Page 46 of Free Fall (The Quantico Files 3)

“Thank you. And I will definitely call my folks sometime after the surgery.” He cleared his throat. “I should be feeling rather alone, but having you and Monty ... and Jeff ...Well, you’re my family too.” His voice shook slightly. “It means more than I can say.”

“We truly are family, Logan. I feel that, too, and since I’ve never really had one, it means a lot to me as well.”

“I’m glad. Call me tomorrow when you get home from work, okay?”

“Sure. Talk to you then.” She ended the call.

She should have felt better, but she didn’t. Logan was putting up walls. Was this what it was like to be around her? He’d told her more than once that she’d created barriers of protection around herself. Walls he couldn’t get through. For the first time she understood what he meant. Logan wasn’t completely shutting her out, but he was allowing her to get only so close. Why?

She sat for a while, stroking Krypto’s head, trying to understand what was happening.

God, how can I help him if he won’t let me in?

Logan leaned his head back against the couch and closed his eyes. He really wanted Alex here, but if things went wrong ...

He shook his head. No. He couldn’t afford to think that way. He needed time to build his faith, and as awful as it sounded, if Alex was with him, he’d be thinking about her rather than concentrating on the battle ahead. It had to be just him and God right now. No one else, no matter how much they meant to him. He didn’t even want Alex to drive him to the hospital, but he couldn’t see a way out of it. She was so adamant.

“God,” he prayed out loud, “I’m putting my faith in you. I’ve asked you to get me through this operation, and I believe you will. I know you don’t want me to be afraid. You want me to live in faith. I intend to do that, but I’m asking one more thing. Please, God, help Alex. She needs freedom in her mind. Don’t allow this challenge to hurt her. She means too much to me. Help me be an example of someone who trusts you with ... well, with their life. You know the thoughts inside my head. Help me turn them toward you. You’ve always been there for me. I refuse to be afraid, not because of anything good inside me but because I know who you are. A good God. A loving Father. A healer and a deliverer. I love you, Abba.”

Then he reached for his Bible on the coffee table.

Tracy lay in the dark, fighting off sleep. She had to stay awake. This might be her only chance to get out of here. She felt silly using an old movie as a model for what she was doing, but what else could she do? She couldn’t come up with anything else. Although she clasped the knife in her hand, she couldn’t imagine actually stabbing someone. Could she really do it? If it meant going home? She had to be brave and prepared to do whatever it took, not only for herself but also for the other women imprisoned here.

She knew they came into the room at night, because the next morning there were always clean clothes and the waste bags were gone. They clearly waited until they knew the women had fallen into a drugged sleep. But how long did that take? She assumed they didn’t hesitate too long since they wouldn’t want to take a chance the drug would wear off before they were done.

She wanted to move, but she didn’t dare. Finally, after what seemed like hours but couldn’t have been, she heard a key in the door. She grasped the knife tightly in her hand and waited for her chance.

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