Nearing the inescapable spiral

I gazed at the beautiful snowflakes falling from the night sky while hugging myself tightly with the blanket for some warmth. I was standing on the balcony to get some fresh air. The whole house has quieted down and I presume all went to sleep by now since it's around midnight. Sleep is long forgotten for me and Logan since there are a lot of things to talk about between us now. Logan is currently taking a shower and that's when I stepped out of the room. I'm expecting a serious talk to take place once he's done with his shower and this is a way I found to calm myself down and prepare for everything.

I heard the opening sound of the sliding doors and knew that Logan had come in. I remained in the same position and soon felt the familiar warmth of him behind me. His two strong arms wrapped around my blanket-covered body and rested his chin on top of my head.

"How long have you been standing here?" He asked, rubbing my sides even though I was well covered.

"Since you went for the shower," I said, resting my head on his chest. Logan heaved a sigh and I saw the vapor of our breaths getting mingled.

"Let's get in then. It's cold." He said while unwrapping his one hand and pulling me to his side, ready to get inside the room. I quickly caught his arm and he immediately turned around.

"Don't you think we need to talk?" I ask him.

"Yes, we should. But we need to get inside first. Don't want you to get a cold now." He said it while cupping my face very tenderly. His face now displayed the usual adoration and love that he hid during these past few days. I nodded my head and gave a small smile before heading inside the house following him closely.

We entered Logan's room and I heard the click sound which indicated that Logan had locked the doors. I unwrap the blanket around my body and sit on the edge of the bed. I studied Logan through my lashes as he approached me with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Ask me what you want to know." He said while taking a seat next to me but deliberately left some space in between us. My heart clenched at the little distance he put up even after what happened earlier. I shook my thoughts away and bit my lip as I mentally noted down my questions.

"Why were you ignoring me?" That was the first question that I wanted to ask for so long.

"Well, let's just say that I was angry at you when I came to know you met with Olivier"

"Is that the only reason?"

"No, My anger fueled more when you wouldn't tell me about it even though I insisted you do. I wanted you to tell me about it but you didn't. And that made me think you didn't trust me enough to tell me what was troubling you. And slowly the anger I felt at you got directed towards myself and changed into guilt when you told me about those notes and accidents" Logan sighed exasperatedly.

"I was so focussed on mom's case and finding the person who did it that I forgot to ask what was happening to you. How much you were hiding to keep me in dark while you dealt with everything alone." He said while he ran his hands through his hair in a frustrated and disturbed manner. My mouth gaped in shock because I never thought he took it like that.

"So you aren't angry at me for being the reason for your mom's accident? You weren't planning to break-up with me?" I asked, feeling genuinely astonished.

"No, no how can I be angry or blame you for that. It was never your fault, love. There was nothing you could do to stop it from happening. And NO, I wasn't planning to or I ever will break-up with you. You're stuck with me forever." He said as he grazed my left cheek and looked straight into me. By now he was facing me. I felt a huge weight lift from my shoulders as I registered his words. I wanted to press more on what he meant by the last line but decided to leave it for now.

"Even though the first few days I was ignoring you and moping around, I decided to square up after that. I understood it was useless to dwell on the past so I started to plan out everything efficiently to end all this. As a first step, I met with Olivier the other day. I remembered you saying that it wasn't him who was behind those accidents so I had to meddle in and ask myself who it was." He said with a serious face and my eyes widened in shock.

"Wait, you met with Olivier and asked all about our meeting?" I asked him incredulously.

"Yes," He said looking away from me. "I tried to get the name of this Boss but I couldn't. It doesn't look like Olivier will ever reveal it to us. We might have to find it out on our own."

"Log, this is dangerous. I don't want you to be involved in this mess" I say firmly, shaking my head. Logan gave me a look.

"Karolia, I'm already involved. There's no back off from it now" I huffed.

"I know this is dangerous, love. So, I also came up with another plan which will be less dangerous for us to be involved in. I know you will never back out from this how much ever I tell you to. I should get involved myself so I can know what all you can do without getting your life threatened. " He said while looking at me with a judging glare. I huffed again as I felt my anger slowly start to bubble.

"Logan, It's not an easy game and I know I have to be very careful. But everything happened because of me, so let me deal with it. I don't want anything happening to you or anyone around me. Please." I pleaded, my energy level going down again due to frustration.

I covered my face with my hands as I felt so tired of everything. Repeating my situation to him was only making it worse and understanding how hard it is on myself. But I know I have to stay strong. I shouldn't give up. I felt Logan's arms wrap around me and the next thing I know is I'm seated on top of him. I looked up at him and found the guilty expression on him again.

"Lia, I'm your boyfriend and not an outsider. You're part of my life as much as I'm in yours. So do not expect me to run away when things get hard in our life, alright. We will face this together and fight together" his knuckles caressed my cheeks gently, contrary to his firm statements.

"Don't try to talk me out of this because I'm not changing my mind on this. Even if you stay angry at me on this, I'm not backing down. I'm never letting you go into this dangerous pit alone and if you thought I would, then you don't know me well, love." He explained as if he was talking to a child and I looked at him in dumbfoundedness.

"What did I do to get an adamant boyfriend like you?" I asked, more to myself.

"Right back at ya," He smirked boyishly and I couldn't help but smile at the adorable man in front of me. I realized how lucky I am to have this man in my life. I feel like I can fight anything as long as he is alongside me. And he gave me all the confidence and courage to face anything in life.

I leaned in and kissed him gently. I immediately felt his lips lift in a small smile. We savored the sweet kiss for a few moments before we broke apart. I gazed into his beautiful blue eyes that I wish to look at for the rest of my life and smiled at him.

"I have arranged a meeting with Olivier tomorrow evening to discuss some things with him regarding our plans," Logan said.

"What are these plans you are talking about?" I asked him, confused.

"I'll explain everything to you eventually, babe. Now, it's already late so we should get to bed." He said and I was about to open my mouth to oppose when I decided against it. I think I have had enough for today since I can feel my brain battery running out. I nodded my head and positioned myself on the bed and got comfortable inside the fluffy bed sheets.

Logan heaved a sigh before getting up from the bed and walking towards the walk-in-closet to take off his shirt. Something I learned in all these months since sharing the same bed with him is that Logan doesn't like to sleep in with his shirt on. It's his habit and I'm not at all complaining about that. He is a source of warmth for me during the night that I have missed for these past few days. Logan switched off all the bed lights and switched on heater mode of the air conditioning before he got inside the warm blankets. He pulled me into him and in seconds our body tangled with each other.

"Now I can sleep peacefully holding you in my arms as usual. Lord knows how much I missed this." He muttered as he placed his chin on top of mine as I dived deeper into his chest.

"Who was stopping you from doing this for the past three days?" I asked him, but my sound came off so muffled.

"I guess we will need to work on my ego soon." I snickered as he said that in a slightly regretful tone. I'm glad he admitted it though. He is never a person who is willing to admit his faults because of his big ego but I can see that he is slowly changing that.

"Thank you, Logan. For everything. " I say with so much sincerity.

"You're always welcome, my love. Now sleep." I closed my eyes and a smile formed on my face when I felt him kiss the top of my head.

"I love you," I whispered before I felt myself drift into a deep sleep but not before hearing him say "I love you more."

And that's how I slept that night. So soundly, with the warmth of Logan covering my entire body.

*******

Munching on an apple, I sauntered away towards the front door. Unlocking the double door, I breathe in the cold fresh air of the morning with a warm smile on my face. I rub myself with my free hand to create some warmth before stepping out into the porch. Guards were strolling around the premises, as usual, thick jackets protecting them from the cold New York weather. I know if I asked any one of them if they were ready to quit this job of protecting the Watson family for something else, they would firmly say NO. Even though Logan is very firm in his orders and can be a bit harsh and tough when it comes to their duties, they know not to disobey him. Their pay is very high and they even get bonuses when they do overtime. I could say these are some sincere men that Logan got to work for him.

My smile was immediately replaced by a frown as I watched Eric from a distance. Logan didn't fire him after yesterday's event and weirdly that brings a smirk on my face. Logan Watson is scared of me. Now, only a slight threat from me is enough to bring him down on his knees and he knows it as well. Maybe I exaggerated that part a bit but you surely get my point right. I speed walk towards Eric and when I was a foot away from him, he turned in my direction.

"Good morning, Miss Kingston," he nodded his head, his face set into a serious mode. I grimaced as I took in his bandaged broken nose. The skin around is in a purplish-blue color that brings me to another thought. What if Logan punched me like that accidentally, I would die right? Ahh, let's hope he doesn't lose his sense and punch me.

"How're you holding up?" I asked with a pained face, referring to his wound. Eric shakes his head. As he smiled, a dimple formed on both his cheeks that I found so cute on him.

"It's alright Miss. Kingston. I'm fine." he says.

"I'm so sorry about yesterday. I should have known Logan would do something like that." I apologize.

"Please don't apologize. We're trained to face such blows." He says. I scowl at that.

"Then why didn't you cover your face?"

"I think I deserved it," he says disappointedly. "I broke one of our laws by forgetting to let Mr.Watson know about your whereabouts. I should have remembered it so it's practically my mistake."

"I forced you to switch off your phone." I reminded him.

Eric gives me a reassuring smile. "I'm fine Miss. Kingston. Please don't feel bad." he says. "Let me get back to my work, Mr. Watson is watching us."

I turn around to see Logan leaning against the threshold of the front door with his arms crossed over his chest. His gaze was set on us. I gave him a small wave to which he nodded his head in return. As I again turn around to say goodbye to Eric, he already left the spot and is now doing his duty. I shrugged my shoulders and walked away, towards my man who had an emotionless face, as usual.

"Good morning, love" his husky voice was a beautiful song in my ears that I always wish to hear over and over. Logan was wearing a three-piece dark blue suit that matches his stormy blue eyes. Damn, he looks really hot.

"How much should I pay for you to stop putting on an emotionless face?" I asked him seriously. Logan raised his eyebrows at my question, clearly not expecting it.

"Like seriously, most of the time it's so hard to read your emotions. You can easily read mine, but I can't. It's not fair." I pout. Logan uncrosses his arms before he places it on my hips and pulls me closer to him. I widened my eyes and warned him about the guards or anyone who could be probably watching us, but he didn't consider it and kissed my earlobes gently before he whispered.

"Be near me always, I'll show you the different emotions I have for you, baby." A shiver traveled through my spine. I placed my hand that wasn't holding the half-eaten apple on his chest and pushed him away.

"Log, move," I say, a grin on my lips. Leave it to him to make me all turned on in the morning itself. Logan chuckles again and he steps back. But he took my other hand that held the apple and brought it to his lips before taking a huge bite from it, his eyes never leaving me. Sweet mother of cookies. I gulp silently.

"That was so hot." I breathed out dazed. Logan threw his head back and laughed loudly, his face brightening up.

"Oh love," he wheezes, short breaths escaping his lips. I laughed along with him, shaking my head. I'm happy we're back to normal. I hated the awkwardness we had in these past five days, all tensed and forced. But now, we are back to be all goofy and lovey-dovey.

"Are you leaving?" I asked him, referring to his formal attire. We are walking to the kitchen to have breakfast. Logan's arms were around my shoulder keeping me close to him.

"No, I'm planning to work from home for today." He informed me and I gave him a lopsided smirk.

"Someone is being lazy nowadays." I tease, nudging his ribs. Logan rolls his eyes.

"Not lazy, just not in the mood to go to the office building when I can do today's work here itself." He argues.

"Whatever helps you to sleep at night, Watson," I say and slap his bum cheek, bit harshly. Logan turned around in surprise and looked at me with amused eyes. I gave him a wink before entering the kitchen. The aroma of bacon and scrambled eggs filled my nostrils and I breathed deeply, excitement to eat bubbling inside me.

"Morning, Daniella." I greet the young lady.

"Good Morning, Ms. Kingston and Mr. Watson" Danielle smiled at us. "The breakfast is ready."

"It looks so appetizing," I say excitedly, my eyes roaming the dishes kept on the kitchen counter. I felt Logan's presence behind me and he whispered something in my ears before he sat on the chair, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips. I look at him with widened eyes, gulping again as his words registered in my brain.

''I'll get you back for the stunt you did back there, Kingston. Then don't run away to hills complaining I'm too much for you to handle.''

I sit down in the chair, giving him a playful glare. I didn't give a sassy reply to his statement because honestly, I'm not getting any. Shaking my head, I started filling my plate with the food, Logan following my actions. We started eating peacefully, small whispered conversations flowing between us. Grecia soon joined us for breakfast and once again, laughter-filled in the atmosphere. We talked about Grecia's progress in treatment and other small chit chats before Grecia pointed out about yesterday's event, about our fight that everyone heard from downstairs. Just like I predicted yesterday.

"I'm happy you both handled the issue like adults," Grecia said. I look down at the plate, embarrassed. Danielle and Rebecca were out of earshot and Grecia's voice was low like she only wanted us to hear about it.

"I noticed the tension between you both for the past few days. Seeing you both now, I believe the issue is solved and you both made it up." Logan and I nodded our heads, giving each other a side glance before our gaze apprehensively went to Grecia.

"Yes," I muttered.

"It was just some misunderstanding, mom. Now we are alright." I looked at him through the corner of my eye and I felt Logan's hand on my thigh under the table before he squeezed it lightly. Bringing my left hand covertly under the table, I interlocked our fingers and Logan rubbed the skin on my knuckles, sending electric sparks through it.

"Good," Grecia smiled. "I was worried I would have to give you both a lecture on how to talk things out between couples." she chuckled. Logan rolled his eyes whereas I gave her a coy smile.

"Thank God we solved it then," Logan muttered which earned a slap from me and a playful glare from Grecia.

************

(In the evening)

I sip on the coffee that Logan had got for me from a cafe earlier and watch the scenery flash by through the window glass. I looked at Logan who was driving with a solemn expression on his face. We left the mansion almost half an hour ago for the meeting that Logan had arranged with Olivier. Even though I'm going to meet him with Logan beside me, I can't help but feel a bit of nervousness. I know I am well protected with Logan beside me and his staff who will be there at his office. Although I'm sure he wouldn't dare to make any move, there is still some sort of fear that I'm not able to ignore. How come I didn't feel this way when I met Olivier alone?

I close my eyes and lean back on my seat and take a deep breath. I enjoy the warm air from the heater and try to relax my nerves. I felt Logan's warm hand intertwining with mine and I opened my eyes to find Logan looking directly at me. I noticed that we had stopped at a signal.

"You don't have any reason to be afraid, Lia. I am there with you and I will never let even his fingertip touch you. I assure you that." Logan said squeezing my hands in assurance. I smiled at how caring and protective he is.

"I know that, Log. I don't doubt you on that. I'm just worried about what might happen. We have no idea what or whom we are dealing with and it's just nerve-wracking." I admitted.

"I can understand, love. But remember what I told you earlier. Don't trust Olivier completely. We don't know what he is up to. Even though his reasons made sense and he looked open with his intentions, I don't believe him. I can feel something off about him, he is hiding something but I'm sure he won't talk about it. So we will have to act like we all are together in this to gain his trust to tell us about his ploy. At least then, he would reveal this Boss's identity." Logan explained. I nodded my head in understanding. We already talked about this before leaving the house and I know Logan is just repeating to make it clear for me.

"And Lia one more thing, don't agree to him right away if he asks you for something. We have to be very careful with what we are committing to.'' I agreed with him on that. Now when I think, it was stupid of me to just propose a plan to collaborate even though I didn't have any proper affirmation that he will be on my side truthfully through all of this. I'm so glad Logan found out everything and is with me in this. He knows things like this better than me so it's better to stay back and just listen to Logan.

We reached Logan's office earlier than the time we have set for. We got out of the car and headed straight towards his room. His PA offered to notify us as soon as Olivier arrived. I decided to just sit there and think about our conversation that's about to take place. Logan started with his work for that day and I just sat on the office couch placed at the far end of the room reading the magazines to kill time.

The remaining twenty minutes felt like an hour before I heard Logan's intercom pinging with a message from his PA stating that Olivier had arrived and was heading to the office room. Although I tried to remain calm I couldn't ignore my sweaty hands and accelerating heartbeat. I have already talked with this man alone and also spent almost half an hour with his drunk self in a room alone to get answers from him but he still makes me nervous and scared to run for my life. It's not at all easy to forget the things he had done to me in the past and I hardly doubt it's ever going to change. I'm seriously worried about how it's going to be in the coming days if I have to work along with him.

Logan stood from his seat and walked towards the door which opened just at the time to reveal Olivier. Logan nodded at him briskly and Olivier took that as a sign to enter the room. There was a lump in my throat the moment I saw Olivier's green eyes land on me. I squirmed in my spot but Logan came to my aid as soon as he noticed my discomfort. Logan motioned for Olivier to take a seat opposite to us and came to sit beside me with his left hand around my shoulder in a protective and comforting manner. I heard the faint mumble of the word 'relax' in my ear to which my body immediately responded and loosened.

"Never thought I would have to come to this point. The one kid I've seen and raised in a way and the other whom I tried to kill, both sitting opposite to me as my enemies." Olivier said looking at both of us with a sort of sadistic smirk. I tensed at the comment but soon relaxed when I felt Logan's hands rubbing me.

"I would suggest you choose your words wisely, Olivier. And we are not here as your enemies. If that was the case you know you wouldn't be sitting here this comfortably." Logan warned in a low tone which made Olivier straighten up immediately from his slouching position.

"You're right, you're not my enemies now, at least I hope so. I believe you somehow managed to make her agree for everything. I must say I never expected for your bond to be this strong." he warily watched the way Logan's fingers were running down my arm that he did to comfort me.

"I also think being with you made her bolder. She had the guts to arrange a meeting with me, the same person who tried to kill her. I'm not sure if you are a good or a bad influence now." Olivier commented with a hint of humor which neither of us appreciated.

"I believe we are not here to discuss our relationship, Olivier. We have a much more serious topic to talk about." Logan reminded him, and I can see Olivier's unimpressed look.

"Always on point. Not surprised coming from you, Watson." He smirked. "Alright, now let's get to our issue."

"Guessing from the notes that you have received," Olivier looked at me through his lashes. "I think the Boss is already in New York. But I'm not sure why he stayed silent all this time." He stated. My lips parted as I took in his words. Logan leaned forward with his elbows on his legs.

"How sure are you that he is in New York?" Logan asked.

"Well, you got all those notes from here, right?" Olivier asked.

"Yes,", "No," Logan and I replied at the same moment. Both of their heads turn towards me at once. One with a questioning face and others with a confusing and accusing face. I bit my lip as I realized that I never told this information to Log before. Screw me!!

"What?" Logan asked with an incredulous gasp.

"I got the first note when we were staying in Worcester," I admitted, rather guiltily.

"Why didn't you tell me about this before?" Logan looked a bit pissed.

"I might have forgotten." I looked down in embarrassment. I can't believe I didn't tell him this information. It honestly slipped my mind.

"So you both went to Worcester?" Olivier asked, snapping mine and Log's attention from each other to Olivier.

"Yes, on my parents' death anniversary. We stayed there for three days." I said and saw the slight nod from Olivier as if he realized something. My head snapped towards Logan when I felt his leg nudge me. I turned to find him shaking his head subtly indicating me to not spill any more details. I took the hint and shut my mouth immediately.

"Now now, I always appreciated you for your clever mind Logan but I never thought you would do something as stupid as that." Olivier scoffed.

"What do you mean? And watch your mouth, Olivier. Remember that you are in my territory." Logan warned Olivier who immediately looked down under Logan's domineering gaze.

"Well, going to Worcester was so, so wrong. To put it simply, I would say you just walked straight into the lion's den." Olivier explained dramatically and I'm not sure if that's the reason why a shiver went down my spine or it was just because of what he said.

"So you're saying the Boss was in Worcester then?" Logan asked to clarify everything.

"Yes, at least that's where I believe he was at all this time. But he might have come here after you. I know for sure that he doesn't like to leave his targets on loose." Olivier said. Logan seemed to frown in deep thought. All the events from Worcester flashed through my mind to find the time I might have met this possible Boss.

"Now it also makes sense why I couldn't find you anywhere during those days." My heartbeat escalated at the thought of why he would have been looking for me. I wouldn't even want to think about it.

"Do you have his phone number or anything like that. We could track his location right." Logan asked Olivier.

"No, I don't. He is the one to usually call me and give orders. No one can call him back. Since he uses a satellite phone for these purposes it proves more difficult to track him." Olivier answered.

"Also let me remind you that he is a highly powerful and influential person in the underworld. He has so many men to stand behind his back and they are all ready to go behind the bars for him. That's one way he assured that Kingstons' murder stayed closed at the court with two of his trusted workers surrendering themselves for the crime. And even if you talk to those two you wouldn't get many details since they don't have any idea who this Boss is. They are kind of like the sleeper cells who have been getting benefited from the Boss but haven't been able to serve him. So when they get a proposal to do a work for him they do it without a second thought." Olivier explained. My head felt a bit heavy taking in so much information.

"He has been in this field for so many years and he never had a slip like this," Olivier added, looking at me. I bit my lip in fear. But this time it wasn't because of Olivier but rather the intensity of the situation that we are dealing with. I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked at Logan who had stayed silent all this time.

"Do you have any role in the Sheriff's death?" Logan asked accusingly out of the blue. Olivier looked confused at his question.

"The sheriff who investigated the case was murdered. And he also happened to be the one who protected Lia and decided to send her here. I found out recently that he was murdered and his wife is also nowhere to be seen." Logan added the last part a bit cautiously. Olivier nodded his head.

"I didn't know about that until you said it. As I said earlier I haven't been in contact with the Boss since he killed my wife. I have become a target for him too since I turned against him. I know who he is and also have been a part of his mission, so he must be planning to kill me too to erase all the evidence that I could potentially leak." Olivier said. "But it's expected that the Sheriff is no longer alive since he tried to meddle with the case. He must have found something that threatened the Boss's identity." He added which made sense. But what information did Uncle Sheriff find that resulted in his death? Will we ever be able to discover that secret? If we couldn't then his death would have no meaning.

"If the Boss is really in New York, then time is ticking, Watson. He is closer than you think and he will attack when you least expect it." Olivier ended with that one line which made me paranoid for the rest of the day.

Olivier left the office soon after our talk and we headed straight to the mansion. The whole ride home was so silent, both of us lost in our thoughts. Once we reached the mansion, I saw Grecia sprawled on the living hall couch watching TV and Rebecca sitting close to her. I have to say both Rebecca and Daniella molded well in the house. Grecia turned to us as soon as we entered the living room.

"Hey, sweetheart. How was your work?" Grecia asked enthusiastically.

"It was good, Grecia." I smiled at her a bit awkwardly. I feel guilty for lying to her but we had to come with an excuse that we went for work at Logan's office. Although we were indeed at the office, it wasn't for work. At least not for me.

"Are you both hungry? There is some delicious pasta that Daniella had made for dinner. She left for today so you both can just heat it and have it." I nodded my head and looked at Logan who agreed and kissed his mother's head before heading upstairs. I followed him to our room and we both changed our clothes in silence.

"I'll take a shower," Logan announced.

"Alright, I'll heat the food and wait downstairs," I said to which Logan agreed before disappearing into the washroom.

While eating our dinner, it was awkwardly silent between the both of us and I couldn't even put a finger on what Logan was thinking. I just hope Grecia didn't notice it since we just had a talk in the morning about this. I didn't put much on my plate since I didn't have any mood to enjoy today's dinner and I wasn't that hungry as well. It is just to fill my stomach so that I wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night with a rumbling stomach. Soon after Logan finished with his dinner he was about to stand up when I called out to him.

"Logan, tell me what's wrong? You're being silent again. Remember our promise? To always share our thoughts." I asked him with puppy eyes. Logan's face remained stoic even after that and it scared me. Not this again!

"Is it me? Did I do something wrong?" I asked, my throat going dry. Logan's face softened and a faint smile grazed his lips which made me sigh mentally. Logan crouched down to my level before he caressed my face with his right hand.

"What training?" I asked him.

"Since I was getting worried about your safety, I realized I can't just protect you at every second. So I thought it would be best for you to learn some self-defense. Therefore get ready for tomorrow's training, love because I'm going to make sure that you will be able to fight back at least one man who comes to attack you." He explained. My mouth hung open at his words.

"Goodnight, love." Logan kissed the top of my head again and relaxed on the bed preparing to sleep.

"Goodnight, Log," I mumbled in a barely audible voice.

I'm not very sure about this new idea. Nope, not at all.