Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 76309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76309 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
“Suit yourself.” I stretch, looking out the windows. It’s refreshing, being back here, a place where I spent a good chunk of my early years. Back before I left for a war zone and spent a decade killing, hacking, spying, and worse. Back when I was younger, back when my life was simpler. “We should go over some ground rules so you don’t accidentally get yourself killed.”
“There are rules now?” She sounds surprised.
She shouldn’t be.
I glance back at her. “Always were, you just didn’t know them.”
I get another flat glare in response. “You’re not as clever as you think you are.”
“Oh, you have no clue how clever I really am.” I whistle as I check the refrigerator and the cabinets. All empty, except for a can of expired tuna in the back of one cupboard. I toss it. “First rule is no calls, texts, emails, or other communication without running it by me.”
“Pass.” She crosses her arms. “Next.”
“That one’s non-negotiable. Burian thinks you’re his creature still, which means he’s monitoring everything you do.”
Her eyebrows raise. “Seriously?”
I’m surprised she hasn’t figured this out yet already. The moment she took Burian’s job, he infiltrated all of her devices. That first night in the hotel, I spent all my time cleaning him out the best I could, at least until she appeared in my doorway.
With those lovely fuck-me lips.
I tell her, “All outgoing and all incoming messages will be intercepted, snooped, and passed along. Burian didn’t get to be where he is now without being really good. I’ve managed to neutralize some of his control, but if I got rid of him completely, he’d know the game is over. I don’t want to spook him.”
“I really don’t like this job,” she says, rubbing her face. “I can’t call home? Can’t call any of my friends?”
“Not without speaking to me first.”
“You like that, don’t you?” Her fingers drum on her biceps. “You get off on the control.”
“I get off on you straddling my lap. The control is incidental.”
Her cheeks turn red. “All right, fine, moving on.”
I like it when she gets anxious. It makes me want to bend her over, spank her ass, and make her come. Like a little stress reliever. “Next rule is, you stay here in this apartment unless I give you the OK to leave.”
“Let me guess. Burian’s tracking me?”
“So long as you’re here, he’s not. Right now, he thinks you’re back with your Grandpop, safe and sound. Don’t fuck that up by appearing in two places at once.”
“Fine.” She tilts her head back, looking like she wants to scream. “Last rule?”
“Have fun!” I grin at her look of pure outrage. “I’m just saying, it’s not every day you get to help take down a vicious killer. Enjoy it.”
“You’re a maniac,” she says softly. “An absolute maniac. Who would enjoy this?”
“Fair point,” I admit, setting the thermostat lower. “I’ll get some food delivered. Write a list of whatever you need. Toiletries, clothes, whatever. Price no object.”
“I need a shotgun and a hand grenade.”
“Doable, believe it or not.”
She studies me for a second, considering. “You’re in a good mood. You’re happy because you saw your friend, aren’t you?”
I pause with my back to her. Sometimes she’s much more perceptive than I give her credit for, and it knocks me off-balance. She’s right though—I am in a good mood after seeing Carmine. It’s been too long since I last spent time with my Atlas friends to the point that I was beginning to forget what it felt like to be normal. To have regular friends. To live in one place, building a family, being happy.
It felt good.
“It’s been longer than I like,” I admit, sitting down on the couch near her.
She perches on the edge at the far end like she’s afraid of being too close to me. “Are you that close?”
“As close as I can be with anyone. Him and all my other Atlas friends.”
“Atlas? What’s that?”
“Our student organization back in college. Now it’s more like our social club. The five of us are Atlas, and Atlas will take over the world.” I sigh, feeling wistful for those old days. Now we’re all too busy for world domination, but there was a time when I believed we could do it, if only we tried.
Instead, I ran off to fight wars, and the rest of them got married. I guess they’re fighting wars too.
“Okay, that’s not toe-curlingly creepy or anything.” She sinks back, still stiff, but relaxing. “It’s good to know you can be somewhat normal though. Yesterday, I would’ve guessed you have no friends and you’re a pure sociopath. Today, I just think you’re weird.”
“I wouldn’t assume I’m not a sociopath.” When her eyebrows shoot up, I laugh at her. “Kidding. Probably. Look, Carmine’s important. He’s got connections all over the country. Evander, Gareth, they’re the same way. These guys can help, and I trust them with my life.”