Page 66 of Logan

He dropped his gaze back to hers, asking, “How will they test it?”

Knitting her brow, she shook her head for a second, replying, “I…I don’t know. I…” She stopped and began carefully analyzing the situation. “They didn’t have a lot of the solution with the bacteria in it. I suppose direct contact would be the quickest. Um…shops, restaurants, public places where people touch things… shit! The hotel.”

She looked up quickly. “The hotel is full right now with some tour groups. The Zamans might be there planning or even staying, but Logan, the hotel must be the key. It would be so easy to spread the bacteria around. People from all over the countrywho are up there for the event wouldn’t realize they’d been infected until a week or so later.”

He glanced up the road toward the house the Zamans had gone into. “I’ll take care of them, but I need you to get out of here.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out her burner phone, tucking it into the front pocket of her jeans.

She tried to ignore the feel of his fingers pressing so intimately on her hips, but his warm breath across her face could definitely not be ignored. Swallowing deeply, she asked, “Do you have backup…or whatever they call it, for going in to arrest them?”

His eyes grew stormy, and he leaned his face closer. “I have to see what they’ve brought with them and destroy it, too. At least, I know I can burn it.”

“But you can use me for that! I can help!”

“No, I need you gone.”

She jerked her chin back, his words coming as a blow. “But…”

“Vivian, we’re wasting time. I have a job to do. No arrest. Just termination.”

Blinking, Vivian tilted her head slightly, staring as she processed his words until her eyes widened with understanding. Her voice was shaky, and she opened her mouth, but the only word that formed was, “Oh.” Her head jerked back, hitting the side of his truck, but she ignored the pain. “Not just destroy the chemicals, but… you…you’re…you’re going to?—”

Standing to his full height, Logan pulled his hands back and placed them on his hips. “Yeah, Viv. That’s my mission. That’s my job. Your job was to figure out what they had and how best to destroy it. You did that, and now it’s my turn to do my fuckin’ job. Destroy and then terminate.” He watched as her face registered shock, but her dark eyes accused.

Her breath came in a spastic pant as she shook her head. “But surely…this can’t be the right thing to do…to just…”

“You think who hired me is going to take a chance that the legal procedures would put these terrorists in jail? That justice would be served? They’re to be dealt with one way and one way only. And if you think for one second that those terrorists would spare your life if you got in their way, then you’re way too naive.”

Blinking at the sting of his words, Vivian grappled with what he was saying. Sucking in a shaky breath, she simply nodded, unable to process what he was going to do. But one thing stuck in her mind. Looking back up into his face, she asked, “You’re going alone?”

“Do you see my team here with me? I have men coming, but this is what I’m here to do, Viv. Terminate the terrorists before they have a chance to spread their destruction. What I don’t have time for is to stand here and argue with you.”

She reached out to touch his arm but stopped short. “Thin ice,” she said, her words soft and laced with pain.

He jerked back, his brows drawn down. “What?”

“You’re skating on thin ice, Logan. Out there all alone. But you don’t have to because I’m here. There’s safety in numbers.”

Logan dropped his chin as a long, slow sigh left his chest. Finally, he lifted his head, his eyes now on hers. “I appreciate that…more than you know. But this isn’t skating we’re talking about. This is my job. What I’m trained to do. I can’t focus on the job if you’re a distraction.” Blowing out a long breath, he added, “I need you to go.”

Swallowing deeply, Vivian slipped underneath his arm and walked over to her car, her whole body shaking. Opening the door, she paused, looking over her shoulder. “Will I see you again?”

His face, set in granite, seared straight through her, saying nothing. But telling her everything at the same time.

36

Crossing through the woods, Logan made his way toward the house on the hill. He’d grabbed items from his truck, including one of his weapons. Only two cars remained in the driveway, and he recognized both of them—Akram’s and Malik’s. He eyed a tree near the back corner and slipped closer. He radioed his location and plan but hated that he’d felt such a sense of urgency when he left that he didn’t take the time to locate the video camera he could attach to his shirt, leaving him hands free. At least he had a snake camera to aid him, even if it was handheld.

After a quick assessment, he climbed the tree to the second level. Using the snake camera to peek into a window, he observed a room empty of furniture. The dust on the floor indicated no evidence of human contact for a while.

Using a glass cutter, he quickly cut a circle out of the window directly above the old flip lock. Reaching in, he unlatched the window and opened it with practiced ease. Sliding through silently, he stepped carefully onto the wooden floor.

Stealthily moving around the edge of the walls where the floor would be more supported and less likely to creak, he once again used the camera to peer out the door into an empty hall. Scanning the other open doors, it appeared the entire upstairswas devoid of any signs of life. They’d found an abandoned house outside town, making it the perfect hideout.

He heard voices below, raised in argument, recognizing Akram and Malik.

“It makes no sense for you to send them!” Malik yelled. “Farrah is a weak link. You know that.”

“She might be, but Nafisa certainly is not. She will keep an eye on Farrah and make sure she does what she is supposed to do. Once it is done, then Farrah will have no choice but to keep doing as she’s told. She’ll be afraid of being caught, and that will keep her in line.”

---