Reaching for the Moon by ThePekingNoodle

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Chapter Twenty-three:  What's That Light at the End of the Tunnel?

Please tell me it's not an oncoming train…

Max looked around the empty room.  There was no sign of anyone, but she knew she had heard Logan's voice in here just seconds before she forced open the door. She was about to turn and leave to search elsewhere when a cool breeze blew across her exposed flesh.  Her head snapped to the windows. Sure enough one of the draperies was blowing inward. She quickly ran over to it and found a slightly open French door behind it.  She was about to step outside when her foot kicked something on the floor, and she bent over and picked up a mini computer disk which she slipped into the bodice of her dress after a moments hesitation.

When she emerged outside she focused in her vision as she scanned the area in front of the house. There. Three men were placing a fourth into the back of a black sedan. Max glanced around to be sure there were no observers, and then reached down and ripped her dress off at the knees, allowing her more freedom of movement. In a blur of blinding speed she dashed across the expanse of curved driveway and ended up crouching behind the car.

"What are we going to do with him, boss?" one of the men was asking. There was silence for a moment and then the sound of keys being tossed through the air.

"Take these and get his car. It's the silver Lamborghini. Follow us to the railyards."

While they were speaking Max had managed to force open the car trunk, and she quickly climbed inside of it, closing it behind her. Within moments the car's engine started and they moved smoothly away from the house.  Max could hear the sound of the Lamborghini purring behind them. She also heard the grinding of its gears, and winced at the thought that the goon driving it clearly had no idea of how to treat a precision piece of machinery.

* * * *

Inside the limo Logan sat with his hands tied behind him.  He stared at Ratburn stonily.

Ratburn handed an open bottle of champagne to his second thug. "Dump it on him," he instructed and the thug complied, soaking Logan in the liquid.

Within moment they arrived at the Seattle freight yards. The moonlight cast an eerie glow over the mostly abandoned buildings and rusted tracks.  The hulks of old engines rusted on no longer used sidetracks.

"What are we doing here?" the thug in the car asked.

"Mr. Cale unfortunately imbibed a bit too much champagne tonight. He got lost driving home and his car, with him in it, ended up stalled on these tracks. In approximately ten minutes the 12:26 AM freight will come barreling right through his car and him. Such a sad, sad story."

"No one will believe it." Logan spat out.

"I'm afraid they will. After all there is that rather unfortunate example in your own family of your Uncle Jonas and his fondness for the bottle.  And you were certainly seen to be enjoying my champagne tonight very openly. Not to mention that you positively reek of alcohol, my dear boy. I don't know what your game was in my study but I'm not a man to take chances. Besides, I never did like your father. He cost me quite a bit of money many years ago. So this is in a way my posthumous revenge on him. Don't worry, I'll be sure your little wife is well taken care of."

Ratburn nodded his head and the thug in the car opened the door and yanked Logan out after him. Ratburn climbed out the other side and directed the placement of the Lamborghini across the tracks. Once he was satisfied he pulled out another bottle of champagne. "Open his mouth."

One of the thugs pulled back Logan's head and held his mouth open while the other poured more champagne down him. Logan was forced to swallow or drown.  None of them noticed the trunk of the sedan slowly opening and the small figure slipping out of it and melting into the shadows.

Satisfied that his stage was set, Ratburn directed his men to knock Logan out and place him in the car, slumped over the wheel. Then he checked his watch and nodded in satisfaction. "Five minutes. Let's depart the scene gentleman. We don't want the engineer to catch sight of us here."

* * * *

Max had heard the entire conversation from inside of the trunk. When the car stopped she used the inside latch to pop the trunk, and she carefully slid out of it, making sure she wasn't seen. Two men had just finished placing an unconscious Logan into the Lamborghini.  Ratburn was climbing back into his car. The men were finished with Logan, and Max was just about to launch into an attack, when there was the sound of a freight horn in the distance.  The thugs scrambled for the car, and before she could get to them, they were gone.

Max looked down the tracks and her keen eyes saw a faint light in the distance. Without wasting any more time, she ran to the car and pulled on the driver's handle. The door was locked. 

The horn sounded again, closer this time. She could see Logan in the car, but he was out cold and not about to help her open the door.  She sighed at the thought of another ruined manicure and then smashed her fist through the car window.  Reaching down she unlocked the door and flung it open.

The light of the approaching train was getting closer and closer as she tried to get a good hold on Logan. He stirred and mumbled slightly. She managed to get a grip under his arms just as the headlights of the train that was almost upon them illuminated the entire inside of the car.  Max yanked hard and they both flew backwards away from the car, carried by the momentum of her motion.  Max quickly rolled Logan over and threw herself on top of him, shielding him as best she could. There was the shrieking of brakes as the engineer spotted the car on the tracks. That was followed by a grinding of metal and debris flying as the train tore through the car and then dragged its remains along the tracks for several hundred yards before coming to a halt.

* * * *

The engineer of the train climbed out and studied the wreckage around him.

"Any sign of anyone in that, Jonesy?" called out his fireman."

The engineer shuddered at the thought. "Who could tell? Better get on the horn and call the cops, Casey. Damn it all anyway. We were even ahead of schedule tonight. That's blown all to hell now."  He continued to mutter as he climbed back into his engine to wait for the authorities to arrive.

* * * *

Max dragged Logan into one of the many abandoned sheds that dotted the train yards. She sat on the floor, and cradled him in her arms as he slowly regained consciousness.  He reeked of champagne and his tuxedo was torn and soiled from where they had rolled on the ground.  Other than that, he appeared uninjured, except for a few scratches on his face and hands. When she was examining his hands, she noted how long and supple his fingers were and her thoughts drifted to those hands cupping her face as he kissed her a few nights earlier. She wondered how they would feel playing gently over other parts of her body and remembered Kendra's description of him as "amazing in bed". She felt her face heating at the thought.

When she looked up it was to meet a pair of blue eyes that were steadily staring at her.  "Max? How did you get here? Last thing I remember was Ratburn trying to drown me with his cheap champagne. What happened?"

"You almost got in the way of a freight train."

He looked at her trying to focus through his champagne induced haze. "Oh, okay."

Something didn't seem right but he couldn't seem to concentrate on that now. He'd figure it out later.  His gaze fixed on her soft lips only inches away from his. He reached up a hand and gently pulled her head down to his, wanting to taste those lips once again. He knew in the back of his mind that there was a reason that this was a bad idea, but the thought faded as their lips met. He let himself drown in the sensations that swept over him as she returned his kiss.

Max couldn't tear her gaze away from Logan's eyes. He was clearly feeling the effects of the champagne he had drunk that evening, but his eyes were still mesmerizing her. When he pulled her head down to his, she knew that this was a very bad idea, but at the touch of his lips on hers, all rational thought fled. She sighed as she allowed herself to sink into his kiss.

When they finally came up for air, Max found herself lying back on the floor of the shed with Logan stretched out full length over her. 

Logan dipped his head and began to trail kisses down her neck.  He continued on down to the skin above her dress, and then using his teeth, he gently pulled down the bodice of her dress. His tongue made long leisurely sweeps over the gentle swells of her breasts, each time getting closer to the nipples that were now hard little peaks.

Max was sinking into a soft sensual languor at the sensations that he was creating in her body. She didn't want to ever move from where she was, didn't want him to ever stop touching her. She felt moisture pooling between her legs as Logan took a nipple in his mouth and began to make gentle love to it. A soft moan escaped her lips and she moved restlessly under him.

Suddenly the sound of sirens filled the shed. The two jumped apart and Max scrambled to her feet, pulling up her dress. Logan followed more slowly, still shaky from the alcohol in his system. 

Max was looking out the door of the shed. "It's the police. Guess they came to investigate the accident. We better blaze."

Logan obligingly followed her lead as she took his hand and pulled him out of the shed and into the depths of the railyards.  He looked over to where the remnants of his car was surrounded by a small group, and suddenly he laughed.

Max turned to look at him. "Shush. We don't want to have to explain what we're doing here. What's so funny anyway?"

"Looks like Cinderella's coach turned into a smashing pumpkin…smushing pumpkin …something pumpkin." He looked at her with a grin, but then he frowned, "What happened to the rest of your dress? Didn't it use to be longer? Not that I'm complaining, princess." He reached over and tried to pull her into another kiss.

Max sidestepped him easily. She rolled her eyes and pulled him forward. "Let's go Prince Charming. You need to get home and sober up, and this girl wants to get out of these clothes and into her bed."

Logan started to say something about being at her disposal to assist her with the successful accomplishment of her stated objectives, but a sharp look from Max penetrated his fog, and he shut his mouth with a snap.  Max put her arm around his waist to guide his steps and the two set off into the soft moonlight.

End of Chapter Twenty-three…TBC…