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Max's connection with Logan in her heart starts to fade,but she doesn't even realize it right now

Chapter 6: Sources

"Logan."

When Logan saw Max in his apartment, he felt a huge wave of relief. She didn't look hurt, she looked fine. "Max! Where is your phone? I've been trying to reach you for the past hour. It was a set-up, I only realized after you left."

Max shrugged, "Hey, I've been driving around for hours, it probably just died." She smiled, tossing it at him, "Here, you can juice it up for me."

"So what happened? I see you're okay. You realized it was a setup?"

Her look of sheer confidence faltered just for a second, but Logan noticed it. Why did she always have to keep her guard up, even around him? "You know me," she said.

She could see he wasn't buying it. She opened up a little, "Okay, so I was pretty much ambushed. Listen, you don't need to worry though, I am strong enough to handle it. Right now I just want to find Zack. He's not at the cottage, is he?" she asked more matter of factly than really asking. She didn't want to tell him that she herself had been foolish enough to walk right into such an obvious trap, blinded by hope.

Logan shook his head, "No, he kind of bailed when he realized you were gone."

Max nodded. She found herself getting angry. This had been a complete waste. Thanks to Logan and his lame tip, she had made an idiot out of herself, hurt Zack, and not taken advantage of the chance to find out where her real X5 family was.

Logan kept going, business as usual. "I found out something from this tip, though. It had a false tracer on it, and I didn't realize at first. But while you were out, I managed to get a location to where it was really coming from. Although you wouldn't be able to check it out."

Max scoffed. "Come on, like I would go after this tip? Maybe you should check your sources more carefully before letting me go in somewhere blindly! It's good to see where my trust in you led me tonight." Ouch, she thought as she was saying it. She knew she was being too hard on him. She was really upset at herself for going in so blindly. Logan didn't know any better. But it felt good to let him take some of the fall for this.

"Max, I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am. I admit it, I was a complete fool. You don't have to worry though, I have very good ways to double check my sources, I just didn't take the time to do it this time. You know I would never put you in any kind of danger where you would end up hurt." Logan hated seeing her upset with him. But he knew she was right. He had been so eager to get her away from Zack that he jumped at a good excuse to lead her away from him without making sure it was safe.

Max looked away, outside the window. She couldn't do this right now, this dance with Logan, or sit there blaming herself either. She needed to get out. Zack had said he would stay there to find out who was behind the trap. She wanted to know, too. She also just wanted to see Zack. Working on a new assignment with him would help her put this latest shame behind her. She hated not knowing what to do. Zack was always the leader, the one with the plan. Lately, she'd been getting better at that, but right now she didn't know where to start. She needed to go somewhere to think without so much laying on her at Logan's.

"Max," Logan tried again, "It was traced to an aircraft, and the signal cut out about an hour ago, around the same time when you were right there. I don't think they'll use it again, I think it was just meant to locate you momentarily."

Max brushed it off, "I don't care right now, okay. I need to get out of here. I'm heading to Crash. Don't follow me." She stared at Logan for a moment, he looked desperate for something.

Right before she walked out, she turned over her shoulder. "I know you wouldn't hurt me," she blurted, "I'll call you later." Then she was gone.

Logan stared at her phone sitting in the charger at his desk. She wasn't going to be calling him it looked like. I know you wouldn't hurt me, he repeated in his mind. That was all he needed to hear. But he still felt frustrated at sending her into a trap and getting her hopes up. He would have to find something to make up for it. Maybe there was still hope he really could find another X5 somewhere. He did have lots of reliable sources. "And some unreliable ones," he thought out loud.