Disclaimer: No infringement intended. Not affiliated in any way with anyone. Nothing to sue here people, move along. I don't own anything here. I am not making any money on this.
Huge THANK YOU to Maria for making time to Beta this no matter how hectic her RL gets.
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Scene 5 Taking Names.
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Max made it up twenty-seven flights of stairs in record time, but not quite fast enough for another glimpse of naked Logan. She barely caught a bit of his magnificent chest before he buttoned up his shirt. "Thanks Matt. I really appreciate you getting up to handle this."
Bare feet. Max picked up the thick wool socks setting on the bed and knelt at Logan's feet. I wonder if he'll let me …
Logan snatched the socks without pausing in his telephone conversation.
That's a 'NO'. Darn it.
"Penthouse at Fogle Towers, in sector 9. It's my apartment." Logan gritted his teeth, more annoyed with himself than with Max.
Max moved his shoes from the closet floor to the bed beside him and then retreated quickly to a safe distance.
Logan, a.k.a. he-who-always-did-the-right-thing, was unused to feeling guilty, and he hated feeling so now. Max just saved my life, she is trying to help me and I am taking my frustration out on her? Unfortunately no amount of scolding himself on how he should feel would change how he did feel. If his emotions had been in less turmoil he would have realized that it was his own body, and its betrayal, that was the source of his frustration. Max was simply the only one there to take it out on.
"Considering three men just broke in to kill me, I don't think it matters anymore if you know where I live or not. How soon can you be here?" The phone fell from the nook between Logan's shoulder and ear as he attempted to pull a thick sock over an uncooperative foot. Faster than he could see, let alone react, Max caught the phone and held it back to ear.
"Great. Thanks. Bye." Logan nodded, but couldn't bear to the hurt look in Max's eyes. I am such jerk.
Max set the phone down as soon as she heard Matt hang up.
"Logan?" she asked uncertainly.
"Max. I am sorry."
Was he kidding? "For what?"
Is she kidding? Logan could only stare at the hesitant chimera before him. Finally he forced out, "Being … grumpy."
"No biggie. I'm not in the best mood myself." That is one hell of an understatement! "And I didn't even have someone just try to kill me in my own home."
"Thanks for saving my life, by the way." Logan tried to give her the best smile he could, considering his life was spiraling out of control and his prospects of even short term survival seemed somewhat bleak.
Max pretty much melted at his smile. She felt an unfamiliar but pleasant warmth that completely precluded one of her usual smart-ass remarks. "You're welcome."
Max had just started to lean towards Logan, when security called to ask about the elevator.
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The security team from the private security company employed by Fogle Towers arrived before the police. Jake had regained consciousness and one of them drove him to the local emergency room to be checked out. The man with the broken jaw remained handcuffed to the pillar until the ambulance arrived. The ambulance was about to leave when they got the message that there where three more bodies in the penthouse.
If the security team suspected something, which was probable, they didn't say anything.
Fortunately, the beat cops were there for all of five minutes before Matt Sung showed up and took charge of the situation. The beat cops had wanted pictures of the crime scene, an explanation as to how four large adult males were beaten into unconsciousness, awkward stuff like that.
Max had hidden Logan's video camera, but there was still an impressive array of computer equipment and monitors in Logan's office. Matt only arched one eyebrow slightly as a smile and a suspicion grew. Matt quickly got the beat cops out of the Penthouse. When he returned to speak with Logan his admiration for, and suspicions of, Logan had both grown considerably.
Matt glanced toward the bedroom where the small female he didn't know was packing Logan a bag. "So someone figured out you have something to do with Eyes Only?" Matt asked politely, avoiding any accusations.
"Yeah," Logan replied, his voice flat.
"Do you know who sent them?"
"No."
"What is the hot case right now?"
That threw Logan only momentarily. There were not any hot cases. True, he had several open investigations, but he wasn't dangerously close to anyone, or so he thought. Still, he couldn't admit to knowing too much. "I have no idea. I haven't been doing a lot of field work since …" Logan gestures helplessly to his legs.
"Someone must have been expecting something," Matt insisted.
"No. I wasn't." Logan's voice was so flat and subdued that Max was truly worried about him. She finished tossing the last of his necessities in the suitcase and joined them in the front room.
"Logan, I don't know who flattened these guys, but do you normally have that kind of muscle here? They weren't shot. They were beaten. No offense, but you didn't do that."
"No. That kind of muscle isn't normally here." Logan replied, inexplicably pained by that thought.
"Just stopped by to raid the fridge. Lucky timing," Max supplied. It wasn't true but Matt didn't need to know that.
She was here to raid the fridge? I wonder how often she does that and I don't even wake up. No, that can't be right. There isn't that much food missing. That was for Matt's benefit. Why was she here? Logan looked at Max, wishing he could read her mind, or at least her body language.
"Uh-huh," replied Matt, eyeing Max suspiciously.
"It's alright. She knows," Logan supplied quickly, completely misreading what Matt was suspecting.
"What do you know so far?" Max asked.
Matt let out a deep breath and looked over his notes. "Not much. Their ID has them as Bob Hendricks, Robert Nikitin, Peter Petrov, and Rob Andreev."
"They carried ID's?" Max asked incredulously.
"Yeah. That a sign of an amateur?" Matt was warily studying this mysterious female.
"Definitely. Three of the last names are Russian. This might have something to do with Odessa Social Club but …" Max pauses thoughtfully and turns to Logan. "You haven't had anything to do with that investigation, have you?"
"No," Logan replies automatically. If he had more sleep he might object to Max deliberately transferring suspicion from him to her, but what she was doing would only occur to him later.
Matt obligingly digested the tidbit of information that Max was even higher in the Eyes Only network than Logan, which was precisely what Max wanted. If Matt wasn't loyal, or more likely, ever captured and interrogated, she would far rather have bad guys try to come after her than Logan. She resisted the urge to smile at how surprised they would be if they did.
"It's run by a bunch of Russian gangsters. We aren't sure how crooked the games themselves are, but if you win too much they don't let you walk out without a fight. Seeing as the whole operation is illegal, we'll probably just be able to tip off the police and not need to bother with a hack. But how would they have known about Logan?" Max said.
"I don't know. It is possible they don't know that much and are just going after everyone they suspect might be involved at all," Matt theorized.
Logan looked a little pale. "I should send out a warning."
"We should also get you somewhere else," Max insisted.
"I'll see what I can find out from these four when they wake up. Maybe if I can find out who is paying them …"
"Excellent. Thank you. My name is Max." Max offered Matt a genuine smile and a handshake.
"Pleased to meet you." Matt was always pleased to meet anyone else in the Informant Net; pleased to know that others thought that fighting for this cause was worthwhile. "So, you ever meet him?" Curiosity got the better of Matt.
Max did not allow the opportunity to confirm that she was a more appropriate target than Logan slip by. "Yeah."
Logan is too tired to even think about concealing his surprise, which works nicely. Matt assumes he is surprised by the fact that Max has meet Eyes Only, not by the fact that she is admitting it. "What is he like?"
Max smiles thoughtfully for a moment, dozens of different ways to tease Logan racing through her mind, followed by dozens of different ways to please Logan and the realization she needed to get out of here. "Amazing. The man has the most incredible … knack for convincing you to do things contrary to your self preservation I have ever even heard of."
Matt stares at Max for a moment.
A very unnerved and overtired Logan blurted, "Max does a lot of the … errands." Immediately after which an unnerved, overtired and embarrassed Logan tried to figure out why he said that.
"Like you didn't nearly die," Max shoot back at him.
"Okay," Matt retreated. It didn't take a detective to pick up the current between these two. "I'll let you know as soon as I can find out anything. I would offer to place you in protective custody, but…"
"I can do that better than you can, Matt. But thank you for the offer." Logan replied.
"You're packed and ready to go." Max held up a suitcase and a duffel bag.
"Thanks." Logan nodded and headed for the elevator.
If Max needed confirmation that Logan wasn't doing well, the fact that he didn't even check what she packed was it. She had expected a rather embarrassing conversation about his supplies. Maybe he has a set at the safe house.
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If Logan even noticed that Max left her beloved motorcycle behind without a murmur, he didn't comment on it. They drove to the safe house in a safe comfortable silence. Logan was too absorbed in the fact that someone knows who he really is and is trying to kill him to talk to Max. Max was too absorbed in the sight, smell, sound, and memory of the feel of Logan to talk to him. If she concentrated she thought she could hear him breathing through the sound of the car. It wasn't until they reach the safe house that Logan was broken from his contemplation and seems to realize that Max was with him.
"Max?" Logan pulled the car into the garage and turned it off.
They sat together in the dark, neither exiting the car. "Yeah."
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm helping you." Max paused, uncertain. "If that's ok."
"Of course. I'm grateful. I'm just …"
"Let me guess. You worked yourself to the point of exhaustion, as usual, then collapsed into bed, two stages past exhausted by the time you actually hit the pillow, only to have a nightmare, which isn't restful by the way, then be woken up by me less than, oh an hour? After you had finally given up and gone to bed in the first place?"
"Yeah, pretty much." No point in going in to how disturbing the nightmare was. "That and someone knows who I am."
"Maybe. Matt had a good point. Those were cheap thugs. No where near up to the job. Maybe they don't know you're Eyes Only. Maybe they just suspect you're an informant?"
"Three thugs would have been more than sufficient to kill me in my sleep, Max."
Pain shot through Max. The darkness hid Max's pained expression from Logan. He continued on unknowingly. "It was you who saved me … again. Even if they are just targeting informants I need to send out an e-mail to all the other informants letting them know there may be an assassination attempt."
"Anyone in the informant net should be taking precautions. But it wouldn't hurt to mention that there was an attempt on one of your people tonight. We have your laptop. The safe house wired?"
"Yes. It's not as secure as I would like, but I can relay the message through … Sebastian."
"So let's do this." Max got out of the car and circled over to Logan's side when he made no move to exit.
Maybe I can get my arms around him again. The darkness did nothing to hide the exhaustion on Logan's handsome features from Max. She opened his car door. "Logan?" she murmured softly when he didn't respond to her presence.
Logan looked up to notice her eyes reflecting what little light there was, like a cats. As tired as he was, he offered her a smile. "You know, you really do have the most incredible eyes. Has anyone ever told you they shine in the dark?"
"Yeah, and that isn't normal. Once. I ran. Left the state. I was afraid that they would call Manticore or something. They may have, but I was long gone. However, with you, I think I'll stick around." Max tries to soothe, as if he wasn't stirring up some of her most painful memories. She slowly reached behind him and took out his wheelchair, unfolded it and set it on the ground beside the car. Then slowly, as if not to spook an untamed beast, she reached across Logan and unbuckled his seatbelt.
"I can do it," Logan whispered as she returned the seatbelt to its unlocked position.
"I know," she whispered back as she pressed her body against his and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm strong too." Slowly, so she could savor every moment, she gently picked him up and put him in the chair. "Let's get you settled. Then I'll come back for the luggage."
Logan nodded and proceeded toward the inside of the house, only to be stopped a few feet away by a locked door and a step. Logan fished the key out of his pocket and handed it to Max. Max took the key, eyed the width of the door and the width of Logan's unfolded wheelchair and took charge as befitting an officer and an X5.
She opened the door, listened, handed Logan back his key and told him "Wait right there. I'll be right back." A very quick reconnaissance revealed another step and a narrow passageway through a kitchen that did not look like it was set up for Logan. This is bad. If we have to subsist on my cooking, this could get ugly fast. There has to be takeout around here somewhere. Right? There was also a large front room with a comfy sofa. Max verified that all the blinds and curtains were secure and went back for Logan.
"Is everything alright?" Logan asked. As intended, Max's hasty departure had him a little spooked.
"Yeah. Just a little narrow." Max looked at Logan, concerned.
Logan let out a deep sigh of resignation. "Yeah, I knew that." He set the brakes on his chair and began to lever himself onto the ground, when suddenly he found himself in Max's arms. "What?" he asked, a bit alarmed.
"What?" Max shot back.
"Max, put me down."
She obliged him by setting him down on the sofa, then blurred away. Logan was left sitting there, adjusting to the fact that Max was a lot faster than he had thought she was, when she came back with his wheelchair. She put it beside him and left again, only to return a moment later with the suitcase and duffel bag she had packed for him.
"You should probably call Bling and let him know where you are at."
"I will." Logan glanced at his watch. "I don't think he is awake this early."
"'K. You hungry?"
"No. You?"
"Not really," Max lied hoping that Logan couldn't tell what she hungered for, or rather whom. She fidgeted under his direct gaze.
"Max, why were you at my penthouse?"
Max thought of some way to answer him. She ruled out 'I'm in heat as would have attacked you myself if we hadn't been interrupted', 'I couldn't get you off my mind' and 'I wanted to jump your bones'. Finally, she blurted, "I'm a freak!"
Logan finally noticed her slightly flushed features and a fine sheen of sweat. "Are you having another seizure?"
"No."
"But it is something related to your DNA?"
Max nodded miserably.
"What can I do? What do you need?"
Max covered her groan with a laugh. "It'll pass. In a couple of days. I'm just going to be miserable until then."
Logan assumed that Max had come to his apartment for a safe haven while this, whatever it was, passed. "Max, I'm so sorry." He reached out to place his hand on her forehead. "Do you need some Tryptophan? I have some in my car."
Max smiled at his consideration. "No. It'll pass."
"Maybe it will help."
Max had to bite her lip to keep from telling him that wasn't what she needed right now. She gently shook her head and confessed. "No, it's not a brain chemical problem. It's more of a … female thing." She couldn't look him in the eye when she said that.
"PMS?" Logan asked. He'd been around PMS before, usually it made those in the vicinity more miserable than the actual sufferer.
"I wish."
"Revved up PMS?" Logan guessed.
"Close enough, I guess. What really sucks is it is way early."
"Well, you know what they say, better early than late."
"That does NOT apply to this."
"Why not?"
"Late means it happens less often. Why would it?"
Logan was immediately sorry he opened this line of conversation but too tired to dodge effectively. "Early means you're not pregnant."
"Admittedly I don't know lots about my DNA, but I am fairly certain even I would need to have sex before I could get pregnant and, unless you are volunteering, that is in the 'not possible' category." Max's embarrassment for dragging him into her sex life, or more precisely, the void where her sex life could be, caused the last of that sentence to come out a bit more sharply than she had intended.
How did I get dragged into her sex life? How do I get dragged into her sex life? How do I get into her sex life? How do I get myself into these conversations? Why have I not passed out? Logan sat there, stunned, for a few moments.
Max recovered first. "I'm sorry. I know I am not pleasant company right now. I should just avoid all human contact for the next three days, but …"
"Max, it's OK. I am glad you are here. You keep saving my life and you can snap at me all you like. Besides I think I know what you need." Logan grinned.
I really hope not. Max summoned all her self-discipline to keep from groaning. "What?"
"Chocolate," Logan drawled the word slowly, as if it had melted on his tongue.
Not unless you're coated in it. Max just smiled at him.
Logan pulled his bag off the back of his wheelchair. "I think I have chocolate covered nuts."
Max thought she covered her low moan with an "MMMmmm" quickly enough so that Logan wouldn't notice, but he glanced at her funny. She tried to cover. "You sure know how to pamper a girl."
Logan handed Max a package of dark chocolate covered walnuts.
"Thank you," Max almost purred at him. "I think that these will be my favorites from now on." She unwrapped the confection and savored the rare gift from the even more extraordinary Logan Cale. The only man who knew, accepted, and cared for her.
WOW! Talk about your mood swings. I guess everything about Max is extraordinary. After a few moments of staring longingly at Max savoring her treat, Logan transferred to his wheelchair and went to work.
He sent off an e-mail to Sebastian, and was not surprised when he received an immediate response. The informant net was informed that one of their own had been attacked. Logan could only hope that he was the assassins' first stop and that everyone would all check in over the next day or so. That done, he set to more personal matters. He was looking through some of the alternate identities he had set up, albeit not anticipating that he would need them himself, when Max startled him.
"Whedon is a good last name," Max said mere inches from his ear.
Logan jumped.
"Sorry."
"It's OK. Michael Whedon is only 27 years old."
"You could pass for 27." Max shrugged.
"Michael Whedon is married."
"I know. You have papers for his wife right there. I can get us a set of rings in a few hours. "
US! Logan was stunned. He just stared at Max while she slowly realized what she said.
Max squirmed under his direct gaze. She tried to rationalize her way out of the awkward position she put them both in. "If we are going to be traveling together that is the best cover. You want to attract as little attention as possible. Married is boring, no one should pay much attention, which is exactly what we want."
" … we …?" was all Logan could manage.
"Sure. Being on the lam can be a lot of fun. Great way to visit exotic places, meet new people."
Max found Logan's silence vaguely disturbing. She hesitated, then rushed forward. Where angels fear to tread? Fear doesn't mean you have to surrender to it. Say something. "If it is still open, I would rather we were married before you were injured."
Logan said nothing. Max felt the need to explain. "I'd just rather be the loyal wife that stands by her man than the gold digger or trophy wife that you bought. Not that you have to. I don't know why people think that … but … it's gotten a little old."
Logan merely stared, tongue-tied. He was almost but not quite able to wrap his head around Max standing there talking about being his wife.
There was a long uncomfortable silence, until Max couldn't stand it. "What?"
"You would come with me."
"Of course."
"Why?"
"Why not? I've never stayed in one place too long. Lydecker may be sticking around Seattle. He has had three separate sightings of me here months apart. He probably thinks I've settled down, which makes Seattle too hot. I should leave."
"Why have you stayed so long?"
Max paused, trying to find someway to convey her feelings, without looking like a fool, or worse scaring Logan.
"Max?" Logan prompted when she didn't reply immediately.
"I … kinda liked having someone I could talk to. I hadn't trusted anyone in 10 years."
For me. She stayed for me and she's willing to leave with me. It is a dream come true; or set up for a nightmare to come true. Still, I couldn't ask for a better partner to run with.
"Still, being on the lamb isn't so bad." Max paused when she gets no response from Logan, who was too wrapped up in his own tumultuous thoughts. "You are planning on leaving Seattle. Aren't you?"
Max received no reply. Logan couldn't think of anything adequate to say to her.
"They probably know your name."
"I know."
"Tell me you had a plan for this contingency."
"I didn't really think I would survive if …" Logan paused, pained. "I wouldn't have. If not for you."
"And I'm going to keep making sure you survive."
Logan looks in such pain. Remorse and guilt, for all that he hadn't done, but should have and all that he had done, but should not have, tore deeply into this noble man that was far too exhausted to deal with any of this properly.
Max risks getting closer. She kneels at Logan's feet. "Logan, you're … awesome." She takes his hand in hers and offers him a tentative smile. "This will be all right. We'll be all right."
"I don't want to be a burden."
"Never! You could never be a burden. Not to me." Max squeezes his hand in hers, willing him to understand; willing him to hold on.
"Max. I can't even walk, let alone run." Logan was closer to despair than Max was comfortable with.
Max searched for some way to explain. Finally, Logan's own words inspired her. She inched closer to him. So that he could hear her better, she lied to herself. "I don't want to be alone."
"Max." Logan reached out to her like a lifeline. He ran one hand through her soft, unruly curls. "Max," he murmured softly as he pulled her once more into his embrace. "I won't leave you alone," Logan whispered. "Bed," he muttered.
Max was shocked, but she wasn't about to argue. She stood up and followed him wordlessly as he pushed himself into the bedroom.
"I'm sorry to dump all this on you right now, Max. I am beyond exhausted. I shouldn't be vertical, let alone talking. And from the sound of it you may not be in any state of mind to be making decisions either." Yeah, that was it. Her revved up PMS makes her want to be with a male. Riiiight. Logan let out a deep sigh as he pulled down the covers. "We'll talk after I've had some sleep. Will you call Bling after 7 am and let him know what happened and where I am?"
Max was grateful Logan couldn't see the crushed expression that she was certain was on her face. Still, she could carry on.
"Yeah, no problem. You get some sleep. I'll stand guard and finish off your chocolate." Max managed to smile when Logan turned to look up at her.
"You are more than welcome to anything of mine, Max."
Max fought against images of what she would do with his lips, his mouth, his neck, his nipples, his sweat covered …moan! "Be careful. I might hold you to that." Max knelt at his feet. She hoped that looking down at his shoes would obscure the longing she was afraid was written all over her face.
"Anytime."
Max removed his shoes and socks, and then moved his uncooperative legs into position on the bed. "You should get some sleep. Want anything else off?" She wished that didn't sound too hopeful as she pulled the blanket up around him.
"Nah, Thank you Max. For everything." Logan cherished the tender care she was giving him; whatever her reasons for doing so. "Goodnight."
Max remained kneeling by the bed until she was certain that he was sleep. "Goodnight, my …" My what? My love? My hero? If agrees to the Whedon ID my husband! Yes, please. It's against all my training; so hopefully it is the right thing to do. Max, your life … is … really looking up. Max smiled, more content than she felt she had any right to be, with as much danger as the source of all her newfound happiness was in.She leaned over, slowly, gently, sensuously, and gave Logan the tender kiss she had been longing to for hours.
Your WHAT? Logan laid there, wondering if he was ever going to be able to get to sleep, wishing he had the courage or the energy or the functioning lower half, to pull her down to him for a more scorching kiss and more than kisses.
Eventually Max left to make her phone call in the other room and Logan succumbed to sleep.
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Max was not about to leave until Bling showed up to stand guard. She was about to leave when Logan's phone rang. Max pounced on it before it finished the first ring.
"Go," she said into the phone.
"Is this … Max?" ventured the voice on the other end that she recognized as Matt Sung.
"Yeah. What have you found out from the perps?"
"Nothing from them directly. None of them have woken up yet."
Max smiled in spite of herself. "They all survived," she complained.
"One, just barely. But, that's beside the point. Is Logan there?"
"He just now fell asleep. I'm not waking him up for anything less urgent than a volcano."
That didn't really surprise Matt, but he supposed he could trust Max. "I found their itinerary in the car."
Max cursed herself for not thinking to look there.
"Good job! Was Logan the first stop?" If he wasn't she didn't want to be the one to break it to him, but she knew she would be.
"Yeah, but there were two others. Ironically, Logan is listed as easiest mark."
Max let out a deep sigh of relief. "Glad they were idiots. We already sent out a general warning. Logan already got a response from …" Max paused, unwilling to say much over an unsecured line. "the Man himself. Everyone should be alerted by now. Who were the other targets? I'll send a more specific warning."
"That is just it. The other targets were Bennett Cale and John Cale."
"What?"
To be Continued ….