and combed his fingers through his hair. For a moment, he looked like he might apologize, but instead, he reached out, placed a hand on my arm, and said, “Listen, I didn’t mean for things to get so bad, alright? I’ll make it right. We can make things right together. I just need to borrow a little cash. This is the last time…”

My jaw practically touched the floor. Was this man for real? Had he forgotten the amount of money he swindled me out of while we dated with his stories about profitable investments? Idiot that I used to be, I fell for each scam. Resisting the urge to knee him in the nutsack, I jerked my arm away, disgusted by his touch.

“Stay the hell away from me, Logan.” Before I could carry out my indignant escape, he snagged my arm and pulled me back. “Let go of me!”

“Listen to me, Mia. I need your help.”

The more I struggled, the tighter his grip became.

“You’re hurting me, Logan.” Panic slithered in because he had this wild, desperate look in his eyes, and I feared for my safety.

Suddenly, his grip on me loosened, and I staggered back. I was confused by his abrupt release until I processed the scene in front of me. Michael held Logan by his lapels, pinned against the wall with his feet dangling off the floor. He looked like a ragdoll in Michael’s hold.

“Who the fuck are you ?” Michael snarled, his face was a cold mask of fury, but what really scared me was his tone. It was low and deceptively calm… lethal. I’d never heard it before. I’d never seen this Michael before.

Logan's eyes were wide. The bravado he’d confronted me with was gone. He squirmed, trying to free himself, but Michael didn’t budge. Finally, he stopped fighting and resorted to reasoning. “Hey, man, I was just talking to her. No need to get handsy.”

Michael’s lips curled in disgust as he eased Logan off the wall and slammed him into it… just enough to make the asshole grunt. “She said you were hurting her, you little shit.”

I understood his fury then. He was super protective of those he cared about. I didn’t realize he’d heard that much. Crap . What else did he hear? My heart raced with rising panic. My current, wealthy boyfriend in the same space as my sleazy con artist ex-boyfriend was no good. A scenario of the bookie who had been plaguing my existence showing up to add more drama to the mix played out like a horror film in my head. Michael would find out just how much trouble I was in and dump me before I could explain. Worse, I’d put him in danger. I had to get him away from here pronto.

“Michael, let’s just go,” I pleaded.

He glanced at me and then back at Logan who was pale and quivering. He looked so pathetic that I cursed myself for ever getting involved with him. He was a coward and a user. If Michael decided to do him bodily harm, he’d deserve it. However, I couldn’t allow that. Michael was too good for this. Seeing him involved in my mess now made me think that maybe he was too good for me…

His eyes burned into Logan’s. “If I see you near Mia again, I won’t be this nice. Understand?”

Logan nodded frantically as he was lowered back to his feet.

“Good,” Michael hummed and then had the audacity to straighten Logan’s wrinkled shirt and pat him like a pet. That made my ex’s face flush and his eyes narrow to slits.

As if nothing out of the ordinary just happened, Michael cooly stepped back and swept my bag off the floor. He held out a hand. “Ready?”

Gawking at him, I nodded and then placed my hand in his. As we walked down the stairs, I glanced up to see Logan watching. Actually, he studied Michael with too much interest for my comfort. Knowing him, the wealth calculator embedded in his brain was probably working overtime, doing an inventory of everything Micheal had on. I felt sick to my stomach for bringing him close to this pile of shit I’d been embroiled in.

I pulled in a breath once we were outside and walking to the chauffeured SUV. I picked up pace and practically dragged him along. His eyebrows were raised in askance as he opened the door, but he said nothing until we slid into the back seat.

Michael’s usual driver glanced at him in the rearview mirror. When he nodded, the man drove off, and I let out a relieved sigh.

Michael pressed a button and the dark partition slid into place. I stared straight ahead, afraid to look at him… or maybe I was just ashamed he’d come so close to seeing what a mess my life was.

“You said you were on your way down, but you were talking so long, and I got worried,” he explained. “I’m glad I decided to go inside. Who was that, Mia?”

Swallowing my misery, I reluctantly turned to him. “My ex-boyfriend.” I almost choked on my shame for having to admit that I dated that creature.

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Does he harass you like that all the time? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“He doesn’t. I haven’t seen him in months. He just showed up out of the blue… He’s crazy.”

After a deep exhale, he asked, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I just want to get home… I mean, to your place.” My cheeks burned after that slip up. Sure, Micheal had referred to his place as mine plenty of times, but my run in with Logan drove home how far removed my life was from his. He’d never keep me in his and Poppy’s lives if he knew what I’d gotten myself into.