Page 63 of Logan

Vivian stood at the bar, offering a strained smile toward Sally. “Just for a bit. I’m heading to Tanana to visit. I thought I’d like to see where I played as a child when my grandparents were still alive. I had planned on…uh…well, visiting sometime in the next few weeks, but it seems like this is a good time.”

“Preacher goin’ with you?”

Shaking her head at Iggie as he wiped down the bar, she said, “No. He’s got work to do right now. So…I just wanted to stop by and let you know I would be away.”

Sally walked over, pulling her into a hug as she softly said, “Honey, I’ve been working bars a long time…talked to a lot of people. And I get the feeling you and Logan are having a little spat.” As Vivian was about to protest, Sally squeezed her arms tighter and added, “But all couples have that. Lord knows Iggie has made me nuts over the years.”

She offered a watery smile as Sally continued, “But seeing the two of you together…now that’s love. He loves you, Vivian. So visit your grandparents’ place, but know that man is crazy about you. And then the next time you see him, you’ll jump right into his arms and forget about all this.”

“Thanks, Sally,” she said, giving a final hug before waving to Iggie and walking out into the sunlight. Climbing back into her car, she swallowed back the tears, knowing that Sally was wrong…she wouldn’t see Logan again.

“Are you okay?”

Logan held his phone to his ear, glad to have Landon’s voice on the other end. That was another new recent experience… knowing a team had his back.

“No, not really. Donald convinced me that she was in danger if I didn’t take care of everything. I was a fucking fool for agreeing. You didn’t uncover evidence that the neighbors suspected Vivian or me. I don’t see the situation as having a long-lasting threat against her, but how can I take that chance?”

“You can’t. You’ve got to do what you need to do, Logan. And we’re still working back here to make sure you and Vivian are safe. Cole is flying Casper and Sisco to you for backup. We’re monitoring the communication of the five terrorists involved, and so far, you’re good to go with what you need to do.”

“Yeah, right. Thanks, Landon. I have work to do, so I’ll let you know when the first step is complete.”

Disconnecting, he headed down the wooded path behind the house toward the shed. As he took one last look at the bare space, his heart ached. Grimacing, he knew he’d never had a problem focusing on a mission, and now, all he could think about was the mess he had made with Vivian.

With frustration pouring off him, he carefully destroyed the remaining contents of the shed, following the instructions he was given. He doused the shed with a special sulfuric acid compound before spraying it with water. It immediately beganeating at the wood, a way to get rid of evidence and danger while not setting a fire that would alert others to what he was doing.

Walking back slowly toward the house, he tried to think of the next step, but the look on her face as she drove away filled his mind.

As he walked across the yard, a flash of light lit the sky, and an explosion rocked the ground. The roar and heat blasted him, and, reacting immediately, he threw himself down on the ground as flames shot into the air from beyond his house. Adrenaline pumping, he jumped up, running to the other side of his truck, halting at the sight. The Zamans’ house was completely engulfed in flames.

Within seconds, he realized they had destroyed their own home, which meant they’d left.How the fuckin’ hell did I miss this?Ignoring the blazing inferno, he raced inside to his computer, quickly searching the videos. His phone rang, and he hit connect as soon as he saw the caller ID.

“I’m fine,” he barked. “At my computer now. What the fuck do you see?”

“Sadie is on it,” Landon replied.

Goddammit!“Fuck! Akram and Farrah loaded the car with several boxes before driving away.” Observing the time stamp, he cursed again. “It was while I was at the shed finishing the cleanup.”

“I have Cory tracking their car?—”

“Landon, if they’ve destroyed the house, they took the tularemia with them to use somewhere. Tell Cory to stay on them?—”

The sound of a siren could be heard in the distance. “The firetrucks are approaching. I’m going back out to be seen as a spectator of his neighbor’s house.” Stepping onto the porch, he watched as the Ester Volunteer Fire Department rolled up intwo fire trucks and an ambulance. He disconnected his call and jogged over to talk to them. Iggie climbed out of the first truck.

“Damn, Preacher,” Iggie called. “What the hell happened?”

“Got no idea,” he responded. “I was inside when the whole house shook. Thought the world was coming to an end.”

The firefighters immediately went to work, hooking up the hoses to the truck with the water tank that pulled in behind the ambulance. As the streams of water hit the flames and soaked the surrounding area to keep the fire from spreading, Iggie turned back to him. “No one could live through that,” he said.

“They weren’t there,” he said.

“Thank fuck,” Iggie responded, relieved. “You see ’em leave?”

“Earlier. Akram and Farrah both left. In fact, I was just packing up for a little trip myself when this happened.” Hoping that would satisfy Iggie’s possible curiosity, he turned to go back into the house to check with his Keepers to see if they could find out where Akram was headed.

Calling out orders to the crew, Iggie shifted his gaze back to him. “So Preacher. You heading to Tanana?”

Confused, he halted and turned back. “Tanana?”

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