He kept staring

He kept staring. Max looked away. Eva stared right back. Logan didn't look away. They just sat there, silently staring. Eva picked at her fingernails, but she didn't look down. It was if she was trying to decide if she should praise Logan for finding Max, or chastise him for not telling her before. Finally, she spoke.

"You found her. Why didn't you tell me?"

Was she angry? Logan couldn't be sure.

"Was it a surprise? Were you going to surprise me?"

Logan gave an inward sigh of relief. He opened his mouth, but Max broke in.

"I know you wanted it to be a surprise, but you know, after I came all the way up from Phoenix?" she said pointedly, hoping he would catch it. "I couldn't wait. And then Eva left her planner here, and here she was, right here, and I couldn't not tell her it was me. After everything to get here. But I am sorry."

"Don't worry Max. It'll be okay." Logan said, his voice both grateful and understanding, as if to suggest he understood and would play along. "Eva, it would probably be best if you didn't go back to Wyoming today. Do you think you could put if off a little?"

"Sure, why?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with…"
"You're just going to have to trust me. And don't, under any circumstances, tell Lydecker or any of your superiors. Our confidentiality agreement? That still stands."

"Okay. There's something you're not telling me."

"Yes, there is. And I'm not going to tell you yet, either."

"But…"

"Nope. No buts. Remember? We play this part by my rules. Go use that phone over there. Call Manticore, tell them your source had a lead that you want to follow up on. Do NOT tell them about Max." Eva looked for a moment as if she might protest, but then changed her mind. She left the room. After they could hear her talking on the phone with muted tones, Logan turned to Max.

"Okay, first, before you say anything, this was NOT my fault," Max started, waiting for Logan to rip into her.

"I know. It was just another fluke. That's not the issue here. The issue is what to do now."

"What? What now?"

"She can't go back there. She's a threat."

"I know. So are we going to tell her?"

"I don't know. We'll just keep her here for a while. Distract her, I guess."

"Logan, she said she knew my mother. She still works at Manticore"

"She never told me that. Are you sure?"

Max glanced down and noticed the photo was still firmly wedged in her grip. She held it out to Logan.

"The one on the left."

"She's very pretty. She looks like you."

"I want to meet her."

Logan knew this was coming. And he was already torn over it. Every instinct of his paranoid intellect said no. It was a huge risk, especially if she still worked for Manticore. It could be a ploy, another trap set by Lydecker's evil genius. It would certainly be a way to sucker Max in - playing to her emotions. But the rest of him said yes. He knew if he had a chance to see his mother again, he'd take it in a second. This was another piece to Max's mystery, one she so desperately wanted. And if he tried to discourage her…She would hate him. And she would probably do it anyway. He just didn't want to see her get hurt, or get in trouble…

"Logan? What do you think?"

"You're asking me what I think?"

"About my mother. Should I meet her?"

"You're asking me? I mean, you're asking me. Why?"

"Well, I've had this picture of her, always. She won't be what I've always thought she was. There's just no way. But do you think it'll just be too disappointing? It'll be so hard… What if it's dangerous?"

"Max, this is up to you." I can't believe I'm saying this…Logan thought. "If this is what you want? We can try and arrange something."

"Really?"

"We can TRY. That doesn't guarantee anything."
"Nothing every guarantees anything. It's never for sure."

"Don't be that way, Max. What's her name?"

"Ruth." The name felt strange, foreign on Max's tongue. "Ruth…I guess it would be Bennett."

"I'll ask Eva. I'll try and get in touch with her."

Max dropped her head.

"Max," Logan said as he reached out and brushed her hair back, rubbed her back gently. "This will all work out in the end. It'll come out the way it's supposed to."

"And so it goes."

"You'll see."