Page 158 of Keeping Kasey
I might’ve extended the olive branch tonight, but I’d be stupid to think it’s a good idea to let my guard down.
The waitress sets two glasses of water on our table and takes our orders: a deluxe blue cheeseburger for Logan and a plain cheeseburger for me. She walks off to tend to the other customers, and I sneak a glance at Logan. He surveys the room with a seemingly neutral expression, but I can practically see the wheels turning behind his eyes.
“What?” I ask.
He sucks in a deep breath, like bracing himself for a fight.
“Elise and Moreno are coming into town tomorrow.”
More people to avoid. Lucky me.
“You don’t have to warn me about staying away,” I tell him. “I have no intention of seeing either of them.”
“It’s not that,” Logan starts, voice tight. “Elise is demanding that you come to dinner at the manor tomorrow night.”
I blink twice, waiting for the punchline.
It doesn’t come.
“I’m not doing that,” I say evenly.
“That’s what I told her, but she isn’t takingnofor an answer.”
“What does that mean?”
“She’s threatening to bring everyone to the hotel if you don’t come to the manor.”
Usually, being pushed into this would piss me off, but—while I’m not happy about it—the lack of aggression in Logan’s countenance makes anger seem like a pointless reaction.
“What possible reason would she have for wanting to see me?” I ask. “We’re not friends.”
Logan watches me for a moment, but I avoid his gaze. I refuse to let my mind go where his undoubtedly has—a conversation we had in Detroit.
“It’s one dinner,” he says.
“And I’m sure you’ll find an adequate way to get her to back off.”
“What will it take to convince you?”
I study him, but all I can see is his exhaustion. “You care so much about this that you’d negotiate?”
He nods once.
My instinct is to tell him to screw off, but I don’t. After all, I’m being presented with an opportunity, and I’m not about to let it go. What I actually want is to know how Logan found me, but there’s no way he’d answer me, so I go for something I can get.
“I want my gun back.”
He shakes his head, eyes taking on an analytical edge. “That’s already part of our original agreement.”
I shrug.
“Fine,” he agrees, far more easily than I expected. “But not on base property. You can have it at the hotel.”
“That’s no different than not having it at all.”
Now, it’s his turn to shrug.
“My gun, whenever and wherever I want it.”
