Chapter 23: Crossed Lines

Rory strode across the lengthy hospital corridor, her augmented senses taking up every beep of machinery and whispered talk behind closed doors. Max's blood still soiled her garments, even after her skin had stopped shining hours before.

The surgeon came out, looking weary. "The bullet missed his heart by a few centimeters." "He is stable."

Her knees weakened with relief. "Can I see him?"

"Briefly. "He's still sedated."

Max lay pale against white blankets, with sensors recording his heartbeat. Rory stroked his fingers, recalling how he had pulled her away from the bullet's path.

"You don't get to die for me," she said. "That wasn't part of our deal."

Valentin had sent her his third message in as many hours. She silenced it, but the guilt persisted. Every second she postponed their meeting put Max at greater peril.

Her attention was drawn to the entrance when she noticed movement. Sofia stood watching her with black rings under her eyes.

"Lucas is asking for him," she added softly.

"He'll be okay." Rory attempted to smile. "He's too stubborn to die."

Sofia's expression became knowing. "Like someone else I know." She motioned for Rory to follow. "Walk with me."

They discovered a calm courtyard, with dawn painting the sky in watercolor hues. Sofia sat on a bench and patted the space next her.

"When Max first brought me to America," she told us, "I thought he was just like his father - cold, calculating, willing to sacrifice anything for power." Her lips formed a faint smile. "I was mistaken. He gives up everything to safeguard what he loves."

"I'm starting to see that." Rory's phone vibrated again. She ignored it.

Sofia's eyes narrowed. "Valentin?"

Rory stiffened. "How did you—"

"I've watched men like him destroy good people." Sofia's voice hardened. "He offers what you want most, right? A way to save everyone and fix everything. But his gifts are poisonous.

"What if he's telling the truth?" The words escaped before Rory could stop them. "What if Max is just using me, like he used my father?"

"Is that what you believe?" Sofia challenged. "After he took a bullet for you?"

Before Rory could respond, a nurse rushed out. "He is awake. I am asking for you."

Max's eyes remained clear despite the pain medication. They focused on Rory as she arrived, something inscrutable in their depths.

"You look terrible," he said.

"Speak for yourself." She sat on the side of his bed. "That was a stupid thing you did."

"Says the woman who took on three armed men without backup." His hand met hers. "We need to talk about what happened in the server room."

"The enhancement worked better than expected—"

"Not that." His fingers clenched. "You moved differently towards the end. "As if you knew they were coming." His eyes went across her face. "What aren't you telling me?"

Rory's heart pounded. Before she could react, his monitors surged. Medical personnel came in and escorted her out as Max's body seized.

"Secondary complications," someone said. "Get him to surgery."

Hours passed in the waiting room. When her phone buzzed again, Rory finally answered.

"Time's up, little phoenix." Valentin's voice was silk on steel. "Shall I tell you about what Max's father did to me? How many families did the syndicate ruin as Max built his empire on their skeletons?"

"You're lying."

"Am I? Ask him about Operation Chrysalis. "Ask him who really killed Henri Dumont."

The phone slipped through numb fingers. A nurse approached, smiling. "The surgery was a success." "He's asking for you again."

Max appeared ethereal under strong fluorescent lighting. "Sorry about the scare."

"Stop apologizing." Rory's voice crackled. "Just... stop."

Something in her tone caused him to frown. "What's wrong?"

"Operation Chrysalis." The words fell like stones. "Tell me about it."

Max became quite still. "Where did you hear that name?"

"Does it matter?" Her increased senses detected his raised heartbeat and the small dilation of his pupils. "What did you do, Max?"

"What I had to." There is no deflection anymore, only quiet conviction. "To protect Sofia." Lucas. You."

"By killing my father?"

Pain flashed across his face. "Rory—"

She rose abruptly. "I need air."

The hospital roof was unoccupied, and the wind whipped her hair as she peered out over the city. Her phone vibrated one last time.

Midnight. The former Dumont factory. Come alone, and I will show you everything your husband is hiding.

Rory's fingers hovered above the keyboard. Below, Los Angeles shone like broken glass: beautiful, lethal, and ready to draw blood.

Her pulse quickened as she sensed a familiar presence behind her.

"Couldn't you stay in bed?" she questioned without turning.

"Not when you're up here looking ready to jump." Max's voice was scratchy from anguish and something else. "Whatever Valentin told you—"

"How did you know I was talking to—" She twisted to face him, her words fading as she noticed him unsteady on his feet. "You shouldn't be standing."

"Shouldn't be letting you face this alone." He took an uncertain step forwards. "I've made that mistake once. "It cost me everything."

"Max—"

"Your father died because I wasn't fast enough." Another step. "The syndicate knew he was assisting me. They dispatched somebody... "I arrived too late."

The truth struck like a physical blow. "You didn't kill him."

"No. "But my father did." Sweat beaded on his brow. "As part of Operation Chrysalis, everyone who knew the formula was eliminated. I could not save Henri, but I could safeguard his daughter. "Even if she hated me for it."

"I don't hate you." The words came out as barely a whisper.

Max's legs buckled. Rory caught him with ease, thanks to his heightened strength. They got too near, and his breath warmed her flesh.

"You should," he muttered.

She was not sure who had moved first. They were staring at each other one second, then his mouth pressed into hers with urgent passion. Rory kissed him back just as strongly, bringing weeks of confusion and need to the touch. His hands twisted in her hair, while she fisted in his medical robe.

When they came apart, both breathing heavily, reality returned.

"You need to get back into bed," she said.

"Rory." He looked into her eyes. "Whatever Valentin's offering, it's not worth the price."

She helped him inside, feeling guilty as she remembered the midnight encounter. She'd made her decision by the time Max was comfortable, with his meds drawing him under.

Rory laid a delicate kiss on his forehead. "I'm sorry."

She was almost to the door when he stopped her, slurring but desperate. "He'll make you choose. "Between revenge and love." His eyes fluttered shut. "Choose better than I did."

Rory walked out into the growing darkness, her heart pulled in two directions. Behind her, Max slept, providing truth veiled in agony. Valentin waited ahead, ready with answers that could destroy everything.

The clock struck eleven. It's time to decide where her true loyalties lie.