Page 23 of The Surrogate Omega, Part Two

TWELVE

Evander

I’m completely focused on my research when I hear the front door being unlocked and opened. Grinning, I look up to greet Logan and immediately, that smile disappears. He looks absolutely wrecked. He had court this morning, and I know it always takes a lot out of him, but this case must’ve hit really hard.

I place my laptop down on the coffee table and walk over to him, navigating the assortment of cardboard boxes that are now littering my apartment as we prepare to move. Logan’s eyes are vacant, and I know he’s going through the motions as he hangs up his winter coat. The jacket of the suit he wore to court is unbuttoned and wrinkled. His tie hangs loosely on his neck, and I can see the creases on his pants where he gripped the material in frustration.

I don’t say anything as I get to work. I help him get his suit jacket off and throw it over my shoulder where it lands on the back of the couch. Lake isn’t here to yell at me for that. I kiss Logan’s chin before removing his tie and discarding it in the same fashion. Gods, he’s freezing. Was he just standing outside in the cold? What happened today? Logan hasn’t moved. He stands staring straight ahead, looking at nothing and barely blinking. I’m not even sure if he notices me at all. I sit on the floor by his feet and begin to remove the dress shoes I know he hates because he can never find a pair that doesn’t pinch his toes. Maybe when Lake gets back, he can go shopping with him to find a good pair.

Logan is present enough to lift his feet so I can remove his shoes, and I toss them near the front door. Standing up, I gently take Logan’s hand. I so badly want to ask him what happened, but I won’t push him. He’ll talk when he’s ready.

I lead Logan to the couch and throw the blanket I had been using over him. “Let me get you something warm to drink,” I tell him, though I’m not sure he hears me.

Logan hasn’t moved an inch when I come back with two mugs of coffee. I have a feeling that tonight will be a whiskey type of night, but right now, he needs something to warm him up.

“Logan, can you drink this for me, babe?” I say softly as I practically shove the mug into his hands. Logan blinks, and for the first time since he got home, I see recognition in his eyes.

“Ev?” he asks like he’s surprised to see me. How did he even make it home ok?

“Yeah, babe, it’s me. Can you drink your coffee for me? You’re freezing.”

He looks down at the mug in his hand, head tilted like he’s unsure how it got there. “Oh, sure. Thank you.”

We sit in silence as Logan slowly drinks his coffee. I take a few sips of mine, but mainly to keep busy. I glance over at my laptop that’s still sitting open on the table, glad that the screen has turned black. Not that I’m hiding what I was looking up from Logan, exactly, but I don’t think he’ll react well to it right now when he’s so shaken up. I’ll deal with it later.

Finally, Logan seems present enough to talk. “I’m sorry about that. I’m not sure what happened.”

I squeeze Logan’s leg, needing to touch him. “There’s nothing to apologize for, Lo. I’m just glad you made it home safely.”

Logan snorts. “My sergeant had one of the rookies drive me back. He didn’t trust me to make it on my own. Fuck, I don’t know what’s with me. I never react like this.”

“Rough day at court?” I ask gently. Sometimes, Logan needs to talk about it, with as much detail as he’s allowed to, anyway, and sometimes, he wants to forget about it completely whenever he has a day like this.

Logan shrugs and puts the mug on the table next to the laptop. “Eh. It was shitty, but that’s not why I’m like this. Or at least not totally. The court case was for a mom who left her six-year-old home alone overnight to go out on a date. The boy woke up and wandered off to find his mom. Was gone for four days before we found him. Since I was the senior detective on the scene, I had to testify. I can tell the mom really doesn’t give a shit, and it stirs all kinds of memories, you know?”

I nod in understanding. I know I sure as hell wouldn’t react well to it. I don’t think about my mom too often, since I haven’t seen her since my dad gained full custody of me, but I can guaran-fucking-tee she wouldn’t have given a shit in the same situation. At least this mom apparently called the cops when she noticed the kid missing. I’m not sure my mom would’ve bothered.

“But the kid is fine and has been living with his grandparents ever since. Seems like he’s doing good and hopefully doesn’t have any major lasting trauma from the incident. Still, I was irritated as fuck when I got back to the station and heard that one of my cases was being sent over to homicide.”

Logan’s not done talking, so I stay quiet and just continue my soft and affectionate touches, letting Logan know I’m here for him. I know it’s always awful for him when a missing person, especially a kid, becomes a homicide case, but I’ve never seen it affect him quite this badly. I wonder what it is about this case that’s upsetting him so much.

“I don’t know if you remember, but a little over a year ago, I picked up a case—two boys, twelve years old? They were best friends and were having a sleepover. It was four o’clock in the afternoon on a Saturday and they were riding bikes in their neighborhood, only a block from the one kid’s house. They both disappeared. Less than an hour after they went out to ride, their bikes were found abandoned on the side of the road, but the kids were never found.”

I remember it, at least vaguely. Since Logan can’t or doesn’t want to talk about most of his cases, the ones he does talk about, I always make sure to pay attention to and remember as many details as possible. They clearly are the ones that affect him the most, and I try to be there anyway I can.

“Yes, I remember,” I answer softly.

“One of the boy’s bodies was found today. Anthony Ruiz, the one whose house they were staying at. It was in rough shape.”

“Fuck, Logan. I’m so sorry.”

He shrugs and tries to smile, but it turns into more of a grimace. “It happens. I know it fucking does. But, gods, Ev, it fucking sucks every time. Telling a parent they won’t ever see their little boy again will never get easier.”

I have no idea how Logan does it. It would break me having to do that. Hell, I can barely read about that kind of thing in the books I edit, which is one of the reasons I do mostly sci-fi. I much prefer keeping reality out of my books whenever I can.

“What about the other boy?” I can’t remember his name off the top of my head.

“Rory McNally. There’s been no sign of him. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. Ev, the things the ME said happened to Anthony . . .”

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