Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 77051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Lark’s eyes meet mine, and I give her a blank stare. I don’t even know how to define what Gage is to me right now, and to put it into words in front of Tasha is not something I’m trying to do. “I think Gage has eyes for somebody else,” Lark says with a giggle.
“Who?” Tasha asks, obviously oblivious.
Lark laughs a bit louder. “He’s been crushing on River hard.”
Tasha’s eyes snap to mine, and the room quiets out. “Is that true?”
I grip onto my wine glass like it can ground me. I’ve never seen this look in Tasha’s eyes before. Like she’s pissed at this news. “Nothing official,” I say, not really sure where to go with it.
Tasha’s smile is immediate. Too immediate. “That’s great.” Her voice cracks on the last word.
Juno hums like she doesn’t quite buy it.
And I…
I watch the back-and-forth with a slow-burning suspicion. Not because of what they’re saying. But because of what they aren’t.
The mood picks back up. We move to the floor for a tarot reading. Lark flips the cards like she’s channeling spirits.
“River, your love life card is literally The Tower,” she announces.
I groan. “Of course it is.”
“It means change,” Juno says quickly. “Upheaval. Intensity.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Tasha laughs.
But something in my chest tightens.
Later, after Lark starts a group selfie contest and Tasha’s in the bathroom, I corner Juno in the kitchen.
She’s opening another bottle of wine, but when she sees my face, she pauses. “What’s up?”
“You tell me,” I say quietly. “You’ve been grilling Tasha all night.”
Juno doesn’t lie. She sets the bottle down and leans on the counter.
“River… I didn’t want to drag you into this too fast. But we’re looking into something. And we needed to see how she reacted.”
My stomach dips.
“Are you saying… you think Tasha’s involved?”
Juno lifts her brows. “I’m saying… we don’t know. Yet. But some of what we’ve found points to someone with internal access. And she’s on a very short list.”
I glance back at the living room. Tasha is laughing with Lark, holding a glass of wine, her face lit up.
“I invited her here tonight,” I whisper. “She brought me wine.”
“And we’re not accusing her of anything,” Juno says firmly. “We’re just watching. Listening. Trust me, I know how it feels when you don’t know who to trust.”
I nod. My hands are shaking.
“I’ll protect you,” Juno says. “We all will.”
For the first time in weeks, I feel like someone means it.
Even if it means breaking my own heart later.
TWENTY-FOUR
GAGE
“You owe me a soda,” Knight says, lounging back on the beanbag with his combat boots still on, like we’re not in the middle of plotting the downfall of an HR employee. “River totally called it. Tasha's got a thing for you.”
“She does not,” I mutter, sinking onto the old leather couch in the Riverside mission hub.
Arrow smirks from across the room, arms crossed like the smug bastard he is. “Actually, she does. Girl was blushing harder than a freshman at prom when she mentioned your name. And did anyone else catch the part where she called you the ‘office hottie’?”
Ozzy chokes on his drink. “Bro. The office hottie? That’s, like, the opposite of your brand.”
Knight leans forward, grinning. “Yeah, you’re more of a silent asshole with good hair.”
I flip them both off. “You jackasses done?”
“Not even close,” Knight says. “We still haven’t covered how you totally made out with River in your vigilante costume. That’s some Batman/Catwoman fanfic shit right there.”
Arrow raises a brow. “Did you say you were in too deep?”
I glare. “I said maybe.”
Juno walks in holding her laptop and a box of donuts. “Correction,” she says cheerfully. “You’re one hundred percent submerged, Gage. Like, Atlantis-level sunk. It’s kind of adorable.”
Arrow stands and takes the laptop from her. “Any progress on the Tasha angle?”
Juno nods, then tosses a glazed donut at Knight, who catches it with his mouth like a trained seal. “She was definitely dodging when I brought up the internal access to River’s backup server. Said something about ‘bugs in the patch system’ and changed the subject to wine preferences.”
“Classic diversion tactic,” Ozzy says.
“She also got real weird when I asked if anyone had been in River’s apartment recently,” Juno continues. “I pretended it was about surprise birthday planning. She looked like I kicked her puppy.”
I sigh. “River doesn’t know about Tasha yet…”
Juno cuts in, “She suspects. At girl’s night, River asked about Tasha.”
I nod. “Well, I’m not telling her any more until we have solid proof. She just found out I’m Mask. I think I used up all my surprise reveals for the month.”
“You kissed her,” Arrow says flatly.
“Yeah,” Knight adds. “And from the way you were humming in the kitchen earlier, it wasn’t just a friendly kiss. You humming means you’re smitten. It’s a scientific fact.”
I rub the back of my neck. “I should check on her. Make sure she got home okay.”