“I wonder why my mother didn’t teach me that,” I whispered.
He grinned, not taking his eyes off his work, and said, “Maybe she knew you’d find me.” We both fell silent as his words, meant purely as lighthearted banter, settled between us. Because it might have been true.
Logan cleared his throat. “Stay close.” His shoulders shifted as he twisted the lock free and pushed the door open.
The building was set up as a workshop, with giant drill presses, welders, and equipment I couldn’t imagine the purpose of. A thin band of corrugated fiberglass lined the walls just below the rafters, shedding ample light into the space. Chain hoists and pulleys hung from thick metal cross beams, their hooks old and rusted. The door closed behind us with a solid thunk, no echo.
“I don’t think this is the place,” I whispered.
Logan shook his head. “Not likely.” He pointed toward the back of the space. “There’s a door there, it’ll probably lead us to the other building.”
I followed him through, anxiously scanning for something that looked familiar. When we reached the back door, I realized a lock-picking skill would have been completely useless—it was welded shut.
“Looks like we found it,” I said.
“Maybe,” Logan answered, “but it’s definitely something he didn’t want us to see.”
Logan stepped back, surveying the wall and ceiling before following a cross beam with his eyes. He started walking, jerking his head for me to follow. Before I knew it, we were standing in front of a metal tower of sorts outside the far end of the gray-sided building.
I stared at the narrow metal strips crisscrossing the three main beams. “Is this supposed to be a ladder?”
Logan bit back a grin. “It is today.”
“It doesn’t even touch the roof,” I pointed out.
He didn’t spare the gap between the structure and the rooftop another glance. “It’s close enough.” He put a hand on my lower back to urge me toward it. “Go ahead, you first.”
“Because you’re going to catch me if I fall?” I asked, resting a toe on the first rung.
He managed to keep a straight face when he said, “Because I want to be sure it’ll hold the weight.” But when I glanced up again, I saw the corner of his mouth twitch. “Come on, Brianna. We’re losing daylight.”
I shook my head at him as I reached for a higher grip. He followed as soon as I’d given him enough room, staying as close as possible without interfering with my speed. It was taller than I realized, and even though I wasn’t afraid of heights, I knew better than to look down. When I reached the roof line I stopped, and Logan climbed up behind me, reaching around to grip the rungs outside my hands.
“Okay,” he said, his voice low in my ear, all hint of humor gone, “you’re going to slide a leg over, and then one hand to grab the ridge cap. Once you’ve got a good grip, take your other leg over, and finally your hand. Keep your knees bent, understand? I don’t want you to let go until I’m across.”
I nodded and he stayed pressed up against me for a long moment, as if maybe he was reconsidering the idea. “I can do it,” I said. “Just make sure and get me down safe.”
He smiled, his face inches from mine. “I’ve got you, Brianna. I promise.”
He moved his left hand out to let me free and I reached a leg across as instructed. It wasn’t as far as it seemed apparently, because I was able to slide my grip across the tower rung and get my fingers over the ridge cap without letting go, but I still didn’t look down. I bent my knees, grabbed the edge of the cap with my other hand, and Logan was behind me again in a matter of seconds.
“There,” he said, “that wasn’t so bad.”
I looked back at him, standing casually behind me as I leaned, almost kneeling and grasping the angle of the roof for dear life. His smile returned and I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Come on, then,” he said. “Keep your knees bent and stay close to the crown, I don’t want you pulling us both off.”
Chapter Thirteen
Found
We crossed the roof to the second building where Logan helped me across. It was attached at a different height, and we climbed up to find skylights, vent pipes, and massive metal boxes covering the rooftop. Logan held my hand, crossing to a large hatch door to kneel down. It was secured with a lock, but Logan just slid a tool under the old hinges and popped them free. He flipped the cover open and peered inside.
“It isn’t that far to the joists. There are plenty of pipes and beams to get you to the first platform, or I can lower you.” He placed a hand on the carabiner at his waist.
“No,” I said, shuddering at the reminder of my attack. “I’ll climb.”