by Anna Martin
When Mr. Nunes opened the door to invite them back in, they all scrambled to their feet.
“Sorry for keeping you,” he said, not sounding sorry at all. “You can come back in now.”
Ms. Wa’s notepad was now full of notes and scribbles, and Logan’s carefully collated folder was spread out over the table. At least they’d been doing something while making them wait.
“I’d like to assure you first of all that we have taken your report here extremely seriously,” Ms. Wa said. “The matter of Simon Johansson’s role at the South Pacific Archipelago is being dealt with separately, and we won’t dwell on it further here.”
Logan exchanged a look with Marie, who shrugged in response.
“We’d like to talk to you about the dissimosaur,” Mr. Nunes said.
Dizzy was curled up on Logan’s lap now, idly chewing on the edge of his T-shirt with her flat, beaked mouth.
“What do you want to know?” Logan asked.
“Just a few things. It suffers from a deformity in the hip joints that means it would not survive in the wild, is that correct?”
Logan felt Kit inhale, about to launch into a detailed explanation of all the reasons why Nunes’s question was incomplete, and squeezed his knee gently to calm him down.
“Yes,” Logan said.
“She’s a domesticated animal,” Marie added. Nunes and Wa exchanged a glance, and Logan got the impression they knew the implications of Marie’s statement.
“And you’ve already made attempts to reintroduce her back to the dissimosaur herd?” Ms. Wa asked.
“Yes,” Logan said again. “More than once.”
“Are you able to demonstrate her domestication?” Mr. Nunes asked.
“In what way?” Logan said, confused. “She uses a litter box, she was hand-fed for a while, she responds to simple commands—”
“Could we see that?” Ms. Wa asked. “Her responding to your commands.”
“She’s tired, but we can try,” Logan said. He got up and walked around to the end of the table, where there was more room to work with. He plonked Dizzy on the floor, then took a few steps backward.
“Dizzy, sit,” he said.
She honked at him.
“Don’t be smart with me,” he told her. “Sit,” he said again, this time with the flat-hand signal.
She sat down smartly.
“Good girl.” He took a few steps farther away. “Come here,” he beckoned.
Dizzy rose and waddled over to him. Logan crouched down to greet her and gave her a fussing.
“With me,” he said, turning and walking away. She didn’t immediately follow but scrambled to catch up when he whistled to her.
“Thank you,” Ms. Wa murmured.
Logan took his seat again and let Dizzy perch on his shoulder now, so she could see what was going on. She had a habit of nibbling on his ear when he put her up there, but her beaked mouth wasn’t sharp enough to hurt him.
“She knows a few other commands too,” Logan said, “but they’re situation dependent and I don’t want to confuse her. She’s smart, Ms. Wa. At least as intelligent as a bird. I think I’ll be able to continue training her as she grows.”
“We’re in a difficult situation, Dr. Beck,” Mr. Nunes said. “We absolutely cannot allow anyone to remove a dinosaur from the North or West Islands, for whatever reason. Be that hunting, poaching, research, vivisection, or domestication.”
“I never intended for her to be a pet,” Logan said desperately. “I just….”
“We couldn’t leave her,” Kit interjected. “I asked Logan to bring her back so we could treat her.”
Marie pulled the attention to herself in the inimitable way Logan so admired. “As Dr. Beck has demonstrated,” she said, “the dissimosaur cannot possibly be reintegrated back into the wild herd. She is totally reliant on Dr. Beck for her survival, and he will have to consider the consequences of that throughout the animal’s lifetime. This is a far greater commitment than purchasing a family Labrador, Mr. Nunes. The animal also has rights.”
“It does,” he agreed. “Ms. Wa and I have discussed this matter at length. Dr. Beck, we do not intend to separate you from the dissimosaur. However, you are temporarily suspended from your role as head ranger and will be required to attend an interview in order to satisfy the trustees that you continue to be the right person for the role.”
“Okay,” Logan said, the words coming out on a rush of relief.
“Please consider who you will appoint as your deputy in the interim. We will also be making a statement to the community here that the removal of an animal from the islands is absolutely prohibited, in any and all circumstances. Do not do this again, Dr. Beck.”
Logan nodded, hoping he looked suitably deferential. “Yes, sir. Tony—Anthony Cook—can deputize for me.”
“What about Johansson?” Kit demanded. He had a feisty look in his eye that reminded Logan of the many, many scraps they’d gotten into over the past few years.
“Drop it, Kit,” he muttered under his breath.
“No, it’s not fair,” Kit said. “Logan has to reinterview for his job, but Simon Johansson has been facilitating poaching on the islands and you won’t even tell us what’s happening to him?”
“Dr. Sterling, I’d like to assure you that we are taking both situations incredibly seriously,” Ms. Wa said. “As I’m sure you’re aware, we are not permitted to discuss with you another employee’s disciplinary procedure.”
“Is this a disciplinary?” Logan asked.
“No,” she said, sounding a little amused. “It was intended to be an informal conversation. You’re the one who brought legal representation.”
“Point,” he conceded.
“While I’m here, I’d be happy to consult with you on any questions you might have. I used to be a prosecuting attorney,” Marie said with a bright smile.
“We’ll let you know,” Wa said.
The two women shared a look Logan didn’t have a hope of interpreting.
“You’re free to go, gentlemen, Ms. Sterling,” Mr. Nunes said, nodding toward the door.
“Right, thanks,” Logan said, almost tripping over his feet in his rush to leave. He wasn’t stupid—if these people were telling him to get out, he was going to get the hell out before they discovered something else to chastise him about.
Chapter Twenty-Six
KIT WAS still pissed off as he followed Logan out the door. He’d busted his ass to pull together the DNA testing, all his careful research and documenting, and they weren’t going to tell him a damn thing. Barely even said thank you.
“Dr. Sterling.”
Kit hesitated. He was just getting into the rhythm of this storming-out-dramatically thing; he didn’t want to be interrupted. But Logan had stopped, so he did too.
“Yes?”
When his mama laid a hand on his shoulder, Kit unfurled his fists.
“May we have a word with you? Privately?”
Karine Wa was not the worst of them. She was one of them, one of the team of people who had made this entire thing a nightmare. But she wasn’t a Simon Johansson.
Kit looked to his mama, then to Logan. “Honestly, Ms. Wa, anything you say to me I’m going to repeat to Logan and my mother as soon as you leave, so we might as well save time and get it all out in the open now.”
She smiled at that. “Very well. We’d like to offer you a job.”
Kit frowned. “I have a job. Don’t I?”
“You do. And no one’s suggesting you leave it. Not permanently, anyway.”
“Go on,” Kit said.
“I’m allowed to tell you Simon Johansson is being escorted off the island as we speak. That leaves a serious gap in the current administration.”
“You can’t be serious.”
She shrugged, holding her palms out in an open expression. “I wouldn’t want to remove you from the labs entirely. You’re far too valuable and knowledgeable a geneticist for us to lose.”
“Surely there’s someone else,” Kit said, mentally scrabbling for a name.
“I have other options. But I want you on the team.”
“But… why?”
Kit didn’t want to list all the reasons why it was a terrible idea. He’d broken so many rules. The no-fraternization rule, the no-stealing-injured-baby-dinosaurs rule… well, that was more of an unspoken rule of scientific investigation, but he’d definitely broken it. He should be in trouble, fighting to keep the job he had, rather than being offered a promotion.
“Dr. Sterling, let me be honest with you,” Ms. Wa said. “There are many competent, talented people who work on the Archipelago doing valuable work. There are rules here, but there’s also important exceptions to the rule. That will always be the case with what we do. It’s become clear to me recently that what’s important is not a businessman’s cool levelheadedness and focus on the bottom line, but someone with a moral compass who can make the right decisions.”
“And you think that’s me?”
“I do,” Logan said with a shrug. He was leaning against the wall with Dizzy still perched on his shoulder. “Sorry for interrupting. But the people who work here need leadership from someone they respect. Johansson was never respected like that.”
“I’ll want to make changes,” Kit warned.
“Good,” Wa replied sharply. “Changes are needed. Dr. Beck is right. You’ve led the genetics lab team and made incredible progress in your field of study. What this community now needs is a leader who can shape the next phase of research and understanding of the dinosaurs who live here.”
Kit nodded slowly. “I don’t want to give up working in the labs. I like being involved in the dirty work.”
Logan snorted at that, and Kit fought the urge to elbow him in the ribs. His definition of “dirty work” and Logan’s were never going to match up.
“Dr. Sterling, if you’re amenable, we can work out the finer details of your contract in a meeting with the other trustees. You can back out of negotiations at any stage. I simply wanted to present you with an option.”
“Okay.” Kit took a deep breath. “Thank you. Yes, we can talk.”
“Excellent.” Wa smiled. “I’ll check our diaries and set up a meeting.” She nodded to Marie and Logan before she left. “Ms. Sterling. Dr. Beck.”
“Oh my God,” Kit said as the door closed behind her.
Marie laughed and hooked her arm around his waist. “Congratulations, darling. I’m going to call your mom, then take a nap, okay?”
“Of course.” Kit pulled her into a hug. “You’re amazing. Thank you so much.”
“Anytime.”
Kit watched her walk away, feeling exceptionally proud to be her kid.
“I think I’m going mad,” he murmured.
“I think you just made a very good decision,” Logan said, falling into step with Kit as they made their way back to Kit’s office. “She’s right, you know. No one ever really respected Johansson because he didn’t understand what we’re trying to achieve here. He’s never had that perspective, but you do. We’re in desperate need of leadership. Direction.”
“This way,” Kit said with a laugh, grabbing Logan’s wrist before he could take the wrong turn.
“These fucking offices.” Logan scowled. “You’re going to get an even bigger one now, aren’t you?”
“If I do, you can have this one,” Kit promised as he pushed open the door.
“Probably not worth it. I’ll never be able to find it.”
He carefully set Dizzy down on the floor, and she scuttled off to make her lap of the room. Kit stepped in close and wrapped his arms around Logan’s broad shoulders.
“We did it,” he murmured.
“Yep. Seems we did.”
Logan grinned, showing off the sexy dimple in his cheek. It was almost too easy for Kit to lean in and kiss him, slowly at first, but quickly turning hot and dirty. Kit was contemplating bending over his desk and letting Logan fuck him in celebration, when Dizzy butted her head against his ankles and chirped softly at them.
Logan laughed and groaned at the same time. “Fucking dinosaur.”
Kit scooped her up and kissed the top of her head. “Our fucking dinosaur.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Epilogue
GETTING ANYWHERE these days took time. Most days Logan wasn’t bothered by that, but he was running late, and Dizzy was… being Dizzy.
“Dr. Beck.”
He paused, and plastered a smile on his face before turning around. Dizzy leaned against his leg—she wouldn’t go wandering off without him. That didn’t mean she wasn’t interested in whoever wanted to stop and talk to Logan, though.
The lab assistant skidded to a stop and gave him a sheepish grin.
“Sorry,” she said. “I only started here a few weeks ago and… well, you and your dissimosaur are kind of famous.”
That made Logan laugh. “Thanks, I think.”
“Can I pet her?”
“Sure.”
The young woman crouched down and held a hand out for Dizzy. Dizzy, naturally, went straight to her and accepted the fussing like she’d been starved of it.
“Sorry, but we have somewhere we need to be,” Logan said apologetically.
“No, no, I’m sorry. I wouldn’t usually, but she’s a real live dissimosaur….”
“If you ever want to come out with me or one of my team, just speak to your manager,” Logan said. “We do take members of the lab team onto the other islands from time to time.”
She nodded, thanked him profusely, and slipped away.
“You’re such a liability,” Logan said to Dizzy, leaning down and hefting her into his arms. She was a lot bigger now, almost fully grown, and a lot more difficult to move calmly around the South Island.
She honked loudly at him in response and butted her head up under Logan’s chin.
“Yeah, yeah.”
He held her close and rushed off in the direction of the meeting room where Kit was hosting a very important conference. A conference that Logan was late for.
He still knocked and waited before ducking into the room, accepting the glare from Kit for the distraction. They’d learned the hard way that bringing Dizzy in to any meeting was almost guaranteed to stop any meaningful conversation.
“Here’s Dr. Beck now,” Kit said, smiling sweetly over the heads of the moneymen. “Dr. Beck is head ranger on the islands here, leading a team of twelve. And this is Dizzy.”
Logan set Dizzy down so she could wander over to Kit for some more attention. She still moved with her now familiar lopsided gait, her speed nowhere near that of a normal dissimosaur. Not that that stopped her from getting around.
Logan made his way around the room, shaking hands and trying his hardest to remember names. These were brand-new investors—it was important they left with a good impression.
“Thank you for coming all the way out here,” Logan said, taking his spot next to Kit. They’d figured out a good rhythm of working together over the past few months, and Logan could give this presentation off the top of his head. “Dizzy is our year-old dissimosaur. She’s been hand-reared since she was a few weeks old after we identified a congenital defect that affects how she moves.”
Kit was better at talking about how research on the islands was commissioned and executed, so after Logan finished his bit he stepped to the side and called Dizzy over to give her something to eat. They had been out on the West Island that morning—it had been an early start—but the smaller dissimosaur herd on that island had just had a hatching, and Logan was desperate to check it out for himself.
He would probably be in trouble with Kit for being late to the meeting, but Logan had an unfair advantage of knowing exactly how to make it up to him. They’d been forced to publicly admit they were in a relationship around the same time Kit stepped into Simon Johansson’s old role, since it was still technically against the rules. They’d gotten away with it with just a s
lapped wrist from the trustees. Logan had nicknamed Kit “Teflon” for a while, since no damned thing seemed to stick to him.
Kit had become the golden boy of the South Pacific Archipelago, and Logan was ridiculously proud of him. He was charming and personable and gave intelligent interviews to the press and investors. Unlike Johansson, Kit knew the details of what was happening on the islands. He had studied the animals in their natural habitat, and he was at the forefront of the research that was happening in the labs. He came across as genuine because he was genuine.
Logan loved him to pieces.
“Can I ask about unauthorized access to the islands?”
Logan looked up at Kit, seeing if he wanted backup on this particular question. Kit inclined his head, conceding to Logan, and Logan scrambled to stand up.
“You mean poaching,” Logan said.
The dark-haired man nodded solemnly. “There’s obviously a lot of concern about how the dinosaurs are protected.”
“Absolutely,” Logan agreed. “I share your concern. We’ve completely overhauled the security procedures here in the past eight months. I always have two rangers who are on security rotation—they’ve had extensive training to identify any potential risks or breaches in security. We’re also developing new technology to track and monitor the dinosaurs.”
“You tag them.”
“Yes. But that’s not a foolproof solution. I actually have a paper that covers our current practices and future plans—I’ll be sure to circulate it when I get back to my office.”
The dark-haired man nodded, seemingly appeased.
Kit wrapped up the meeting the way he always did—running through the costs involved with maintaining the dinosaurs’ safety, the research they had planned, and how their work had real-world impact. This group of potential investors would be on the island for two days—Logan was taking them out onto the viewing platform on the West Island in the morning; he hoped he had left them with a good impression.
Ellen came to collect the delegates and take them to wherever it was their catered lunch was being served. As soon as the door closed, Kit rounded on Logan.
