Chapter Text
The sun had set hours ago, the air blessedly cool and a much needed contrast from the stifling heat. Still, I could feel sweat trickling down my back. I impatiently pushed my hair back from my face. Justice hadn’t technically posted the commission, but I’d not so accidentally overheard him and Unsuur complaining about no budget and no new weaponry in ages. So here I was, dead of night, taking it upon myself to remedy that for our two Civil Corps members.
Justice would give me an earful, but I knew he wouldn’t turn away a new set of daggers or an upgraded spear. I smiled a little to myself. I was finally starting to feel like a real part of this town. A newbie still, sure, but it was nice to walk through the square and recognize my name being shouted as neighbors waved hello. It was a type of acceptance I had never really felt before, even in Highwind.
There was a soft whine and something nudged my heel. I glanced down to see Nemo, bumping his little nose against my calf. “What? You ready for me to call it quits? Or you just trying to con me into a second dinner?” I chuckled. He whined again, sitting back on his haunches. I paused, my smile slipping from my face as I noticed the way his fur was standing on end. Hackles raised. “Don’t tell me a thorny jumper is wanderin’ somewhere around here again?”
Something clattered, sending Nemo skidding under the worktable. I snorted. “Some guard dog you are, buddy.” But I still reached down to scratch him behind the ears. “Don’t worry, I got this.”
It wasn’t that unusual for a thorny jumper, or even a bumble ant to find its way into the workshop. I still had the scar on my left palm from my first encounter with one of those adorably spiky creatures. I nearly set down the dagger I was working on, but something made me pause. Maybe being armed wasn’t such a bad thing, with the uprising in bandits and such. I murmured for Nemo to stay put and quietly crept around the side of my house, where the noise had come from. The door to my little storage shed was ajar. Just enough to make me pause. I could’ve left it like that. Maybe?
I swallowed. Or maybe it was better to get Justice or Unsuur? Hell, even Pen. Hadn’t he told me to come get him at the first sign of trouble? I wondered if that meant even in the middle of the damn night. But then…what if it really was nothing? Light, the idea of Pen coming out here only to find the local wildlife scaring the life out of me was enough to make me push the shed door open all the way. He’d never let me live it down. The last thing I needed was some other idiotic nickname from him.
My fingers curled tighter around the dagger as I squinted into the darkness. The sliver moonlight barely helped, instead casting shadows that made me not trust my eyes. “I’m armed, thorny jumper,” I called as I stepped cautiously inside. “Just so you know.”
My palms felt a little sweaty and I wanted to kick myself. It was nothing, I knew it was nothing and still—
I gasped as an arm suddenly curved around my waist, hauling me back against a warm, solid chest. The scent of gunpowder and leather filled my nose as an embarrassing, terrified squeak escaped me. I remembered the dagger in my hand and tried to swing it backward, aiming for a thigh or whatever I could find. It was easily twisted from my grip before the cold metal was pressed lightly to my throat.
“You make a habit of threatenin’ the local wildlife?” The voice was low and husky, and I could feel his breath against the shell of my ear. Alarm bells began to ring in my head. Well, refusing to go for help had definitely been a mistake. Nice one, Lila.
I took a breath, ready to scream, but the sound was extinguished before it even had a chance. In one fluid motion, I was spun around and my back pressed against the wall of my shed. The stranger’s forearm now pressed to my chest, his other hand on the wall above my head. My pulse kicked into overdrive.
I recognized him instantly, even in the semi-darkness. Even with the black bandanna hiding the lower half of his face. Unsuur had nailed those wanted posters, aside from those startling blue eyes. For a moment, we just stared at each other, waiting to see who would react first. The panic ebbed. Maybe I was stupid. Maybe it was because of Elsie and her full on vehemence that Logan was innocent. Whatever reason he was here, I didn’t think it was to hurt me.
“You make a habit of hiding in people’s sheds and scaring the absolute daylight outta of ‘em?” I shot back, my voice only slightly shaky. “Logan.” I attached his name last minute, making sure he knew that I knew exactly who he was.
And even though I could see the lower half of his face, I could tell a smile was curving his lips by the way his eyes crinkled. Just barely.
“Only the lucky ones.”
His grip loosened, but he had yet to move. The heat of his body against mine was impossible to ignore. Not to mention his height. He towered over me. The wanted posters sure as hell didn’t show that.
“Well, you promise to behave and I’ll promise too.” I lifted my chin as I said it, trying to sound calmer than I felt. Difficult, considering the squeak that had escaped me earlier, and that I’d been this close to screaming my head off not ten seconds ago.
“S’pose that depends on your definition of behave, but alright,” he said, taking a step back. It was only because of how focused I was on him, how completely tuned in I was, that I saw the wince. My gaze shot to his shoulder, where I could just make out the dark, wet stain on the fabric.
“You’re hurt,” I murmured.
“Just a flesh wound, darlin’. Ain’t nothin’ to worry that pretty head over.”
I raised my eyebrows. “So that’s why you’re lurking in my shed then, huh?”
Logan leaned against the wall opposite me, pushing up the brim of his hat as if to get a better look at me. “Lurkin’ is a choice word. More like takin’ a breather.”
My eyes flickered to his shoulder again. It was too dark to tell how hurt he was, but criminal or not…it wasn’t in my nature to let a person suffer. And this wasn’t just any criminal. It was Logan. Every person in this town had words about him, and seemed to me that before the whole bandit thing, he was somebody good.
“You better come inside and let me look at that. Can’t have you bleedin’ all over my damn shed.” I pushed myself off the wall and crossed my arms over my chest. “We can make a deal if you want. I won’t say a word as long as you’re gone by sunrise.”
His blue eyes slowly swept over me, head to toe. Most likely assessing how trustworthy I was, but I couldn’t help but blush. Thank Light it was dark. He had a way of making it feel like he was seeing everything.
“Alright then. Lead the way, builder.” He gestured toward the door, and I realized he was still holding the dagger I’d been working on.
“Bring that with you but it better still be here in the morning. I’ve been working on it for days.” I nodded at the weapon before carefully stepping around him and heading back out into the night.
The world outside was still silent, aside from the occasional gust of wind kicking up mini sand tornadoes or the soft din of the local wildlife. Logan’s footsteps behind me were near silent but I could feel his towering presence as we headed across the yard and into my house. It was small, with my tiny kitchen in one corner and the living room butting up against it. Two doors led to my bathroom, and the other to my bedroom. I drew the curtains shut (could never be too careful, especially in a town this small) and kicked out a chair at the rickety kitchen table for Logan.
“Sit,” I instructed, pointing at it before grabbing the first aid kit I kept under the sink. “You’re lucky I’m clumsy enough that I’ve learned how to stitch myself up. As long as it’s nothin’ too bad, I should have you ready to go in no time.”
“You’re a little bossy, when you’re not tongue-tied.” His voice was amused as he sat, the chair creaking under him.
I rolled my eyes, spreading my first aid supplies out on the table. “Choice words from a man now at my mercy. Take your shirt off.”
“Outta buy me dinner first, don’t ya think?”
I made the mistake of glancing up to look at him, and my pulse stuttered just at the way his eyes were trained on me. He looked so at ease and out of place at the same time. Long legs stretched out in front of him, his hat placed on the empty chair next to him. His silver hair glinted in the kitchen light, tied back in a low messy ponytail at the nape of his neck.
I cleared my throat and looked away. “Seems dangerous to flirt with the woman with the pointy object.” I gestured to the needle I was working on threading.
“Seems a shame not to when she’s as pretty as you are.”
Damn it all. There was no hiding the blush the crept through me from head to toe, fully on display in the light of my home. Seemed cruel for a man to be both beautiful and charming. And a bandit, I reminded myself. A dangerous, crime committing bandit.
I made a point of ignoring him and he let out a low chuckle. Out of the corner of my eye I could see him unbuttoning and removing his shirt. I busied myself getting a bowl of clean water and washcloth ready.
I was not going to stare. I would not look at his body. I would look him in the eyes, I told myself.
And when I turned around, I found myself startled anyways. Not by the fact that he was now bare chested, yes, but by the fact I could see his entire face. His square jaw and broad, straight nose. The silver scruff that covered his cheeks. His full lips.
“Seemed pointless, considering you know exactly who I am,” he explained softly.
I swallowed hard and nodded, averting my gaze to his shoulder. The wound had stopped bleeding, but the skin around it was an angry red and some spots already starting to turn the sickly yellow and purplish of a bruise.
“’Nother group of bandits. Clipped me with a bullet is all.”
“You’re lucky,” I commented softly, trying to focus on keeping my voice steady. “I’ll clean it and put something on it to stop infection before I stitch you up.”
“Be my guest, builder.”
I stepped closer, and tried to ignore the way my stomach flipped as he widened his legs so I could stand between them. I know I wasn’t supposed to look, but it was impossible when he was right there. All broad shouldered and chiseled, a trail of hair creating a path down his stomach and disappearing under the waist band of his pants and— I took a deep breath as heat flushed through me. FOCUS, LILA.
Yet focusing was difficult either way, considering his eyes watched me intently as I worked on cleaning his wound.
“You’re new here,” he finally said.
“Been a few months, but yes. I’m new.” I gently scrubbed the dried blood from his skin.
“And? Thoughts on our little town?”
Our little town. I didn’t miss the way he still referred to it as his. Interesting. “Might be better without all these bandits making such a ruckus all the time.”
At that he laughed, and now that I could see his smile, I was amazed at how it changed his entire face. Made him look younger, less hardened criminal and more of the carefree man Elsie and some of the other described him as…before everything.
“Fair enough. You ain’t gonna ask why?”
Why he was doing any of it? Of course I wanted to know. Light, did I need to know but…did it matter? Did I want it to matter? After tonight, I’d probably never see him again.
“No need to complicate anything. I’m just a builder tryin’ to mind my business.”
“A builder currently harborin’ a wanted criminal,” his voice was teasing and there was a slight smirk on his lips that made me wish he’d just kept his stupid bandanna on because how was a girl supposed to do anything against that?
“I’m about to start stitching so you best keep very still and very quiet,” I murmured, which just made him chuckle again.
He obliged me though and sat like a statue as I quietly and methodically worked. He barely flinched at what I was sure had to be painful and instead seemed to be occupying himself by studying me with those eye that didn’t miss a damn thing. After a while though, I was proud to say I hardly noticed. It was almost the same thing with building. Once I hit a good rhythm, I was in my own world.
I finished by winding a clean bandage around the wound. “Good as new.” I let out a breath and made to step backwards (give myself some much needed space from his warmth and his gunpowder scent) but I tripped over his boot.
Quick as a whip, his hands found my waist and steaded me but not before I caught myself against his chest. Thankfully missing his wounded shoulder, but this was also not ideal. I could feel the thrum of his heartbeat and the soft hair that covered his skin.
“You did say you were clumsy,” he teased, and his thumb brushed the bare skin between my jeans and the hem of my shirt. It sent a searing electrical current through me. Our eyes locked for a very long, drawn out moment and my feet seemed stuck to the floor.
I whirled around and tugged myself out of his grasp, occupying myself by flinging open one of my cupboards. “Here, I got some of Fang’s meds somewhere. You can take them with you, because once that adrenaline wears off you’ll—“ The babbling died on my tongue as I heard him get up before he was pressed up behind me, grabbing the bottle I was reaching for easily. I swallowed hard and forced myself to turn, where I was once again pressed up against him in a scene that mirrored what had happened in the shed.
“You should really, um, avoid using that arm because of…the stitches and uh…”
He smiled down at me, eyes glinting with amusement. “Thanks for the advice, doc. So what do I owe you?”
Entirely against my will, my eyes flicked to his lips as he spoke. When I looked back at him, I could tell that he’d definitely noticed. “Nothing,” I said quickly. “Just don’t blow anything up for a while, I’m pretty busy fixing other things.”
Logan grinned. “Aside from bein’ bossy, anybody ever tell you that you wear exactly what you’re feelin’”
Oh Light. I was in trouble. “It’s…it’s come up before.”
We held one another’s gazes for a long moment before he finally stepped back and I could breathe again. I nearly sagged against the counter.
“Well, I figure I owe ya anyways, so I’ll figure that out on my own.” He had his back to me now and was carefully shrugging his shirt back on. In an effort not to stare at his back muscles, I busied myself cleaning up my supplies from the table and putting everything away.
By the time I was finished, he was fully dressed again. Bandanna included. He placed his hat back on his head and when I pushed the bottle of medicine towards him from the table, he wordlessly took it and slid it into a pocket.
“Well…I guess, be careful out there?” I said, unsure of how to even end this strange night that was starting to feel more and more like a dream or a very vivid hallucination brought on by too many hours out in the Sandrock heat.
“I’ll do my best, can’t imagine you want me out bleedin’ in your shed again, Lila.”
I opened my mouth to agree but the words were tied on my tongue. “Wait how do you know my name?”
His blue eyes sparkled. “You think I don’t know everythin’ that goes on in my town?” He countered. He stepped forward and his fingers gripped my chin gently, forcing me to lift my burning face to face him. “’Specially when the most gorgeous woman this side of the Free Cities moves in.” His gaze flickered to my lips and I had to wonder if he could hear my pulse from the way he smirked at me afterwards. “I owe you. And I pay my debts. Don’t try an’ argue now.”
Just like that he stepped away, moving across the small room to the front door. He tipped his hat to me and stepped out into the night. I waited a full minute to make sure he was really gone before I sank down into a kitchen chair. I had a gut feeling that wouldn’t be the last time I saw Logan. And if that was true, well then…I was a goner.