Total Knock Out / Book Two

Chapter Sixteen: Monster Among Men

Stanford watched as Logan double checked Rori's backpack, taking the stuffed otter out of her daughter's hand and gently placing it inside before zipping it up. The fact that she was so calm and willing to let Rori spend the night with Zoey after what had happened a few hours earlier was still a shock to him.

"You be good for Miss Charlie, and if you need anything then have her call me or Stanford; okay?" Logan asked gently, opening her arms and letting Rori crawl into them before kissing her on top of the head. "I love you. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Rori wiggled out of her mother's arms and kissed Logan on the cheek before racing over to Stanford, crawling into his lap and laying her head on his shoulder. He brought both arms up and wrapped them around her small body, squeezing lightly so he wouldn't hurt her. She had practically been attached to his hip since his mother had fled and while he was glad she was becoming such good friends with Zoey, he still felt the need to be a little selfish and keep her tucked close against him.

"Be good, Daddy. Take care of my Mama while I'm goned," Rori said sternly, lifting her head up enough to kiss Stanford on the cheek before slipping out of his arms and skipping over to where Charlie, Zoey, and Elijah stood at the front door. Logan handed Charlie the small backpack in her hand and hugged the other woman goodbye, waving at everyone as they walked down the front porch steps.

Stanford shoved a hand through his hair and sagged against the chair after Logan shut and locked the door, the events of the day finally catching up to him.

"Come help me make cookies. It'll take your mind off everything and make it easier to process what happened today," Logan said softly, coming up behind Stanford and running a hand over his head. He leaned into the touch and closed his eyes, taking comfort in the fact that she cared when she didn't have to.

"My mother has always been the kind of person who only thinks of other people in ways that she can use them, especially if she can hurt them in the process," Stanford admitted, hauling himself out of the chair and following Logan into the kitchen.

He watched as she pulled ingredients out of the pantry and fridge, placing them on the counter and raising an eyebrow at him before nodding to the large mixing bowls on top of the fridge. He grabbed them for her and settled against the counter to watch her work. He had no idea how to make cookies, his diet for training didn't allow much room for sweets, but the feeling of domestication that came with watching Logan move around his kitchen with ease and confidence made it easier for him to relax and talk about the whirlwind of emotion running through his body.

"It didn't matter who they were, if they were a child or not. If she had the opportunity to hurt them then she would take it. Most children worry about the monster under their bed, but I was worried about the monster that gave birth to me and if she would take out one of my friends along with me. That's why I never wanted anyone to meet her now, not with Zoey and Parker around. She'd use them in a heartbeat if she thought she could get away with it," Stanford muttered, watching as Logan cracked an egg into the mixing bowl. "And when Rori came inside earlier and said that my mom had said bad things about her, I saw red. I wanted to go outside and stomp her into the ground and be just as big of a monster as she is."

Logan popped butter into the microwave and pulled it out a few seconds later, unwrapping it and dropping it into the mixing bowl on the counter. He passed the milk to her when she held her hand out for it, silence lulling between them as she poured it in and measured out flour and sugar.

"She won't touch a hair on Rori's head. I've fought off worse to keep my daughter safe, and I'm more than willing to be considered a monster in order to protect her," Logan promised, pushing the mixing bowl over to Stanford and handing him a whisk.

She moved to the oven and turned it on, turning slightly to pull open a drawer and take out a roll of wax paper. She ripped off a piece and spread it on the counter, taking the mixing bowl from Stanford once the dough had formed and placing it on top of the paper.

"And there's a difference between being a monster and being a protector. You're a protector, and from what I gather you always have been. You need to remember that the next time you think you're just as bad as your mother," Logan tossed over her shoulder, reaching for a glass and using it to roll out the cookie dough.

Stanford leaned against the counter, drinking in the sight of Logan moving like she belonged and always had. He crossed his arms over his chest so he wouldn't reach out and drag her into his arms. So he wouldn't pretend like what she was saying was true.

"You read my file. You know what I did to those men. I put all of them in the hospital. How are you gonna stand there and tell me that I'm not a monster?"

Logan whirled around and jabbed a finger at him, tears gathered in her eyes.

"One snapped the arm of his three year old like a twig because she wouldn't stop crying, because she hadn't eaten in three days and her tummy was hurting. Another beat his wife with a baseball bat and sent her to the hospital. And one almost killed his five month old son because porn and his hand wasn't cutting it anymore. Don't you dare say that you're a monster, because you were the only one looking out for them. The only damned thing you did wrong was stopping before they were dead, and I will spend the rest of my life thinking that."

Stanford's heart felt like it was breaking when Logan's tears finally fell from her eyes, rolling down her cheeks and dripping onto his flannel that she was still wearing.

"One of these days you'll stop seeing yourself as the bad guy, and I really do hope that I'm around to see it happen."