Page 61 of Logan

“Umm,” she grunted, taking a sip before moving around the counter straight into his arms.

Tucking her head under his chin, he closed his eyes for a moment, allowing the sweet floral scent of her shampoo to tease his nostrils, finding it eased his stress. Her body fit perfectly next to his, and the feel of her arms around his waist and her cheek resting against his chest made his heart pound with joy.

“Is zombie Viv awake yet?”

“Maybe after a few more sips,” she grunted, hugging him tighter. Tipping her head back, she looked up at his face. “You still have the worry from yesterday etched on your face. Are you okay?”

“I never worried about a mission,” he began. “My team…we worked as one. We could look at each other and know what the other was thinking. We could tell by the tone of each others’voices over the radio what the fuck was happening and what we needed to do. I don’t have that with my Keepers yet, but I will. With their training, I know it’ll come.”

He dropped his gaze to hers, his arms tightening around her back. “But yesterday damn near took me over the edge, babe. You gotta know, though…I couldn’t be prouder of you than anyone I’ve ever worked with.”

He bent and took her lips, his mouth plundering, tasting, searching as his tongue tangled with hers. She responded in kind, desperate to join with him.

Walking her a step backward, he lifted her and planted her ass onto the counter. His hands were on her shoulders, pulling her top downward, when his buzzing phone halted them.

“Ughhhhh,” she groaned. “I know you have to take that, but the timing sucks.” Hopping down from the counter, she grabbed her mug on the way back to the bedroom.

He watched her walk away before he grabbed his phone. Seeing the caller, he watched her walk down the hall before he answered Donald’s call.

“Ms. Sanders is certain it is tularemia?” Donald queried.

“Yes, she’s sure. I’m not at my computer right now, so I can’t give you the details, but she said it was a stable bacterium, and the incubation period is only two to fifteen days. It’s rarely passed from human to human, but the cell’s scientists may have done something with it.”

“I have it pulled up now,” Donald said. “Ingestion of contaminated food or water. So it could be simply added to a water supply. It says it can also be used in aerosols. Fuckin’ hell, Preacher. Fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, muscle aches?—”

“I remember Vivian telling me that many people could have it, and doctors wouldn’t know to look for it until vast numbers showed up, draining the medical resources.”

“Then destroy that house today.”

Deciding he needed privacy, he walked outside and headed toward his truck. “I need to get Vivian out of here first.”

“She’s finished with her analysis and doesn’t need anything from the Zamans.”

“I’ll take care of it, but I’d feel better if she were gone.”

“Understood. You know what to do, Logan. Take them out—everyone.”

“That’s not what this is about, Donald.”

“Do you really think that if you don’t eliminate them, they won’t go after her? They’ll know who pointed the finger at them. They’ll know who to blame. You can’t protect her if they’re still alive.”

“Fuck!”

“I trust you, Preacher. Do what you need to do.”

Donald disconnected, and Logan sat in the truck for a moment, trying to figure out his next move. Never, as a SEAL, had he been faced with such indecision. Now, he fully understood why Mace and Carson warned him about the risks associated with such an assignment. Keepers are protectors and investigators first and always. He let his past relationship with Donald influence him, but couldn’t deny that Donald was right.They could come after Viv.Scrubbing his hand over his face, he sighed heavily.

He had to keep her from knowing how he would dispatch the cell members…hell, she can’t even know I am dispatching them. But to send her home early might undermine the relationship they were building.Christ, what the fuck am I going to do?He sat for another minute, steeling his resolve, knowing that whatever happened when he went back inside would gut him, but he prayed when the mission was all over, she would let him explain—grovel if that was what it took.

Climbing out of his truck, he slammed the door harder than he meant to. Stalking to the kitchen door, he entered, seeingVivian sitting at the dining room table, finishing a bowl of Lucky Charms. Despite his mood, a grin slipped over his face, seeing her turning her bowl up and slurping the milk.

Standing, she walked over to the sink and placed the bowl in it. " Are you okay? 'Cause you don’t seem like that was a good phone call.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, he ducked his head, staring at the counter instead of her. His mind warred with his heart.

“Now you’re not looking at me.”

His gaze jumped to hers as he steeled his spine. “You’ve done your job, Viv. Thanks to you, we know what we’re dealing with and how to move forward.”

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