Chapter 11 – Breaking and Entering
She'd gone to a small high school, her class had about sixty kids at the most. It made for a small and relatively unmonitored building, all the easier to break into. Of course Logan never did a job half-assed, so they approached this mission as gravely as they would have if it were a major government facility. They encroached through the back and quietly pushed at a few windows to see if they'd even bothered to lock them. The found a winner on the third try.
It was one of those awning windows -- a small 1- by 4-foot window opening that swung up and out on hinges -- which meant she was going to have to squeeze through and then let Logan in through one of the doors. She turned her back to the wall and squatted down. Using Logan's hand to help keep her from smashing her head on the window’s edge, she slowly worked her way up and under the glass partition. She squeezed her shoulders and chest through carefully. Once that was accomplished, she easily pulled herself up and scooted onto the ledge, pulling one leg in and then the other.
“I'll meet you at the west entrance,” she whispered to him.
He nodded and quietly disappeared. She straightened and turned into the classroom. Mr. Schwartz's bio chem lab. She'd never gotten a chance to take the class. It was reserved for the Juniors and Seniors and she had left at the end of her Sophomore year. She had preregistered, she recalled. Student sentiment was he was a difficult teacher but super funny and cool. She sighed.
She quietly made her way to the classroom door and slowly opened it. She only cracked it while she peered out into the hall, checking to see if they'd installed security cameras since she'd left. When she was satisfied that they still held the same ridiculous trust in society, she quickly jogged down the hall, her boots softly clicking on the tiled floors.
She reached the double doors and pushed the middle bar in to release the latch. It swung open quickly and Logan slipped in and closed the door behind him before she finished her breath. He looked around, assessing the situation as she filled him in.
“They haven't installed any cameras or motion detectors, at least in the hallways. The office and Guidance are down in the south wing.” He nodded and motioned for her to lead the way.
She'd expected the office door to be locked and so had Logan. He pulled out lock picks from his pocket and knelt down to start working at the door. She raised a single eyebrow. He looked up at her.
“What?” It was entertaining for her to watch.
“No claws?” She tried unsuccessfully to hide her grin.
He grunted and winked at her. “Keep those on reserve for special occasions,” he said, all the while working away at the door.
She laughed quietly. “Looking forward to it, sugah.”
He smirked at her and then pushed the door open with a quiet click of the lock.
She moved quickly to the filing cabinets in the back, stopping to hit the power switch on a computer, and started looking for the right drawer. Logan took a few extra moments to make sure nothing was out of place in the hall, carefully looking around.
She found her class's year, relieved it hadn't been moved down to the basement yet with the rest of the graduated classes. She rummaged through the Ds, noticing the numerous red D.O. stickers many of the files had plastered at the top. Dropped Out. Her school never did have the highest graduation rate.
She finally found her name. D’Ancanto, Marie A., a big red sticker plastered next to it. She snatched the entire thing out and plopped it on the desk next to the computer. She pulled the rolling chair up and quickly turned and began typing away at the buzzing computer that had finally booted up.
Kitty was the computer wiz but Rogue could hold her own. It wasn't as if the Meridian Public School Board had extensive hacker protection software on their systems. Logan walked quietly over, watching over her shoulder as she finally triggered into the system. He looked around and noticed the file. He picked it up, growling at what she assumed was the stupid red sticker. He flipped it open and looked it over while she tried to find the right network.
“Jesus Christ, Marie,” he said. “How the hell does someone get a 4.235 GPA?”
She smirked. “AP classes, Logan.”
Her school may have been small, but her parents hadn't wanted that to hold back their precious daughter. She'd taken summer classes at the community college to supplement the meager advanced placement classes the school had to offer.
He gave half a smile. “That's my girl.” She laughed softly.
“Marie A. D’Ancanto...What's the A for?”
Her fingers stopped moving. She took a breath and kept going. “Analyse. It's my grandmother's name.”
Her dead grandmother, thank God. Because she'd been even more conservative than her parents had.
He must have noticed her mood shift because he didn't comment further. “You almost finished?”
“Just...” she clicked into the right system. “One more sec.”
There. Search: D’Ancanto, Marie A. It paused and then the screen changed to a digital record that included guidance and nurses’ notes as well as the most recent activity listing. She grazed over the information and then stopped. Looking at the date of activity she had noticed something.
“What...?”
He'd been looking out into the hallway again. When he heard her question, he quickly made his way over. “What's wrong?”
She clicked on the dated notation. “This file was updated a couple weeks ago.” A small window popped up and she read aloud. “Parent request of all files submitted and request completed.” Oh, fuck.
“Shit. We'll deal with that later. Get it off the system and let's go.”
She clicked back to the student file and completed the job. When the window came up asking if she was sure she wanted to erase all information pertaining to this student, she paused. It felt like she was making that life disappear. She clicked on the OK button. She wasn't that girl anymore.
After a quick power down of the computer, they slipped back out into the hallway, file in hand, and out the double doors. That was the end of Marie Analyse D’Ancanto as far as Meridian High was concerned.
Her old doctor's office wasn't all that much different. It took more time to get in as they did have security cameras and alarms, but Logan made short work of that by gutting the power boxes on the street corner. It shut down all the electricity in the building, leaving only emergency lights and small fridges with medicines and blood samples in them running off a generator. She'd had to run a cable from one of those outlets to the nearest computer.
She'd felt a distraught prickling in her stomach when she found a similar notation in these files as she had in her school files. Why had her parents requested the files? They had wiped their hands clean of her. Why would they want the information now?
It was almost 3 a.m. before they finally made it back to the old building they had chosen as their base of operations. She felt a heavy knot in her stomach and it was making it hard to breathe. There was only going to be one way.
Logan shoved the flashlight back into his sack and turned to her. “We need to get those files.”
She nodded, feeling the knot create a rush of adrenaline at the idea of seeing them.
“I know.”
It was all she could get out. She hopped back up onto the crate from earlier, feeling lightheaded.
He walked over to her and cupped her face in his hands, brushing his thumbs softly across her chin and lips.
“You don't have to go,” he whispered. “I'll take care of it.”
His brows came down in thought. “I'll stake the place out until they leave and then break in. You give me the information on where they keep files and I'll be out in ten minutes.”
It was tempting. But she'd come all this way to face her demons. And they were her biggest ones. She couldn't chicken out now.
“No,” she answered. “I'll go too. I need to face them anyways.”
He took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. “OK. But let's get into some regular clothing and get you some sleep.”
She nodded and hopped down. She pulled out her sack. She walked over to a grouping of crates and used it to shield herself from his gaze while she stripped out of her uniform. She had her jeans, bra, and wrist-length gloves on and was about to pull her long-sleeved soft cotton dark green shirt over her head when a rat scurried across the floor and over her toes.
She wasn't a squealing girl with bugs and rodents by any means, but Mississippi sported some whopper-sized rats and regardless of size, rats always reminded her of the ones she'd woken up to crawling on her when she'd slept behind grocery stores.
She let out a disgusted “Blaaa,” and skidded out from behind the crates, looking wildly around the floor to see where it had gone.
When she looked around, she noticed Logan standing there in his jeans and a long-sleeved red flannel shirt over a white undershirt. His typical look, giant belt buckle and all. She saw his hot gaze land on her and she remembered she hadn't gotten her shirt on yet. She blushed pink from the roots of her hair down to her toes. The only mercy was the decent condition of her bra.
She hadn't thought his look could smolder any more, but it turned downright feral.
“Got my answer.”
It dawned on her he'd meant his queries about where her blush ended and, if possible, her skin colored even more scarlet.
His eyes were down at her stomach. “Mostly, anyways. Jeans get in the way.”
She turned her back to him and quickly pulled the shirt over her head and down over her torso.
“A gentleman would be turning his head right about now, Logan.” She tried to sound annoyed. She failed miserably.
“Good thing I'm no gentleman, darlin'.”
She smiled and turned back to him. “No. You're incorrigible.”
He wrapped her up in one arm and walked her over to a stack of crates. “You like it.”
She poked his ribs. He helped her up and followed behind her. They sat back against the wall, her head curled up against his chest. His arm slung over her shoulders and pulled her in.
“Close your eyes. Get some sleep. We still got a ways to go.”
She sighed. “Yeah. I'll be glad when this is over.”
She let herself drift off to sleep, as his fingers gently combed through her hair.
XXX
They stood just two houses down, waiting for her to build up her nerve. He was patient with her, letting her spend time looking at the cherry tree in her front yard and the porch swing.
Thoughts were whirling madly in her head, making it difficult to concentrate on any given thing. Her whole past, everything she'd thought would be part of her forever sat in front of her. When all was said and done she couldn't be sorry for the way her life had turned out. She wouldn't be.
She had friends who were closer to her now than her parents had ever been. She had teachers and mentors who taught her the meaning of kindness and acceptance. And she had Logan. Which, she thought triumphantly, made everything worth it.
“Come on.”
She walked the last fifty feet to the entrance of her parent's walk, Logan following closely. She reminded herself she couldn't just reach out and open the door, that she didn't live there anymore. She reached up and rang the bell, taking a deep breath.
She heard the familiar sound of footsteps against the wood foyer and then the turning of the lock. She felt terror grip her stomach and shoot up her spine, remembering their faces. Logan's hand came up and rested gently at the base of her back, reassuring her.
The door opened and the distantly familiar face of her father appeared.
“May I help you?”
Her breath exploded from her mouth and she almost laughed. He gazed at her and at Logan with that familiar suspicious look on his face he wore when strangers were in town. He hadn’t even recognized her.
“Dad, it's me.”
She said it matter of factly, like there should be no question that she would be standing in front of him. When she was sixteen, she had called him “Daddy.” She couldn’t stomach the thought of calling him that now.
His head snapped back to her and he looked her over with a confused expression. She watched him note the streaks of platinum in her hair, the gloves she wore in the late spring, early summer and the strange company she kept. His face clouded over and she saw the moment he recognized her.
“What do you want, girl?”
Logan's menacing growl broke out and he stepped forward.
“Might want to show a little hospitality, bub. Bein' she's your kid and all.”
Her father's surprised face at Logan's intimidating tone was quickly replaced by angry self-righteousness.
“I ain't gotta be nothin’, boy. Now you better talk quick about what you’re doin' here or I'm callin' the police.”
She cleared her throat and cut in.
“All I need are my files, Dad. I need them, all of them. When I have them I'll be on my way and you never have to look at me again.”
He stared at her for a moment and then grudgingly opened the door. She gave a private Thank you, God before she took a step inside the door. When Logan tried to follow her father stepped in front of him, blocking his direct path to her. This, she was well aware, would piss him off more than anything else.
“You ain't got any business here.”
Logan brought up a hand, resting it on the frame, and leaned in close to her father's face. In a dangerous voice, he said, “You think I'm gonna leave her alone with a child-beatin' piece of shit like you?” Her father flinched. “You get the fuck out of my way, old man. Or I'll show you how to give a real beatin'. One you ain't gonna walk away from.”
She managed to keep a straight face when her father moved aside after a moment's shocked tension.
“Everything still in the back office?”
He nodded. “Hurry it up and get the hell out.”
Logan growled at him again.
They walked to the office and she bent down to the filing cabinet. She pulled out all her papers: birth certificate, baptism certificate, report cards, social security card...
She looked up at him. “Where's Mama? Church?”
She didn't want to care but she did and she figured he wouldn't answer anyways so there was no harm in asking. When he gave no reply, she looked up.
“Dad?”
He stared scathingly at her. “She passed away a year ago.”
She stood in shock, the papers in her hand scattering to the floor. She felt all the blood drain from her face and and the edges of her vision dulled.
Logan gripped her around the waist, supporting her weight. She stared at his chest, trying to process the words.
She's dead. She's dead. She's dead...
“Jesus,” Logan mumbled.
He pushed her into a chair and squatted in front of her.
“You're white as a ghost. Deep breaths, darlin'. Deep breaths.”
The world was fogging up and she felt like she was falling down a hole.
“Marie, deep breaths,” he repeated.
She blinked and felt things come back into focus.
“That's it,” he whispered, holding her face. When she finally looked up at him he smiled softly. “Take a few deep breaths, baby.”
Her father stood, staring at them. He glared at Logan.
“Just what exactly is the relationship between you two?”
Logan jerked around and pointed at him. “Listen up, bub. You...”
She stood shakily. “It's none of your concern, Dad. My life is no longer your business. Which is why I'm here for my files. You don't need them anymore.”
She squatted down to pick up the dropped papers, hands shaking. She’d have to deal with this later. She couldn’t break down in front of her dad. Logan dropped his hand and clenched his jaw.
“Get to it then.” Her father walked over to the door and leaned against it, obviously waiting for them to finish and leave.
She grabbed the rest of what she found in the filing cabinet, looking around curiously.
“Where are the files from the school and the doctor's office? The ones you got a couple of weeks ago?”
He looked at her like she'd grown another head.
“What are you talkin' about, girl? I ain't got nothin’ else.”
“But...”
She was at a loss for words and looked to Logan who stood straighter, his gaze sharpening.
“The files said you requested my records and they gave them to you.”
Logan inched to the window. Her father's gaze following him suspiciously.
“I ain't asked for nothin' and I ain't got nothin'.”
“Well, then...” she asked, looking down at the files in her hands. “Who...?”
“Shit!” Logan's profanity rang out.
She turned to look at him and she saw him focusing on something outside. She moved to look out the window as well, but he grabbed her by the upper arm and pushed her towards the door.
“There's five unmarked cars out there. It's a fuckin' trap.”
He led her to the back of the house where she noticed men dressed in casual attire and AK-47s sneaking around the lawn.
“Mercenaries,” Logan said tightly.
“Shit, shit, shit!” she ground out. They'd set her up! They'd damn well set her ass up! It had been bait. The files request had been nothing but a lure to get her to one spot where they could close in on her.
The window shattered in the kitchen. Her father's “What in God's name...” was drowned out by the sound of gunfire.
She threw herself onto the floor and scrambled to take cover behind the kitchen island.
Logan sprung his claws and ran at the man climbing in the sliding glass door, burying his metal claws into the man's chest with a roar. Marie scrambled for a plan. They didn't have a car. They didn't have...
“Truck!” she called triumphantly to no one. Her father's old Ford pick-up.
“Logan! Truck! Garage!”
“Go!” he shouted, slicing through another gun of a man entering the house before gutting him.
She scrambled across the floor, passing her shaking and terrified father. She pushed the kitchen door open and fell down the steps with a thump. She scrambled to the side of the truck and climbed in. Keeping her head down, she reached for the visor and snapped it down. Damn! No keys? Didn't he always used to keep them in the damn visor?
Well, there was always old school.
She ripped out the panel under the steering wheel. Reaching into the cab, she snatched up one of the smaller hunting knives her father kept. She shoved her body under the steering wheel and sliced through wires while gunfire echoed through the garage. If she’d had more practice, she wouldn’t need to see what she was cutting and splicing, but it had been a while.
Placing the blade in between her teeth, she crossed the proper wires. Her hands shook from trying to go so fast. Holding two wires together with one hand she used the other to grab the knife from her mouth to cut the last connection. She tossed the knife to the floor and then started sparking them. It took two tries and the engine turned over.
Which was perfect because that's exactly when Logan came tearing into the garage. He pulled her from the floor of the driver's seat and helped her climb in and through to the passenger side, climbing in right after. He jammed the gear shift into reverse and stomped on the gas.
Inertia slammed her body forward. She used her hands to stop her from eating the dash with her face as they crashed through the garage door. The truck carried the crumpled metal all the way to the street. Logan fish-tailed and then took off down the road, leaving it in the street.
She turned her head around and noticed the figures of men running to their cars.
“Missed a few.” She gripped the old leather seat as he took a sharp corner onto the country road.
He laughed humorlessly. “I'll do better next time.”
He winced and she noticed gunshot wounds healing across his chest.
“You're hurt.” She reached over and pulled aside the flannel shirt. Blood had stained through his undershirt.
He grabbed her hand, smiling at her.
“Not a problem, darlin'. You know that.”
They were going at a breakneck speed, trying to put distance in between them and the mercenaries. The road was winding and rose and fell with the land. It made for a nauseating car chase. He shifted gears. When his hand was momentarily tangled in the wires hanging from under the steering wheel, he looked down in confusion. He looked at her with a shocked expression.
“Where the fuck did you learn how to hotwire a car, Marie?”
“Detroit.”
He growled as they flew around a corner. “A lot of shit going on in Motor City.”
She looked behind them again. “Problem for you?”
“No,” he said curtly. “Just fuckin' pissed I didn't think to teach you myself.”
She would have reminded him that she’d met him after she’d been in Detroit, but the car closing in on them took up most of her attention. They were in an old rundown truck and they were being chased by a high-powered SUV. “They're getting closer.”
“Yeah.” His face was set into a fierce expression. “We might have a problem.”
The car jerked again and she gripped the back of the chair, looking around the old truck.
“Gun!”
“What?”
She turned on her knees, throwing her upper body into the cab. “My father hunts. He keeps guns and bullets in the car!”
Logan grunted in relief. “Get 'em loaded, quick.”
She found the rifle and rummaged for the corresponding ammunition. When she found the right box she opened it. He jerked the car around a corner and half of the shells came spilling out. “Shit,” she mumbled. She grabbed a handful and started loading them in.
“Hurry it up, Marie.” His voice was strained.
“Almost...” She was placing the last round in when she heard him swear. The car pitched to the side and suddenly she was weightless. She felt only the first slam of her body into the front of the car before time stopped.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
And here you go! I warn you now.....you will be wanting to hurt me at the end of this chapter....brace yourselves....for.....a cliffhanger!
Chapter End Notes:
I warned you! Do not fear.....soon, very soon, the next chapter will come. I mean you no harm...unless you do not review...