Page 20 of Logan

My heart rate sped up, and my breathing turned shallow until I was on the verge of a panic attack.

No.

I couldn’t panic now.

If Logan was sincere, then he might decide I was too much trouble to bother with. If he was lying, then panicking would only make it easier for him to take advantage of me.

My vision turned fuzzy around the edges, and I felt myself falling into the Midnight Zone. That detached headspace always helped me get though difficult events, and it would help me this time as well.

I imagined I was floating a few feet above the car, pulled along like a kite on a string. My body—that of Blue Steele—was still trapped in the car, but I, Clay Dahler, could surf the winds and admire the landscape all I wanted without any disturbances. From this vantage point, I could see much farther into the horizon. If I squinted and focused real hard, I could even see the ocean.

I recalled a moment when I was younger, and I’d heard the original version ofThe Little Mermaidfor the first time. I’d cried when the mermaid had turned into sea foam. Now, however, that outcome didn’t seem too bad.

Sea foam had no feelings. No worries. It remembered nothing and was free to ride the crest of the ocean waves forever, undisturbed.

Yeah. That sounded like a pretty good fate after all.

The car eventually came to a stop, but it wasn’t until a hand shook my shoulder that I snapped out of the Midnight Zone and back into my own body.

Blinking several times to clear the haze from my vision, I scowled over at Logan and shrugged his hand off my shoulder.

“What is it?”

“We’re stopping for lunch. Come on.” He nodded toward the roadside diner sitting right in front of us.

“All right. I’ll just wait here.” I leaned my head against the window, ready to take a nap in the noonday sun streaming through the glass. Visiting the Midnight Zone always left me feeling tired afterward, like I’d run a mental marathon.

However, before I could close my eyes, Logan nudged my shoulder again.

“What? I’m not leaving you out here. Come on. We’ve already been on the road for several hours. You must be hungry by now.”

As subtly as I could, I checked the clock on the car’s radio. Yep. Four hours had passed since we started driving.

I had no concept of time when I was lost in the Midnight Zone. It could have been minutes or hours for all I knew. In the past, when I was still being held captive, my trips to the Midnight Zone could even last for days.

Food sounded great right now, especially since I hadn’t eaten since yesterday, but there was just one problem.

“Can’t afford it. I’ll grab something from a vending machine later.”

Without saying anything, Logan exited the car and closed the door behind him. I thought that was the last of it and settled back against the window for my nap, but a moment later my own door opened, and I nearly tumbled onto the concrete.

Logan caught me, strong hands barely struggling to support my weight.

“I promised to get you to Maryland,” he said, letting me go as soon as he knew I was stable. “That includes food. I’m not letting you starve for the whole trip.”

The feeling of his hands on me unnerved me. I was used to people grabbing me for all kinds of reasons, but I couldn’t remember the last time someone had supported me. When I fell, I either caught myself or hit the ground. There was never another option.

“All right.” I grabbed my bag from the backseat—not willing to go anywhere without my stuff just in case I ended up stranded—and stepped out of the car. “But you might want to rethink that offer. I’ll eat you out of house and home if given the chance.”

He just laughed as he closed the car door behind me. “I’ll take my chances.”

The diner was just like the kind you’d see in a cliché road trip movie from the fifties, right down to the black and white checkerboard floor and red vinyl seats. I didn’t even think they still made restaurants like this, but the business seemed to be leaning into the aesthetic. Even the food on the menu had been given fifties-themed names.

I wasn’t sure how long Logan’s promise to pay for me would last, so when the waiter came, I took advantage while I could. Logan said nothing, but I watched his eyes grow larger as I ordered practically half the menu.

“You weren’t joking,” he said when the waiter left, though there was still a smile on his face. Either he wasn’t actually mad, or he was better than most people at hiding his anger.

I stirred a straw around in my water, listening to the ice cubes clinking against each other.

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