No taking off. No running away. No frantic phone calls to anyone. Stay put on my plane and wait.”

She glanced toward the white jet and spotted his staff waiting by the base of the stairs.

He followed her gaze. “My staff will make sure you’re comfortable. As long as you stay here with them you won’t be in any danger.”

Stiffening, Logan turned back to face him. “Why would I be in danger? It’s just the paparazzi.”

“Bronson was shot late last night in London.” Rowan’s voice was clipped. “He’s in ICU now, but the specialists believe he should make a full recovery—”

“Wait. What? Why didn’t you say something earlier?” Bronson was the oldest of the five Copelands and the only son. “What happened?”

“Authorities are investigating now, but the prevailing theory is that Bronson was targeted because of your father. The deputy chief constable recommended that all members of your family be provided with additional security. My team has already located Victoria and is taking her to a safe location. Your mother is with Jemma already. And now we have you.”

Logan felt the blood drain from her head. Fear made her legs shake. “Please go get Jax. Hurry.”

“Give me your phone.”

“I won’t call anyone—”

“That’s not why I want your phone. I’m taking it so I can be you and make sure Joe understands what I need him to do.”

“You’re involving Joe?” she asked, handing him the phone.

“You trust him, don’t you?”

She nodded. “The password is zero, three, three, one.”

Rowan started for the helicopter and then turned around. “Didn’t we meet March 31?”

She went hot all over. “That’s not why it’s my password.” She heard her defensive tone and hated it.

“Never said it was. But it does make it easy for me to remember your code.” And then he signaled the pilot to start up the chopper and the blades began whirling and he was climbing in and the helicopter was lifting off even before Rowan had shut the door.

CHAPTER THREE

ROWAN WAS GONE for two hours and twenty-odd minutes, and during those long two plus hours, Logan couldn’t let herself think about anything...

Not Bronson, who’d been hurt. Or her family who were all being guarded zealously to protect them from a nut job.

She couldn’t think about her daughter or how frightened she must be.

She couldn’t think about her huge event taking place tomorrow and how she now wouldn’t be there to see it through.

She couldn’t think about anything because once she started thinking, her imagination went wild and every scenario made her heartsick.

Every fear pummeled her, making her increasingly nauseous.

But of all her fears, Jax was the most consuming. She loved her brother and sisters but they were adults, and it sounded as if they now had a security team protecting them. But Jax...her baby...?

Logan exhaled slowly, struggling to keep it together. Rowan had to be successful. And there was no reason he wouldn’t be. He was the world’s leading expert in hostage and crisis situations and removing a toddler from a Santa Monica bungalow was not a crisis situation. But that didn’t mean her heart didn’t race and her stomach didn’t heave and she didn’t feel frantic, aware that all kinds of things could go wrong.

But Rowan being successful meant that he would be with Jax, and this terrified her. The haters and shamers had hardened her to the nonstop barbs and insults, but Jax was her weakness.