c o m m o n . t h i e f
part 3
AN: In Australia, we're only up to BBWW, so any information gleaned from laters eps about Logan's parents, I haven't seen.
Logan adjusted his bow tie and the lapels of his jacket once more as he tried as best he could to saunter through the crowd. Comfortable was not something you got around the people you were trying to bring down.
All around him were the tuxedoed men he had down for at least three counts against their cases each and amongst them, the beautiful women, all in skin-tight clothing and over-the-top make-up, trying to tempt them into something more.
Logan kept his scowl in check and tried to stop from thinking how much more he'd like to be in a small house fifty miles out of town and kept his mind on the job at hand.
Save Sophy. Right. Blend in with the rest of them. Right.
He feigned interest in passing conversations and even the girls nearby, until his gaze fell on a goddess in a silly excuse for a red dress. He reached out, trailing a hand down her forearm to entice her into one of the more secluded corners.
She followed and he grazed his lips on her earlobe, tracing the barest touch down her slender, feminine shoulders.
"What are you doing here?" He whispered urgently, his breath tickling her senses.
"Finishing the job." Max answered in kind, reaching up to him with her entire length, before throwing four lightning-fast glances over her shoulders, "You didn't really think you could get out of here alive *alone*, did you?"
Logan rolled his eyes, "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
Max grinned mischievously in response, "Anytime."
* * * * *
Edgar Sonrisa's gaze delighted at the full house in his hands before taking a quick visual sweep over the surveillance monitors.
"Is that... Bradley Cale's son?"
His companions all twisted in their seats at the poker table to the face that filled the screens overhead.
"Bruno, inform Mr Cale and his... lovely companion that we'd like an audience with him."
* * * * *
"Mr Sonrisa. It's been a while."
"Please, Logan. You always used to call me Uncle Eddy, I don't see why that should change now."
Max's grasp on Logan's hand tightened at the divulging of that piece of information. Uncle Eddy?
Logan's jaw tightened slightly at the pressure but he ploughed on nonetheless, "I came to you with a business proposition."
"Oh, not now, Logan. Tonight's a night for play, not work, and I trust you're enjoying the... festivities."
"Greatly." Logan assured, attacking Max's mouth with a searing kiss. Her mind rebelled but her heart was racing as she returned the kiss fiercely.
Logan tore his head away, reminding himself of the company they kept, "But I'm afraid my business partner *Lauren* cannot wait another moment to have this matter settled with you."
Sonrisa's nostrils flared and eyes lowered to slits at the name and he pushed his chair back from the table, "If you'll excuse us, gentlemen."
Edgar stalked out the door and Bruno escorted Logan and Max down the hallway to what was presumably Sonrisa's private office.
His guests seated, Sonrisa stormed behind his desk and placed two thick hands on its edge.
"What do you know of this, you little brat?"
"Temper, temper, Uncle Eddy. No one gets through life without a little patience." Logan chided, taking in Sonrisa's flustered appearance with a hint of amusement, "Now sit down and we'll discuss this calmly like gentlemen. I know where Lauren Braganza is, I have her trust, and I'm willing to give her to you."
Edgar's demeanour visibly changed at the revelation and he did indeed seat himself calmly, "And what do you get out of it?"
"A slice of the action. I want to pick up where my father so abruptly left off."
Sonrisa snorted in response, "Your father nearly cost me the entire game ten years ago."
"My father was a fool." Logan interjected quickly, "A coward. He didn't have the balls to play with the big guns. I do. And I'm willing to give you Lauren to prove it."
The offer ticking over in his brain, Sonrisa studied Logan's face intensely trying to find any hints of emotion. Coming up bare, he resorted to analysing the offer alone. He couldn't lose. Lauren would be handed over to him on a silver platter and he had absolutely no obligation to fulfil on Logan's half. Or at least, any that he had any intention of honoring.
"Fine," Edgar nodded, "but how does this work? She won't exactly surrender herself to me just because you tell her to."
"No, but if you cast the right bait, say, her daughter, she might be a little more complacent."
"I'll set it up."
* * * * *
"Just *what* do you think you're doing?" Max cornered Logan in the hallway, angry and in his face, "I didn't sign up to help the cause of Money-Grubbing-Capitalists-'R'-"
Logan silenced her with another hot, bruising kiss as one of the said capitalists came walking down the hallway.
He let her up for a much-needed gulp of air as soon as the coast was clear.
"And don't think you can keep doing that eith-"
His mouth swiftly descended on hers again to stop the flow of words.
"Max. *Shut*. *Up*." Logan seethed in hushed tones. "Here is not exactly the place to berate me for my double-crossing ways."
She huffed, displacing herself from his arms and marched down the hall with Logan hot on her heels.
* * * * *
Logan seated Lauren in his penthouse lounge with a cup of calming Camomile tea. The woman looked understandably shaken.
"I think Sonrisa trusts me enough to keep security down to a minimum when he brings Sophy to us. Max can take care of his men and we can get you and Sophy the hell outta here."
"Sounds good." Lauren nodded, hands tightening around her cup.
"Max?"
"Yeah," she grumbled, reluctantly accepting the plan before slipping out of the room.
Logan followed, excusing himself from Lauren, and found Max skulking off in the corner of his computer room.
"Listen... sorry... about accusing you of being a two-faced capitalist pig."
Logan shrugged, "S'ok. Sorry about kissing you."
"I'm not." She mumbled to herself.
"Hmm?"
"Nothing." She quickly covered, approaching the light once more, "So, when do we set out?"
"Eleven. We're meeting Sonrisa's men near the old town center."
* * * * *
Bruno stood in front of the big, black, predatory car with his hand son Sophy's frail little shoulders and two men flanking each side.
Logan pulled up on the other side of the road, and warily eyed the hired muscle.
He turned to Max and set the challenge with a cocked brow, "You up for a five course meal?"
Her lips twitched upwards in answer, "It's been done before."
The four of them faced off with the five men that held Sophy captive.
"Hand her over." Bruno shouted through the crisp night air.
"Give us the girl," Logan countered as was arranged with Sonrisa previously. The plan was apparently to give Lauren a show before letting his men take her away. Little did they know about Max, Logan's wild card.
"Count of three." Bruno offered.
Lauren stole a furtive glance at Logan and whispered harshly, "Take care of my baby."
"One."
Logan loosened his grip on Lauren's arm.
"Two."
The second that Bruno let go of Sophy in turn, Max was in his face, pushing the girl into Peter's waiting arms.
"Three." She finished before head-butting Bruno and letting an elbow fly into the face of one of his men.
"Go!" Logan shouted as he slammed the door shut behind Lauren and Sophy. He watched the car peal away before turning his attention back to Max's struggle. Amazingly, she had already knocked out three of her five opponents.
Logan jumped into the fray, punching down one of Max's would-be assailants only to find her in Bruno's grasp, her neck in a chokehold.
Panicked, Logan grabbed the nearest hard object, the thick lid of one of the garbage cans lining the street, and knocked Bruno unconscious with his makeshift weapon.
Bruno dropped his hold and Logan moved quickly to catch Max before she fell to the floor. She clutched at his shoulder with one hand as her other one rubbed the feeling back into her neck.
She choked to regain her breath before slowly gazing up into his worried eyes.
"You saved my life."
Logan's mouth quirked into a casual grin, "You woulda done the same."
Max returned the smile playfully, "Don't be so sure."
Behind Logan's back, Max could hear the all too familiar sound of a gun being cocked and quickly pushed the both of them to the ground as a bullet flew harmlessly overhead.
"Point proven." Logan smirked from under her before she pushed herself up to disarm their attacker and leave him out cold alongside Bruno and his companions on the floor.
END PART 3/4
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