Author's note: This story is going to be rated a mild R or a strong PG13. If you haven't read the prologue, this part might be confusing becuase this part starts off where the prologue stopped. I appreciate all the reviews that I have recieved but unfortunately, I'm not up to writing a sequel to Truths Revealed. If anyone else wants to write one...*shrug* go for it. Oh, and for the record. Yes, Logan is Chris. Sorry for the confusion. :-)

Big thanks to Saz, and not to mention Frankie (Arwen). I really swamp them with my stuff and they are already busy as it is, but they are wonderful enough to beta my stuff. Go read their stories and bug them to write more. They need it!

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Enemies
Part 1
bkeleven11@yahoo.com

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Max patiently stood next to Mr. Carson while he rambled on and on about his yacht. He was trying to impress her and was failing miserably. After she found out that the chip wasn't in his possession, she lost all interest in everything that he said. Her gaze fell to the window where she watched the Los Angeles skyline. There was barely anything to see, the pollution obstructed everything. Personally, she was nomadic, never stayed very long in one area but she did prefer her apartment near Seattle.

"So, I would love to take you on it sometime. It's a very spacious boat." Carson interrupted Max's daydream as he looked at her expectantly for an answer.

She shook her head slightly and replied. "I don't think so. I'm not here for long."

"Well, there's no harm in a little fun. We can do it tomorrow!"

Max smiled courteously at him. "No, I'm not interested." She was hoping that he would get the hint. No such luck.

"Why not?" He looked eager as his eyes roamed her body for the hundredth time that night.

"I'm leaving in a few days, Kevin." She kept her tone civil.

Carson still persisted despite her negative responses. "That's why we should go tomorrow!"

"No."

"There's no need to play hard-to-get, Katherine. I'm already interested."

Max looked over at him sharply and shot out, "I'm not *playing* hard-to-get."

"Then what time can I pick you up tomorrow?"

Max was tired of the conversation, she glanced over at him and smiled sweetly. "I don't think that your wife would like that very much, Kevin. Now, if you'll excuse me, I should really go mingle with other guests now. Lovely party by the way." With that, she left him with his mouth hanging open.

After getting a good sized distance away from Carson, Max scanned the vast area of people, looking for a certain man. She felt Zack's eyes piercing into her back, questioning what she was doing. Ignoring the urge to turn around and meet his gaze, she continued to look for Chris Elkins. She finally spotted him by a large round table. He was talking to a crowd, and by the looks of it, he was entertaining them well.

Intent on reaching the weasel, Max marched over to the man standing in the middle of a crowd. Elbowing a few people out of her way, she finally reached his tall figure. She recognized him instantly by his hair and the glasses he wore.

"Mr. Elkins?" Max tried to say it as civilly as she could but it still came out strained. She was a soldier, not an actress. She ignored the curious stares of the people around her.

"Yes?" He turned around and was pleasantly surprised to see her.

"May I talk to you, now?" She mustered up as much amiability as she possibly could.

"I didn't know you wanted to talk to me before." He smiled at the look on her face. She remembered how she treated him their first meeting.

"I wasn't myself before, Mr. Elkins." She crossed her arms. What could she possibly want now?

Logan came to the lifeless event because he wanted to stay on good terms with Carson. He had used his alias, Chris Elkins, many times before. People seem to like him more than Logan Cale. It's really not surprising, Logan was more held back and passive than his alias. Chris Elkins was impulsive and always said what was on his mind.

Logan really didn't mind playing the part, except for he dreaded every moment he had to talk to some blond bimbo. It made him very pleased that he had actually found someone at the party who dared to argue with him instead of swooning at him. He took in the sight of the woman before him, and he was satisfied with what he saw.

"Now, I thought that we were on a first name basis, *Katherine*." He smirked at her. He liked how her skin turned a slight shade of pink when she was annoyed.

"I apologize, *Chris*." Max spoke through gritted teeth. Instead of getting mad and blowing up at him, she took a few calming breathes, and regained her composure. Trying very hard to look less irate, she even let out a little laugh.

"Who is this, Chris?" An elderly woman by his right inquired.

Logan considered his answer carefully. "A friend."

"Yes, a friend." Max agreed. She rigidly stuck her hand out towards the woman. "My name is Katherine Webber. It's nice to meet you."

"Emily Carlson." She blinked at Max's outstretched arm and hestitantly extended her own arm.

Max firmly shook the hand firmly and addressed the interested crowd around her. "I hope it's not too much trouble for me to borrow Chris for a moment." She looked over at him and saw his surprised expression.

"No problem, take him as long as you'd like! He was boring us anyways." Someone shouted out. Several people chuckled at that comment.

"Yeah!" Another person agreed.

"Don't I get a say in this?" Logan mumbled half to himself as Max grabbed his sleeve and dragged him away.

"Nope." He watched the woman in front of him march towards the doorway. They had more privacy there.

"Okay, just checking."

When they finally reached the corner of the room, she let go of his sleeve and looked up expectantly at him.

Logan was confused, she was the one that pulled him over. Now she wanted him to say something? "Can I ask why you are seeking the pleasure of my company?"

She looked at him coyly and fingered a button on his tuxedo. "You interest me." He was shocked but his outward appearance showed nothing but a slight interest and a teasing nature.

"I interest you?" He inquired with a pleased curiosity. "How?" He didn't know what game she was playing at, and he certainly didn't like the way she switched personalities so quickly either.

Max wondered why he always had to try to get the upper hand. He didn't stand a chance, she was trained in military strategy and she always won. She decided to let him think that she wanted him for his money. In a way, it was true. "I was talking to Kevin, he says you are quite the business man. I like my men rich." She tried to say it in her most sultry voice and batted her eyelashes at him innocently.

Blunt isn't she? Logan shook his head in disbelief. "Really?"

"Do you have a problem with that?" She said it sweetly, but the fire in her eyes showed that she was still extremely defensive. Max watched him carefully as his baffled look on his face turned into a happy grin.

"No problem at all. I like my women honest."

Max maintained her cool exterior, but inside, she was boiling. "Good, honesty is my middle name."

"Pretty middle name." Logan leaned back against the wall. "So you dragged me all the way over here to tell me that I interest you?" He somehow didn't believe her.

"It's not the type of thing that you tell someone in front of an audience." Max shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Okay." Logan still didn't believe her. "Anything else?"

"No, nothing else. That's it."

"If you're sure." Logan tried to think up more things to say. "Go to these things often?"

She shook her head. "Do you?"

"Not when I can help it," he said frankly. "Although, I am very glad that I came this time. Do you know why?"

Max inwardly rolled her eyes at his words. "No, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me."

Logan pretended to frown. "See, I woke up this morning positively dreading tonight. I'm usually bored to tears at these events--"

"How sad for you." Max tried to hold back a sinister comment.

He looked pleased at her reply and Max wondered why. He's bizarre. "But then I saw a vision of beauty. So lovely that I forget to breathe whenever I gazed upon it." He paused, waiting for her reaction.

Max wondered whether that was the best line he had. "So, you gonna finish the story?"

"I'm was getting to that." He continued. "So this vision, it led me thinking and wandering around, questioning everyone about it."

"And?" Her voice was dull.

"And after a lot of effort on my part, I finally find out that the chandelier is indeed, real Austrian crystal." He finished and waited expectantly for her reply.

Max was a little stunned. Elkins is definitely bizarre. "That's great." She muttered.

"I thought so." He watched as she joined him next to the wall. Leaning back she looked at him, and then looked away, shaking her head in disbelief.

Breaking the silence, Logan spoke up. "You thought I was talking about you, didn't you?"

Max glanced briefly at him and shook her head. "No."

"Yes you did." Ignoring her skeptical look, he went on. "You are good-looking enough, but really, compared to the chandelier, no contest." He lied. He thought that she was the most exquisite thing that he had ever laid eyes on. Of course he would never tell her that. Truthfully, Logan had no idea why he started to rant on and on about a chandelier. He supposed that he just wanted to hold her attention. He noticed, when he was watching her before, that Carson didn't do a very good job keeping her interest.

"Dance?"

Logan chuckled. He briefly wondered who taught her those gracious manners. "Isn't it customary for the man to ask?" He smirked at her.

"Don't you want to dance with me?" She tried to grin through her clenched jaw.

"Love to." Without warning, he grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the center of the room. Max let herself be dragged by him. She stole a brief glance at Zack and she could tell that he was unhappy with what she was doing. It was just a dance for God's sake. Her mind was still on the objective: to get the chip.

Logan held her at arm's length and tried not to invade her personal space. He knew that she wouldn't appreciate it. They swayed slowly, in silence, to the orchestral music. Logan took the time to take her in. She was intriguing, and he definitely had never seen her before in his life. He certainly would have remembered it.

"Having fun?" He broke the silence.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" She spoke airily, as if her mind wasn't on the conversation. She peered past Logan's shoulder to watch Zack glaring at them. Max was annoyed, knowing that later, she would have to deal with his lectures on her behavior.

"You're just so quiet."

"I'm a quiet person."

He held back a laugh. "Somehow, I seriously doubt that."

"Well, you are entitled to your opinion."

"However wrong it may be." He finished her sentence. Max glanced up at him. "You know you were thinking it."

She scoffed. "Now you are telling me what to think?"

"No." He argued. "I told you what you were thinking. I can't help but notice that you didn't deny it." He smiled.

"I'm denying it now. I wasn't thinking that."

"Then what were you thinking?"

"That you are very frustrating."

"I thought I was an ass." He countered.

"That too."

Max sighed and saw Zack's grim expression. He was definitely not happy with her. She unconsciously tightened her grip on Elkins and moved closer.

That was all the encouragement that Logan needed. He closed the rest of the distance between her and pressed her so close to him that there was virtually no space in between them. She looked at him in shock. She also looked steamed. It was the first time that night that she dropped her routine and showed a little bit of her true self.

"What do you think you are doing?" She hissed at him.

"Dancing, of course." Max didn't like the way he said that. He acted as if he didn't notice her discomfort.

Max looked restlessly over to Zack. He motioned his hand for her to stop fooling around and get back on task. Of course he didn't know that Chris Elkins currently owned the M3 chip. She gave a meaningful look towards him and focused her attention back to him. She continued to glare at him but she didn't struggle against his hold on her.

"Give me some breathing room, will ya?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Katherine."

"You *know* what I'm talking about. Do it!" She clenched her teeth.

"I don't want to. When I don't want to do something, I usually don't do it." He pretended that the glare she was giving him wasn't affecting him. In truth, he was mentally cringing and was about to back down when she spoke.

"Move away, now!" Her loud whisper got the attention of the couples around them. Max simply smiled sweetly at them and let her partner steer her away from the pack. He was encouraged after seeing that being so close to him bothered her. Logan pulled her closer to him, if that was even possible.

"There now, that's no way to talk to a 'rich business man'." He chastised her mischievously.

"Do you think I'm joking?"

"No, I know you're serious." He drawled casually.

"Are you going to let me go?"

"Nope." He shook his head, which made her want to smack it.

Instead, Max simply glared at him.

Logan ignored the glower that she was giving him and he moved his mouth to her ear. "Look, let's stop this little game of ours. I have no idea who you are, but you want my chip for some reason. You aren't going to get it. Who do you work for? An international agency? Local?"

Whether Max wanted to admit it or not, Chris Elkins interested her. She was also stunned. "I have no idea what you are talking about." She feigned innocence. He rested the side of his head next to her cheek, and surprisingly enough, she didn't pull back and slap him.

"Right. Then why were you so adamant about talking to Carson?" His tone wasn't harsh; it was more matter-of-fact and curious.

"He's the host. I simply offered my appreciation for his lovely event." Max stood rigidly in his arms. Her voice was as equally tight as her body.

"Then explain the sudden change of heart you had towards me after you spoke to him. You know that I have it." He spoke seriously.

"I wanted to talk to you." Max knew that her excuses were bad and that he didn't believe them. She didn't really know how to get herself out of the situation that she had gotten into. Getting away from him wasn't an option. She still needed the chip. She could always kill him later, but for some reason, that idea held no appeal to her.

"You didn't want to talk to me. That much was proven with our first conversation. You want the chip." Logan was starting to get a bit frustrated with her little act. He tightened the grip around her waist and hand. Max felt the pressure he applied but overlooked it because it didn't hurt her.

"What do you want me to say?"

"Tell me the real reason you're here, in my arms." He pulled back slightly to look at her face but he still kept the iron-like grip on her waist. "Could it be that you actually are attracted to me?" For effect, he kissed her fully on the mouth. It was brief, but it made Max dizzy and for once, she was grateful that Elkins was holding her up. She avoided Zack's penetrating gaze at all costs. Instead, she focused her attention on her dance partner.

Logan tilted her chin up so that he could look at her face. "Or is it because of the chip?"

"Yeah, I want you so bad, Chris." She said it sarcastically, hoping to turn his attention to something else. Max didn't understand why he was still holding on to her. He didn't trust her, that much she knew. Also, she hasn't done anything wrong yet, and to her, Chris Elkins seemed to be taking it all in stride and that baffled her even more.

"Sure, who doesn't want me?" He wagged his eyebrows suggestively at her.

"Do you want a list of names?" Her voice was biting. She was mad because the kiss between them affected her so much and she was equally mad that it didn't seem to affect Elkins at all.

"A list is not necessary." Then he added seriously and softly, "I do enjoy holding you, a lot. Maybe too much." He acted as if he didn't understand it, and he didn't. Here was someone who wanted the M3 chip yet there was only one thing on his mind. The kiss was short-lived, but it was amazing. She didn't seem to think so though, since she didn't comment on it.

"I like dancing with you, too." Max tried to say it nonchalantly, but it sounded too sincere. Almost like she meant it.

"Are you just saying that because you want my chip?" Logan smiled teasingly at her.

"Like I said, I don't know what you are talking about."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Would I lie?" She was exasperated.

"I don't know. I'm still trying to figure that out."

Max closed her eyes in frustration. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She was supposed to be charming, and then get close enough to palm the M3 chip without him ever suspecting. But then he just had to figure out her real intentions.

"Katherine? Are you alright?" His voice conveyed genuine concern for her.

She opened her eyes and stared back at his handsome face. "I'm fine."

He seemed reassured with her reply. His expression switched from concern to slyness. "Let's finish this conversation in my hotel room." His eyes dared her to respond. Max watched in awe. Was he suggesting what she thought he was suggesting?

This guy can't be serious. Here she was trying to get the M3 chip at all costs and although he knew that she wanted it, he was still trying to seduce her. She bit her lip, a little hesitant about her next words. "Fine, let's go somewhere more private."

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