She was confused. How did he know her emotions? Was he telepathic? Maybe he was empathic. This may be trouble.
She opened the doors and windows to air out the cabin. She washed the dishes and returned them to their place in the cupboard. She kept herself busy cleaning the cabin. As she picked the quilts off the floor, guilt washed over her.
"What's the guilt for?" Logan said as he entered the cabin.
"How do you know what I'm feeling" she asked
"Yer scent," he replied. "I have an educated nose."
"Oh. I thought you might be telepathic or empathic."
'Just answer the question."
"I'm sorry for taking your bed. I'll sleep on the floor tonight."
"Don't worry about that. I'm used to roughing it." He said sitting at the table. "Sit down, Kate. I need some answers."
She hesitated, deciding how much to tell him.
"Come on," he said. "I can't help you if I don't know what I'm facing."
"I can't get you involved, Logan."
"We got out of there OK last night. But how long do you think it will take them to figure out where you went. They came close last night. They'll eventually find you. Then what will you do?"
She lowered herself into the chair. He was right. They would eventually find her. And if they find her, they will find Logan. She had to leave.
She jumped out of the chair and ran to the bedroom. Grabbing her satchel, she ran for the door only to find it blocked. Logan stood there with his arms across his chest. She whirled and grabbed the gun from the night stand.
"Going somewhere, darlin," he asked.
"Move Logan," she said. "I will shoot you to save your life."
"Well, that don't make sense. You'd kill me to save my life?"
"I won't kill you. But it would be a long time before you would feel up to chasing after me."
He advanced on her slowly, his face hard.
"When you shoot a man, darlin, always shoot to kill. Never give an enemy a second chance to get ya. Always be sure he's dead before you leave."
He was close; too close.
"Logan, don't." she brought the gun up to his heart. "I don't want to kill you."
"Never let an enemy get this close," he continued his lecture. "Always keep an enemy two arms lengths away from your weapon. Protect your advantages. Defend your weaknesses. Exploit the weaknesses of your enemy. If you need to go in close, be sure of your plan. Strike hard and fast, then get out."
The gun began to lower as the lecture went on.
"Never point a gun at a man unless you mean to kill him, including me."
He looked into her eyes.
"Make up your mind, Kate. Kill me or put the gun down and let me help you."
She looked at him with eyes brimming with tears. "I can't"
"Can't what. Kill me or level with me?"
She lowered the gun. "Both."
"I wasn't kidding when I said that people die around me. In the past year, I have lost my father and every friend I confided in. I can't allow any more to die because of what I know."
"I'm very difficult to kill, Kate."
"But you can be killed. Everyone can be killed."
"Maybe."
She stared at the floor. "I have never killed a man. I don't want to start with you."
He tipped her head up. "You can't hurt me. I heal very quickly."
"Are you a mutant?" she asked, quietly.
He nodded.
"Oh." she said simply. "Makes sense."
"You ain't afraid of me?"
"No. Why would I be?"
"Most people are afraid of mutants. They don't know what they can do."
"I don't know what anyone can do."
"Are you a mutant?"
"No more than any other human. We all have mutant genes but I don't have an X factor if that's what you're asking."
This was the first time he had heard a human talk about X factor without fear. He found it refreshing. Then the thought came to him.
"How do you know about X factor?"
Once again, the scent of fear filled the room.
"Stop it," he said through gritted teeth. "You're going to have to get past the fear or we can't go anywhere. The scent is overwhelming."
"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anything."
"Please, trust me. I can help. I have friends that …"
"NO," she yelled. "No friends. No more deaths. No more killing. I can't take any more."
She sat on the bed, defeated.
"Everyone I ever cared about is dead because of me and what I know. I need to tell the proper people what I found out and it will stop. I can't involve anyone else."
He wasn't listening. He was sniffing the air.
"Logan?"
"Too late, darlin. They're here."
Panic began to set in. She struggled to control the rising tide. Logan would need to keep his head.
He grabbed her satchel and her hand and pulled her to the window. He threw the satchel out the window. "Climb out and disappear into the trees. I'll come and get you when I've dealt with this."
She opened her mouth to argue. His hand clamped over her mouth.
GO, he mouthed.
She slipped out the window and into the woods.
He turned to greet the four men as they came through the front door of the cabin.
"Where is she," the smallest asked.
"Where is who?"
"Katherine Dempsey."
"Don't know a Katherine Dempsey. Now, get off my land."
"Big attitude, little man," the biggest sneered. This was going to be fun. This shrimp needed to be taught a lesson.
Logans' hard eyes raked the group. They were soft from easy living. Not much of a challenge. He took several steps toward them.
"Last chance. Get off my land."
All four pulled guns from their jackets, smiling.
That was the signal. Six adamantium claws popped with a snikt. All four stopped where they were.
"Once drawn, they must be used," he growled. "Honor demands it."
With that, he leapt. The fight was quick and bloody. They would live if they got medical attention. Anger was there, but not rage. He went to the river and washed the blood off his claws. When they were clean, he retracted them with a snakt, the pain of their use fresh. He grabbed his own satchel and left the cabin.
He found her where he told her to be which surprised him. She wasn't good at taking orders. Old One Eye would hate her. It would be worth it just to watch the two of them together.
The thought of his team mates was painful but he couldn't remember why.
"Come on. I know a safe place."
They crept around the cabin to the Jeep and left the area. But not before she saw the blood in the front room of the cabin.
"Logan, what happened?"
He glanced over at the doorway.
"Pulled a gun on me." he said quietly.
She stared at him as they drove away. Jeez, she thought. What have I gotten myself into?