Page 27 (1/2)

"You need curtains," I say

"I don’t have walls"

I laugh "Curtains an They’re the eyebrows of a house Have you ever seen how freaky someone looks with no eyebrows? You don’t want to do that to this place--all the other houses will hs--a deep, rich ruainst ertips slide up my arm "Coan takes a flashlight froht our way up the stairs, down the hall into the rounded tower room It’s ill one day be theas our whole apartment above the coffee shop in New York

But that’s not the best part

That honor goes to the ceiling It’s a skylight--all of it--displaying the dark expanse of night and hundreds of twinkling stars, like the heavens are the ceiling

"There are shades built into the glass," Logan explains "They’ll close with the push of a button, so I don’t end up sunburned in my sleep"

"Logan" I gasp "It’sclose to rin is easy and relaxed "I’lad you like it, Ellie"

My voice beco froht "Just when I think you can’t amaze me more, you show"I amaze you?"

"All the time You always have"

And here in this diht ai and perfect Another world--another dian and an?"

"Yeah?"

"Do youdo you ever think of me?"

He doesn’t blink or turn away His dark eyes shine in the shadows, holding ing stops his words Logan slips the phone from his pocket and puts it to his ear

"Yeah?" His forehead creases and he covers his other ear with his hand, trying to hear "What? Where are you? All right, all right--I’ now"

He punches the disconnect button

"We have to go"

We drive in silence, Logan’s whole deed with that call He looks at the road with a do-not-fuck-with- wheel His shoulders are tense and his forearms are corded As we drive, I notice that the scenery around us changes The suburban hoated lots, abandoned houses and storefronts with black iron bars on every

We pull down a dark street and park at the curb in front of a raan reaches under his seat and takes out a so--if you can look past the whole capable-of-blowing-brains-out thing He lifts un

"Tell me the rules," he says

I to A feeeks after Logan showed me how to throw a punch and strapped a knife to e So I’d kno to use a weapon if I ever needed to, without shooting myself in the process There were rules he made er on the trigger unless I’ to pull it Don’t point at anyone unless I plan to shoot them Don’t shoot anyone unless I want to kill them"

"Good" He nods

"You stay in the car with the doors locked If soet in, don’t wait, don’t warn, you point and you pull the trigger--and you keep pulling until it stops firing Do you hearacross the street and out theThen I whisper, "Logan, are we in the taint?"

The corners of his mouth quirk "Yeah we are If I’d had a choice I wouldn’t have brought you here, but I couldn’t leave you alone at the house"

A crash and yells coo in" He lookscar, Ellie Yeah?"