Logan stopped me with a hand to my arm. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” I shook my head. “I just felt like a run.” And I winced. I ran at irregular times when something was wrong with me. Logan knew that, and I cursed softly.

“Yeah.” His tone was soft. “What’s really going on?”

“I went after her today.”

“Who?” A line marred his forehead, and he rubbed a hand over his jaw. “Shaw? She’s like an Anabitch Jr.”

“She’s come after me before, and I never backed down, but it was different today. She came to me and gave me the heads-up that our coach is going to want us to run together. She was still a bitch about it, but it was a truce. She was bringing a truce to me, and I spit on her. I told her to try and come at me.”

“No.” Logan started to shake his head.

“No offense, but I’m a little worried what you guys will do this time. I thought you were going to do something horrible to Adam last night,” I told him. “This is my fault. My problem. I’ll fix it.”

“You’re just like Mason.”

I’d started off again, but he grabbed the back of my jeans and hauled me closer. “Stop trying to storm off. Don’t do anything about Anabitch Jr. We’ll deal with her together.”

I gave him a look.

He grinned ruefully. “This chick is different than Quinn. We’ll handle it differently, but we will handle it, and everything will be fine. Okay?” His hand came back to my arm and he squeezed it gently. “Okay?”

“Okay.” My neck was stiff, but I tried to nod.

“What’s going on?” Nate had found us. “What’s up?”

Logan looked to me. It was for me to say.

I shook my head. “Nothing. It’s nothing. I just felt like a run.”

Nate’s eyebrows shot straight up. “Oh no. Now I’m really worried.”

Logan started laughing. “You need a new lie, Sam. We know you too well.”

I wanted to roll my eyes, but refrained. I was irritated, but not with them. “I realized I might’ve poked a sleeping bear, that’s all.”

“Sounds ominous.” Nate looked to Logan. “Decode.”

Logan pointed to the food court. “Shaw. Sam’s worried about her.”

Nate shrugged. His response was automatic. “It’ll be fine. We’ll deal with her if we have to.”

“See?” Logan beamed at me, clapping Nate on the shoulder. “There’s the confidence you need to have in us, Sam. Anabitch Jr. will be fine. She was stuttering before. I doubt she’s going to be much of a problem.” He pulled me in for a hug. “You know everything will be fine. We’ll shut her up, somehow. Maybe we can get some dirt on her and do the whole blackmail thing.” He asked Nate, “Did you ever get in touch with her sister?”

“No. I pissed her off more than I thought.”

Logan clapped a hand to his shoulder. “I may be out to pasture, but if you ever need lessons—”

Nate laughed, but shoved Logan’s hand from his shoulder. “Stick to your la—”

Logan’s phone started ringing, interrupting Nate.

Logan pulled it out, then paused when he saw who was calling. He swore under his breath, and a second later we heard why.

“Hey, Mom.”

Nate and I shared a look. Helen calling was never good.

“Dinner? Are you sure?” Logan didn’t sound enthused. “Cut the bullshit. What are you planning?” Another second. “I’ll tell Sam and Mason, but if you’re going to fuck with Sam, this dinner will end badly. For you.” He started to hang up, then put the phone back to his ear. She wasn’t done talking. “Okay! I told you. I’ll tell Mason and Sam. Mason will let you know, and no. Taylor isn’t coming.”

He hung up, not saying anything right away. He expelled a deep breath. “Fuck.” He looked at me. “She wants to have a family dinner tonight.”

“What?”

“Who’s that include?” Nate asked.

“Mason, me, and Sam. No one else.”

“She invited Taylor too?” I frowned.

“Helen was nice to Taylor, and she kind of likes my mom, but tonight . . .” He faltered, shaking his head. “If she goes after you, all bets are off. Taylor’s not some innocent, but I still want to shield her from some of the worst moments of my family.”

“Your family?” Taylor’s voice piped in, joining us. She had her bag over her shoulder.

Logan instantly transformed. He went from scowling to smirking, and he pulled her against his side, his arm around her shoulders this time. “It’s nothing. How are you?”

She gave him a look. “Logan.”

His arm dropped. “I’ll tell you later, but I don’t want to talk about it right now. How was your first day of nursing classes?”

She sighed. “Fine, but it’s going to be a hard year. I have a lot of labs.” She said to me, “I might have to quit the team. I don’t think I’ll be able to do both. I’m so sorry.”

Faith’s words came back to me. “ . . . Your friend Taylor. You’re distracted when you worry about her.”

“No. I’m okay with that,” I said quickly.

“Are you sure?” She looked to Logan for clarification, but he didn’t react. Her mouth turned down.

“Yeah. I’m fine with it. You have to focus on your studies.”

“Yeah, but you won’t have the extra backup.”

“I have Courtney and Grace. Besides, I might ask Coach if I can do some runs alone this week.”

“Oh.” She perked back up, her frown disappearing. “Are you sure? That’d be good if he let you do that.”

I nodded. I was going to make him, if I had to. I glanced at Logan, but spoke to Taylor, “Yeah. I’m sure I can figure some way to twist his arm.”

Logan nodded, just the slightest of movements so Taylor didn’t catch it, but my message was clear. If we were finding leverage to use against Shaw, we could find some to use against Coach Langdon too. I knew there was no way I could kiss Faith’s ass or run with her, so we had to find something.

“Okay,” Nate spoke up. “I have business economics next. I think I might actually go and prep for it.” He started off, walking backward. “See you guys tonight. Or wait . . .” His eyes lingered on Taylor. “Maybe not. Never mind.” He held his hand up, rotating around to walk forward.

“Okay. What’s going on?” Taylor asked. She leveled Logan with a warning look. “And don’t try to placate me and say nothing. I can tell. I know you guys.”

I cut him off. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”

“Sam?”

I winced at the hurt in her voice. “You’re right. It is something, but trust me. I’ll tell you later. I promise.”

It wasn’t that I wanted to keep her out of the loop, of us finding leverage against Faith or even Coach Langdon, but Taylor was like Courtney. She had some bad shit happen to her, but she was still good. I didn’t want to take the ‘good’ part out of her. She’d already been too involved over the summer. Logan’s eyes met mine, and I knew he understood where I was coming from. He looked relieved.

“It’s not to exclude you, Taylor,” I added, softening my voice. “It’s to protect you.”

“Isn’t that what you were pissed at your boyfriend for doing before?”

She was right.

I didn’t care.

Call me hypocritical.

“I’ll explain it, but not yet,” I said. “Not until something actually happens.”

She’d just said she was going to quit the team. If she were brought into the fold, she’d refuse. She’d keep running, and Faith was right. I would be distracted, worrying about her. She was out of the line of fire this way. Everything would work out.

She set her jaw in a determined line.

“Please?” It worked. I saw her softening when I used that word. “I’ll explain later. I promise.”