PULL THE PIN

Chapter 7

Cordelia followed Logan out of the vehicle and crouched down as instructed. "Grab hold of my belt to steady yourself until we get into the station and out of sight. This is going to be a bit awkward for you and I don't want you to trip," Logan spoke quietly to her.

He was right. It was extremely awkward. With her presence being shielded by Silas, Anita, and several officers, she felt like she duck-walked into the building. She could hear Anita snickering as she walked, head down, behind her. She just prayed that she looked like she was crying into her hands. When Cordelia tripped over the door threshold and ended up tugging hard on Logan's belt to save herself from falling, Anita full on broke down, silently laughing.

Once inside the building and behind a corner, Cordelia stood up and glared at Anita. "Not funny! I darn near did a faceplant right there in the doorway. Thank God for Logan!"

Anita laughed even harder as she glanced at Logan, who was in the process of straightening his clothes. He winked at Cordelia and joked, "Hey, you can rip my clothes off any time you want. I don't mind."

Her face flushed a deep pink as she muttered, "You two are crazy. Honestly!" Looking around she could see the amusement on the faces of the officers as well as Silas, Anita and Logan. "Shouldn't we be giving our statements, or something?" she asked in an attempt to redirect their attention.

Logan took her hand and smiled. "Sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you. Please forgive me?" His dark gray eyes were filled with pleading.

She slowly nodded her head. After all, how could she possibly remain upset with him? His concern for her safety was very evident in his every action. Sighing, she gave his hand a squeeze before following the officers to the assigned room.

Anita was the first to give her statement, starting with her listening to the conversation on the open call to Cordelia, up to and including her recording the disabling of the tracking device. Silas and Logan also gave their statements, then waited with Anita while Cordelia took the officers through her day.

She explained that Gordon had called her at mid-morning demanding she be at the house in Bedford by noon to discuss an important matter. This was a rare occurrence as once she moved out, she went back to the house only a handful of times, as she feared for her safety when around Gordon, Margaret and Ebony. Usually she took friends with her, as a precaution. Those friends were the same two guys who had installed the security system for her when she was fifteen. Because the guys weren't available on this visit, she had called Anita, and left the phone call open.

The statement surrounding the day's events took about an hour. The officer asked her to wait with the other three while the statements were being prepared for signature. She was escorted to a secure, windowless room where Anita, Silas and Logan were already seated along with her Grandfather. She flung herself into her grandfather's arms and hugged him tightly. In the four years she had known him, she knew he was the rock she could depend on.

"Grampa, I didn't know if I would get the chance to see you again! Today was insanely scary. Thank you for sending Logan and Silas to get us." Cordelia cried.

Allistar gently patted her back to soothe her frazzled nerves. "Let's sit down for a bit. There's some fresh coffee, and you look like you could use a cup."

"Or two, or three." She gave a wry chuckle. "My throat is parched. I can't remember the last time I talked so much."

"Once you four have signed your statements about today's events, Anita, Silas and Logan will leave the building and go back to the suite," her grandfather explained. " You and I will be getting changed into different clothes, and will leave the station from the parking garage laying down in the back of the police SUV. The driver will take a round-about route to the Mary Ann building and enter through the parking garage. We can't allow Gordon to connect me to Anita or to you, so we will stay hidden from prying eyes."

Just then, a knock on the door interrupted any further conversation. The senior officer from earlier in the day appeared with four separate files in his hand. He handed a file to each of them, and showed them where to sign once they read through their statement. He picked up the files after verifying everything was in order. He looked at the two women, comparing their features. "Allistar, you are right. Those two could be twins! I am rather glad Anita has a different hairstyle, otherwise I wouldn’t know one from the other! The Chief has confirmed he will meet you tomorrow at your suite to discuss plans going forward. You and Cordelia will come with me. An officer will make sure Silas, Logan, and Anita are escorted to their vehicle shortly."

Cordelia sent a fleeting smile, and a "see you soon" to Anita, Silas and Logan as she stood up to follow her grandfather and the senior officer.

Logan stepped forward and folded her into his arms and planted a quick kiss on her lips. "I will see you back at the suite. Please be careful," he whispered in her ear, then let her go. He grinned at her then gently pushed her towards her grandfather, who was smiling in approval.

To say she was surprised by Logan's actions towards her today would be an understatement. They had known each other for four years now, and, with the exception of a kiss two years ago, Logan had friend-zoned her. She had reluctantly accepted it, knowing that he was five years older than her, and wasn't likely interested in an inexperienced university student. So she buried her feelings for him and got on with her life. If life had taught her anything, it was that she had to make wise decisions regarding relationships. She wasn't going to waste her time and emotional energy longing for something that wasn't going to happen.

But right now, she was confused. Not that she wasn't enjoying the affection, but she didn't want to get her hopes up, only to have them dashed. Emotionally, she couldn't afford to think his actions towards the situation were anything more than just relief that Anita and she were safe.

"Come on, Cordelia. Let's go get changed and down to the parking garage. The officer is waiting for us." Her grandfather's voice drew her out of her thoughts.

He guided her out of the room and down the hall to the female officer's changing room, where she was met by a young female officer, who introduced herself as Lori. As she changed her clothes, Lori chatted with her about inconsequential matters which helped Cordelia relax. Once changed, the office advised that Cordelia would have to put her hair into a bun on the top of her head, so she would fit it all under a cap. "We don't want to chance anyone seeing your beautiful blonde hair and figuring out who you are."

It took some time, but finally she was able to fit the ball cap on her head, completely hiding her hair. It had been years since she had it cut, other than the occasional trim. Currently, it hung to below her waist, and was extremely thick and heavy. She didn't spend money needlessly, but she did splurge on quality hair products. Her hair was her one source of vanity. She took care to maintain it.

Lori led her back out to the corridor where she met her grandfather. He, too, had changed his clothes and was now ready to leave the precinct. Lori explained that she and another officer would be taking them to the Mary Ann building. They were ushered into the elevator and descended to the parking garage. The police SUV was parked, so they could go directly from the elevator to the back seat of the vehicle.

Cordelia got in and lay on the floor, while her grandfather lay flat on the back seat. Lori placed a blanket over them to hide their presence from possible prying eyes.

"Are you two comfy? Sorry we can't put seat belts on you, but I promise Office Spencer will drive carefully." Lori spoke softly as she got into the front passenger seat and fastened her seat belt.

"No worries," replied Allistar. "It will take less than ten minutes, so we are fine. I can't thank you enough for your assistance. We appreciate it more than you know!"