Karma's a bitch only if you are.

Mae

I pulled into my storage and closed the door automatically before getting off the car. Before every race, I would get nervous. Despite my always winning, I had thoughts as James had had. About the day I would lose. I never knew when that day would approach, so I always fought with everything I had and even then, I would dig deeper and use every bit of energy I had in my cells and fight with that until I was completely drained. It was the only way to assure I would come out a winner.

"Did you bring the money?" Zach asked, distracting me from nervousness as he stood by the entrance of our storage. I got out of the car and looked wide-eyed at him. I didn't get the money. He shook his head at me and threw his head back. How was I supposed to know how much money to grab when he never told me the amount?

This wasn't the first time he forgot to remind me about the money. He was lucky he was my brother. If he wasn't, he probably would have been fired by now. That thought was only a joke. Although a rather nice and appealing thought, a joke nonetheless.

"It's not my fault you didn't tell me how much. Thanks, boss," I shook my head and remembered the money I had in the car from the last race. "I have the money from the last race." We both let out a breath of relief. I opened the door to the linked storage and we both walked in, standing very close to the door. There were only a couple feet of space before the entire storage would lift. It was a safe zone.

"It's ten thousand," I nodded, understanding the price and lifted the first floor to get Alec.

"Alright," I told him. After I checked Alec over, we got in, and I closed the storage as I drove off. If the door closed and the car was gone, the storage had a default for the first floor to go back down. I had started driving to the meetup Zach had told me.

"I got you security. Words around that this guy's dangerous." Zach told me. Again, another thing he could have told me a bit sooner. I had hated getting new security because they always had that curiosity lingering their eyes. I could tell they were curious about who was under the hood, and I didn't trust them because of it. "They're the same two security's from the last three times. Five hundred apiece. I paid them half and after they do the job, they'll get the other half."

"How dangerous is the guy?" I asked. I could tell I was getting closer to the area of the meet up by the way cars lined up on the side of the street.

"I'm not sure. It could just be rumors. I've never heard of him before. Every story about him is different, and it's never told the same way, so it could just be hearsay," Zach said. I wasn't sure what to make of that, but I didn't have time to think about that now. I needed to focus. I pulled in to the meetup and revved, showing my presence; the guy I was racing did the same. He was already lined up, so I lined up next to him and he got out.

I was dumbfounded when I saw the face of the guy I was racing. He was standing in front of his car facing my car, and I couldn't believe it. It was him who I was racing?! Why couldn't Zach give me his name before?! I was seriously getting tired of him for not mentioning vital information.

"Axel?" I looked at my brother and he looked confused "You didn't get his name?!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it was him. I only got a nickname."

"Which is?"

"The Silent Rose," I shook my head, turning off the car. Silent, makes sense.

"Stay here. I have my bodyguards. I don't want him making the connection," he nodded with an apologetic look on his face, and I pulled my hoodie on before I got off.

I saw my bodyguards walk to me, so I walked with them. Was Axel here by himself? He was mute, how were we going to communicate? I tried looking in his car to see if anyone else was with him but I couldn't see anything inside. His windows were too tinted.

I approached him, standing in front of him, waiting for him to speak or do something. The passenger door to Axel's car opened, and Daniel walked next to him and looked at me. It makes sense for Daniel to be a translator for Axel.

"There's one round," Daniel started. One round? That's it? "One round in town but there's a twist. In one minute the cops are going to come, and we have to race out of here," he smiled smugly. I looked at Axel and he was smiling with the same smile as Daniel. He set this up.

"That's not exactly fair. The King's more wanted," My bodyguard on the left said. Everyone knew that it's why they did it. It would assure their win.

"Sucks for him, better for us," the corners of Daniel's lips turned up into a smirk and Axel's did the same. I shook my head but stopped when I heard the sirens in the distance. I looked to my right and in the distance, I saw a chopper coming this way.

"This is a bit far. Don't you think?" My bodyguard on the right asked. I hit both of them with the back of my hands and pointed with my thumb for them to get out of here. They looked hesitant, but I pointed with my thumb again for them to get out. "Good luck." They ran off, and I rushed to my car.

"Hey!" I looked back at Daniel before getting in my car. "Good luck, King. You're gonna need it." Axel got in his car with Daniel sitting passenger side, so I got into my car and started the engine. How could they do this?!

"I knew there was a reason I didn't like them!" Zach said. "Just wait until James finds out."

"Now's not the time for that!" I snapped. I was taking my fear out on him. This was it, I could feel it. This was the one race I was going to lose. "I need to somehow win this damn race."

"This isn't even a race, Mae," Zach sounded worried but it was evident, anger was in his eyes, mixing with the fear he had for me. It felt like we were talking for such a long time but it was less than ten seconds since I had gotten into my car.

"I know. It's a setup." I drove off with Axel following me. The sirens were growing louder. It was all I could hear even when Zach had activated Alec.

"Alec, activate," Zach demanded. I made a sharp turn and Axel followed me. I knew he wasn't going to split unless it seemed beneficial for him. He knew when we split the cops would come after me only. The cops have been wanting to catch me for the longest time and today, I had a feeling they would.

"Activated."

"Which route, Alec?" I asked urgently. It felt like my brain was going to explode with the intensity of the sirens.

"Keep heading North. It is in fact toward the police cars but away from the chopper. The probability of the chopper getting you first is significantly high with any other route," I followed his instructions and kept heading North. I headed toward the cop cars, but they kept coming. They weren't stopping and neither was I. "Swerve right." I had done what I was told and I saw no cops.

"Are they gone?" Zach asked.

"No," Alec answered. I saw the lights ahead and the chopper's light started following me again.

"Mae, they're getting close," Zach said. I look in my rearview mirror and saw more cop cars following. Axel turned left, splitting from me and just as I suspected, the cops paid no attention to him.

"You are surrounded, Mae. I can not help you anymore. You are trapped." Alec told me and my heart dropped. He had never said those words to me before. The feelings I had at the beginning of the race was right. This was it. I looked around us and we were surrounded. There was no way I could get away from this.

"Mae, there's no way out of this," Zach sounded so defeated, and I knew he was right.

"YOU ARE SURROUNDED! TURN OFF THE CAR! WE WILL USE LETHAL FORCES IF NECESSARY!" I didn't care if I got caught, but how could I have done this to Zach?! How could I be so selfish? His whole future down the drain because of me. I couldn't allow Zach's future to turn into nothing because of me. Allowing it would have been more selfish than anything I had done and would soon do.

"I'm so sorry, Zach," I looked at him, and he looked sad, defeated. It hurt to see my brother of all people with a defeated look. He was always strong, even when he faced our greatest demon. He always acted as if he had the upper hand. It's what always upset our father. But I guess in the end it was just that, an act.

"It's okay, Mae. It's not your fault. No matter what happens I love you. And nothing will ever change that." He was already giving up and at that moment, it seemed fair to give up; fair but not right.

"TURN OFF THE CAR! NOW!" The police spoke from the megaphone. So after everything, every race, every fight, it was now over. I couldn't help but think at that moment: maybe it was for the best. Maybe after this was all over, I could finally have a different life, perhaps a better one.

Maybe it was time to set this life aside and start a new life. One where this life would seem like a dream or a nightmare but a reality so far it seemed false, despite it being real. I would leave old habits and old memories and start new ones. I had a feeling I was ready for that. This was the end.

It was over. My secret. My identity. And it was all because of him.

Axel.