Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 110089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
The hum of the server room fills the silence between us. Cold air pushes out of the vents above, steady and biting, wrapping around my arms until goosebumps rise.
Wesley leans in. “You know Justice helps run the Irish mafia, right?”
“Yes.” I sigh. “I am aware of his job.”
“Then why in the world would you want to get involved with him?”
It’s such a good question. “I’m not. I think you and I have nothing to do with anybody else. I like you, Wesley. A lot.”
He leans back in his chair and groans. “Oh no. Not the ‘I think you’re a great guy, Wesley’ speech.”
I wince. “You are a great guy.”
“Oh God, Ella, stop talking.” He runs a broad hand through his sandy blond hair, leaving it ruffled, making him look annoyingly adorable. “What do you want?”
It’s a good question. A fair one. “I don’t know.”
“You can’t possibly want an Irish mobster who kills people for fun.”
“No. I really don’t.” I swallow. “The whole killing-for-fun thing has never appealed to me. But I don’t think that’s Justice.” Oh, I realize that he’s killed people, but I don’t think he has any fun with it.
“You don’t know him.” Wesley snorts. “Honey, I’ve been in this business my whole life. I know him.” He sobers. “Besides him being a very poor choice for you and an unsafe one, you’ve got to step back and look at the larger picture. Alana and Thorn are married. That means Aquarius Social and Malice Media are aligned. Although you’re on the outs with Sylveria, you are TimeGem.”
The weight of it hits me all over again. Wesley has no idea about the virus, no idea how close I came to tearing everything apart already. If he knew, he wouldn’t be looking at me with that steady calm, wouldn’t be asking me to choose him. His world is neat and rational. Mine is cracked down the center.
I shift in my chair, pretending to focus on the screen in front of us. The code scrolls by, endless lines of white against black. My hands hover over the keys, but my mind is caught between the cold hum of the servers and the warmth of Wesley’s hand brushing mine only minutes ago. He doesn’t realize how much I’m hiding. He doesn’t realize how much guilt I’m choking on.
And I can’t let him.
He leans back, his chair creaking, as he continues drawing lines together for me. “If you and Justice end up together, that aligns TimeGem and Malice. That leaves Alexei Sokolov out in the cold. He won’t allow that to happen. He’ll take out one or both of you.”
My money’s on Justice in that fight. The thought is instant and unwelcome. Truth is, I have no idea. They’re both mob bosses. Maybe they’d kill each other. What I do know is that I don’t ever want to be on the opposite side of Rosalie.
“I don’t look at life that way,” I tell him.
He tilts his head, a small smile tugging. “I know. You’re all heart.”
“No, I’m not. I’m all brain,” I shoot back. “I’m phenomenal with computers.”
“Yeah, but I still think that’s your heart,” he murmurs.
The words sink into me, sweet and painful all at once. I draw in a long breath. “Wesley, I just think—”
He lifts a hand, cutting me off. “No. We’re not breaking up while we’re trapped in this server room.”
I fall quiet. The truth is, I’m not sure we’ve ever been anything real. We never agreed to be exclusive. But he watches me, steady and certain, and the weight of that gaze presses on me until my chest feels tight.
He places his warm hand over mine. “I need you to think about this carefully, okay?”
“Okay,” I whisper.
The door unlocks with a heavy click, the sound sharp over the hum of the servers. Cold air rushes across the floor as Sylveria strides in, her gown sweeping behind her. Two guards shadow her, silent and alert.
I lift my chin and give her my coldest stare. “We tracked a computer virus through your system and neutralized it. But I can’t do anything about your diamonds, which were somehow infected by this virus.” Playing dumb doesn’t sit well with me.
Her gaze slides to the center of the room where the stones pulse with that sickly yellow. “A computer virus infected my diamonds?” Her lips press into a white line. “That’s unacceptable.”
Ha. If she only knew. “It’s worse than that. I’m concerned that the virus has also infected you. If so, it could spread to any diamond you use.” I’m so curious.
“That’s ludicrous. Humans can’t catch a computer virus.” She squares her shoulders, eyes locking on me. Thoughts flash across her face as she no doubt thinks it through. As someone who exchanges energy with a stone, she knows their power. I can see the acceptance when it hits her. “Did you do this?” she snaps.