Reaching for the Moon by ThePekingNoodle
AN: This is a long chapter, kind of a double – I might not be able to post tomorrow night so I thought I'd give you something to hold you over for a day just in case.
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Chapter 15: I think I do…For Now
In which the best laid plans go oft astray…
Once Max had memorized the information about her new identity, she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes as if she was resting. She didn't want to think about her parents, but deep inside she knew the truth. After only a few minutes had passed she couldn't stand it any longer, so she opened her eyes and looked at Logan.
"They're dead, aren't they?"
Logan was silent as he concentrated on the road ahead. That was all the answer she needed, and she turned aside, not wanting him to see the tears that were welling in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Max." Logan paused as he glanced over at her, then went on, "I know it doesn't help, but I loved them too."
Max was silent as she tried to hold in her tears. She closed her eyes and then she felt Logan reach over and gently squeeze her hand. That was the last straw, and the tears began to stream down her face.
Logan let out a soft exclamation, and the next thing she knew he was pulling the SUV over to the shoulder. As soon as it stopped, she felt strong hands on her shoulders and he pulled her into his arms. She buried her head against his chest as he patted her back soothingly, as if she was a child. She cried for a few minutes, but then she took a breath and tried to pull herself together.
Logan was still holding her and she didn't really want to move. She felt safe for the first time since her journey had begun. It was ironic that she had dreamed of being in Logan's arms ever since she was fifteen, but now that she finally was there, it wasn't what she wanted at all. She would rather have her parents back, waiting for her at the end of this trip.
Logan noticed that she had stopped crying and he pulled back a bit, taking one hand and tilting her face up to look at him. Even in tears, Max still managed to be beautiful.At the same time she looked like a lost little girl. He smiled at her and gently wiped a stray tear from her cheek. "What can I do?"
Max tried to smile back at him. "Just being here for me is enough, Logan." She was about to say more when Logan's cell phone began to beep.
"Hello?" He answered and listened for a minute. "You're sure of that? Damn. That's a complication we didn't need. No we're almost there, just stopped for a few minutes for a break. Thanks for letting me know. I'll figure it out. Is everything else okay? Good. We'll be there when we get there. Don't feel like you have to wait for us; just come over in the morning."
He clicked off the phone and sat lost in thought. Max was grateful for the respite, and she used the time to compose herself. After a few minutes, Logan looked over at her.
"Are you okay to keep going?"
"I'll be fine." She gave him a brave smile.
Logan didn't look convinced, but he didn't say anything more, simply started the car up and pulled back onto the highway. They traveled in silence for several more hours, with only one stop to grab a quick lunch. When they were close to Seattle, Logan pulled the car over once again.
"Max, I need you to climb in the back and get on the floor. There can't be a record of you at this checkpoint."
Max was too tired to argue, so she simply did as he asked, curling into a small ball on the floor behind his seat and letting him place a blanket on top of her. Logan arranged his overnight bag so it was hanging off the seat over the blanket, making it appear that there were several pieces of luggage stowed there.
"Will you be okay for a little while?" he asked her.
"Just go on and get this over with," was her muffled response. Logan smiled in spite of himself as he climbed back into the driver's seat. They drove for about ten minutes and then Max felt the car stopping.
"Identification." A brusque voice demanded. There was a rustling of papers as Logan handed over his pass. Then there was silence for a moment.
"Open the back door."
Max felt the car rocking as Logan climbed out. A blast of cold air hit her as he opened the door next to her, and she froze, not daring to move, afraid to even breathe. There was a grunt and then the door slammed. Once again the vehicle rocked as Logan slid back into the driver's seat.
"You're clear."
"Thanks, officer." Logan answered and the car began to move slowly. After a few minutes he said to her conversationally, "Don't move yet. We're almost there."
Max grimaced and continued to wait patiently.
The car sped up and then turned onto another road. Max could hear the occasional roar of jet engines. Finally the car stopped, and Logan once again climbed out. He opened the back door and pulled the blanket off of Max. Then he reached down a hand to help her climb out of her cramped position.
Max stepped out of the car and straightened up. "Ouch. My foot went to sleep."
She held out her left leg and shook her foot, trying to restore circulation. Then she looked around. They were at an airport. There was a corporate jet on the runway not fifty yards away, and a private aviation building in front of them.
Logan was speaking to her and she turned to him to listen. "Here's the story, Max. You've just arrived in Seattle to visit me from a vacation in Japan. I came to pick you up – we met in Europe last summer and I invited you for a visit." He handed her a flat blue booklet. "Here's your passport. We have to do it this way, because I couldn't arrange passport stamps to show you entered the country from Europe on such short notice. I'll escort you to customs and they'll pass you through and stamp your passport. Here's the paperwork showing you just arrived on a charter plane. The tower records already confirm the plane's arrival."
Max took everything Logan handed her without a glance. "What about luggage?"
"That's already been sent ahead." He looked her over critically. "You better brush your hair. Do you have any makeup in that bag of yours? Miss Felina, Heiress Extraordinaire, certainly wouldn't be caught looking like a bedraggled waif." he teased.
Max made a face at him as she pulled out a brush and ran it through her tangled mass of hair. She rummaged in her small purse and pulled out a container of lip gloss, which she proceeded to apply. Logan gulped as he watched her finger dip into the pot and then smooth the gloss slowly over her lips. The lip gloss emphasized their fullness and made them look moist and inviting. Logan found himself wanting to taste them, to see if they were as soft as they appeared to be.
Max ignored him while she was applying the gloss, but then looked up at him with a small smile "Will that do?"
"Let's go." Logan took her arm, annoyed at himself for his reaction to her. He reminded himself that she was a complication that he couldn't afford in his life. The objective was to get her settled somewhere safe, and then get on with his agenda. Max was not part of that agenda and never would be.
He led her around to the front of the building and pulled out a set of car keys. A silver Lamborghini was parked in the lot and he led her over to it. He opened the passenger door and Max climbed in, then he closed it behind her and went around to the driver's side. The powerful engine surged to life, and then settled into a soft purr as Logan pulled the car out and headed for the main terminal building.
Halfway there they came to a small building set next to a gate that barred the road. Logan looked over at Max. "Customs will be in here. You ready?"
She looked at him and nodded. Logan pulled forward to the gate and stopped and waited.
The door to the building opened and a man stood silhouetted in it. He waved to them to come in and Logan came around to help Max from the car. Together the two walked over to the building and entered the open door.
The customs officer was now seated at a desk. "Are you Mr. Cale?" he asked. Logan nodded and handed the man a sheaf of papers. He sat there for a moment looking them over.
Finished he frowned and looked at Max. "This is Miss Felina I assume? This may present a small problem."
Logan frowned, "You should have been expecting her."
"Have you been in a cave or something?" His look at Max made clear exactly what he thought that something might be. "I'm surprised they even let her plane land. What with the trouble and all." Logan looked at him expectantly and the customs officer continued. "The terrorists. Some of those Indian-Asian whatever's set off a bomb in LA earlier today. The international border is closed to everyone who isn't a citizen, indefinitely. I'm not supposed to let anyone through. Private Aviation was notified this morning. Where you been?"
"I was on the road and I came straight here to pick up my guest. There was no one at Private Aviation; they must have left for the day." Logan lied smoothly. "I'm sure you can arrange to let her through. Look at her – does she look like a terrorist?"
Max gave the man a vacuous smile and cuddled up to Logan, "Aren't they going to let me visit you, baby?" She pouted prettily, "I have to get to a shower already. I'm such a mess from that long trip. Planes are just soooo exhausting."
The man eyed her appreciatively, but then shook his head. "I'd lose my job if I let her in, Mr. Cale. I only got six months left before I retire and I can't take the chance. If her flight had landed before the directive came down, I might could get away with it but it didn't, and its arrival time is on logged all the records."
"If you can find a way, I might be able to make it worth your while." Logan suggested.
A sly look came into the man's eyes. "There might be a way. But it would be expensive."
Logan waited with a cynical look on his face.
"Let me make a phone call." The man turned and was on the phone for a minute. He turned back to them with an oily smile. "The guy who can fix this is on his way."
Max and Logan exchanged glances and Logan shrugged. Ten minutes later a second man entered the building. He shrugged out of his coat and looked at Max and Logan and then at the first one. "This the happy couple?"
Logan frowned.
The man continued, "Let's get this done. Got your identity paperwork?" he asked. Logan handed him their papers. He looked them over for a minute. "This'll cost you. Her being a foreigner and all."
"How much?" Logan had his wallet out.
"$5,000 for the ceremony, another $5,000 for the paperwork. But then you're all legal."
"What ceremony?" Max demanded.
"The wedding ceremony. It's the only way I can let you into the country. You marry him and everything's nice and legal. No more problems," the first man explained.
Max just stared at him at a loss for words.
"Hold on just a minute…"Logan began.
"Look buddy, you want me to stamp her in, that's the only way I do it." The first man rose and pulled Logan to the side, away from Max. "When you get tired of her you put her on a plane, go to the courthouse and divorce her. No big deal. People do it every day," he whispered, leering at Max. "Pretty piece like her's worth spending a few bucks, and I'm sure you can afford it."
Logan hesitated, but then he shrugged. He walked over to Max and said to her sotto voce, "We don't have much choice. It'll just be some legal mumbo jumbo and I'll straighten it out once we get out of here. We can't afford to make a scene. Go along with it."
Max stared at him but she was still too exhausted from the emotions of the day to argue.
Logan leaned down and kissed her lightly keeping up the charade, and then pulled her over to stand in front of the second man.
"Money up front." The man held out a grimy hand.
Logan handed him some bills. He counted them and then peeled off half, which he gave to his friend. He motioned to Max and Logan to stand in front of him, and quickly mumbled some barely intelligible words "…power vested in … military command of…I now pronounce you… man and wife."
He walked over to the desk and filled out, and then stamped, a few forms, which he handed to the customs officer. The first man took out another stamp and stamped the forms. He turned around and placed them in an old copy machine, which hummed and whirred for a few minutes before spitting out a second set, which he handed to Logan.
Then he stamped Max's passport and handed it to her. "That's it. Congratulations." His eyes swept over Max, undressing her.
She had turned away and didn't even notice but Logan did, and he quietly said to the man. "One word of this and you won't be seeing that retirement you're looking forward to. And keep your eyes off of her." Logan's voice held a quiet menace and the man flinched backwards.
Without another word, Logan wrapped an arm around Max and led her from the building. The gate was now open and he wasted no time getting them into his car and pulling away.
Max finally seemed to regain her voice, "Logan was that real back there?"
He looked at her, "It was legal."
Max was silent.
"I'll take care of it. Don't worry." He reassured her, even as he wondered how in the world he was going to straighten out the mess they were now in.
End of Chapter 15…TBC…
