Break
Chapter Two
Resort
Max felt dirty. Riding down the highway didn't exactly promote cleanliness when on a motorcycle. Plus, having Alec hang onto her for several hours didn't help. Alec had offered to drive; she had to give him credit for that. Of course, the thought of handing over her Ninja to Alec disgusted her even more. They weren't anywhere near a town. In fact, all that she could see was grass, pavement, a few trees, and an unreasonable amount of cars. Max took a deep breath as she heard her pager go off once more. Yes, that was only adding to the pleasure of the road trip. The constant beeping of her pager every hour. Now Logan decided to call her. She looked ahead, and saw in the distance a building. It sort of looked like a spa or resort or something. Max pulled off to the side of the road and pulled her helmet off.
"I'm tired, Alec. And I'm dirty. We're going to have to pool are money together so we can stay up at that place ahead. That is, if we have enough money put together."
Alec tilted his head and cleared his throat.
"Uh, we don't have to pool are money together."
"Why not?"
"I, sort of, came into some cash before we left."
"Came into? Never mind. I don't even want to know. I'm just glad that you have some."
Max replaced her helmet and merged into the lane again. She drove on until they reached the building.
The resort was nice. Fountains dotted the main lobby with bellhops and concierges waiting patiently for customers. Obviously, The Pulse hadn't affected the spa industry. She guessed that some of the rich people had stayed rich, so there would always be a call for a vacation spot. She ignored the looks that the workers gave her and Alec when the walked through the lobby. Apparently they weren't the normal clientele for the resort. Well, they had the money, so it didn't really matter what the workers thought. Alec smiled charmingly at the receptionist, who seemed flattered by his attention. Max supposed that Alec was cute, and well, he did know exactly how to work people. So the receptionist watched him appreciatively while Alec finagled them a room with no questions asked. Maybe it was because he assured the receptionist that he and Max weren't together. He wanted to keep his options open. Max rolled her eyes in disgust when the receptionist handed him an ornate key with a flirtatious smile and an offer for him to come visit her anytime. She stomped towards the working elevator, knowing that Alec would catch up.
Alec opened the door for Max and she immediately surveyed the room. At first, the only thing she saw was the one double-size bed, but she continued to look before getting too irritated. She noted a balcony and the perfectly clean, white bathroom. She hurried in with a sudden exclamation of "Running water!" followed by the sound of rushing water and a slight squeal. Alec had rarely heard Max with that much emotion in her voice. She peeked out, a wide grin on her face.
"I'm taking a hot shower with no interruptions."
As if on cue, her pager rang once more, the annoyance showing on her face. She didn't voice her opinion on it, but Alec couldn't resist.
"Looks like Logan's getting a little angry that you broke your leash, Maxie."
His comment received a slammed door in his face. He heard a light sigh as she stepped in to the hot shower and he knew he'd been completely blocked out when she'd shut the door to the bathroom. Alec perched himself on the bed and flipped on the television.
His cell phone rang twenty-five minutes later. He was a bit sluggish to answer it, though he knew he should. It could be something important.
"Yeah?"
"Alec? It's Logan. I've been paging Max for-"
"I noticed."
"She's there with you? Great! I have this mission for her. Apparently a transgenic-"
"Do you ever think about anything other than the mission? Do you consider that Max is more than just your own private soldier? You're worse than Colonel Lydecker."
"I don't think that of Max."
"Right. Which is why the only time you call her is when you need help on your Eyes Only stuff."
Exasperation bubbled over inside of Alec. He was tired of seeing Max being used by Logan over and over. She was as naïve as he was when it came to relationships. Max was always at Logan's beck and call, which wasn't any different than when he was at Manticore. Though they didn't always get along, he did care about her. She was his friend whether they admitted it or not. He wasn't going to let the Log use her anymore.
"I don't have to explain myself to you, Alec. It isn't really any of your concern."
Alec's voice started to rise. It only proved his irritation with Logan.
"Max is my concern."
"Why? Is she part of your last mission from Manticore? Torment her until she breaks?"
"Manticore has nothing to do with this. It's kind of cheap that you pull the Manticore card," Alec lowered his voice when he heard the water shut off, "every time you don't like us revolting against the important, all-knowing, self-righteous Eyes Only."
"Let me talk to Max."
"She's in the shower right now. I'll make sure she knows you called. Don't call this phone again this week. She needs a break from you."
"According to the sociopathic transgenic?"
"I didn't know you thought Max was sociopathic."
"Tell her I'll meet her at Crash."
Alec heard the door creak open. Max stuck her head out, "Alec? Can you call down to the front desk for some towels? They didn't put any in here."
"Oh, gotta go, Logan. It was fun talking to you."
Alec hung up, a pleased smile spreading across his face. Nothing gave him more pleasure than hanging up on Logan Cale.
"Sure, Max."
He went to the hotel phone and dialed up the front desk immediately.
Max leaned against the counter, a proud smile on her face. She'd heard Alec's speech and from what she'd gathered, he was chewing Logan out. She'd become more and more fed up with the way Logan treated her. She'd been indescribably happy when he'd finally declared his love for her. They'd been dancing around it for a year and a half. She'd never really had someone to love her, and though she hated the realization, she craved it. But then he'd held it over her head. She didn't know what she was supposed to do after his declaration and he hadn't felt like talking to her until Eyes Only needed something again. Something life threatening. She was beginning to wonder if it was her abilities that Logan loved, not her. That thought was what had sent her on this insane road trip, even allowing Alec to come with her, just so she could leave Seattle. She never thought of herself as being needy, but she was wondering if maybe she was lonely and she'd fallen in with someone whom she thought loved her. Someone who did use her. She was confused, to say the least, but she did appreciate what Alec had said. He was almost protective of her. That wasn't Alec's style, though. Alec didn't care about anyone but himself, with the exception of Rachel Berrisford. Maybe that changed Alec a bit, the realization that he loved Rachel. Alec wasn't used to usual human emotions, so it was possible that he'd learned something knew when she'd died. It was as if it had snapped him out of some emotionally stunted daze and pushed him into a reality. He was still Alec, of course, but he was a little different. Different enough that she could detect a slight change. Not that she'd wanted to notice it. She preferred seeing him as the happy-go-lucky Golden Boy who always had a scam going. He didn't have much depth before she'd discovered everything that had happened with the Berrisfords. Suddenly, everything he did made sense to her because she'd been the same for so many years. Suddenly, she had something to bond with Alec over, even if she didn't want it. A quiet knock sounded on the door, breaking her from her reverie.
"Max, you towel boy is here."
Max allowed her self a brief, silent laugh before opening the door. She didn't want Alec to know she though he was funny. That would only encourage him. She grabbed two of the fluffy white towels offered to her and muttered a thanks quickly, shutting Alec out. She couldn't think about Alec anymore. She might decide she liked him. And she didn't want that.