02

LOGAN HUNT

Logan sat in his comfortable chair in his colossal office, going through the annual reports when the loud bang of his door hitting the wall, snapped his head up. His worst nightmare stood in the doorway.

« What are you doing here ? » Logan asked

« Is that any way to greet your fiance, darling ? » That sweet voice so familiar brought in the rush of memories.

« The fiance who went AWOL around a year back when I needed her » he threw back and she narrowed her eyes at him.

Sydney was a sweet shy woman who practically grew up with him. He remembered the time when he would chase her all around his house and his backyard to the time when he’d pull her pigtails and tease her about her glasses, to the time when he fought and threatened all the guys that tried to hit on her when she hit puberty and then when she changed herself to become a model.

Logan liked the Sydney she was before she had a complete 180 change. But even though she might have changed her appearances she was still the Sydney he knew since they were kids in diapers.

« You know how hard it was for me to wait for you and come save me. I had to run away. That was the only way I could’ve saved my ass. »

« You know you have me »

« I know that but then Logan , I know I’m not strong enough to help you up. Who’s gonna help you if you’re busy covering my back »

« I don’t need anyone’s help. »

« You do. You’re just too stubborn to ask »

Logan gave out a sigh and she made her way to where he sat. She pulled him up and then wrapped her hands around him.

« I care about you Logan » she said her voice muffled against his chest.

« I care about you too, Syd. » he replied stroking his hand up and down her back.

« Logan, did you –« Sean found the very moment to enter. Sydney jumped back from his embrace and stumbled back in her way high heels.

« Careful » Logan extended a hand and she took it gratefully.

« I see you’re busy. » his brother added, icily.

Logan didn’t know what it was that he did wrong but then seeing his icy glare directed at Sydney, he sighed.

Sean and Sydney hadn’t been able to connect on any level. Even when they were kids, they were always fighting. Sydney never let a week go by when she wasn’t playing pranks on his younger brother. At some point, Logan had believed that Sydney had a crush on him but then she had gone through the change and it seemed that crush was crushed to dust long back.

« What were you saying ? » Logan asked him.

« Nothing in particular » he added « I’ll come back some other time. » he said and left the room in a hurry.

‘Why is it that you’re always glaring at each other is beyond me »

« Your brother is a pain in the ass snob, a sanctimonious bitch-. »

Logan knew that she used humor as a defense mechanism, the more she felt cornered, the more sarcasm and humor dripped from her tone. She could never talk back let alone flip anyone the finger. Logan had always been the one to do that for her. For once it seemed that Logan had sheltered her way too much at that. Though it was amusing how she never backed down in front of Sean.

« Okay, okay. Calm down. » Logan pulled a chair for her and she settled down.

« Are you okay ? »

« I’m not but it’s nothing I can’t handle »

« Do you need my help with anything. »

« No. »

« Seriously ? »

« No. I’m fine. You don’t have to do everything okay. Will you just let me be. » she snapped and Logan held his hands up in front of him in surrender.

« Okay. »

« So » she smiled but she wasn’t fooling him. Logan knew that she was faking. Something was going on and he intended to find out. « Tell me what happened with you. »she changed the subject and Logan let it go for now.

He hesitated for a minute. « I went to Paris two months ago »

« Nice. »

« Yeah. Met a woman »

« Oooh now you’re talking. So what’s her name ? »

« I don’t know. »

Sydney frowned, « What do you mean you don’t know ? »

Logan began to tell her about everything that happened that night between him and the woman.

« Damn. Mr. Bigshot cheating on his fiance. That’s a nice headline »

« Shut up Syd. » he said. « If you keep pestering me I’ll tell dad that you’re dying to marry me. »

She made a face at him. « Oh please don’t. I don’t want to tie the knot with a guy who’s been my overprotective brother my whole life. »

« Yeah I’m not into incest either. » he said.

« It’s not incest since we aren’t blood related family. » she added

« You saying you wanna go ahead with the marriage ? » He raised an eyebrow at her. And she shook her head vigorously and then made a zipping motion with her finger across her lips.

« So did you find her »

« The hotel refused to give me a name »

« Oh my god, didn’t the hotel bow down to your demands ? » she mocked and Logan pinned her with a glare. « Shut it Syd. »

But then he smiled. With the way she was bantering with him, it felt like they were back o being kids mocking and playing and fighting.

She sighed. « Do you even know what she was there for ? »

« Nope. We didn’t even talk about anything that could give out our identities. We were too focused on being in the moment. »

A low whistled escaped her lips. « This woman has gotten you all kinds of twisted. »

« You have no idea » he drawled.

« So what are you gonna do ? Find this woman and then what tell her that you want to be with her and then what ? Marry me if you aren’t able to meet your dad’s conditions ? » Now she wanted to hash this out ? He hadn’t seen her in all over a year. Sure he had told her that he would look after it and handle the problem but she being damn difficult what with running away without telling anyone, giving everyone a scare. It took a lot of consoling and begging on his part to not just tear up the contract and go forth with the wedding.

« I’m trying to figure this shit out Syd but you’re making it damn difficult. «

« I’m making this difficult ? You agreed to the contract. »

« The contract kept you and me and the company safe Syd. Don’t for a single second think that i did this for my selfish needs. »

A contract that was signed between his family and Sydney’s. When the company was going downhill, George, Logan’s father, had almost lost hope but the three brothers had invested their trust funds and had stabilized the company to some extent. For over a year now, Logan and Sean had been trying their level best to bring the company back to its position but then as a back-up their fathers had made them sign a contract that said that in the next two years, if in fact Logan failed in his conquest or if Sydney didn’t find herself an eligible suitor, by the end of the year, Logan and Sydney would be married along with the company getting merged with the company run by Sydney’s father.

It was a good thing but then the merger was the last thing he wanted. This company was started by his father in his early age. Just because he made a few bad investments shouldn’t make him lose his company. Logan would never let her father ever say ‘Do you remember the time when this was just ours. You, me and Sean…’

« I know you didn’t I’m not even blaming you for this. You don’t know what happened at home after we signed the contract. It was suffocating Logan and I had to go. I had to get away. » she pleaded.

« At the very least you could’ve told me where you were. »

« It’s okay. I was okay. » she said but then her eyes took on a haunted look that told Logan that even if she was in the present her mind was reeling back to wherever she was, whatever it was that had happened to her.

« I’m here for you. You know that right ? »

She nodded and gave him a smile and Logan’s heart almost broke at the sheen of tears that covered her eyes.

She hugged him once more and left from there.

Logan knew that he couldn’t make her talk but he knew someone who would talk instead of her.

He fished out his cell and scrolled through his contacts. A number that he had saved a long back, something Syd didn’t know. He knew she would be pissed that he would go behind her back but at that moment he wanted to do something for her and if that cost just a little bit of her privacy it didn’t matter. In fact, she shouldn’t be keeping secrets from him. He had always been her brother and she was like a little sister to him. And he had vowed long back to take care of her. He put the phone to his ear and when the person on the other end began with a polite hello, all he said was,

« Anya, we need to talk. »