Page 21 of A Reputation Dark & Deadly

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To sayLogan was pissed would be an understatement. When Karla called him and told him that Peyton was acting like a fool at a stupid fraternity party and some guy was following her like he was her goddamn shadow, his blood boiled. He was at the batting cages - an activity he partook in four days of the week. It helped clear his head and relieve any stress of tension that accumulated throughout the day and the week. It was an activity that he did not like to be disturbed during ; it was his only time of solitude. He didn't have to think about anything or anyone. All he needed to do was snack the balls as hard as he could.

But then Karla wouldn't stop calling so he answered after the fifth call and she frantically told him about the shit Peyton was getting herself into. At first, he contemplated leaving her there and letting her make her own damn mistakes. He continued to bat, except now he was swinging and missing. He clenched his teeth tightly, trying a few more swings but besides a tip that would have been a foul in the field, he couldn't catch any air.

"Goddamnit."

He rubbed the lower half of his face with his black glove and turned back to his phone. He went to his contacts and pressed the last number that popped up. He never acquired his TA's numbers and wasn't about to start now. The fact that Karla had his gave him pause but that was a detail he'd sort another time.

It rang one time before Karla answered.

"Hello?"

"Text me the fucking address," he said. He didn't wait for her to respond before he hung up the phone and got ready to leave.

She did in a manner of seconds and tried to call him back a few times. Logan chose not to answer. There was something about Karla he hadn't trusted completely - not that he trusted any of the women he slept with one hundred percent - but Karla was intelligent and calculating. In the ten weeks they spent together, she had never outwardly insisted on being more than what they were - two people who slept together and had the occasional conversation. But there was something more, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. It wasn't until after the final grades were posted did he realize that she wasn't as confident and cool as she seemed. The pretty girls tended to have lower scores than everyone else, and while he would have changed them based on the amount of work they put in and what type of content filled the essays, nobody every came to him due to the fact that they were intimidated by him. The fact that she was insisting on helping his newest and sole TA was mind-boggling to say the least and there was a good chance she was lying to him in order to manipulate him in some way.

The problem was, he couldn't take the chance that what Karla might be telling him was true. And he couldn't leave Peyton alone to deal with a guy who couldn't take no for an answer. He didn't consider why Karla herself didn't step in and take care of the situation. The woman could be intimidating when she wanted to be. But she called him to intervene.

He would ponder the reasoning behind that later. Right now, he wanted to get to Peyton and ensure she was okay. Once he did that, she was going to get hell for even putting herself in the situation. She was better than that and she knew it. Hell, he knew it.

He slid into his Suburban after throwing his batting equipment in the trunk of his car. His eyebrows hung low over his eyes and he almost didn't hear the GPS on his phone announce the upcoming directions due to how pensive he was.

By the time he got to the party, things seemed to be winding down. It was after midnight - he knew the guy at the batting cages and paid a good amount of money to be able to hit afterhours - and college kids weren't spilling out of the house. The grass was filled with alcohol, cigarette butts, and crinkled plastic cups. There were a couple of kids sleeping off their drunken stupor on the porch of the house. Karla was outside waiting for him, pacing up and down the old wood with her arms crossed over her chest. She was wearing his favorite dress - a silver strappy number that hit her mid-thighs - and white stiletto heels. She looked flawless, but then again, she always did. For a brief second, he wondered if the only reason Karla called him here in the first place was to get him to notice her. He wouldn't put it past her for a second. But then he remembered why he was here and he shook his head and focused.

Karla gave him an easy smile but her eyes were focused. She grabbed his hand and led him up the stairs. Logan could feel curious eyes on them. He was sure he was recognized by some. Crime students usually weren't crazy party fraternity people but his reputation preceded him and he was known amongst the different departments. He ignored the stares for the most part, instead choosing to focus on where Karla was leading him. He didn't think about the rumors that would swirl, considering he was about to take his TA out of a bad situation and all but force her back to her place.

To be frank, Logan didn't give a shit. As long as Peyton was safe, he could care less what people thought of him and his relationship with her.

He stomped up the stairs, his feet pinching due to how long he'd been standing and moving today. Typically, after a couple of hours at the batting cages, Logan would be soaking in a hot bath, easing out the kinks and softening the tension in his body. He wasn't a young kid anymore so he tried to pay attention to what his body needed. Instead, he was at some stupid college party because some girl couldn't hold her goddamn liquor.

Karla led her to a room with a closed door. When Logan tried opening it, it remained locked in place. Logan rolled his eyes. The only thing he could do was kick down the door, which would require an extra fifteen minutes in the bathtub. He sucked in a breath before raising his right leg and kicking at the doorknob. It broke without hesitation and the door squeaked open.

When he saw the kid on top of a clearly inebriated Peyton, he lost all control of rational thought. Without thinking, he reached down and threw the kid off of her, not even bothering to check to see if he was all right. His eyes were reserved solely for Peyton. He could admit that he was relieved to see her fully clothed and slightly annoyed. This had to mean that besides trying to persist, nothing had come of it.

She couldn't walk so he had no choice but to swoop her up in his arms and carry her out. He was startled by how light she was but shook the thought out of his head. His only focus now was getting her out of here. He walked past Karla without looking at her and headed down the stairs, ignoring the whispers and the staring that currently went on. He could give a shit what anyone said about him but he'd be lying if he wasn't concerned about what would be said about Peyton.

Once he was outside, he loaded her unconscious frame into his SUV. When he was far enough away, he would figure out what he would do with her.