Logan could not deny the food was delicious, making sure to only eat after he observed the others eating from the same dish first. Chicken on skewers, falafel, and hummus with naan bread, combined with Vivian’s steaks and corn on the cob. Interested in the participants, he easily slid into the cover of just a mechanic looking for work. As they sat in lawn chairs, the late afternoon sun still shining warmly over the treetops, he ate heartily, disguising his study of the various players. Casting his gaze back toward Vivian, he gave a nearly imperceptible nod, relieved when she seemed to pick up on his non-verbal command.

“So, what are you studying?” Vivian asked, smiling at Rashad and Malik.

Rashad’s mouth was full, but Malik answered for both of them. “Science. I’m a grad student in Chemistry and Rashad’s getting a master’s in Biology.”

Eyes wide, she exclaimed, “Oh, my goodness, me too. Well, not my master’s degree…I’m just working on my undergraduate. I have most of my credits but am taking some online classes in education, ‘cause I’d like to teach biology someday.”

Rashad smiled as he swallowed, “Great—”

“Really?” Nafisa asked, her eyes narrowed. “You? Biology?”

Maintaining her smile, she nodded. “Well, actually my major is microbiology.”

Nafisa leaned forward, a sly smile firmly in place, and asked, “And what particular type of microbiology are you interested in?”

“Nafisa!” Rashad growled.

“What?” she argued, shrugging her delicate shoulder. “I’m just seeing what she’s majoring in.” Turning back to Vivian, she provoked, “If you can tell us.”

“I’m particularly interested in microorganisms that are used for drug delivery. Of course, they can be suitable for high-value medical application such as . I studied the biotechnological production of biopolymers with tailored properties and a variety of other biopolymers, such as polysaccharides, polyesters, and polyamides. Obviously, these are produced by microorganisms.” Smiling widely, her eyes twinkling, she focused on Nafisa. “Is that what you were looking for?”

Nafisa grimaced and leaned back in her seat, forced to admit Vivian knew what she was talking about, as Rashad and Malik burst into laughter.

“What do you plan to do with your degrees?” she asked the two men. “What are your specialties?”

Malik’s smile drooped slightly as his gaze shifted to Akram. “For now, I just want to continue to learn as much as I can. I sometimes think that perhaps I’m best as a student, not so much as an employee.”

She nodded, sympathy in her eyes. “It’s so hard to have an unending love of learning, don’t you think?”

Rashad wiped his mouth, his eyes on her as he said, “I had thought about pre-med. I don’t know…maybe.”

“That’s so noble. To be able to save lives is such a gift,” she commented pointedly.

Silence fell over the group as they continued to eat, Farrah standing occasionally to serve the men, always starting with Akram. As she approached Logan, he smiled genuinely, saying, “No more, but thank you. It was delicious.”

“So, Mr. Preacher, what do you do?”

Logan shifted his gaze to Akram and gave a self-deprecating shrug. “I work on aircraft. Been a mechanic for several years.”

“And where did you learn such a trade? The military, perhaps?”

A heavy silence hung in the air. With an aw-shucks attitude, he grinned. “Nah. My parents were farmers and had their own crop dusting plane. I learned on it and, after high school, went to technical school to learn more.”

Akram seemed to relax slightly in his chair, his eyes less wary than before. “And Alaska? Why here?”

“My grandfather,” Vivian said quickly, interjecting before he had a chance to reply. He kept his expression neutral, but inside, he quaked. What the fuck is she doing? We haven’t talked about that yet—

“My mother is full blooded Tanana Athabaskans. My parents are in California, but my grandfather is still here. He’s not well, but I kinda wanted to be closer to him and Logan was sweet enough to tell me he could get a job anywhere, so…we’re here.”

His pulse eased as he noted the others appeared to relax with both Viv’s biology response and the story of her grandfather. Surprised at her ability to think quickly on her feet, he smiled at her, his face a mask of an indulgent husband completely in love with his wife.

Turning his focus toward Akram, he leaned back, patting his stomach and said, “And what do you do?”

Dark eyes penetrated his for a moment before Akram replied, “I work at the university. I counsel with a variety of students, particularly ones who are here from other countries.”

“Been in Alaska long?” he continued.

“For a while,” came the noncommittal reply.

“Where are you from originally?” Vivian asked, turning her wide eyes to the gathering. “I find that, after the California sun, Alaska’s cold can be hard to get used to.”

Farrah nodded enthusiastically. “I much prefer the warmer weather of—”

Clearing his voice loudly, Akram interrupted her, causing Farrah to clamp her lips shut, her eyes darting anxiously toward Akram.

“I was in Northern California,” Vivian jumped in, “so we certainly had snow, but it was nothing like here.”

“Well, this was lovely,” Nafisa said, sarcasm dripping from her words as she stood. “But, I gave up an evening of studying and need to get back to work.” She gathered two almost empty dishes from the table and looked down at Farrah. “Helping?”

“Of course,” Farrah said, jumping up. “Vivian, it was truly very nice of you to invite us to share a meal with you.”

She stood also, watching as Nafisa handed the two platters to Farrah. “It was our pleasure. Your food was wonderful and the spices you gave me for our steaks were incredible.”

The men took their leave, following the women back to Akram’s house, leaving Logan and her to take the last couple of plates into their house along with the card table. Once inside, she set her dishes on the counter before immediately turning to him.

“Look, Logan. I know you’re probably mad as hell at me. It was just all so unplanned, really. Well, not completely. I had mentioned a cookout to Farrah yesterday and went to the grocery store just in case. But, I had no idea if I could meet them or get them to come. It worked out when Rashad and Malik came. I couldn’t get the charcoal lit and it appealed to their machismo side, I think. But, it worked, didn’t it? I mean, we got to meet them all and stayed outside, right?”

Logan leaned his hip against the counter, watching her arms flying about as she walked and talked, her nervousness palpable. Finally, when her hands came to rest in front of her, he moved closer, placing his hands on her shoulders, pinning her in place. “I’m beginning to get used to the idea that you seem unable to follow a plan.” Sighing when he watched her face fall, he added, “It’s okay. I admit, when I drove up, I was caught off guard.” Tilting his head back, he stared at the ceiling for a moment before lowering his head so his gaze could hold hers. “Yeah…it was good. We now have confirmation of who is there but, babe, you’ve got to realize the dangers lurking.”

Sucking in her lips, Vivian sighed loudly. Knowing he was going to be lecturing her again, she stiffened, feeling his fingers digging into her shoulders.

Jerking his head toward the direction of the neighbors’ house, he said, “They’re not just neighbors. Not nice people. Any one of them would slit your throat if they had any idea you were looking into them.”

At that, she sucked in a quick breath, her forehead crinkling.

He noticed the change in her expression and pressed his point further. “Yeah, Viv. You heard me right. Slit. Your. Throat.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but found no words forthcoming, so she closed her lips, feeling them quiver slightly.

“I see I’m starting to get through,” he said, his voice gentler. “When I said I needed you here to watch their comings and goings, that’s what I meant. Not going over and meeting them. What if I had been late getting home? You would have been here with five known terrorists. And the instant one of them suspected you were anything other than a new wife taking some online classes, they would have killed you without compunction…and I would not know what had happened.”

Tears welled in her eyes, her feeling of accomplishment decimated. Her shoulders slumped, but instead of Logan pulling away after making his point, he pulled her forward until her face planted in his chest. His arms slid around her back as he barely rocked side to side.

“I’m sorry,” she said, the silent trail of a lonely tear sliding down her face, soaking into his shirt. “I just wanted to help.”

“I know,” he said, his normally gruff voice softer, as his hand stroked up and down her back. “But, you’re here to do the lab work and be my eyes when I’m not. That’s all. I can’t do my job properly if you’re not doing yours.”

Embarrassment flooded her, the heat rising from her stomach to her face. Realizing she was clinging to Logan, her arms around his back, she unclasped her hands and opened her arms, stepping back. Swallowing deeply, she offered a jerky nod, then smiled wobbly with a quick swipe underneath her eyes.

“Right…uh…right.” Glancing at the dishes in the sink, she said, “I can get these later. I think I’ll…uh…take a shower.” Slipping around him, she hurried down the hall, closing the bathroom door.

Logan stood in the kitchen, dropping his chin as he stared at his boots for a moment, his heart strangely heavy. Rubbing his hand over his face, he pinched the bridge of his nose as he eyes squeezed shut.

“Fuck,” he whispered to no one but the empty room. This mission was not like any he had ever attempted and appeared to be getting more complicated by the hour.

Walking into the now dark living room, he stared at their neighbors’ house for a long moment before pulling out his phone and placing a call, thoughts of the shared kiss from earlier lingering on his mind.

* * *

Vivian slipped under the covers, her flannel pajamas giving warmth when all she felt inside was cold. Feeling foolish, she sucked in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. Clearing her mind, she began to focus on the next day. No more Miss Investigator. No more trying to help beyond what I was assigned. I’ll take some things to the shed and get them ready. I’ll watch out the window and take notes.

Satisfied she had tomorrow planned, she rolled over and punched her pillow before slipping into a restless slumber, thoughts of the earlier shared kiss dancing in her mind.