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Chapter 5
Max quickly returned to the penthouse, and let herself in.
Logan, on seeing her, said with considerable restraint, "Could I 'please' have my wheelchair now?"
"Oh. Sure."
As he transferred to it thankfully, he said, "Do you know something about all this that you're not telling me?"
Max absently watched him put his feet on the footrest as she debated what to say.
Logan raised an eyebrow at her. "Well?" he prompted.
With something like a sigh, Max came and sat on the couch in front of him.
"You know when we were walking to the market, a beggar came up to you, and I was kinda ..." she struggled for the right word, "tense."
"Yeaaah," said Logan slowly.
"Well, I noticed he had expensive shoes."
"And?' Logan leaned back in his chair, wondering where all this was going to.
"Then, that night, I spotted him in the foyer here. He seemed kinda suspicious – like he was trying to come up here."
She conveniently forgot to tell him that she'd waited opposite for over two hours to catch her quarry.
"Thing is," she continued, thinking this wasn't going so badly, "he got away before I had a chance to talk to him. Then this creepo tonight said the guy who paid him was ' well dressed, and smelled good.' My guy had the whole high class business suit look, and expensive cologne."
"And you think it's the same guy?"
"There's more to it."
She walked over to the windows and looked out. "There was something about his manner ... it sounds silly, but I understood what Slater meant when he said this guy was like a shark. He really creeped me out," she admitted, making a face.
"Wow! Must be serious to do that." Logan couldn't hold back his quirky smile at the corners of his mouth.
He watched her standing there, staring out into the night.
Just at that moment a flash of lightning flared behind her, illuminating the night sky with its brilliance. It was impressive he thought, but not as impressive as the beauty before him.
"I'm serious Logan." Max turned back towards him. "The other thing about him was his eyes. They were a green like I've never seen before."
"And I'm meant to know someone with green eyes, great clothes, French cologne?"
"And Italian loafers," added Max with a wince.
Logan nodded. "Ah well, that definitely clinches it!"
Max came up to stand in front of him. "Logan, this isn't a joke. Whoever it is knows where you live. I don't like it!"
Logan released his brakes and headed for his computer. He, in his turn, didn't like where this conversation was heading.
"I thought you liked where I live," he commented, being intentionally obtuse.
"Logan!" Max was losing patience. "You know it's not safe here. We need to get you outta here."
"I've got work to do," Logan said with simple finality.
"You can't ignore this!"
"I'm not ignoring this. I'm getting on the computer to search for all the wealthy, cologne wearing men of my acquaintance."
Max rolled her eyes. "You could move to a safe house."
Logan kept his eyes glued to the screen. "In a wheelchair? I don't think so."
"Well, you could book yourself into the best hotel in town if you wanted to. Anywhere would be safer than here!"
"Max. It's unlikely I'd find anywhere that has building security as good as here. Tonight was a perfect example. Barring cat burglars who enter through skylights and jump through windows to escape, it's always proven to be impenetrable."
Max walked over to his computer, stood against the desk and then leaned sideways so that she obscured his view of the screen.
He looked up with an annoyed expression.
"You have no intention of leaving here, do you?" There was a dangerous intensity to her words.
"Is there anything I've said that would make you think otherwise?" was his sarcastic reply.
Their eyes locked, green and brown eyes respectively flashed frustration, anger, single-mindedness.
"Okay. Have it your own way," Max flung at him in disgust.
Without another word or look at him, she returned to the window, where she sat herself on the ledge, one leg up, stonily surveying the city.
Logan released his breaks and spun around, opened his mouth as if her were about to say something, then tightened his lips, spun back to the computer, and reset his breaks with an angry gesture. The load 'snap' they made only served to accentuate the palpable tension in the air.
Max glowered at the Seattle skyline. One by one, heavy raindrops began to careen down the windowpane, until a veritable torrent was rushing down at a frantic pace.
Stormy weather had returned to Seattle.
TBC
Chapter 5
Max quickly returned to the penthouse, and let herself in.
Logan, on seeing her, said with considerable restraint, "Could I 'please' have my wheelchair now?"
"Oh. Sure."
As he transferred to it thankfully, he said, "Do you know something about all this that you're not telling me?"
Max absently watched him put his feet on the footrest as she debated what to say.
Logan raised an eyebrow at her. "Well?" he prompted.
With something like a sigh, Max came and sat on the couch in front of him.
"You know when we were walking to the market, a beggar came up to you, and I was kinda ..." she struggled for the right word, "tense."
"Yeaaah," said Logan slowly.
"Well, I noticed he had expensive shoes."
"And?' Logan leaned back in his chair, wondering where all this was going to.
"Then, that night, I spotted him in the foyer here. He seemed kinda suspicious – like he was trying to come up here."
She conveniently forgot to tell him that she'd waited opposite for over two hours to catch her quarry.
"Thing is," she continued, thinking this wasn't going so badly, "he got away before I had a chance to talk to him. Then this creepo tonight said the guy who paid him was ' well dressed, and smelled good.' My guy had the whole high class business suit look, and expensive cologne."
"And you think it's the same guy?"
"There's more to it."
She walked over to the windows and looked out. "There was something about his manner ... it sounds silly, but I understood what Slater meant when he said this guy was like a shark. He really creeped me out," she admitted, making a face.
"Wow! Must be serious to do that." Logan couldn't hold back his quirky smile at the corners of his mouth.
He watched her standing there, staring out into the night.
Just at that moment a flash of lightning flared behind her, illuminating the night sky with its brilliance. It was impressive he thought, but not as impressive as the beauty before him.
"I'm serious Logan." Max turned back towards him. "The other thing about him was his eyes. They were a green like I've never seen before."
"And I'm meant to know someone with green eyes, great clothes, French cologne?"
"And Italian loafers," added Max with a wince.
Logan nodded. "Ah well, that definitely clinches it!"
Max came up to stand in front of him. "Logan, this isn't a joke. Whoever it is knows where you live. I don't like it!"
Logan released his brakes and headed for his computer. He, in his turn, didn't like where this conversation was heading.
"I thought you liked where I live," he commented, being intentionally obtuse.
"Logan!" Max was losing patience. "You know it's not safe here. We need to get you outta here."
"I've got work to do," Logan said with simple finality.
"You can't ignore this!"
"I'm not ignoring this. I'm getting on the computer to search for all the wealthy, cologne wearing men of my acquaintance."
Max rolled her eyes. "You could move to a safe house."
Logan kept his eyes glued to the screen. "In a wheelchair? I don't think so."
"Well, you could book yourself into the best hotel in town if you wanted to. Anywhere would be safer than here!"
"Max. It's unlikely I'd find anywhere that has building security as good as here. Tonight was a perfect example. Barring cat burglars who enter through skylights and jump through windows to escape, it's always proven to be impenetrable."
Max walked over to his computer, stood against the desk and then leaned sideways so that she obscured his view of the screen.
He looked up with an annoyed expression.
"You have no intention of leaving here, do you?" There was a dangerous intensity to her words.
"Is there anything I've said that would make you think otherwise?" was his sarcastic reply.
Their eyes locked, green and brown eyes respectively flashed frustration, anger, single-mindedness.
"Okay. Have it your own way," Max flung at him in disgust.
Without another word or look at him, she returned to the window, where she sat herself on the ledge, one leg up, stonily surveying the city.
Logan released his breaks and spun around, opened his mouth as if her were about to say something, then tightened his lips, spun back to the computer, and reset his breaks with an angry gesture. The load 'snap' they made only served to accentuate the palpable tension in the air.
Max glowered at the Seattle skyline. One by one, heavy raindrops began to careen down the windowpane, until a veritable torrent was rushing down at a frantic pace.
Stormy weather had returned to Seattle.
TBC