Chapter Three
His thoughts were mercifully interrupted by Asha's return. She was now clad in tight jeans and a lavender sweater. Her feet were bare. Her pale hair curled damply, framing her pert face. She was so different from Max - taller, but as slender, with delicate features: the all-American girl without an ounce of the exotic about her.
"Dinner's almost ready if you want to set the table. The dishes are in that cabinet." He indicated the lower one to the right of the sink. "Silverware's in the drawer above it."
Asha bent down to get the plates. "I like the way you've got everything arranged here. Very convenient. I always hated cabinets that you had to climb a ladder to reach."
"Yeah, I had to have the kitchen redesigned after I came back from the hospital. Couldn't reach anything anymore and hated the thought of having some one else do for me."
"Well, you always were stubbornly self-sufficient," Asha replied, as she finished setting the table.
"Yeah, I guess so, and now more than ever," he admitted. "Well, everything's ready. Let's eat."
He served pasta with a homemade sauce, and a salad. He had a bottle of Chianti already open in the fridge, so that came out too.
They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, concentrating on their food. Finally, Asha spoke up.
"Logan, this is delicious. I hadn't realized how much I missed your cooking. Well, so far, I've missed your cooking, your hot shower, your comfortable apartment. What else? Oh, yes. I've missed you - a hell of a lot. What happened? Why did we lose touch?"
"I don't know. I guess I got wrapped up in my work. Max accused me several times of being obsessed."
"Max?"
"A girl I was involved with. She died."
"I'm sorry, Logan." It was obvious to Asha that he didn't want to talk about her.
"Anyway, I lost track of you and others. Then after I got shot, I didn't want to see anyone who knew me - before."
"For heaven's sake, Logan! Why not?"
He looked down, contemplating his next words. Then he took a sip of wine. "I saw the way you looked at me when I opened the door. I couldn't handle the same reaction from everyone."
"Logan, I wouldn't have looked at you like that if I had known what was going on. You have to admit it was a bit of a shock. The last time I saw you, you were fine. You never said anything over the phone or in e-mails. If you had, I would have been prepared and I wouldn't have been so - surprised. You and your stubborn pride again."
"So, you don't feel sorry for me?" Logan asked suspiciously.
"Why should I feel sorry for you? You seem to be dealing with it. What I feel sorry about is that you're so proud and stubborn that you wouldn't tell your friends what happened. You've had a year to let us in on it, and you haven't bothered. I'd kick your ass, but you couldn't feel it, so it wouldn't do any good." Asha stabbed at her pasta to emphasize her words.
"Point taken. I'm sorry. It's been a hellacious year and just when I thought things were straightening out, it all went sideways." Logan thought about the raid on the Manticore DNA lab and how, just when they all thought it had succeeded, Zack had been shot and taken prisoner and Max had been killed. And he had been left to pick up the pieces of his life for the second time in a year. "I - I've kind of been left to my own devices for the past couple of months, and apparently I haven't done a very good job of it."
"Well, I'm here and the guys from the S1W are here, so you've got help now. With whatever you need."
"Thanks. I appreciate the support. We'll see this mission through."
"That we will. Now what about you?" Asha looked concerned once more. "We're here for Eyes Only, but I'm here for you if you need me."
"Thanks. I'm OK."
"Well, if you're ever not OK, I'm here. We had something going back in San Francisco, and even if we're no longer involved like that, I'm still your friend. I think you need a friend or two."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Logan admitted. "More wine?"
"God, if I have any more wine, I won't be responsible for what happens next." Asha smiled and handed him her glass for a refill. Logan slid a sideways glance at her, then smiled himself.
They finished dinner and cleared the table. Logan insisted that Asha leave the dishes and that he'd clean up everything later.
"Why don't we take the rest of the Chianti and settle in the living room? It'll be more comfortable," he suggested.
"Fine with me. Your sofa's comfortable and the view is wonderful."
"I know. I bought the place partly for the view."
Logan took the bottle of wine and his glass into the living room and placed them on the coffee table. He sat down on the sofa. Asha sat down next to him, curling up on the cushion, her bare feet under her. Logan looked surprised that she was sitting so close to him.
"What?" Asha stared back at him. "I don't bite, you know. Unless you want me to, that is."
"Nah, I just haven't had anyone sit that close in a while."
"I can move if it makes you uncomfortable."
"No, that's OK. It - it feels kind of nice in fact. Like back in the day," Logan admitted.
"Good," Asha replied. "I think we have a lot of catching up to do."
"OK. You start," Logan suggested, hoping he could get out of telling her what he'd been doing for the past four years. No matter how close they had been in the past, he was reluctant to let more people in on his Eyes Only identity. Asha's life was dangerous and complicated enough without him adding to that. And he wasn't sure he wanted to tell her about Max either.
"Well, I finished my journalism degree and took a job at the Freep. Editorial pages. During the course of one investigation, I ran into some members of the S1W. I joined the group, but I continued to write editorials for the paper. We got a little too high profile and soon attracted the attention of San Francisco's finest. They were so eager to pin any little ah, transgression, on us that I felt that I was fighting the war on two fronts. We were trying to bring down the bad guys while trying to keep the cops from bringing us down. Sometimes it got pretty hairy." Asha took a sip of wine.
"Any romantic interests?" Logan asked.
"Who has time?" Asha laughed. "I'm having a hard enough time making bail much less making whoopee!"
"Still writing for the Freep?"
"No, finally gave that up. S1W was taking up too much of my time. But I gotta tell you, it had its own rewards. We took down a drug operation run by a city councilman and broke the story of police bribery at high levels. Nothing quite as earthshaking as what Eyes Only does, but satisfying in its own small way."
"That's great. You should be proud."
"Oh, I am. And proud to be part of Eyes Only's informant network. So, enough of me. What about you? How did you get hooked up with Eyes Only?"
"Similar to you," Logan lied. "I was working on a big story with Nathan Herrero - you remember him?"
"Oh, yes, your mentor."
"Anyway, he disappeared in the midst of a big investigation. Rumor was that some one in Mayor Beltran's administration disappeared him. About that time, Eyes Only began broadcasting. I managed to get in touch and became one of his informants. Eventually we took Allan Lans down just as he was running for Police Commissioner. I've been involved with the network ever since. You pretty much know the rest."
"Is that how you got hurt? Working for Eyes Only?"
"Yeah," Logan admitted, reluctant to talk about himself, but knowing that Asha would not give up until she got the information out of him. She had been an investigative reporter, after all. "Big case involving Edgar Sonrisa, the Mayor, and a bunch of other major bad guys."
"I remember hearing about that one. But Eyes Only got his man, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did. I was pretty much out of the loop, being in the hospital, then rehab, at the time."
"Damn, I wish you had called me. I would have been there for you."
"I - I didn't want to see or talk to anybody. Especially when I first got out of the hospital. I needed to be by myself. Fight my own battles."
"Well, you always were the lone warrior, as I remember. I'm just sorry you had to go through it by yourself, even if you wanted it that way."
"It was better - that way. Really. You didn't want to see me last spring or summer. It wasn't pretty," Logan admitted.
"I'm sure it wasn't and you weren't. You've always been a cranky patient. When you had the flu, I honestly wanted to kill you. You don't do sick very well."
"Well, I haven't improved in that respect. More wine?"
"Sure, why not? I'm not driving tonight." Asha giggled. "You seem to be OK now."
"I'm coping. It's taken a while, but I think I'll be all right."
"I'm sure you will. You always land on your feet, so to speak."
"Yeah," Logan laughed ruefully. "Except that now I couldn't feel it if I did."
Asha shifted closer to Logan. He did not move away.
His thoughts were mercifully interrupted by Asha's return. She was now clad in tight jeans and a lavender sweater. Her feet were bare. Her pale hair curled damply, framing her pert face. She was so different from Max - taller, but as slender, with delicate features: the all-American girl without an ounce of the exotic about her.
"Dinner's almost ready if you want to set the table. The dishes are in that cabinet." He indicated the lower one to the right of the sink. "Silverware's in the drawer above it."
Asha bent down to get the plates. "I like the way you've got everything arranged here. Very convenient. I always hated cabinets that you had to climb a ladder to reach."
"Yeah, I had to have the kitchen redesigned after I came back from the hospital. Couldn't reach anything anymore and hated the thought of having some one else do for me."
"Well, you always were stubbornly self-sufficient," Asha replied, as she finished setting the table.
"Yeah, I guess so, and now more than ever," he admitted. "Well, everything's ready. Let's eat."
He served pasta with a homemade sauce, and a salad. He had a bottle of Chianti already open in the fridge, so that came out too.
They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes, concentrating on their food. Finally, Asha spoke up.
"Logan, this is delicious. I hadn't realized how much I missed your cooking. Well, so far, I've missed your cooking, your hot shower, your comfortable apartment. What else? Oh, yes. I've missed you - a hell of a lot. What happened? Why did we lose touch?"
"I don't know. I guess I got wrapped up in my work. Max accused me several times of being obsessed."
"Max?"
"A girl I was involved with. She died."
"I'm sorry, Logan." It was obvious to Asha that he didn't want to talk about her.
"Anyway, I lost track of you and others. Then after I got shot, I didn't want to see anyone who knew me - before."
"For heaven's sake, Logan! Why not?"
He looked down, contemplating his next words. Then he took a sip of wine. "I saw the way you looked at me when I opened the door. I couldn't handle the same reaction from everyone."
"Logan, I wouldn't have looked at you like that if I had known what was going on. You have to admit it was a bit of a shock. The last time I saw you, you were fine. You never said anything over the phone or in e-mails. If you had, I would have been prepared and I wouldn't have been so - surprised. You and your stubborn pride again."
"So, you don't feel sorry for me?" Logan asked suspiciously.
"Why should I feel sorry for you? You seem to be dealing with it. What I feel sorry about is that you're so proud and stubborn that you wouldn't tell your friends what happened. You've had a year to let us in on it, and you haven't bothered. I'd kick your ass, but you couldn't feel it, so it wouldn't do any good." Asha stabbed at her pasta to emphasize her words.
"Point taken. I'm sorry. It's been a hellacious year and just when I thought things were straightening out, it all went sideways." Logan thought about the raid on the Manticore DNA lab and how, just when they all thought it had succeeded, Zack had been shot and taken prisoner and Max had been killed. And he had been left to pick up the pieces of his life for the second time in a year. "I - I've kind of been left to my own devices for the past couple of months, and apparently I haven't done a very good job of it."
"Well, I'm here and the guys from the S1W are here, so you've got help now. With whatever you need."
"Thanks. I appreciate the support. We'll see this mission through."
"That we will. Now what about you?" Asha looked concerned once more. "We're here for Eyes Only, but I'm here for you if you need me."
"Thanks. I'm OK."
"Well, if you're ever not OK, I'm here. We had something going back in San Francisco, and even if we're no longer involved like that, I'm still your friend. I think you need a friend or two."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Logan admitted. "More wine?"
"God, if I have any more wine, I won't be responsible for what happens next." Asha smiled and handed him her glass for a refill. Logan slid a sideways glance at her, then smiled himself.
They finished dinner and cleared the table. Logan insisted that Asha leave the dishes and that he'd clean up everything later.
"Why don't we take the rest of the Chianti and settle in the living room? It'll be more comfortable," he suggested.
"Fine with me. Your sofa's comfortable and the view is wonderful."
"I know. I bought the place partly for the view."
Logan took the bottle of wine and his glass into the living room and placed them on the coffee table. He sat down on the sofa. Asha sat down next to him, curling up on the cushion, her bare feet under her. Logan looked surprised that she was sitting so close to him.
"What?" Asha stared back at him. "I don't bite, you know. Unless you want me to, that is."
"Nah, I just haven't had anyone sit that close in a while."
"I can move if it makes you uncomfortable."
"No, that's OK. It - it feels kind of nice in fact. Like back in the day," Logan admitted.
"Good," Asha replied. "I think we have a lot of catching up to do."
"OK. You start," Logan suggested, hoping he could get out of telling her what he'd been doing for the past four years. No matter how close they had been in the past, he was reluctant to let more people in on his Eyes Only identity. Asha's life was dangerous and complicated enough without him adding to that. And he wasn't sure he wanted to tell her about Max either.
"Well, I finished my journalism degree and took a job at the Freep. Editorial pages. During the course of one investigation, I ran into some members of the S1W. I joined the group, but I continued to write editorials for the paper. We got a little too high profile and soon attracted the attention of San Francisco's finest. They were so eager to pin any little ah, transgression, on us that I felt that I was fighting the war on two fronts. We were trying to bring down the bad guys while trying to keep the cops from bringing us down. Sometimes it got pretty hairy." Asha took a sip of wine.
"Any romantic interests?" Logan asked.
"Who has time?" Asha laughed. "I'm having a hard enough time making bail much less making whoopee!"
"Still writing for the Freep?"
"No, finally gave that up. S1W was taking up too much of my time. But I gotta tell you, it had its own rewards. We took down a drug operation run by a city councilman and broke the story of police bribery at high levels. Nothing quite as earthshaking as what Eyes Only does, but satisfying in its own small way."
"That's great. You should be proud."
"Oh, I am. And proud to be part of Eyes Only's informant network. So, enough of me. What about you? How did you get hooked up with Eyes Only?"
"Similar to you," Logan lied. "I was working on a big story with Nathan Herrero - you remember him?"
"Oh, yes, your mentor."
"Anyway, he disappeared in the midst of a big investigation. Rumor was that some one in Mayor Beltran's administration disappeared him. About that time, Eyes Only began broadcasting. I managed to get in touch and became one of his informants. Eventually we took Allan Lans down just as he was running for Police Commissioner. I've been involved with the network ever since. You pretty much know the rest."
"Is that how you got hurt? Working for Eyes Only?"
"Yeah," Logan admitted, reluctant to talk about himself, but knowing that Asha would not give up until she got the information out of him. She had been an investigative reporter, after all. "Big case involving Edgar Sonrisa, the Mayor, and a bunch of other major bad guys."
"I remember hearing about that one. But Eyes Only got his man, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did. I was pretty much out of the loop, being in the hospital, then rehab, at the time."
"Damn, I wish you had called me. I would have been there for you."
"I - I didn't want to see or talk to anybody. Especially when I first got out of the hospital. I needed to be by myself. Fight my own battles."
"Well, you always were the lone warrior, as I remember. I'm just sorry you had to go through it by yourself, even if you wanted it that way."
"It was better - that way. Really. You didn't want to see me last spring or summer. It wasn't pretty," Logan admitted.
"I'm sure it wasn't and you weren't. You've always been a cranky patient. When you had the flu, I honestly wanted to kill you. You don't do sick very well."
"Well, I haven't improved in that respect. More wine?"
"Sure, why not? I'm not driving tonight." Asha giggled. "You seem to be OK now."
"I'm coping. It's taken a while, but I think I'll be all right."
"I'm sure you will. You always land on your feet, so to speak."
"Yeah," Logan laughed ruefully. "Except that now I couldn't feel it if I did."
Asha shifted closer to Logan. He did not move away.