Page 38 of Logan

The two-mile drive home seemed to stretch into eternity. Logan held tight to Vivian’s fingers, placing their entwined hands on his thigh. Casting a nervous glance at her, he breathed a sigh of relief to see her staring back, a smile etched on her face.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Oh, yeah.” She nodded, still smiling. “Never better.”

He stepped on the accelerator, and the old truck kicked up gravel as they turned onto their road. Approaching the cul-de-sac, he noticed no cars were parked outside the Zamans’ house. The reminder of the boxes in the back of his truck was like a cold bucket of water dumped on his head, killing the mood. He parked and turned off the ignition, the sudden quiet of the evening permeating the cab. Hesitating before looking at her, he felt the squeeze of her hand in his.

Her soft voice broke the silence. “The timing’s wrong, isn’t it? You’ve got to work with whatever’s in the back of the truck.”

He turned toward her, her face illuminated by the faint light shining over the kitchen door. Understanding mixed with regret in her eyes caused his breath to stumble. “Viv, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to lead you on. That’s not me?—”

“Shh,” she said, her smile less wide and holding a little sadness. “We’re here on business and have things we need to take care of.” She started to pull away, but he held fast to her hand. She looked back over her shoulder in surprise, her brow furrowed in question.

“Viv…what happened back there…that was not business. You need to know that.”

She nodded, and he wondered if she had any idea how beautiful she was at all times, but especially when she smiled.

“I know. But it’s best we focus on our mission right now.” She slid her hand from his and hopped out of the truck, walking toward the kitchen door.

Leaning his head back, he breathed, “Shit.” Sighing heavily, he climbed out and moved to the back to unload the boxes. Once unloaded, he hurried into the house to find Vivian at the laptop, with Sakari curled on her lap. “I need to see when they left and?—”

“I have it,” she said. “They left an hour ago.”

“Both of them?”

She nodded, and he reached over to drag his hand over the cat’s fur, then cup Vivian’s cheek. “Thanks, Viv.” He pulled up the tracker he’d placed on the Zamans’ car and breathed a sigh of relief. “They’re in Fairbanks. That means I have time to get next door to install the equipment that I picked up today. Once that’s done, you and I can get to the shed to start the preparations.”

Her eyes were bright as they nodded. “What can I do?”

“I’ll have my people on my radio since they will be able to monitor the tracker on the car. But just in case there is a change, such as one of the others showing up, I’ll need you to watch and call me.”

“Damn, this makes me nervous.”

All he could do for reassurance was to lean over and kiss the top of her head before he moved to one of the boxes andfound the camera equipment he needed. Then moving outside, he slipped around to the side door to their kitchen and let himself in. He worked fast but accurately, making sure each tiny camera was working by having Sadie and Sisco monitor it from the compound.

“It looks good, Logan,” Sisco said. “I can see the two bedrooms, the kitchen, and the living room. Angle the one in the living room slightly to the left. Yeah, yeah, that’s it.”

Once finished, he carefully looked around to ensure there was no trace of evidence of what he’d placed in their home. Hurrying back the way he came, he darted over the yards and into his house. He’d barely set his bag down when Vivian flew into his arms.

“Oh my God! I was a nervous wreck. It didn’t matter that I knew they were in Fairbanks. I was terrified the whole time you were over there!” She leaned back and peered into his eyes. “Did it work?”

“Let me show you.” He walked over to the laptop and pulled up the program that utilized the indoor cameras. “Look.”

She bent over his shoulder.

“Is that what I think it is?” she asked, her eyes wide as they stared at the inside of the Zamans’ house.

“I set up a few cameras in rooms where they’re working. The bedroom the Zamans are using appears clear, but the other bedroom, as you can see, has lab equipment set up. I also put visual and audio transmitters in the front room and kitchen, as most conversations occur in those rooms.”

“How will they not detect the wires and stuff?”

Logan heard the worry lacing her voice and clasped her hand. “Viv, the equipment I used is not the usual crap most security agencies use. It’s not even available to most civilians… although I’m sure some have it. The company I run has access to the best equipment.” He snorted. “It just took a little pressure to get it tome.” He watched her face as she digested the information, slowly nodding.

“So they won’t know we’re doing this?”

“It’s all transmitted to this laptop, both visuals and audio.”

“And you need me to…?”

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