Waters of Oblivion

Chapter 27.2: The Rider

Smack. Reine's palm stung from the force it connected with Max's cheek. She rose from her seat with the momentum, but he grabbed her wrist before standing to face her.

"I did it for you, you have to understand that. I just wasn't expecting you to take off for England," he said.

She struggled in vain to escape his grip. "I'm sorry for ruining your plans by not jumping into your arms as soon as you killed my boyfriend."

"No! You've got it all wrong. But I promise you that - no matter what it takes - I'm going to make this right. You're going to have the future you deserve - the one you should have had if I hadn't interfered - with the man you love."

The frantic beats of Reine's heart rang in her ears. All she wanted was to get back to Morgan and the car, but Max was blocking her way. An increasing number of motorcycles passed on the track below them, and she had to yell over the noise. "Make it right? How can you make it right? He's dead, Max! But there you go again, thinking you can pull some strings, make some calls, or do whatever you do and then everything will be fixed. Don't forget that's how we ended up here to begin with. You're not perfect, Max. You don't have all the answers. You can't make everything right just by wishing it so."

Without letting go of her hand, he sat back down. "I owe you this, Reine. Give me another chance," he begged.

She shook her head, but returned after him to the cold, plastic seat. The moment of rebellion had passed and the numbness was returning to both her body and mind. She sighed. "A chance for what? To screw my life up even more? Absolutely not."

"You don't think people can change?" He raised an inquisitive brow.

"Of course I believe people can change. I'm just not entirely convinced that it's always for the better," she said.

Max smirked. "How can I get any worse?"

"You're really not making your case," Reine said with increasing exasperation. Max's candor was slowly wearing down her resolve, and she stifled a nervous giggle. "But what I don't understand is why you thought telling me all this would make things better. Because it doesn't Max. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, especially when someone you care about may have done something really, really bad."

He squeezed her hand before lifting it to his lips. After kissing it gently, he let go and stood up. "You haven't been listening to what I'm saying. And I'm telling you all this now because as soon as we leave here, I'm driving straight down to Bruges. I'm going to turn myself in to the Council like I should have weeks ago and finally end this."

No matter how misguided in his actions he may have been, Reine couldn't lose Max, as well. "No! They'll take away your immortality for sure," she said, rising from her seat after him.

"They won't do that." He put his hands on her shoulders.

She looked into his eyes. "How do you know?"

"Because I can do something that they haven't been able to accomplish in three centuries." Max leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "I can take Wescott down."

"Why?" she asked, pushing him away. "To expand your territory? To solve your personal vendetta?"

Instead of answering, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded newspaper. Opening it, he held up the front page and pointed to the headline in the lower right corner.

"Oh my God." Reine covered her mouth with her hand as she read the words: Lord Wescott Awarded Rails Contract after Recent Tragedy Uncovers Security Flaws.

"This is just a small example of what he's capable of. Among other things, he has billions riding on who comes out on top in Afghanistan, and let's just say he's not betting on Old Blighty. So I'm really not the only one who'd benefit from Wescott losing his status." He offered her his hand. "Come. It's about time I showed you something."