Deceptions: Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

A/N: Endless hugs to my wonderful hubby, Eli, for some rocking suggestions that I’ve employed in this chapter, and to CandyCentric for critique and encouragement. Thank you!

Never you hear the discouraging lies
I hear faith in your cries
Broken is the promise, betrayal
The healing hand held back by the deepened nail
 ~The God That Failed, Metallica

Max spent a bit more time with Axel and Mena, catching up on the dealings in Terminal City, hearing about Axel’s experience first-hand and the slow recovery that followed, and enjoying some general gossip and friendly banter; things she had sorely missed.

After a while, Mena, who had noticed the dark circles under Max’s eyes, gently inquired after Max’s wellbeing, knowing that the girl had been a mess for weeks.

“How are you doing, Max? We’ve all been really worried about you.”

Max shrugged. “I had some bad news is all.” She fell silent for a few moments, a faraway look creeping into eyes. Finally she sighed, and directing her question to Axel, though keeping her focus on the soft, downy head of the child in her arms, she softly asked,  “Is he happy?”

Axel looked surprised at the question for moment before he realized who she was talking about. He snorted derisively. “What do you think, Max? You destroyed him.”

Max’s shoulders slumped and she looked everywhere but at Axel, but ended up catching his eyes anyway. Seeing the mixed feelings there, she quietly defended herself.

“I had to. I-”

“You had to?” he asked harshly. “You knew how he felt about you, Max! Alec loved you and you threw it back in his face!”

She swallowed hard and repeated, “I thought I had to.”

Axel, seeing her obvious pain and distress, softened. “Why, Max? Why would you think such a thing?”

Max kept her face as blank as possible, but her lip began to quiver and Axel gently took Kaie from her, allowing Mena to reach over and draw the other girl into a comforting hug in hopes of getting her to open up and explain where everything had gone wrong.

“I found out – the tests – I thought I…,” she began. “The results were bad.”

Axel gave her a hard look, his disbelief obvious in his voice. “What tests? What results? Were you testing the virus, Max?”

She nodded wordlessly.

“God, Max! You used him?! While you were waiting for a cure, you used Alec, is that it?” he spat at her in disgust. “You really are a bitch!”

Max’s face crumpled and she shook her head vigorously in denial. She cast a pleading look at her friend. “The tests, Mena. The tests came back all wrong. And I had to end it before it was too late.”

Axel narrowed his eyes at Max before turning his accusing glare to Mena. “You knew about this? And you kept it from me?!”

Mena shook her head sadly. “Axel, no. What Max is trying to tell us is that the tests they did on the virus? They weren’t looking for a cure, baby. They were looking for anomalies, genetic deficiencies, any problems that might have resulted because of the virus. Logan’s doctor friend, Carr, told Max that there might be a mutation.”

Axel looked properly chastised but was still confused. “I’m not following. So what was the problem?” he asked quietly, directing his question to Max, even knowing that Mena would answer for her.

“I overheard Max talking to Kat in the infirmary,” Mena explained, looking to Max for permission to continue. The other girl gave a slight nod, gazing at the child now nestled against Axel’s chest with such a look of longing that he felt his heart ache.

“Kat suggested that she make sure the virus wouldn’t affect Max’s ability to conceive, or be passed on to any children she might have one day.” Mena squeezed Max’s shoulder in silent support. Axel pieced the information together and sighed.

“Max, god I’m sorry! I didn’t know. I should never-,”

She raised her head slowly, reddened eyes filled with defeat and sadness and shook her head. “Don’t, Axel. Just don’t. I never told anyone.”

“Max, just tell me one thing. Do you love him?”

There was a slight hitch in her breathing at the question. Max clenched her jaw and swallowed tightly, staring blankly at a spot over Axel’s shoulder. He watched as a lone tear made it way down the girl’s cheek.

Her reply was so quiet he almost thought he’d imagined it.

“Yes.”

-x-x-x-

When did I turn into such a pussy? he scoffed to himself, wiping angrily at his wet cheeks. Alec leaned his head back and stared up a the ceiling, trying to make sense of the sudden chaos that was his life.

“This is what I get for playing good Samaritan. Stabbed in the back and straight through the fucking heart,” he muttered darkly, running a shaky hand through his already disheveled hair.

It cut deep and twisted inside, making his very soul bleed. The pain brought new awareness, and with it, righteous anger. Conflicting feelings churned in his mind and heart and waged war on his emotions. Alec struggled to choose one feeling over another but found it impossible to do so.

If she did have feelings for me like I thought, the news must have crushed her, the voice of compassion and sympathy argued strongly on her behalf, but the indignant and, to be honest, most compelling voice reminded him of her penchant to avoid dealing with her problems. Typical Max to do a runner when things get tough. At least both voices agreed on something; She should have told me!   

Alec stuffed his fist in his mouth to keep from screaming. He had no intention to give the neighbors cause to investigate his presence in the apartment sans host. Oh no, he meant to wait it out. The little chat he’d planned to have with Logan, to convince the older man to open his eyes and not screw up the one good thing he had going for him…well. The visit was definitely an eye-opener and he certainly planned to – he laughed mirthlessly – chat, with the bastard.

The fact that Logan had planned everything, set things up over the course of a year – no, more – didn’t even strike Alec as strange. Logan had always been the type to carry through to the end once he’d set his sights on something. It’s what made him a good journalist, he supposed. And jealousy and rejection do nasty things to a person, he conceded. Alec knew that first-hand.

He couldn’t understand it; how had he not seen the signs? He knew Max so well, could read her like no other, understood what drove and motivated her, could sense when she was hurting or something was on her mind. He fucking knew her, and yet he hadn’t thought to question the change in her demeanor that fateful night, nor had he gone after her demanding answers, annoying her into telling him what was going on like he normally would have.

Alec snorted in disgust. No, he thought regretfully, self-loathing coloring his already dark thoughts, I was hurt, and I wanted her to hurt, too. I wanted her to see what it was like to be cast aside.

Alec swallowed hard, fighting down the acidic bile that threatened and swelled within as bitter realization clawing at the surface of his memories.

I’m as guilty as she is. He blinked back hot, angry tears. No, guiltier, he conceded.

Max had seemed too happy, so content to be with him, he reflected sadly. It was only after he’d told her his dreams of a family of his own – and he could have sworn that she was on board with that same dream – when the phone rang. Her entire body went rigid and she turned to ice in a matter of moments, and finally, when he’d asked her to admit her feelings, pled with her to end the pointless avoidance and give in to their mutual feelings and considerable passion, she’d pushed him away.

Max had pushed him away…

So I’d have what I always wanted. She did it to save me.

He let out a strangled sob infused with hysterical laughter.

And I did it to hurt her…

He buried his face in his hands.

And I ruined us both.

-x-x-x-

Max took leave of Axel and Mena and began her trek back to Headquarters. If she didn’t get through to Logan, perhaps she would take Mole up on his offer. She’d missed the sharp-tongued, quick-witted lizard, after all. Hesitantly, she flipped open her phone and dialed the familiar number with a heavy heart.

“Logan? We should talk.”

“Look, Max, I’m kind of busy. Can you call me later?”

“Later? Where are you? It’s almost midnight!”

“I’m sorry, Max, I’m meeting a contact. I should be back in about an hour. Why don’t you meet me at home. You’re right, we should talk. I miss you.”

“Yeah. Um, I’ll see you then.”

-x-x-x-

He’d just pocketed his phone when she entered the dark alley.

“Your little girl getting impatient, Cale? That makes two of us. Hand it over and we can both get on with our lives.”

Hailey reached for the envelope but Logan snatched it from her grasp.

“No, tell me one more time. You’re positive no one will find out that the copies you left were faked? You covered your tracks and there’s absolutely no way it can be traced to me.”

“Listen, Cale,” she huffed. “I’ve been doing this kind of thing since I was in diapers. I was born to do this shit. Just chill, okay? No one’s the wiser and you’re in the clear. Now give me my fucking money so I can go home and play happy families.”

“For someone who made an easy ten thousand, you’re sounding pretty uptight. Problems in paradise?” he sneered at her.

“My business is no longer your concern. You got what you wanted, now give me what you owe me or I’ll be sure to demonstrate what an agitated X5 female is truly capable of.”

“You forget that I’ve seen Max in action. The novelty wore off long ago.”

Hailey glared at Logan and snorted angrily. “Oh right, how could I forget? Perfect Max fucking Guevara. The queen-fucking-bee who can do no wrong!”

His curiosity got the better of him. “You really hate her, don’t you?”

“Would you like it if she screamed his name ever fucking time you-,” she clamped her mouth shut, grabbed the enveloped and turned on her heel in a huff. “Our business is concluded, Cale. Don’t contact me again. Ever.”

Logan scowled, face dark with unconcealed anger, hatred for the wretched X5-494 evident in his every feature. He clenched his jaw before allowing a slow, indulgent smile to cross his lips.

No matter, he thought smugly. This time next week, we’ll be far from reach and Seattle , her friends and her cocky, blond, would-be lover will be nothing but memories.

-x-x-x-

Alec always prided himself on his ability to keep his composure and a level head under pressure. Even so, he hadn’t often found himself in deeply emotional situations, and on the few occasions in which he did cave to the strain, he’d been forcibly reminded of the consequences of such weakness.

Years of such ‘lessons’ had taught him early on to keep mind over heart, to think rationally and thoroughly before taking action and show no outward appearance of distress. Those well and oft-enforced tactics and doctrines had kept him alive and one step ahead in the game. This time would be no different.

Sure, he was seething, still reeling from the deceptions of his mate, but acting rashly would do no good in the long run. He had to remove himself from the picture and view things with tried and true, clinical detachment.

Quit thinking of yourself as a pawn in terms of that one next step, he chided himself. Step back and take in the entire board.

They’d played him, played him and Max both. He knew he couldn’t change how the game started, but he could make a play to see it end his way. Logan’s lies would eventually be revealed to Max, whether by Alec’s revelations or Logan’s own admission; he didn’t rightly care. She would leave him, and one day, hopefully, would fine happiness again. Obviously not before one or both of them did Logan some damage, but Max would get past it and move on. He hoped.

He wanted to blame Logan for everything, because ultimately, he had set the plan in motion. But the fact remained that Hailey had played a key part. She was the one who broke into the hospital labs, she had swapped the crucial files, she took a very active role in pursuing Alec and securing his attentions. The more he considered her part in things, the less he wanted to kill Logan. Oh, he still meant to crush him like a bug, ruin his reputation, expose him…something painful and longer reaching than physical torture, and far less merciful than a bullet through the heart. However, Hailey’s lies were far worse than Logan’s, and Alec didn’t really care to waste his energy on a man he’d never really respected in the first place.

No. Logan’s motives, selfish as they were, could be understood. Alec knew what it was like to lose the woman he loved. He could see being blinded by jealousy and driven by desire, want and need, being strong motivators, could possibly even accept that the other man had been blinded to reason and decency in his pursuit of the woman of his dreams.

Hailey was a different story, and none of her actions could ever be justified in Alec’s eyes. Social status, money…he couldn’t help but wonder now if everything was a set-up. He admitted to considering that she might have trapped him, but Hailey had seemed genuinely upset to learn they were going to have a baby. Alec knew, deep down inside – especially now that her true colors had been revealed – he accepted that she had never wanted the baby, but something had kept her from aborting, and for that he was forever grateful. For all that his relationship with the mother of his child was false and fabricated for her own selfish goals, Kaie was the light of Alec’s life and he would never regret fathering the child.

He allowed himself a brief moment of regret, wishing not for the first time that Max were the mother of his son. He knew with certainty that she completed him, and without her he would never be whole.

“Focus, Alec,” he warned himself, muttering obscenities under his breath. Thoughts of that nature led to nothing but further heartache. “Think, don’t feel.”

Alec would deal with Hailey in his own time. Kaie would, of course, stay with him. He had rights over the child as an Alpha male, and he knew that even those who didn’t prescribe to that line of thought would side with him after they learned the truth. Alec snorted at the irony; Hailey really shouldn’t have chosen the Transgenic leader to screw with. Karma certainly had a way. He might be bound to her by their child, but he’d be damned if he kept the manipulative, lying little bitch in his bed and as an influence in his son’s life.

Hailey had wanted to climb the social ladder, and she had, using Alec to get where she wanted to be. Alec knew he shouldn’t have been surprised at the play for power and utter disregard she had for him to use him so callously. He’d been raised in Manticore, after all, the epitome of all things self-serving and cold. They’d learned young that while you never leave your unit behind, you also never sacrifice yourself for another. If it served the whole you weighed it up and made the best of the options available. And of course, either way you chose, you could easily end up punished. A lose-lose situation whatever you did. It was one of many reasons he envied Max; her closeness to her unit, their willingness to die for each other regardless of the consequences. Alec had never had that measure of security and safety from fellow squad mates, with the exception of Biggs and Axel. It was only on the outside, in Terminal City, that they had truly banded together. And Alec kicked himself for lowering his guard and believing in goodwill and human kindness.

His mate had used him for personal gain, plain and simple. And the walls Max had slowly chiseled away at, were quickly refortified. He doubted he would ever trust so fully or easily again. And like he’d been trained, he sat and planned. Retaliation, punishment, would be carefully prepared and swiftly executed.

The higher you climb, the harder you fall, he mused, a malicious sneer curling his lip, and this one’s gonna hurt, baby. Bet your ass it will.

-x-x-x-

Max felt uncomfortable going up to the apartment, knowing that she was going to break things off with Logan for good, so she sat on the curb outside the building in wait. She wondered how to best broach the subject, how to approach in a way that would hurt the least; because she knew that no matter what, it would hurt. Logan had been good to her, taking her back after the fight with Alec, accepting and soothing her, helping her mend her broken heart. And he’d forgiven her and still loved her despite all. Max felt that she would always owe him for his unselfish friendship and loyalty, and even if she didn’t return his feelings, she would always cherish his lover for her.

The low hum of a motor approached from the South and Max turned her gaze  expectantly toward the sound. Sure enough, Bessie barrelled along steadily like the faithful pile of junk she was. Max smiled fondly as she took in every dent and scratch, each bullet gouge and graze in the weathered metal, remembering the scrapes and near misses she’d had, to be saved by Logan and his Bessie.

She still giggled at the thought of the name. She’d asked him once, Why Bessie? Logan’s matter of fact reply that the car was as reliable and cantankerous as his Great Aunt Bessie had been when she lived, had kept her laughter in check and brough a new respect for the old clunker.

Max rose to her feet when the car came to a halt and offered a half-smile of welcome to the man that emerged grinning from the driver’s seat.

“Max,” he greeted, “you came.”

“Not like I was going to miss out on that famous blueberry pie,” she bantered lightly, her tone belying her inner turmoil.

“Let’s get you home, then,” he indulged her, wrapping an arm possessively around her waist and tugging her close to his side, Logan buried his nose in her hair and inhaled. “I’ve really missed you, Max.”

She smiled half-heartedly and they made their way to the elevator. The ride up to the apartment was silent. For Logan, it was a comfortable silence, an accepting quiet, but for Max, each moment piled dread and guilt in her gut, and while she longed to pull out of his embrace, she instead chose to allow Logan his last moments of closeness to her person. Within the hour she was certain there would be anger, hurtful words and likely tears on her part. She wasn’t looking forward to the discussion in the least.

The doors opened into his foyer and with a hand at the small of her back, he guided her towards the living room-cum-computer room. Fumbling for the light switch and encountering a wet patch, he quickly flipped it on. Logan let loose a tiny gasp at the sight that greeted his eyes.

Max started in surprised. “Alec?”

Alec didn’t even acknowledge Max. His eyes never left Logan’s, a light smile on his face that Max noticed didn’t quite reach his usually expressive, hazel eyes.

Logan found his voice. “Alec, what the hell are you doing in my house?”

Alec smirked – in a way. “Well, I was at home and I was in the mood for some tunes, but see, I ain’t got a stereo, Terminal City’s a bitch like that, ya know? So I thought, who do I know that’s got one?” He cocked his head and smiled. “My good ol’ buddy, Logan.”

Logan’s eyebrows rose in disbelief. “So you just decided, what? You’d drop by and make yourself at home?” Logan glanced at the telltale stains on his normally immaculate walls, eyeing shards of glass lightly blanketing the wet carpet. The room smelled faintly of scotch.

Both Max and Logan noticed the strange glint in his eyes, though neither knew quite what to make of it. His voice sounded strangely light and empty compared to the odd darkness in his smile.

“Max always did say you had great taste.” He chuckled and continued to speak directly to Logan. “Never thought you’d have such an…extensive…audio collection.” Alec’s fingers idly caressed the keyboard beneath his hand.

Max, now thoroughly exasperated and at the end of her tether after a long, tiring day and night, and not quite seeing Alec’s reason for crashing her little break-up party, snapped suddenly.

“Alec, quit fooling around and get to the point…so you can leave. You’re not needed here now.”

Logan began to voice agreement to this statement, but was interrupted by Alec’s mocking reply.

“Au contraire, Maxie. Personally, I think you’d could use a little education in the audial arts. Take a listen to this, hey?”

His hand stilled mid-air for a moment, long enough to see the shiver of foreboding pass over Logan and he smiled, then; a full-fledged, mocking smile which grew progressively malicious with the descent of his finger to the keypad.

Max moved to speak, but he shocked her into silence by grabbing her wrist and pulling her into his lap. He pressed his lips to the shell of her ear and whispered just loudly enough for Logan to hear and truly fear his rival.

“You really want to hear this, Max. It’s…so enlightening, it’s…almost…unbelievable.”

The room was so thick with silence Logan could almost hear the fear as it snaked up his spine and coiled around his throat.

“Half up-front. Count it if you like.”
(shuffling sounds) “Right. So all you want me to do is switch the records?”
“Yes. A simple B&E, something you should find easy enough.”
(laughter) “This is the easiest money I’ve ever made.”
(a pause) “Is he really worth it?”
(angry, low-hissed mutterings, and then a light laugh)
“Alec? He’s my ticket to ride.”
“Call me when you’re done and we’ll finalize the deal. Be careful.”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry. No one will ever know that an Ordinary got one up on the great Max Guevara. We’ll be in touch.”

Alec felt Max tense beneath his hands and he knew that if he didn’t calm her even minutely, she would bolt, ruining his fun. Sure, he’d be happy to deal with Logan alone, but he wanted answers, and that meant going through with his plan, as he’d planned it. He began tapping out his suggestion in Morse against her back.

The glint in Alec’s eyes made sense now. She couldn’t breathe. But the rational part of her brain agreed with Alec’s plan. She squirmed at first, but met his eyes and nodded almost imperceptibly. She ‘fought’ him and jumped off his lap whirling in shock to face Logan, eyes darting between the two men as her horror grew.

“So whaddaya think, Maxie? Does Logie have a great selection, or what?”

Logan’s only comfort was the slam of his door before the ice settled in his veins when he realized…

I’m alone with Alec.