Page 41 of Wait for Me

Logan was surprised at the statement. “I don’t think so. I’m a one-woman man.”

“Is that right?”

“I found her, and I lost her.” Logan tapped the railing. “Such is life.”

Such is life.

Chapter Twenty

Ketchikan was one of those unique towns that had a forest and a glacier nearby, and spawning salmons swimming upstream in between. The June weather was mild, just the way Marie liked it, but she could see that it did nothing for Jonas, who was tired of the uphill walk to a park.

Yes, a park.

It was by the salmon hatchery, and a creek was supposed to run through it, but Marie was no longer confident they were going to make it.

Jonas had been whining since they left Mrs. Ping on the ship. She had other plans that didn’t seem to include Alaska much.

But it wasn’t about Mrs. Ping.

“What’s the matter, Son?” Logan kept asking, to no avail.

Marie had no idea how to handle it. She quietly prayed.

Something is wrong with this child today and I have no clue, Lord.

She wondered if she would have been a better mother now if she hadn’t left Jonas. However, she had no choice. She could blame Logan for that. Yes, she could.

If Logan had not sent that dreadful PI to follow her around in Europe some three years before, the terrorists she had been tracking wouldn’t have discovered that she had a young son in America whom they could leverage to get INTERPOL off their backs.

Fortunately, INTERPOL and the FBI had worked together to create a false narrative to throw off their assailants. A decoy stood in for Marie. A female agent, who looked sort of like Marie, took her place. Unfortunately, she had to beat up Logan’s PI. It was part of the coverup.

After that, Marie knew that she had to let Logan and Jonas go, if only to keep them alive.

What Logan didn’t know was that she had paid out of her own pocket to hire her friend to send someone to Atlanta to keep an eye on Jonas for the next six to nine months until the danger had passed.

“I want to go back to the ship,” Jonas suddenly declared.

The family hike ground to a halt right there on the uphill sidewalk. Every now and then a vehicle drove by. The fenced houses around them were quiet. Above them was another clear day in Alaska.

“We’re only a few minutes away from the hatchery,” Logan said.

“I don’t care.” Jonas pouted.

Whine, whine.

Marie couldn’t stand it. “Say exactly what you are thinking right now, Jonas, or we keep walking.”

“Yes, we need to finish what we started,” Logan added.

“I want to go to the playroom.” Jonas tugged at Logan’s arm.

“Note that he’s not tugging at my arm,” Marie said. “Because I won’t let him.”

Logan frowned. “Let’s argue later. We have a spoiled brat on our hands right now.”

“On your hands, not mine.” Marie felt sorry saying it.

Logan knelt down in front of Jonas. They were at eye level with each other. “Jonas, almost every passenger left the ship to go on excursions. There is probably no one in the playroom right now. When we go back, I’m sure your new friend will be there.”

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