By Nightfall

8

Logan's - part 2

"Getting into trouble already, are we?" said a new voice from behind them.

"Hey, Louis," Logan greeted with a nod of acknowledgement.

Evaine only turned around when Jesse did, and the man standing there was thankfully ordinary, sharply dressed in a cobalt suit with a glittering gold watch and shiny leather shoes. His dark hair was cut in an expert fade, the top slicked back in an old-fashioned sort of style, his pride showing through the apparent effort. His eyes passed over her only for a moment, quickly looking away either out of politeness or disinterest, but it was long enough for Evaine to catch a glimpse of that same odd red glint as she had seen in Jesse's eyes.

"Finally," Jesse said, reaching out to shake the new man's hand. "And not a minute too soon. How are you?"

"Fine, thanks," Louis answered, reaching across the bar to extend a similar greeting to Logan. Evaine thought she heard an accent there, but it was faint enough that she couldn't place it. "Who's the bird?"

"Long story," Jesse told him, shooting him a look that gave every indication that he didn't want to be overheard. "We should sit."

By way of invitation, Louis held out one hand in the direction of an empty booth off to the side, and Jesse tapped Evaine's shoulder to tell her it was time to move. As they walked, Louis said to Logan, "A round, if you will."

Jesse let Evaine slide into the booth first so that he could sit as a buffer between her and the rest of the room, and Louis took the seat across from them. Logan came right on their heels to drop off two glasses of something dark that reeked of alcohol, and a water for herself. Something about that struck her as funny, as if the legality of serving alcohol to minors was even a concern to a creature like Logan with such patrons as she'd seen so far. Still, it was nice to wrap her hands around the cold glass, letting the sensation ground her to reality while it felt like everything around her had turned to insanity.

Louis took a quick sip from his drink, giving it a little swirl to let the ice clink against the sides as he said, "I was surprised to get your call tonight; I figured you would have ditched the phone by now. Not worried about being tracked?"

"No, she made it very clear that she can find me whenever she chooses," Jesse muttered against the rim of his own glass before he took a slow drink. "I thought I'd have a few days to get myself sorted, work out my next move before...well, the situation's changed."

"You mean she's here?" Louis demanded, one corner of his lip curling back in an angry sort of snarl. He glanced down at Jesse's bloodied clothes with new understanding. "What has she done now?"

Jesse opened his mouth to answer, but quickly stopped himself by snapping his jaw shut. He pressed one finger to his lips in a shh signal, then made a writing motion with his hand to ask for a pen.

Louis reached into his inner breast pocket to pull out a sleek black pen with gold lettering printed on the side, and he seemed sorry to hand it over. Jesse took it without noticing his friend's expression, and then grabbed one of the napkins Logan had brought for their drinks. He didn't bother shielding his note from Evaine as he wrote, even though he did angle himself to keep it secret from anyone who might happen to pass by their table.

Jensen Calloway is dead

He folded the napkin and passed it across the table to Louis, along with the pen. The other man took just as much care to read it in secret, seeming to go over the line again and again like he couldn't quite make sense of it, and then his eyes widened with shock. It only lasted for a moment, however, and then he recomposed himself with a nervous grunt to clear his throat.