Page 14 of Free Fall (The Quantico Files 3)

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On the way to Logan’s apartment, Alex stopped by a favorite deli that made the most awesome chicken soup. She picked up broccoli and cheese for herself and some crusty, freshly baked French bread as well.

Logan was quiet in the car. He leaned back on the headrest, his eyes closed. Alex could tell he was in pain.

“I’m seeing an ophthalmologist on Friday,” he said suddenly. He’d been so silent that she jumped when he finally spoke. “Maybe I just need a new prescription for my glasses.”

“But you said your headaches have something to do with your injuries in the warehouse.”

He turned to look at her and smiled. “I think between the two options, one of them will fit the symptoms. My doctor called while you were inside. He has an MRI scheduled for me tomorrow. So by the end of the week I should know what’s going on.” He turned his head back and sighed. “Maybe I just need a head transplant. Of course, it would be difficult to find anyone as good-looking as I am, so that might not be an option.”

Alex laughed. “Before that MRI, why don’t you ask them to check your ego too? It’s so large it could be pressing against your brain.”

She looked over and saw him grin. “Yeah, you might be right.” He hesitated a moment before saying, “Thank you for this. I really think I could have made it home on my own, but I truly appreciate your help. Sometimes when the pain is really bad, it’s hard to see. I didn’t want to drive like that.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen you drive. People out on the streets are already in enough danger.”

“Very funny.”

A few minutes later Alex pulled up in front of Logan’s apartment. He’d recently moved, and this was the first time she’d been here. Although she wasn’t fond of apartment living, she was surprised to find that he lived in an older, refurbished building. Its classical design was a throwback to the early twentieth century with what looked like four separate residences. Six lovely American redbud trees lined the walkway leading up to the main entrance.

“I like this,” she said as she turned off the engine. “I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t anything this lovely.”

“So in other words, you think I have no taste? What did you have in mind? A dilapidated lean-to?”

“No. Not dilapidated.”

Logan sighed and opened his car door. “I’ll get the food.”

Alex came around the front of the car as Logan reached into the backseat to pull out the bag. But it slipped out of his hand, crashing to the ground outside the car. Alex quickly picked it up and checked it out. Thankfully, the tops had stayed on the soup containers.

“It’s fine,” she said. “Not a problem.”

She closed the car door and stared at him. “You okay?”

“Of course. I just didn’t get a good grip on it.”

Logan’s tone was sharp. Was he really upset? Why? Everyone dropped things once in a while.

“I know,” she said soothingly, trying to calm him. He was probably just touchy because of his headache. She was grumpy when she was in pain. “Let’s get you inside, okay?”

He didn’t say anything, just nodded. She followed him to the main entrance, where he slid a keycard into an electronic reader. She heard a click, and then a green light came on. Logan pushed the door open and then waited for her to enter in front of him.

He led her down a hall to a door with the number one on it, and then he unlocked it too. Alex entered a nicely decorated living area. Logan had bought new furniture, contemporary but leaning toward traditional. The couch was gray with white and gray throw pillows and a soft white afghan thrown over one arm. The tufted chairs sitting across from the couch were the same gray and had matching ottomans. A large glass coffee table with metal legs sat in front of the couch.

On the other side of the large room was a dining set made of dark wood. The chair seats matched the couch. She didn’t see many pictures on the walls, but a beautiful metal-framed mirror had been hung over a large electric fireplace. Two photos in gray-toned frames hung on either side of the mirror. They were probably of family, but Alex wasn’t close enough to see them clearly.

She carried the food bag into the small modern kitchen. She was surprised at how spotless it was. It wasn’t that Logan’s other place had been messy. It wasn’t. But he was obviously trying harder to maintain his new apartment. In fact, the entire first floor was clean and shiny.

Alex thought back to her own house. She considered herself very neat. She’d had to learn to keep things picked up and clean when she was a kid. Yet before running out this morning, she’d tossed her pajamas on the floor in the bedroom. And after a quick bowl of cereal, she’d left the dish and spoon on the kitchen counter. It was funny to discover that Logan was clearly a better housekeeper than she was. It also felt a little disconcerting. She pushed the thought from her mind. Right now, all that mattered was taking care of him.

“If you want to disinfect my apartment, there’s some spray under the kitchen sink,” Logan said.

He was referring to the problem she had with germs, but she was pretty sure germs had no chance of survival here.

“I don’t think that will be necessary. Frankly, after seeing what you’ve done here, I think I need to hire you to clean my place.”

He shrugged. “I was never a slob, you know. But I guess I care more about this place than my last one. This is the kind of apartment I’ve always wanted.” He sighed. “You know, I feel I’ve been judged wrongly. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

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