What They Don't See

Chapter 22 - Max Shawn

For two days, Kate and Logan made appearances all over the city. 

Going out for lunch dates, going out to clubs at night, and even doing Kate's dance lessons together. The kids in her class loved getting to dance with a movie star and talked about it for weeks after. The only people that loved it more were the fans and the celebrity gossip channels. Every other night there was a segment about them, and how Kate was supposedly bringing Logan out of his shell.

"I mean look at him in this picture. Have we ever seen this man so happy before? She's nudging him out of his comfort zone and he loves it. No one can deny that she's the best possible influence on him," one presenter had declared one evening while they discussed the most recent picture that had surfaced of the couple teaching Kate's students the tango. In the photo, Logan was demonstrating by dipping Kate, and the photographer seemed to have found a window to take pictures from because photographers were not allowed into the classrooms. 

Logan enjoyed those two days thoroughly. He found it so easy to simply forget that the cameras were watching, and just be present in the moment with Kate. 

But now, it was time for them to disappear, without warning. 

They couldn't be anywhere near the city when Kate's men implemented the retaliation, but their enemy needed to be aware that both of them were back in the city, healthy, happy, and unafraid. 

Now that they had made that very clear, it was time to leave the city. The council had originally agreed to have them go to a safe house in DC, but Logan had a better idea.

"Let's go to my hometown. It's outside the city, off the grid, and  I've kept its location out of the media so no one knows where it is, not even Maxwell. That way when all is said and done on the mafia front, we can come back and all we have to say is we went to visit my family."

So they went. Kate had two of her men scout the town, which was ten minutes away from the ranch where Logan's family lived, and another two followed after. But Logan and Kate traveled alone, for once.

To ensure that they weren't being followed, they drove around the city for a while, circling a few blocks repeatedly for good measure, before they began the long journey.

"Tell me about your family." Logan glanced over at Kate for a second, before turning his attention back to the highway. It was the first time she had spoken since they left the city two hours ago.

"Well, my dad is a horse trainer, and he inherited the ranch from his dad. He always wanted one of his sons to take over the business. When I got into acting and had my big break, that pressure mostly went to my brother Max. But Max is a mechanic at heart. He works at the garage in town and has a little side business refurbishing old motorcycles and dirt bikes and selling them. He's made quite a bit of money like that, but he..." Logan trailed off, briefly glancing at Kate, who was watching him intensely.

"He's gotten himself into a lot of trouble in the past, which is why he still lives at the ranch. And then there's Mum. She manages this fancy little hotel in town. She started off as a concierge there when we were growing up, and she just rose up through the ranks. She can be a little dramatic, but she means well. She's a very caring person, who loves to stick her nose in everyone's business," Logan laughed to himself as he said that last part like he was remembering a moment.

Kate didn't fail to notice the way he brushed past the comment about his brother, but she decided not to mention it. He would share when he was ready.

"Your family sounds nice. Is it just the four of you?" Kate asked, glancing at the busy highway around them.

"Yup. Although I do have a few relatives that live in town. My mum and her sisters grew up in this town. When I was younger our cousins would come over and we would spend hours running around outside on the ranch."

For the rest of the trip, Logan told Kate stories of his childhood. Almost all of them began with Max getting into trouble, and Logan and their cousins getting him out of it. By the time they turned off the highway and drove into town another two hours later, Kate was sure she had never laughed so hard in her life. Although she couldn't help but notice that every story was about them as little kids, never as teens.

As they drove through the little town, Kate observed everything, like she was trying to memorize it. The quaint shops, each with its own personality, the outdoor restaurants, and the different vendors. All of it together was quite a sight. The town was beautiful and unique. Kate smiled softly when they drove past a bright pink ice cream shop.

 It reminded her of home and her childhood. As a kid, Jacob would take Kate to an ice cream shop just like that whenever she had a particularly hard day at school. They would sit and eat ice cream cones in silence. Once Kate was feeling better, her papa would get more ice cream, in a cup this time, and they would talk about the day. The week before Kate got her first period she had developed a sore throat from all the ice cream she consumed. 

A few minutes later, they stopped outside an auto repair shop that looked like it had seen better times. The gray paint on the outer walls was chipped and faded, and the paved space outside the inner building was littered with potholes that were filled with soil.

Logan and Kate stepped out of the car and walked hand in hand towards the garage. Inside, a cute blonde girl wearing very little clothing sitting behind a desk caught sight of them and perked up a little too much.

"Logan! Your back!" she exclaimed, jumping up from her seat and waving excitedly.

"Hi, Stacy. Is Max in today?" Logan asked, glancing around the room.

"Yup. He's working on the one in the back," Stacy answered, pointing to the opposite end of the room.

"Holy shit! A 1964 Ford GT40! Who the hell in your town owns that bad boy?" Kate exclaimed as they approached the car Stacy had pointed at.

"We don't know. The driver dropped it off yesterday," a voice replied from under it. A guy with features that were strikingly familiar to Kate, rolled out from underneath the car.

"Logan!" he exclaimed as he rushed to his feet, startling Logan out of the daze he had been in since Kate mentioned the name of the car.

"Hey little brother," Logan said, pulling Max in for a hug.

"And you must be Kate," Max remarked after a moment, reaching out and shaking her hand.

"Hi, it's nice to finally meet the brother I've heard so much about," she replied with a soft smile.

"Ready to go?" Logan asked his brother, who nodded in response.

"I just need a minute to change out of my overalls." 

While Max stepped into a back room to change, Kate turned her attention to the car. Taking a slow walk around it, she studied every aspect of it. She was still looking at the engine when Max came back, wearing jeans and a blue button-down shirt.

"It still has all its original parts. How the hell is it still running after so long?" she asked when he came within earshot. She didn't look away from the engine.

"That's the miracle. We don't know. but it only stopped running last week, and now the owner wants me to find out why," Max answered as he closed up the car.

"So, you like cars?" he asked as they began walking out of the garage.

"I do. Anything with an engine really," Kate replied as Logan threw his arm across her shoulders.

"I didn't know that," Logan murmured.

"You've met the people that raised me. Is it really that surprising?" She replied with a shrug, as Logan opened the front passenger door for her. Just before she got in, she glanced over at Max as he climbed into the seat behind hers. The moment was so fleeting she almost didn't see it.

The symbol tattooed onto the spot right above the waistline of his jeans. A scull in the midst of flames.

Hellfire. Shit.