Thin Ice

by Maryann Jordan

  “Harder?”

  “I needed you to tell me what they had so I’d know how to destroy it properly and safely. You’ve done that. Now, I need to do the job I was hired to do.”

  “Arrest them, right?” she stood with her arms crossed, her foot tapping a pattern on the floor. “So, why do I need to leave for that? Won’t I be needed to testify against them?”

  “I need to take care of them and destroy the lab. Me…not you.”

  “Destroy how?”

  “Fire,” he responded. “There’s nothing there that’s going to explode, but everything can be destroyed in a fire.”

  Pinching her lips, she tried a different angle. “What about my makeshift lab in the shed?”

  “I’ll destroy that too.”

  “I could help with that, Logan. Why are you pushing me out?”

  “I’m not willing to risk your safety anymore. I can focus on what I need to do if I know you are safely away from here.” Holding himself back from taking her in his arms, he clipped, “Your part in the mission is finished now and you need to go home. That was what was always supposed to happen.”

  Vivian stood still, the only movement the slight quivering of her lips as she battled back the tears, but her chest was tight with agony. “Are you telling me to leave the job…or are you telling me to leave you?”

  Sucking in a ragged breath, Logan hardened his voice as he repeated, “You need to head home.”

  Her heart lurched as her head gave a short, jerky nod as she set her unfinished coffee cup in the sink and walked past him, rounding the counter. He swallowed deeply, his heart ripping in fear she would never give him another chance when the mission was over.

  Ten minutes later Vivian returned from the bedroom, her suitcase in her hand. Bypassing him without speaking, she moved to the table and packed up her laptop. Glancing around the room, she snatched her eReader from the coffee table and added it to her purse. Taking out the burner phone, she laid it on the counter, reaching into the drawer and snatching her personal phone.

  Pulling her purse up on her shoulder, she picked up her suitcase and moved toward the kitchen door. Stopping, she choked back a sob before swallowing it down. She turned to face him, not understanding the stone-faced man staring back, resembling the stoic man she met when she first came to Alaska. “I was in the bedroom packing and thinking of all the terrible things I wanted to call you…say to you. But I just can’t. I told you I didn’t do flings, but the truth is, I’m glad I was here. Glad I met you. Glad I got to work with you.” Taking another shuddering breath, a lone tear ran down her cheek as she finished, “And I’m glad I…” choking back a sob, she shook her head, arguing with herself. “Good luck, Logan.”

  With that parting shot, she walked out the door, threw her bags into the back of her little rental car, and backed out of the driveway. Logan watched her every movement, a weight heavy on his heart. Stalking out of the house, he headed toward the shed, destruction on his mind.

  28

  “You’re leaving?”

  Vivian stood at the bar, offering a strained smile toward Sadie. “Just for a bit. I’m heading to Tanana to visit. I thought I’d like to see where I played as a child when my grandparents were still alive. I had planned on…uh…well, visiting sometime in the next few weeks, but it seems like this is a good time.”

  “Preacher goin’ with you?”

  Shaking her head at Iggie as he wiped down the bar, she said, “No. He’s got work to do right now. So…I just wanted to stop by and let you know I was going to be away.”

  Sadie walked over, pulling her into a hug as she softly said, “Honey, I’ve been working bars a long time…talked to a lot of people. And I get the feeling that you and Logan are having a little spat.” As Vivian was about to protest, Sadie squeezed her arms tighter and added, “But all couples have that. Lord knows, Iggie has made me nuts over the years.”

  She offered a watery smile as Sadie continued, “But seeing the two of you together…now that’s love. He loves you, Vivian. So, go visit your grandparents’ place, but know that man is crazy about you. And then the next time you see him, you’ll jump right into his arms and forget about all this.”

  “Thanks, Sadie,” she said, giving a final hug before waving to Iggie and walking out into the sunlight. Climbing back into her car, she swallowed back the tears knowing that Sadie was wrong…she would not be seeing Logan again.

  Frustration pouring off him, Logan carefully destroyed the remaining contents of the shed, following the instructions. As he took his last look at the bare space, his heart ached. Grimacing, he knew he had never had a problem focusing on a mission and, now, all he could think about was the mess he had made with Vivian.

  Walking back slowly toward the house, he tried to think of the next step, but the look on her face as she drove away filled his mind.

  As he walked across the yard, a flash of light lit the sky and an explosion rocked the ground. The roar and heat blasted him and, reacting immediately, he threw himself down on the ground as flames shot into the air from beyond his house. Adrenaline pumping, he jumped up, running to the other side of his truck, halting at the sight. The Zaman’s house was completely engulfed in flames.

  Within seconds, he realized they had destroyed their own home, which meant they had left. How the fuckin’ hell did I miss this? Ignoring the blazing inferno, he raced inside to his computer, quickly searching the videos.

  Goddamnit! He watched as Akram and Farrah loaded the car with suitcases, as well as several boxes, before driving away. Observing the time stamp, he cursed again, noting it was while he was at the shed finishing the clean-up. If they’ve destroyed the house, they took the Tularemia with them. To use somewhere…

  The sound of a siren could be heard in the distance and he knew he needed to go back out to be seen as a stunned spectator of his neighbors’ house. Stepping onto the porch, he watched as the Ester Volunteer Fire Department rolled up in two fire trucks and an ambulance. He jogged over to talk to them when he spied Iggie climbing out of the first truck.

  “Damn, Preacher,” Iggie called. “What the hell happened?”

  “Got no idea,” he responded. “I was inside when the whole house shook. Thought the world was coming to an end.”

  The firemen immediately went to work, hooking up the hoses to the truck with the water tank that pulled in behind the ambulance. As the streams of water hit the flames and soaked the surrounding area to keep the fire from spreading, Iggie turned back to him. “No one could live through that,” he said.

  “They weren’t there,” he said.

  “Thank fuck,” came the relieved response. “You see ‘em leave?”

  “Earlier. Akram and Farrah both left. In fact, I was just packing up for a little trip myself when this happened.” Hoping that would satisfy Iggie’s possible curiosity, he turned to go back into the house to check Akram’s phone and computer records from the morning to see if he could find out where they were headed.

  Calling out orders to the crew, Iggie shifted his gaze back to him. “So, Preacher. You heading to Tanana?”

  Confused, he halted and turned back, “Tanana?”

  “Thought you might be checking on Vivian.” Grinning, he added, “Figured you wouldn’t be able to stand not being with her for even one night. Sadie was surprised when Vivian stopped by this morning to say she was taking a few days to go visit where her grandparents used to live. We figured you two wouldn’t be able to be separated.” Turning back to oversee the dying flames, Iggie missed the anguished expression on his face.

  Five minutes later, he hurried inside to his computer. With a few types on the keyboard, he pulled up a screen with Akram’s phone activity. Got it! About the time the explosion occurred, Akram had sent a message to Rashad.

  Testing in Tanana.

  Tanana? Oh, fucking hell! Small town. Perfect for trying out contaminating water or food. And right where Viv is heading to!

  Racing into the bedroom, he grabb
ed his bag from the closet, checking the contents—weapons, Kevlar, ammunition, night vision goggles, and a variety of other necessities. Throwing in extra clothes, he hefted the bag on his shoulder before stalking back to gather his electronics. Three minutes later, he threw his hand up toward Iggie, along with a fake smile, as he executed a three-point turned in the yard to leave, passing the emergency vehicles still dealing with the Zaman’s destruction. You might have saved me the trouble of destroying your house and lab, assholes, but I’m coming for you.

  `

  Small. That was the only word Vivian could think to describe Tanana as she drove through. Why do things seem so much bigger when you’re a kid? She grinned as she spied the town sign listing the population as 308. Driving along the rough, partially paved roads she passed stores, a few she remembered, some new, and some appearing to be long empty. A couple of restaurants. A bar. A couple of churches. And even a school, which she assumed housed kindergarten through high school in the one building.

  Turning off the main street, she drove north for a mile, passing houses and a few subdivisions. The road was so familiar, she remembered summers of riding in the back of her grandfather’s pickup truck, bouncing as he hit the invariable potholes. Looking back, she wondered if he hit them just to see her bounce and giggle.

  Finally pulling up to the small house, she parked on the street. The wooden siding appeared to have been recently stained, and it was nice to see her grandmother’s flower gardens were still neatly tended. The plot of land next to the house had been wild, with trees flanking a meadow, but now was mown.

  Climbing out of her car, she heard children playing in the backyard and could see a woman hanging laundry on a line tied between two poles set in the ground. The woman looked up at her and smiled.

  “Hello,” she called out, as she walked up the walk. “I’m Vivian Sanders. I hope this doesn’t seem presumptuous to stop by…it’s just that my grandparents used to live here. My mom was born here and I remember lots of summers spent here as well.”

  A wide, welcoming smile greeted her warmly as the woman said, “Oh, the Panikaks were your grandparents? I knew them when I was younger. I’m Carly. It’s nice to meet you.” She jerked her head toward the house and said, “Would you like to see inside?”

  “You wouldn’t mind?”

  “Not at all, come on.”

  She followed Carly inside, immediately engulfed in memories. While the furniture was different, the walls a different color, the house resonated with the images of her grandfather sitting in his comfy chair in front of the TV and her grandmother bustling in the kitchen.

  Turning down an offer of tea, she said, “No, I really have to be going, but this,” she waved her hand around, “has meant so much to me.”

  “Are you staying long?” Carly asked.

  “I saw there’s a hotel in town.” Chuckling, she added, “It wasn’t there when I was a kid.”

  “Oh, that horrible Men of Alaska show on TV that they filmed around here brought in tourists and of course the show’s crew needed somewhere to stay. So, they tore down the cute little single-room cabins that had been here for so long and built a new hotel that could house so many more. I have a feeling they’ll have plenty of rooms now that the show is over. We still get tourists looking for the places the show exploited, but hey, it brought some money into the town.”

  “Sounds good, I’ll check there. It was really nice to meet you.” Smiling at Carly, she thanked her for the chance to revisit her family home. Stepping out into the sunshine, she slid her sunglasses on her face as she walked to her car.

  The sound of a helicopter flying overhead caught her attention and she leaned her head back, shading her face with her hand at her forehead. The reminder of Logan was painful, but she battled through, determined to not shed another tear. She had shed enough of them on the hour drive to Tanana.

  Climbing back into her car, she took one last look at her grandparents’ house and drove into town.

  29

  Stepping inside the warm interior of the Tanana Inn from the crowded parking lot, Vivian heaved a sigh, wondering if this stay was a bad idea. I’ve seen my grandparents’ house…maybe it’s time to just go back to Fairbanks and catch a flight home. The hotel was much busier than she anticipated, but seeing a large sign in the corner announcing a “Men of Alaska Tour Weekend”, she grimaced, realizing the hotel might be full. Looking at her watch, she shook her head, knowing it was too late to arrange a flight today.

  The desk clerk was on the phone, but mouthed, “Sorry, I’ll just be a minute.” She nodded and walked to one of the windows overlooking the parking lot. A shawl-draped head caught her attention and, as she moved to the left to have a better line of vision, she recognized Akram and Farrah. Her breath left her lungs in a rush as she tried to think of why they were here, but she could only come up with one reason terrorists working with a known bacterial agent would come to a tiny, nowhere town, on a weekend with a hotel full of guests from all over—Oh, Jesus! It can’t be good, no matter what they’re doing! Reaching her hand into her purse, she grabbed her phone, then realized it was her personal phone. The burner phone with Logan’s number was back on the kitchen counter of the house in Ester.

  Sucking in a deep breath, she knew whatever happened, it was up to her to stop them. Smiling at the receptionist who had just hung up the phone, she said, “I…uh…see a friend. I’ll be back.” Moving to the door, she watched as the Zamans got into their car and backed out of the parking lot. Hurrying out the door and down the steps, she jumped into her car and began to follow them from a distance.

  Logan, his equipment out of the helicopter and into another truck, churned down the road, finding it took only about three minutes to drive through town. No sign of Vivian or the terrorists. Gripping the steering wheel with white-knuckled intensity, he pulled to the side of the road. Parking, he fought to regain his objectivity as he considered his next move. He had taken Vivian’s phone off the kitchen counter after she left but now cursed the inability to get hold of her.

  With his head down, he rubbed his eyes. “All right,” he planned out loud, “I’ll go back into town, hit the bar and restaurant, and see if anyone has seen them.”

  Just as he was about to pull back on to the road, he saw a car coming from behind. Waiting until they passed, he caught a glance of a woman wearing a hijab sitting in the passenger side and, disbelieving his luck, he watched as the Zamans drove past. About to pull out behind them, another car was coming from the same direction. What the fuck? This town’s got only 300 residents. Are they all fuckin’ out today?

  A small black car drove past and his disbelief took another jolt—Vivian was intently staring ahead at the Zaman’s car, never looking over to see him stare at her. Realizing the danger she was putting herself in, he jerked his truck onto the road, following behind her. Jesus, we’ve got a fuckin’ caravan on the road—not exactly incognito!

  Vivian followed at a distance, noting when the Zamans turned onto a gravel driveway, leading to a small house sitting on the side of a hill. Several cars were parked next to the house, the long drive visible to anyone inside. Frustrated, she continued down the road for another mile until she came to a widening where she could turn around. Turning to look behind her, she squeaked when a truck pulled right in front of her, jamming on their brakes. The windows were tinted and she could not see a driver.

  Fearing for her life, she put the car in reverse just when the driver hopped out of the truck and rounded the hood, jerking their sunglasses off. Logan?

  Before she had a chance to roll down her window, his hand was on her door, opening it swiftly. Forcing her back against the seat as he leaned his large body in, he unclipped her seatbelt before clamping his hand around her upper arm, pulling her out of the car.

  “What are you doing?” she yelled, trying to dislodge her arm from his grip.

  “The better question is what the fuck are you doing here,” he growled, dragging her to the far sid
e of his truck, out of sight from the road.

  “Logan, stop. I saw Akram and—”

  “Jesus, Viv, do you have any idea how much danger you’re in just by following them? How do I get it across to you that they are fuckin’ terrorists who’d kill you for interfering?”

  “I wasn’t going to go up there and knock on their door, Logan. Give me some credit!”

  Logan pinned her back against his truck, his arms on either side of her, fighting the desire to lean in and kiss her senseless. Shifting his gaze down the road, he pinched his lips as he tried to control his frustration. Sucking in a deep breath, he let it out slowly before dropping his eyes down to hers, almost afraid of the anger he knew was in them. But instead, she peered up at him, her face unreadable.

  “Akram blew up the house next door.”

  At that announcement, her eyes bugged out and her mouth fell open, but no sound came forth.

  “I was finishing the clean-up on the shed when they left. I fuckin’ missed it and by the time I got back to the house to take the next step, the goddamn house blew to bits. The firetrucks showed up but there was not a fuckin’ piece of it left.”

  “How’d you know they were here?” she asked, her voice shaky.

  “Iggie’s on the volunteer fire squad. He said you stopped by and told them you were going to take a trip here. ‘Bout that time, I managed to get to my laptop to check their chatter. Akram sent a message to Rashad that they were coming here.”

  Vivian’s shock at seeing him had worn off, the first flush of pleasure that he had come for her died as she realized he was all about the mission. Inwardly cursing, she realized she was a complete fool. Of course he’s about the mission. That’s what we were here for…it was me who forgot and fell for him.

  “I just happened to see them when I was checking into the hotel,” she informed. “They didn’t see me, but I knew it was important to find out where they were going. I wasn’t going in guns blazing or anything. Trust me, I don’t have a hero complex.”