Page 104 of Free Fall (The Quantico Files 3)

51

Alex allowed him to lead her into the amusement park.

“Let’s eat first,” he said. She could tell he was nervous. Tracy said they rode the rides first. This was different. Good. She didn’t want to drag this out. She was certain it was because he suspected she was the person he’d been looking for.

She’d gone over and over a cover story. This personality might not be the one with the memories, but she had to be prepared for anything. And that was okay. She wasn’t trying to convince him. She just wanted to stop him. And if he had killed the woman who’d caused him so much trauma, this wasn’t the time for him to remember that. It might make him almost impossible to handle. She had to keep him stable.

She looked at the two large picnic tables he gestured toward. Metal legs. Large. Heavy. Good. That should work. She sat down at one of them.

He entered a nearby booth, then brought back hot dogs, potato chips, and soda. She didn’t plan to be there long enough to eat. Then he sat down on the other side of the table. Shoot. She needed to be closer to him than that.

“Tracy said you told her you’d been to that amusement park before,” he said. “Magic Land? The one where...”

“Where you kidnapped me?”

He looked uncomfortable. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”

She wanted to tear into him, but this personality might not be aware that someone else was living inside of him. And she couldn’t afford an introduction to the Ghost Rider yet.

“I’m trying to understand,” she said. “But it’s hard. To answer your question, yes. I went there when I was young. Particularly on holidays. It was fun.”

“Did ... did you have a dress with daisies on it?”

She nodded. “It looked a lot like this one. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it.”

He came around the table and sat next to her. “You’ve got to get out of here,” he said in a low voice. “I mean it. He’ll kill you.”

She reached into her bra and took out her knife. Then she swiftly moved behind him and held the weapon to his throat.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she said. “And neither are you.”

Logan was praying when his phone rang, startling him. He picked it up and answered.

“Logan,” Jeff said, “they think they’ve located the women. SWAT and HRT are heading out there, as well as police and ambulances.”

“That’s the best news I could hear,” Logan said. “Do you know how long it will take them to get there?”

“This place is about ten miles out from Quantico. This is all secondhand information from Todd and Bethany. They’re still at the CP.”

“You’ve got quite an underground network there, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“No guesses even?” He didn’t want to push Jeff, but he couldn’t help it.

“Well, it’s not all that far, but they have to be careful. We could have a wait on our hands. They won’t breach the grounds without being as certain as possible that they won’t risk lives.”

“You’ll keep me updated, though. Right, Jeff?”

“I’ll keep you both updated,” a voice from the doorway said.

Logan looked up to see Monty walking into the room. “I’m the second link in the chain,” he said with a smile.

“Tell him I heard that,” Jeff said. “But Williams promised she’d call me directly when Alex is secured.”

Logan repeated Jeff’s words, and Monty grinned. “So it’s a throwdown. Who gets to tell you the good news first? I accept the challenge.”

Logan appreciated his friend’s attempt to add a lighter tone to the conversation, but his stomach was still tied in knots. He was so glad Monty was here. He didn’t want to be alone now.

---