C.A.R.M.A

28

"You damned fool", Max's face swims into focus. I can feel a steady dripping of blood running down my neck, pooling on my collarbone. My jaw throbs with a heartbeat of its own as the pain of split skin screams at me.

Three things hit me at once: I'm in the basement of CARMA's Headquarters, my hands and ankles are zip tied to a chair, and he's right. I am one damned fool.

"I'm going to kill you", Tyler's hoarse voice comes from somewhere to my left. I turn my head to peer over at him. It takes another second for my head to stop spinning before I can focus on him. When I do, it's not a reassuring sight. He's also bound to a chair with a bloody face.

I notice with a ping of indignation that his mouth doesn't have duct tape over it like mine does.

Max laughs, "Really, Thea? Of all the things you could be mad at, it's the fact that I duct taped your mouth and not his?"

He shakes his head at me and gives me the same dimpled smile I used to love. The one I grew to trust again.

I try to wrap my brain around the situation and get my facial expression under control, kicking myself. Taylor had complimented us for being able to understand full sentences from each other out of single eyebrow lift. It was one of the damned reasons she said we'd be such a good leading team.

Max knows me as well as I thought I knew him. Guessing my next move will be as automatic as breathing.

I play the one card I have. Vulnerability.

Turning my eyes up to make, I make them wide with a slight accusatory air beyond them. It's not a hard gesture to fake, or the tears that swim in my eyes.

Max slowly walks over to me and grabs my chin, pulling my face up to him. I keep my wide, vulnerable stare locked on. I need him to confirm what's been dancing in front of me since this mission started. But most importantly, I need Max to think he's won.

"Don't touch her", Tyler croaks.

"I'll do what I want with her", Max says, not taking his eyes off of me. I let some fear flicker in my eyes.

Suddenly, he roughly lets go of my chin and releases a slow, frustrated breath.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this, you know", Max says, throwing his hands in the air. "You just had to go and fall for this guy", he continues, gesturing at Tyler. I take note of the gun in his hand. "We were supposed to be great. We were supposed to take CARMA to the next level. Damnit Thea! Not you and somebody else!"

I raise my eyebrows at him.

"I know I left", Max walks toward me with a softened expression. " Baby, I had to. This was the only way to land this case and make us both great. It was the only way I could hand you a company take down and make you a Vixen so early."

My eyes narrowed to slits and I didn't bother to hide my expression anymore. Because all the puzzle pieces click into place. The documentation I found of the bribes on Tyler's computer, the pictures, all of it. It was all perfectly placed for me to follow the guilty trail right to Tyler. All placed there by Max. Max and -

"Alexia", he confirms, following my train of thought. "Alexia's end of the deal was full control of Red Wolf once this idiot was out of the picture."

I stare blankly at the man I once loved, in complete disbelief this is happening. This is what we were fighting to destroy at CARMA, not creating it. And the woman that I killed said one of the CEO's gave her permission. It was Alexia, all this time.

"I figured out who the Colorado assaulter was weeks before I returned to come grab a Murderer, so I left and came back to headquarters. To check up on you," Max continues, resuming his pacing.