Page 32 of Logan

Rashad wiped his mouth, his eyes on her as he said, “I had thought about pre-med. I don’t know…maybe.”

“That’s so noble. To be able to save lives is such a gift,” she commented pointedly. “I hope to work in the pharmaceutical industry.”

Silence fell over the group as they continued to eat, Farrah standing occasionally to serve the men, always starting with Akram. As she approached Logan, he smiled genuinely, saying, “No more, but thank you. It was delicious.”

“Mr. Preacher, what do you do?”

Logan shifted his gaze to Akram and gave a self-deprecating shrug. “I work on aircraft. Been a mechanic for several years.”

“And where did you learn such a trade? The military, perhaps?”

A heavy silence hung in the air. With an aw-shucks attitude, he grinned. “Nah. My parents were farmers and had their own crop-dusting plane. I learned how to fly it, and my dad taught me how to fix it when needed. After high school, went to technical school to learn more.”

Akram seemed to relax slightly in his chair, his eyes less wary than before. “And Alaska? Why here?”

“My grandfather,” Vivian said quickly, interjecting before Logan had a chance to reply. He kept his expression neutral, but inside, he quaked.What the fuck is she doing? We haven’t talked about that yet?—

“My mother is full-blooded Tanana Athabaskan. My parents are in California, but my grandfather is still here. He’s not well, but I wanted to be closer to him.” She beamed at Logan. “My husband was sweet enough to tell me he could get a job anywhere, so…we’re here.”

His pulse eased as he noted the others appeared to relax with Viv’s biology response and the story of her grandfather. Surprised at her ability to think quickly on her feet, he smiled at her in return, his face a mask of an indulgent husband completely in love with his wife.

Turning his focus toward Akram, he leaned back, patting his stomach. “And what do you do?”

Akram’s dark eyes penetrated his for a moment. Just when Logan thought Akram wasn’t going to speak, he answered, “I work at the university. I counsel a variety of students, particularly those from other countries.”

“Been in Alaska long?” Logan continued.

“For a while.” That was his noncommittal reply.

“Where are you from originally?” Vivian asked, turning her wide eyes to the gathering. “I find that Alaska’s cold can be hard to get used to after the California sun.”

Farrah nodded enthusiastically. “I much prefer the warmer weather of?—”

Clearing his voice loudly, Akram interrupted her, causing Farrah to clamp her lips shut, her eyes darting anxiously toward Akram.

“I was in Northern California,” Vivian jumped into the breach. “So we certainly had snow, but it was nothing like here.”

“Well, this waslovely,” Nafisa said, sarcasm dripping from her words as she stood. “But I gave up an evening of studying and need to get back to work.” She gathered two almost empty dishes from the table and looked down at Farrah. “Helping?”

“Of course,” Farrah said, jumping up from her chair. “Vivian, it was truly very nice of you to invite us to share a meal with you.”

Vivian stood also as Nafisa handed the two platters to Farrah. “It was our pleasure. Your food was wonderful, and the spices you gave me for our steaks made my poor attempts at grilling more successful than if I’d been on my own.”

The men stood and, with goodbyes, followed the women back to Akram’s house. Logan folded the card table and carried it inside their house as Vivian brought in the last plates. Once inside, she set her dishes on the counter before immediately turning to him.

“Look, Logan. I know you’re probably mad as hell at me. It was just all so unplanned, really. Well, not completely. I had mentioned a cookout to Farrah yesterday and went to the grocery store just in case. I had no idea if I could meet them or get them to come. It worked out when Rashad and Malik came. I couldn’t get the charcoal lit, and my request for assistance appealed to their machismo side, I think. But it worked, didn’t it? I mean, we got to meet them all and stayed outside, right?”

Logan leaned his hip against the counter, watching Viv’s arms flying about as she walked and talked, her nervousness palpable. Sakari weaved figure eights between both their legs before Viv reached down to pick her up, snuggling against the sweet cat’s fur. He stepped closer, placing his hands on her shoulders and pinning her in place.

“I’m beginning to get used to the idea that you seem unable to follow a plan.” Sighing when he watched her face fall, he added, “It’s okay. I admit, when I drove up the road, I was caught off guard.” Tilting his head back, he stared at the ceiling for a moment before lowering his head so his gaze could hold hers. “Yeah… it was good. We now have confirmation of who’s there, but babe, you’ve got to realize the dangers lurking.”

Sucking in her lips, Vivian sighed loudly. Almost in anticipation of knowing a lecture was forthcoming, her body stiffened, and his fingers lightly massaged her shoulders.

Jerking his head toward the direction of the house next door, he continued, “They’re not just neighbors. They’re not nice people. Any one of them would slit your throat if they had an idea you were looking into them.”

At that, she sucked in a quick breath, her forehead crinkling as she pulled the cat closer to her chest.

He noticed the change in her expression and pressed his point further as his fingers lightly trailed over the silk-soft skin of her neck. “Yeah, Viv. You heard me right. Slit. Your. Throat.”

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