Body Heat (Chapter One)
Title: Body Heat (Chapter One)
Fandom: Troubleshooter Inc./Big Time Rush
Pairing: James/Logan
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 2,797
Warning: This is a Troubleshooters fic. People get hurt in the Troubleshooter books. This fic features a serial killer stalker: there will be blood, torture, non-con/dub-con and other ouchies. PLEASE TAKE THIS WARNING SERIOUSLY.
A.N: A million thanks to my lovely beta, queenitsy! She's simply amazing. Also, this chapter is not explicit at all. But other chapters will be. :)
Summary: Futurefic AU. James is on the verge of making it big as an actor, scoring a part in what is sure to be Oscar bait. Unfortunately, his big break catches the attention of a seriously creepy fan. And, to make matters worse, the F.B.I is insisting on assigning him a twenty-four/seven bodyguard: none other than his former band-mate, Logan Mitchell. WTF. When did Logan even join the F.B.I?
Chapter One
The first thing Logan thinks when he wakes up is, "God, what time is it?" and the second is, "Ah hell," because there is only one reason that someone with that ring tone would be calling him at two in the morning. Somewhere in the world something bad is going down, and it's about to become Logan's personal mission to put an end to it.
He runs a hand over his eyes as he hits the talk button and presses the phone to his ear. "Mitchell here."
"It's about time, Boyband." The voice on the other end is only half teasing. "Wake up, sunshine. I want you on a plane out here that leaves in less that five hours."
"What?" Logan croaks, because there is no way he could have heard right. "But I'm on desk duty until --"
"Not anymore, you're not," Jules cuts him off. "We've got a situation out here in Hollywood that is tailor made for your skill set. Now get your ass in gear. We're on a tight schedule and I don't have time to say this twice."
Logan sits up and grabs the pen and paper he kept on his bedside table. "Yes sir," he says, adrenaline starting to pump through his veins.
*
"You sure about this?" James asks for what feels like the thousandth time, glancing at the circle of faces surrounding him. Cosmo inclines his head, Robin frowns and Jane glances at Jules, who simply nods.
James lets out a sigh. "But, they aren't that crazy," he protests, though he's fairly confident it won't do him any good. Because, you know, it's been nearly ten hours since this whole nightmare began and the grim looks haven't melted into smiles and no one has yelled "Punked!" yet. But still, he just can't wrap his head around it. Just last night he had been having dinner with Jane and Robin-- the dynamic Hollywood duo who were responsible for him finally getting that big break he had been waiting for-- brimming with excitement about getting to meet Robin’s famous husband. Who was an FBI agent. And wicked hot. And now here he is, under lock and key in Jane’s house because no one thought his joke about creepy fanmail he has been receiving was funny. At all. "I mean, he just says stuff about wanting to be with me and, um, yeah, he goes into more detail than most of my fans do, but seriously? The guy is just a perv. That's all."
Jules clears his throat. "I would be thrilled to tell you he was your garden variety sicko fan, but this one. This one is special." He lets out a sigh of his own and shakes his head. "We've reason to believe that this particular 'fan' is linked to at least three murders so far. All of the victims were young up-and-comers. Not A-listers yet, but well on their way to getting there."
"All actors?" James asks.
"No," another shake of the head from Jules. "So far he's targeted a comedian, a fashion designer and a model. It was the last two that clued us into the fact that these weren't just unrelated events. The model had been in one of the fashion designer's shows. We aren't certain how he picks his victims yet, there are no similarities between the four of you other than the fact that you are all minor celebrities and, well, good looking young men."
"And these three other guys? They all got the same sort of emails I've been getting? With the graphic description of..." James swallows hard. "And then he, what? Cornered them somewhere and shot them dead?"
Jules' lips quirk down. "I'm not going to sugar coat this for you, James. You need to be aware of what this man is capable of."
"That doesn't sound good," James interrupts with a nervous laugh.
"It's not. What happened to these three young men was not pretty. This perp, he likes to toy with his victims. He keeps them alive for a few days, doing things much worse than what he's described in his emails. The only comfort these boys families have is that, best we can tell, he kept them doped up during it."
James feels like someone has punched him in the gut. "I," he starts, but there’s nothing he can think of to say.
Jane reaches out and covers his hand with one of hers. "Don't worry, James. You're going to be safe. We've got both the F.B.I. and the Troubleshooters on this. They'll catch this sick son of a bitch and that will be that." She looks at her husband and then Jules. "Tell him I'm right guys."
Cosmo doesn’t blink. "We are going to get this guy," he says.
And James, well, he believes him.
*
"Wait.” Logan squints at Jules like somehow that will make everything make perfect sense. "James? James Diamond? My former band mate? He's the one who has been targeted by The Creeper?"
"Yes." Jules slips out of his jacket and tosses it onto the bed. "That's why you're off of desk duty, rookie. Because I'm too well known to take this case, but you. You've got the perfect cover. You're friends with him, so him suddenly having you around all the time won't seem strange."
Logan snorts. "Not seem strange? I haven't talked to James in a good six months, and haven't seen him for more than a year."
"But what's a year to friends and former band mates?" Jules asks with a smile. "Hell, I have friends I haven't seen in three years who I would be thrilled to spend a few weeks catching up with."
"James and I are not that sort of friends," Logan mutters.
Jules shrugs. "You know that, and I know that. But James' stalker? He doesn't. And he's the only one who needs to be fooled. So here's what's going to happen. You and James are going to have yourselves a lovely little reunion, all smiles and hugs and whatever it is you kids do for fun these days. You'll be with him day and night, make sure he's safe. Meanwhile, the rest of the team and I are going to flush this freak out of the bushes."
Logan doesn't like this plan. Not one bit. But the reasons he doesn't like it have nothing to do with its relative merits as a plan and everything to do with the thought of spending day and night with James. James, who he hasn't had a proper conversation with since Big Time Rush split up years ago and he headed off to college.
"Look, Logan." Jules walks over and sits in the chair across from him. "I know that this isn't ideal. But James is in serious danger here and we have to do our jobs. It's never been my business to know what went down with you and your band, but if it's going to affect this case, then I need to know."
Logan nods. "It's not," he sighs, "ah, hell. James use to be my best friend. All of us were close, but James, well, it was like he was my brother. I would have done anything for him. Then..." Logan sort of shrugs. "We were teenagers. Young, dumb teenagers. And there was this girl, Camille."
Jules raises his eyebrows at that. "A girl?"
"Yeah, a girl. I," Logan shakes his head. "I wasn't in denial. I knew I liked guys. I just hadn't figured out that I only liked guys. Camille, she was awesome. I could talk to her for hours about anything. It didn't matter what we did, we had a great time. I thought she was the one."
"But then it turned out she wasn't?"
"Yes, but," Logan lets out a frustrated sound. "The thing is, James really liked Camille too, and they sort of kissed on accident, which, I know, doesn't make much sense, but we were kids and it really was an accident. But anyway, Camille and I broke up because of it. Then she dated James for awhile, but it didn't work out because James was too busy being concerned that his happiness was making me unhappy. So they broke up and then," Logan closes his eyes, "and then I started dating her again and we decided to go for broke, if you know what I mean. And it wasn’t a terrible experience. But it left me in no doubts that I never wanted to do that with a girl ever again. Which I explained to her as best I could. And, honestly, she was pretty understanding about it. I think she sort of already knew."
Logan stops talking for a moment and glances at Jules, who makes sympathetic noises. He takes a deep breath. "Anyway, that was pretty much the end of our relationship. We are still pretty good friends, Camille and me."
"That's great," Jules comments. "I know far too many friends where that wasn't the case."
Logan nods. "What can I say? Camille is special. But, anyway, pretty soon after that the band broke up. Not because I was gay, none of them even knew about that. But because, well, James sort of decided that he would rather be a small time actor than a member of a boy band. Which none of the rest of us really minded at all. We only became a band in the first place because it was James' dream. So, the band split up and Camille and I split up, and somehow James got convinced that the two were related. Because he was still into Camille in a big way and not very subtle about it. James, he doesn't really do subtle well at all. And, well, I never bothered to clear the air. I just wasn't ready to come out yet, you know?"
Jules smiles wryly. "Believe me, I know."
"And by the time I was ready to come out, we had sort of slipped into a not-friendship. We didn't dislike each other or avoid each other, but we didn't go out of our way to talk to each other, either. I was in school on the other side of the country and it just was easier not to go into it. Because how awkward is a phone call that starts with 'Hi, I'm gay' and turns into 'so you can hook back up with my ex now' and ends with 'P.S. I totally have the hots for you'? Very awkward."
"Well, that complicated things," Jules winces.
"Tell me about it." Logan makes a face. "I mean, did I have to have that happen, too? I couldn't just find out I was gay and then fall in love with some nice boy from San Francisco or something. No, I had to go and develop the world's biggest crush on the boy who use to be my best friend before we started sharing a girlfriend."
Jules shifts in his seat and shakes his head. "And I thought I had a complicated past."
Logan scratches his cheek. "I think everyone has a complicated past. Gay, straight, or otherwise inclined. Of course, most people don't typically end up playing bodyguard to their first gay crush years after he’s stopped being anything more than some guy he used to know."
Jules laughs at that. "You know, it might happen more often than you think."
Logan grins. "Well, you never know. Maybe I'm not the exception to the rule after all."
"In all seriousness, though," Jules says after a moment, "are you going to be able to pull this off?"
Logan instantly sobers. "Yes. No question about it. I may have once had the world's most one-sided crush on James, but he never knew about it, and it's not going to affect my judgement now. It's been a good six years since all of that went down. I've had two serious relationships and a whole lot of fun one-nighters since then, and, believe me, I've moved on."
Jules inclines his head. "Alright. I'll consider the subject closed." He pushes back from the table. "Change into something comfortable, Mitchell. We're got a cover to establish and The Creeper to catch."
*
There is a knock on the door and James glances up from his copy of the script. "It's open," he says as he marks his place.
The door opens Jane pokes her head inside. "Hey, James," she says with a tired smile. "How you holding up?"
James frowns a little at that, not completely sure how to answer. On one hand, he is living in a house with Jane Mercedes Chadwick, the hottest writer/producer Hollywood has to offer; Cosmo Richter, her scary-sexy Navy SEAL husband; Robin freaking Chadwick, who is not only a super hunky Hollywood star, but a gay rights advocate and a top notch actor; and Jules Cassidy, Robin's too-hot-to-be-real FBI agent husband. Which, wow. How did James get that lucky? On the other hand, however, he is living with them because they are all convinced that he is about to be the next victim of a overzealous stalker cum serial killer. Which is not lucky at all. So, yeah. James is a little conflicted about how he's doing actually.
He shrugs and stands, stretching his arms over his head as arches his back. "As well as can be," he answers, rolling his shoulders to loosen them up. He gives her a tight smile and changes the subject. "Been reading over the new copy of the script and I really like the changes you've made to it. The Ties That Bind was already amazing, but now it's on a whole new level of awesome."
"Oh?" Jane says with a self-deprecating laugh.
He nods and pads over to her as she leans against the door frame. "Really. It's beyond my limited abilities to describe." He gives her a smile.
"You just like it because I've given you a bigger part."
"Of course," James teases. "More lines, more screen time, and a much more complex character. The role of Donny Coffman has been transformed. But then, so has the whole story arc of his father, Roger. The dynamic between the two has shifted from the sidelines to center-stage."
Jane beams at him. "So you think it really works? Their conversation? The flashbacks to Roger’s and Donny’s childhoods?”
"Most definitely! They show what shaped him, why he reacts the way he does. Before Roger just came off as a hard-nosed, bitter man. Now his pain is,” James searches for the right word. “visceral. It's a brilliant look at what it means to survive a childhood full of neglect, how growing up doesn't necessarily mean instantly overcoming the emotional pain," James gushes, knowing he is probably too excited about this movie, too close to it to make a rational evaluation of its merits, but he can be bothered enough to care. "To tell the truth, I am more than a little jealous of Robin, he's got such a thrilling character to bring to life."
Jane's reaction is not what James expects. "Actually, I'm a little concerned that this might be hitting too close to home for him," she says softly.
James moves a little closer. "Oh?"
Jane opens her mouth to reply, but is stopped by the sound of footsteps in the hall. She sticks her head out of the room and then gives a laugh. "Jules! And this must be Mitchell, who I've heard so many wonderful things about."
"Janey," Jules greets her and James shifts his stance, trying to see around Jane and out into the hall.
James isn’t nervous about meeting his F.B.I. appointed bodyguard or anything, he just wants to get it over with. He hears a soft murmur from Mitchell, then Jane's laugh as she moved aside and... Wow. This was so not what he had been expecting.
"Logan?" he asks in disbelief. "What on Earth are you doing here?"
Logan gives his awkward laugh, the one he uses when he's uncomfortable. "I'm here to protect you from your biggest fan," he says with a little tilt of his head. "But I thought you already knew that."
"What?" James shakes his head. "Why would you be... that doesn't make any sense." He turns to Jules. "I thought you said you were bringing in someone from the F.B.I. Mitchell. Why would you drag Logan into this? Wait, how do you even know Logan?" He spins on his heel to face Logan. "How do you even know him?"
Logan looks at Jules, who gives him a look of his own. "Hi, I'm Logan Mitchell," he says with another one of those awkward laughs, "and I'm going to be your bodyguard."
Chapter Two
Fandom: Troubleshooter Inc./Big Time Rush
Pairing: James/Logan
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 2,797
Warning: This is a Troubleshooters fic. People get hurt in the Troubleshooter books. This fic features a serial killer stalker: there will be blood, torture, non-con/dub-con and other ouchies. PLEASE TAKE THIS WARNING SERIOUSLY.
A.N: A million thanks to my lovely beta, queenitsy! She's simply amazing. Also, this chapter is not explicit at all. But other chapters will be. :)
Summary: Futurefic AU. James is on the verge of making it big as an actor, scoring a part in what is sure to be Oscar bait. Unfortunately, his big break catches the attention of a seriously creepy fan. And, to make matters worse, the F.B.I is insisting on assigning him a twenty-four/seven bodyguard: none other than his former band-mate, Logan Mitchell. WTF. When did Logan even join the F.B.I?
Chapter One
The first thing Logan thinks when he wakes up is, "God, what time is it?" and the second is, "Ah hell," because there is only one reason that someone with that ring tone would be calling him at two in the morning. Somewhere in the world something bad is going down, and it's about to become Logan's personal mission to put an end to it.
He runs a hand over his eyes as he hits the talk button and presses the phone to his ear. "Mitchell here."
"It's about time, Boyband." The voice on the other end is only half teasing. "Wake up, sunshine. I want you on a plane out here that leaves in less that five hours."
"What?" Logan croaks, because there is no way he could have heard right. "But I'm on desk duty until --"
"Not anymore, you're not," Jules cuts him off. "We've got a situation out here in Hollywood that is tailor made for your skill set. Now get your ass in gear. We're on a tight schedule and I don't have time to say this twice."
Logan sits up and grabs the pen and paper he kept on his bedside table. "Yes sir," he says, adrenaline starting to pump through his veins.
*
"You sure about this?" James asks for what feels like the thousandth time, glancing at the circle of faces surrounding him. Cosmo inclines his head, Robin frowns and Jane glances at Jules, who simply nods.
James lets out a sigh. "But, they aren't that crazy," he protests, though he's fairly confident it won't do him any good. Because, you know, it's been nearly ten hours since this whole nightmare began and the grim looks haven't melted into smiles and no one has yelled "Punked!" yet. But still, he just can't wrap his head around it. Just last night he had been having dinner with Jane and Robin-- the dynamic Hollywood duo who were responsible for him finally getting that big break he had been waiting for-- brimming with excitement about getting to meet Robin’s famous husband. Who was an FBI agent. And wicked hot. And now here he is, under lock and key in Jane’s house because no one thought his joke about creepy fanmail he has been receiving was funny. At all. "I mean, he just says stuff about wanting to be with me and, um, yeah, he goes into more detail than most of my fans do, but seriously? The guy is just a perv. That's all."
Jules clears his throat. "I would be thrilled to tell you he was your garden variety sicko fan, but this one. This one is special." He lets out a sigh of his own and shakes his head. "We've reason to believe that this particular 'fan' is linked to at least three murders so far. All of the victims were young up-and-comers. Not A-listers yet, but well on their way to getting there."
"All actors?" James asks.
"No," another shake of the head from Jules. "So far he's targeted a comedian, a fashion designer and a model. It was the last two that clued us into the fact that these weren't just unrelated events. The model had been in one of the fashion designer's shows. We aren't certain how he picks his victims yet, there are no similarities between the four of you other than the fact that you are all minor celebrities and, well, good looking young men."
"And these three other guys? They all got the same sort of emails I've been getting? With the graphic description of..." James swallows hard. "And then he, what? Cornered them somewhere and shot them dead?"
Jules' lips quirk down. "I'm not going to sugar coat this for you, James. You need to be aware of what this man is capable of."
"That doesn't sound good," James interrupts with a nervous laugh.
"It's not. What happened to these three young men was not pretty. This perp, he likes to toy with his victims. He keeps them alive for a few days, doing things much worse than what he's described in his emails. The only comfort these boys families have is that, best we can tell, he kept them doped up during it."
James feels like someone has punched him in the gut. "I," he starts, but there’s nothing he can think of to say.
Jane reaches out and covers his hand with one of hers. "Don't worry, James. You're going to be safe. We've got both the F.B.I. and the Troubleshooters on this. They'll catch this sick son of a bitch and that will be that." She looks at her husband and then Jules. "Tell him I'm right guys."
Cosmo doesn’t blink. "We are going to get this guy," he says.
And James, well, he believes him.
*
"Wait.” Logan squints at Jules like somehow that will make everything make perfect sense. "James? James Diamond? My former band mate? He's the one who has been targeted by The Creeper?"
"Yes." Jules slips out of his jacket and tosses it onto the bed. "That's why you're off of desk duty, rookie. Because I'm too well known to take this case, but you. You've got the perfect cover. You're friends with him, so him suddenly having you around all the time won't seem strange."
Logan snorts. "Not seem strange? I haven't talked to James in a good six months, and haven't seen him for more than a year."
"But what's a year to friends and former band mates?" Jules asks with a smile. "Hell, I have friends I haven't seen in three years who I would be thrilled to spend a few weeks catching up with."
"James and I are not that sort of friends," Logan mutters.
Jules shrugs. "You know that, and I know that. But James' stalker? He doesn't. And he's the only one who needs to be fooled. So here's what's going to happen. You and James are going to have yourselves a lovely little reunion, all smiles and hugs and whatever it is you kids do for fun these days. You'll be with him day and night, make sure he's safe. Meanwhile, the rest of the team and I are going to flush this freak out of the bushes."
Logan doesn't like this plan. Not one bit. But the reasons he doesn't like it have nothing to do with its relative merits as a plan and everything to do with the thought of spending day and night with James. James, who he hasn't had a proper conversation with since Big Time Rush split up years ago and he headed off to college.
"Look, Logan." Jules walks over and sits in the chair across from him. "I know that this isn't ideal. But James is in serious danger here and we have to do our jobs. It's never been my business to know what went down with you and your band, but if it's going to affect this case, then I need to know."
Logan nods. "It's not," he sighs, "ah, hell. James use to be my best friend. All of us were close, but James, well, it was like he was my brother. I would have done anything for him. Then..." Logan sort of shrugs. "We were teenagers. Young, dumb teenagers. And there was this girl, Camille."
Jules raises his eyebrows at that. "A girl?"
"Yeah, a girl. I," Logan shakes his head. "I wasn't in denial. I knew I liked guys. I just hadn't figured out that I only liked guys. Camille, she was awesome. I could talk to her for hours about anything. It didn't matter what we did, we had a great time. I thought she was the one."
"But then it turned out she wasn't?"
"Yes, but," Logan lets out a frustrated sound. "The thing is, James really liked Camille too, and they sort of kissed on accident, which, I know, doesn't make much sense, but we were kids and it really was an accident. But anyway, Camille and I broke up because of it. Then she dated James for awhile, but it didn't work out because James was too busy being concerned that his happiness was making me unhappy. So they broke up and then," Logan closes his eyes, "and then I started dating her again and we decided to go for broke, if you know what I mean. And it wasn’t a terrible experience. But it left me in no doubts that I never wanted to do that with a girl ever again. Which I explained to her as best I could. And, honestly, she was pretty understanding about it. I think she sort of already knew."
Logan stops talking for a moment and glances at Jules, who makes sympathetic noises. He takes a deep breath. "Anyway, that was pretty much the end of our relationship. We are still pretty good friends, Camille and me."
"That's great," Jules comments. "I know far too many friends where that wasn't the case."
Logan nods. "What can I say? Camille is special. But, anyway, pretty soon after that the band broke up. Not because I was gay, none of them even knew about that. But because, well, James sort of decided that he would rather be a small time actor than a member of a boy band. Which none of the rest of us really minded at all. We only became a band in the first place because it was James' dream. So, the band split up and Camille and I split up, and somehow James got convinced that the two were related. Because he was still into Camille in a big way and not very subtle about it. James, he doesn't really do subtle well at all. And, well, I never bothered to clear the air. I just wasn't ready to come out yet, you know?"
Jules smiles wryly. "Believe me, I know."
"And by the time I was ready to come out, we had sort of slipped into a not-friendship. We didn't dislike each other or avoid each other, but we didn't go out of our way to talk to each other, either. I was in school on the other side of the country and it just was easier not to go into it. Because how awkward is a phone call that starts with 'Hi, I'm gay' and turns into 'so you can hook back up with my ex now' and ends with 'P.S. I totally have the hots for you'? Very awkward."
"Well, that complicated things," Jules winces.
"Tell me about it." Logan makes a face. "I mean, did I have to have that happen, too? I couldn't just find out I was gay and then fall in love with some nice boy from San Francisco or something. No, I had to go and develop the world's biggest crush on the boy who use to be my best friend before we started sharing a girlfriend."
Jules shifts in his seat and shakes his head. "And I thought I had a complicated past."
Logan scratches his cheek. "I think everyone has a complicated past. Gay, straight, or otherwise inclined. Of course, most people don't typically end up playing bodyguard to their first gay crush years after he’s stopped being anything more than some guy he used to know."
Jules laughs at that. "You know, it might happen more often than you think."
Logan grins. "Well, you never know. Maybe I'm not the exception to the rule after all."
"In all seriousness, though," Jules says after a moment, "are you going to be able to pull this off?"
Logan instantly sobers. "Yes. No question about it. I may have once had the world's most one-sided crush on James, but he never knew about it, and it's not going to affect my judgement now. It's been a good six years since all of that went down. I've had two serious relationships and a whole lot of fun one-nighters since then, and, believe me, I've moved on."
Jules inclines his head. "Alright. I'll consider the subject closed." He pushes back from the table. "Change into something comfortable, Mitchell. We're got a cover to establish and The Creeper to catch."
*
There is a knock on the door and James glances up from his copy of the script. "It's open," he says as he marks his place.
The door opens Jane pokes her head inside. "Hey, James," she says with a tired smile. "How you holding up?"
James frowns a little at that, not completely sure how to answer. On one hand, he is living in a house with Jane Mercedes Chadwick, the hottest writer/producer Hollywood has to offer; Cosmo Richter, her scary-sexy Navy SEAL husband; Robin freaking Chadwick, who is not only a super hunky Hollywood star, but a gay rights advocate and a top notch actor; and Jules Cassidy, Robin's too-hot-to-be-real FBI agent husband. Which, wow. How did James get that lucky? On the other hand, however, he is living with them because they are all convinced that he is about to be the next victim of a overzealous stalker cum serial killer. Which is not lucky at all. So, yeah. James is a little conflicted about how he's doing actually.
He shrugs and stands, stretching his arms over his head as arches his back. "As well as can be," he answers, rolling his shoulders to loosen them up. He gives her a tight smile and changes the subject. "Been reading over the new copy of the script and I really like the changes you've made to it. The Ties That Bind was already amazing, but now it's on a whole new level of awesome."
"Oh?" Jane says with a self-deprecating laugh.
He nods and pads over to her as she leans against the door frame. "Really. It's beyond my limited abilities to describe." He gives her a smile.
"You just like it because I've given you a bigger part."
"Of course," James teases. "More lines, more screen time, and a much more complex character. The role of Donny Coffman has been transformed. But then, so has the whole story arc of his father, Roger. The dynamic between the two has shifted from the sidelines to center-stage."
Jane beams at him. "So you think it really works? Their conversation? The flashbacks to Roger’s and Donny’s childhoods?”
"Most definitely! They show what shaped him, why he reacts the way he does. Before Roger just came off as a hard-nosed, bitter man. Now his pain is,” James searches for the right word. “visceral. It's a brilliant look at what it means to survive a childhood full of neglect, how growing up doesn't necessarily mean instantly overcoming the emotional pain," James gushes, knowing he is probably too excited about this movie, too close to it to make a rational evaluation of its merits, but he can be bothered enough to care. "To tell the truth, I am more than a little jealous of Robin, he's got such a thrilling character to bring to life."
Jane's reaction is not what James expects. "Actually, I'm a little concerned that this might be hitting too close to home for him," she says softly.
James moves a little closer. "Oh?"
Jane opens her mouth to reply, but is stopped by the sound of footsteps in the hall. She sticks her head out of the room and then gives a laugh. "Jules! And this must be Mitchell, who I've heard so many wonderful things about."
"Janey," Jules greets her and James shifts his stance, trying to see around Jane and out into the hall.
James isn’t nervous about meeting his F.B.I. appointed bodyguard or anything, he just wants to get it over with. He hears a soft murmur from Mitchell, then Jane's laugh as she moved aside and... Wow. This was so not what he had been expecting.
"Logan?" he asks in disbelief. "What on Earth are you doing here?"
Logan gives his awkward laugh, the one he uses when he's uncomfortable. "I'm here to protect you from your biggest fan," he says with a little tilt of his head. "But I thought you already knew that."
"What?" James shakes his head. "Why would you be... that doesn't make any sense." He turns to Jules. "I thought you said you were bringing in someone from the F.B.I. Mitchell. Why would you drag Logan into this? Wait, how do you even know Logan?" He spins on his heel to face Logan. "How do you even know him?"
Logan looks at Jules, who gives him a look of his own. "Hi, I'm Logan Mitchell," he says with another one of those awkward laughs, "and I'm going to be your bodyguard."
Chapter Two