“Are you enjoying yourself here, Wolverine?”
Logan shrugged. “Not used to just hangin’ around. Think I might be on my way soon.”
No emotion showed on Shaw’s face, but Logan’s heightened senses perceived the slight increase in his pulse and the shortening of his breath. He wasn’t happy about that idea.
“I was hoping you would consider entering my employment. You can name your own salary. Within reason, of course.”
Here it was. All or nothing. Logan wasn’t getting anywhere on the outside, if he was going to get any answers he had to go deeper.
“I’m not takin’ your pay to stand around and look menacing, Shaw. You got plenty of guys for that. It’s a waste of my time.”
A line of tension appeared at the corner of Shaw’s mouth. Apparently that had been all that he had in mind for the Wolverine. At least for now. “I hadn’t realized that I was undervaluing your skills, Wolverine.”
Logan refused to rise to the bait. “Your security sucks. All you got is a bunch of guys and a bunch of cameras, and no one who knows what the hell they’re doing. You need someone to take that in hand. I can do that. It’d at least give me somethin’ to pass the time.”
Shaw regarded him in silence for a long moment. Finally, he nodded. “An excellent idea. I will admit that my...special condition has made me less attentive to security issues.”
Logan snorted. It was true that Shaw’s ability to absorb energy made him invulnerable to most assaults, but that was no reason to get cocky. “I’m hard to kill too. Hard doesn’t mean impossible.”
Shaw’s lips twitched in displeasure, but he nodded graciously. “We have an agreement, then. I will be leaving for a few days. I look forward to reviewing your improvements when I return.”
Logan ignored the obvious dismissal. “I’ll need access to your current system. Schematics, shift schedules, background on your guys...”
Shaw pressed a button on his desk, and one of his flunkies instantly appeared. “The Wolverine will be taking a position as my Chief of Security, Davis. Get him anything he needs.”
He looked back at Logan. “Anything else?” Condescension was clear in his voice. Logan may have gotten deeper into Shaw’s systems, but he hadn’t made any great strides in winning his trust.
“Have a good trip, Shaw.”
_______________________________
Photographs -- she and Sebastian in a car, smiling at the camera. At a party, dressed in formal wear. She flipped a few more pages. Her in a wedding dress, smiling lovingly up at Sebastian as he held her hand. She focused on the face of that woman, that stranger, until it blurred into meaningless shadows and shapes. Rogue heard the scrape of the door too late. She looked up guiltily as Sebastian entered the room.
The disapproval was evident in his face, but he forced an insincere warmth into his tone that made her stomach turn. “Rogue, sweetheart. You know what the doctors said.” He pulled the album from her hands. “The more you force it, the worse things get. You need to relax. Did you take your pills?”
“Yes, Sebastian.”
He put the album carefully down on the table. Too late she realized he was already wearing his gloves. Quick as a snake, he grabbed her chin firmly in his hand, forcing her gaze to his. “Did you take your pills, Rogue?” She breathed in shallowly through her nose to control the wave of nausea at his nearness, trying to keep her eyes steady on his. She managed a nod.
He searched her eyes for another long moment, and then finally released her chin. “All right. Good. That’s my good girl.”
She swallowed, feeling a dull ache set in where he had squeezed her jaw.
“I’m going to be gone for a few days. When I come back, we will do another treatment.”
Her stomach did a another slow, lurching roll. “Sebastian, please. Not yet. It’s too soon.”
He reached out and smoothed her hair. “Sweetheart, you have to trust me. It’s helping you so much. Already I can see the difference.”
She knew she should just shut up, knew arguing would only make him angry, but she couldn’t stop herself. “I don’t want it. It doesn’t feel right.”
“Rogue.” His voice was razor sharp now, all pretense gone. “I know what’s best for you. Remember what happens when you disobey. Do you want the voices to come back again? To end up back in the hospital?”
She had known what he was going to say, but it still made her pulse race, her hands tremble. She swallowed down tears, hating the weakness in her body -- the weakness in her mind. “No, Sebastian. I don’t want that.”
He smiled, likely pleased as much by her incipient tears as by her words. “That’s right.” A finger under her sore chin now, tilting her face up to his, his voice that of a teacher explaining a lesson to a particularly dull student. “Who makes those voices go away, Rogue?”
She couldn’t look away from those cold blue eyes, couldn’t speak anything but the truth.
“You do.”
_________
Logan stayed up well into the night, looking over the documents he had been given. He hadn’t been surprised to see that Shaw had granted him access to the outer security arrangements, but the systems for Shaw’s own private areas were notably omitted. Shaw wanted to keep Wolverine around, but he wasn’t stupid. He had only given Wolverine access to the parts of his security he didn’t care much about.
Well, if this was a tryout, he’d just have to make the most of it. Shaw had plenty of security but it was, as he had said, inefficient and disorganized. Even more so, something was just a little off kilter about the security arrangements. Logan kept feeling like he was catching a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye, but when he looked at it directly it was gone.
Logan lay back on his bed, closing his eyes in frustration. Perimeter security, guard schedules, electronic gates...what was he missing?
He took a few deep breaths, trying to clear his mind, hoping the solution would come to him. As had been happening way too often lately, before he knew it his thoughts had wandered to Rogue. He had barely exchanged a few sentences with her, but somehow he felt like he knew her, knew the kind of person she was. How did someone like that end up with Shaw? It just didn’t fit. And why had her fear spiked when she saw Shaw...was she afraid of being found with Wolverine, or did she just hate her husband that much?
He sat up suddenly, his system jolted by the realization. That was what was strange about Shaw’s security. It wasn’t designed to keep intruders out. It was designed to keep someone in. Was that someone Rogue?
He lay back again, feeling his blood thrum in his veins. His instincts told him he was right, but logically it didn’t quite fit. She obviously had some degree of freedom around Shaw’s estate. And she hadn’t asked for any help. But then again she had no reason to trust him, or anyone around here for that matter.
He sighed. Maybe this was a flight of fancy on his part. Just because the girl smelled great, it didn’t mean she was some kind of angel. Shaw was filthy rich, and plenty of trophy wives despised their husbands. It didn’t mean they were prisoners, just greedy. He couldn’t help feeling that she was better than that, though. Different. Warm, and sweet, and sassy, and delicious...
Goddamn, Logan thought, as his body hardened in response to the direction of his thoughts. And dangerous. Don’t forget dangerous.
___________
Logan scanned the hallway outside Shaw’s private office. It was deserted, but there was always the danger of someone happening by. He had to move quickly. He had heard Shaw’s helicopter taking off at dawn. He had taken Emma Frost and two of his trusted henchmen with them.
Azazel had gone too -- apparently he had made a better transition from hanger-on to confidante than the Wolverine had. Logan had to doubt Shaw’s judgement there. Never had a devilish appearance been more appropriate -- Azazel seemed to want to stir up trouble wherever he went. He didn’t seem to care what happened, as long as it caused chaos and strife. Not the kind of person Logan would want on his team, so Shaw must have something in mind that needed Azazel’s special skills. Hopefully his office would hold some clues as to what they were up to.
Moving swiftly and stealthily, Logan came up to the office door, examining the lock. He snicked a claw out a few inches. The sensitive connection to the musculature of his hands and forearms allowed him to feel the pins as each one slid aside. A shady past had some benefits.
He pushed the door open and slid inside.
“Fuck!” he said.
“Shit!” Rogue said, looking up in shock from where she was rummaging through Shaw’s desk.
They were both frozen for a moment before Logan came to his senses, softly clicking the door closed behind him.
She stood up, feigning indignation, but he sensed the panic underneath. “What are you doing here?” she hissed.
“I could ask you the same, darlin’.”
“This is Sebastian’s office.” Heh. A nice attempt at no answer at all.
“So you don’t mind if I tell him I saw you coming out of here, huh?”
Color rose high in her cheeks, and she dropped her eyes. She was no liar, that was for sure.
“Face it, darlin’, we’re equally busted here. Except I’m Shaw’s new Chief of Security, so I got good reason to rat you out.”
He casually sat down in the chair across the desk, and she sat back in Shaw’s chair abruptly, as if her knees were weak. She closed her eyes and took a deep shuddering breath before meeting his gaze again.
“Please don’t tell him.”
“Okay.”
She seemed startled by his ready agreement. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “And?”
“And what, darlin’?”
She pressed her lips together in irritation. “And...what do you want in exchange?”
Interesting question. He spoke the words before he had even thought about it. “Ride with me.”
“What?” She was looking at him as if he were crazy.
“You ride in the mornings. I’ll come with you. That’s all. Maybe we could talk a little.”
She was already shaking her head. “I can’t. If Sebastian found out...I can’t take those kinds of chances. You can’t either. It’s insane. Why would you even want that?”
Her refusal made him even more determined. “Then just meet me. Just ride your normal route, and I’ll find you. As for why...maybe we can help each other out.”
She carefully stacked the papers she had been looking through and put them back in the drawer, obviously buying herself time. He noticed she was wearing gloves again, thin silk ones this time. Had she been scared of leaving fingerprints in her own husband’s office?
She shut the drawer carefully before meeting his gaze again. He read confusion in her eyes, and perhaps just a trace of...longing?...before she looked away.
“I don’t trust you,” she finally said, her voice low and husky.
“That’s okay. Just meet me.”
She took one more deep breath and then nodded, shutting the desk drawer. “I didn’t find what I was looking for, but maybe you will. Just lock up after yourself, okay?”
“Will do.”
He watched her stand at the door, listening to make sure no one was outside, before she ducked through, shutting it firmly behind her.
Logan shook his head for a moment, not sure if he had been more surprised by her actions or his own. Then he moved around to the other side of the desk and got to work.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
Yeah, yeah, I know I should stay a chapter or two ahead, but I just can't hold out on you guys. It'll probably be longer until the next update. Reviews are very motivating, though! ;-)
Chapter End Notes:
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