“There are three level seven hybrids who have just come into power,” she says, and he stops his retreat to turn around, surprised by her haste to prove him wrong about her.
“Can they do anything that would make these guys go after them?” he asks.
“They were killed. I saw the bodies, so it wasn’t the level sevens they were after. The tech facility is working on a few mundane projects, nothing spyware related, and nothing that would help them enough for them to do this. The lab is working on some of the blood found in the underground massacre, but it was all victim blood… not attacker blood. I don’t know if they might have thought they would find out who wiped out their men or not.”
“This wasn’t the scorpions,” he murmurs softly while looking toward her. “This is whatever caused the underground massacre.”
It all clicks.
“That’s why no one drew a weapon. They were paralyzed like my brother and Simone,” I gasp, and Simone’s eyes widen.
“Well, that’s odd. If that thing had left a drop of blood behind, I would have found it in the samples. It has to know it didn’t leave evidence behind, so why attack?” Simone asks in bemusement. "And why attack us?"
"The Scorpions were the ones who were coming after us. I saw the tattoos and they're the ones who asked the captain about Seminole," I grumble, feeling more confused. "Is this thing now working with the same people it slaughtered?"
He grips his head while flopping down, and I join him on the couch.
“I don’t know,” he grumbles, and then he leans back to wrap an arm around my shoulders before returning his gaze to me.
“Let me check my logs. My phone is just down the hall. I’ll be back in a minute,” Simone adds, and he nods at her while staring at me.
I don’t even hear the click of the door as she leaves, and I finally turn away from the intense eye contact.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you about your boyfriend.”
His out of nowhere comment catches me off guard, and tears breach my lids again. I back away, but he pulls me back to him.
“You’re not the only one who kept it from me. Besides, he should have told me before he fucked me.”
He smirks lightly, and that draws out my anger more than my curiosity.
“What?” I bark.
He laughs this time while shaking his head. “You treat sex as though it’s some sort of amazingly intimate thing, when it’s just sex. You’re a hybrid. I can’t stress that enough. Unless you find your counter, sex is just your tool to make it through the days.”
I huff out as tears sting my eyes. I can't discuss counter business with him. This weird draw I have toward him makes me worry, and tonight it's especially strong. I want to stay here with him, enjoy the way he keeps touching me.
Does he feel it too? I really hope it's not what I think it is. I don't want it if it is.
I can never love anyone the way I did Jase - the way I still love him.
“Fucking someone when you know they have genuine feelings for you is different than just 'fucking someone.' It changes the expectations, and it screws with their head. I don’t want to talk about this right now."
My tears fall out more abundantly as they wash away my last few shreds of dignity. His amusement turns to pity as he pulls me into his warm body. It almost feels like he’s trying to comfort me, but if he has never been in love, he doesn’t know how excruciating this is.
Not even the best search and rescue team could find all the pieces of my shattered heart right now. I didn’t realize I could ache this badly. I almost feel as though I’ve watched him die, but then again, I’ve always been so overly sensitive to emotion. The tiniest sting escalates into the deepest burn.
“You’re going to be okay, Aria. I promise.”
“Who are you?” I whimper. “Why do you hide from me when I’m trusting you?”
He sighs out, and I pull back to find his eyes behind the mask as I wait expectantly.
“I’ll tell you soon. I need my anonymity for a while longer. I’ll more than likely need your help soon.”
“My help? What can I do?” I ask, my voice still crackling under the strain of my broken heart.
He starts to speak, but the sound of soft footsteps interrupts him as Simone comes back with her almost silent stealth.
