Part 27
Swearing off the whole gender
Graciously betaed by Dancinstar.
Early mornings could be hot, even more so in California, as a dismayed Logan was discovering. The faded T-shirt, specked with motor oil, stuck to his back, and the sweat trickling down his spine, right over his scar, irritated him to no end as he fiddled with the innards of a dark blue Aztek. Logan debated whether he should scratch his back with his dirty hands or endure the torture in silence, until the buzz of a fly precipitated his reaction. He nervously tugged at the shirt, leaving dark brown finger streaks on the sides. Taking a brief look at himself he snorted in disgust, but then he remembered the task at hand and tried to ignore his own uneasiness.
It was barely 7 AM and sleep hadn't been on his agenda the night before, what with Bling's arrival and all. Under his sweaty, uncharacteristically dirty fingers, the hood of the car had started to warm up. Logan sighed and wrinkled his nose to better settle the glasses on it. He never thought he'd miss Seattle's foggy drizzle. At least the incessant chatter of the sparrows above him would keep him awake at this ungodly early hour.
Logan adjusted the headphones on his ears and fiddled with the CD player at his belt. The tunes of a hip hop song washed over him and he grimaced, clearing his voice. But there was no time to mess with that. He bent over the engine again and pulled out a wire, only to throw it away in a fit of anger as he kicked the wheel of the Aztek.
"Damn!" he burst out.
The rather clean street was beginning to get busy with well-clad people hurrying to and fro. Only in select areas of San Francisco like this one were the signs of depression well hidden. Unkempt trees, potholes in the pavement and graffiti on the walls notwithstanding, the high-rise district was expecting its upper level employees for a new business day. The sweaty man and his stranded blue Aztek had barely been receiving a curious glance from the passersby.
Logan yanked the door open and swore loudly at the perky announcement that the door was ajar. Grabbing a screwdriver from the toolkit, he prepared to crawl out of the car backwards when a low whistling sound made him freeze in a half crouching position.
"That's a sight for sore eyes early in the morning! Need any help, hon?" a female voice crooned.
Logan felt the blood rushing into his cheeks as he self-consciously got out of the car and stood to face the woman.
"Nah, I'm okay. Maybe I should call the mechanic," he hesitated, flustered.
The high-heeled blonde eyed him appreciatively. "Think you'll be done by tonight?"
The music on Logan's CD player had suddenly ceased and Logan caught himself, throwing an annoyed look at it and flashing the woman the widest smile he could sport under the circumstances. While she certainly was a gorgeous one, she'd never compare to Max.
"I'm busy now, but if I'm still around when you get off…" he grinned.
"I'll stop by for sure, sugar." She raised an eyebrow and continued her way with a swaggering strut, even turning once to look back at Logan, who managed a tortured smile.
As soon as she was far enough, Logan slid into the driver's seat and let his head fall on the wheel.
"You can stop laughing now," he whispered in annoyance. And put some classical music on, will you?"
His words were met by silence.
"Receiving?"
"Loud and clear, 'hon'." Bling's voice boomed. Logan grimaced at the snicker that followed.
Bling would never let him hear the end of this. Logan sighed in relief as classical music finally flooded the car. At first the chick had made him smile. She had been interested in him. Ahem, rather in his butt, but that was beside the point now. Or was it? He closed his eyes and passed his hand through the still unruly hair. Max. Surprisingly enough, he caught himself remembering not her beauty or her fighting skills, but the look on her face as she gulped down some Cale crepes, the way she had glanced at him when she'd once again forgot to knock and forced the lock instead, the feel of her hand in his as they danced in the penthouse.
Damn, thinking about Max hurt - even now. He'd find her, help her get a new start and then... then maybe he'd be able to close this chapter in his life. The best one yet.
Logan's brow furrowed and a drop of blood appeared on the lower lip he had fiercely bitten on. His hand clenching around the screwdriver, he took a long look at the street. Everything was as it should have been. One by one, the lone passersby seemed to let themselves be swallowed up by the buildings, disappearing into their cozy offices and allowing Logan to calm down.
Without Max, breaking and entering was a tricky issue, especially since the guards looked very vigilant and electronically checked the perimeter for cameras and microphones when a shift ended and the other one started.
Familiars, Logan suspected. He'd rather not get friendly with those, if it could be avoided, so he had resorted to staking out the building Lydecker had indicated. Now, if only his target would show up so that he could record the access sequence for the building... He had barely started to tap his fingers on the steering wheel when a black car screeched to a halt in front of him and all hell broke loose.
Swearing off the whole gender
Graciously betaed by Dancinstar.
Early mornings could be hot, even more so in California, as a dismayed Logan was discovering. The faded T-shirt, specked with motor oil, stuck to his back, and the sweat trickling down his spine, right over his scar, irritated him to no end as he fiddled with the innards of a dark blue Aztek. Logan debated whether he should scratch his back with his dirty hands or endure the torture in silence, until the buzz of a fly precipitated his reaction. He nervously tugged at the shirt, leaving dark brown finger streaks on the sides. Taking a brief look at himself he snorted in disgust, but then he remembered the task at hand and tried to ignore his own uneasiness.
It was barely 7 AM and sleep hadn't been on his agenda the night before, what with Bling's arrival and all. Under his sweaty, uncharacteristically dirty fingers, the hood of the car had started to warm up. Logan sighed and wrinkled his nose to better settle the glasses on it. He never thought he'd miss Seattle's foggy drizzle. At least the incessant chatter of the sparrows above him would keep him awake at this ungodly early hour.
Logan adjusted the headphones on his ears and fiddled with the CD player at his belt. The tunes of a hip hop song washed over him and he grimaced, clearing his voice. But there was no time to mess with that. He bent over the engine again and pulled out a wire, only to throw it away in a fit of anger as he kicked the wheel of the Aztek.
"Damn!" he burst out.
The rather clean street was beginning to get busy with well-clad people hurrying to and fro. Only in select areas of San Francisco like this one were the signs of depression well hidden. Unkempt trees, potholes in the pavement and graffiti on the walls notwithstanding, the high-rise district was expecting its upper level employees for a new business day. The sweaty man and his stranded blue Aztek had barely been receiving a curious glance from the passersby.
Logan yanked the door open and swore loudly at the perky announcement that the door was ajar. Grabbing a screwdriver from the toolkit, he prepared to crawl out of the car backwards when a low whistling sound made him freeze in a half crouching position.
"That's a sight for sore eyes early in the morning! Need any help, hon?" a female voice crooned.
Logan felt the blood rushing into his cheeks as he self-consciously got out of the car and stood to face the woman.
"Nah, I'm okay. Maybe I should call the mechanic," he hesitated, flustered.
The high-heeled blonde eyed him appreciatively. "Think you'll be done by tonight?"
The music on Logan's CD player had suddenly ceased and Logan caught himself, throwing an annoyed look at it and flashing the woman the widest smile he could sport under the circumstances. While she certainly was a gorgeous one, she'd never compare to Max.
"I'm busy now, but if I'm still around when you get off…" he grinned.
"I'll stop by for sure, sugar." She raised an eyebrow and continued her way with a swaggering strut, even turning once to look back at Logan, who managed a tortured smile.
As soon as she was far enough, Logan slid into the driver's seat and let his head fall on the wheel.
"You can stop laughing now," he whispered in annoyance. And put some classical music on, will you?"
His words were met by silence.
"Receiving?"
"Loud and clear, 'hon'." Bling's voice boomed. Logan grimaced at the snicker that followed.
Bling would never let him hear the end of this. Logan sighed in relief as classical music finally flooded the car. At first the chick had made him smile. She had been interested in him. Ahem, rather in his butt, but that was beside the point now. Or was it? He closed his eyes and passed his hand through the still unruly hair. Max. Surprisingly enough, he caught himself remembering not her beauty or her fighting skills, but the look on her face as she gulped down some Cale crepes, the way she had glanced at him when she'd once again forgot to knock and forced the lock instead, the feel of her hand in his as they danced in the penthouse.
Damn, thinking about Max hurt - even now. He'd find her, help her get a new start and then... then maybe he'd be able to close this chapter in his life. The best one yet.
Logan's brow furrowed and a drop of blood appeared on the lower lip he had fiercely bitten on. His hand clenching around the screwdriver, he took a long look at the street. Everything was as it should have been. One by one, the lone passersby seemed to let themselves be swallowed up by the buildings, disappearing into their cozy offices and allowing Logan to calm down.
Without Max, breaking and entering was a tricky issue, especially since the guards looked very vigilant and electronically checked the perimeter for cameras and microphones when a shift ended and the other one started.
Familiars, Logan suspected. He'd rather not get friendly with those, if it could be avoided, so he had resorted to staking out the building Lydecker had indicated. Now, if only his target would show up so that he could record the access sequence for the building... He had barely started to tap his fingers on the steering wheel when a black car screeched to a halt in front of him and all hell broke loose.
