Page 34 of Blades of Obsession

“Yeah well, I only had a little time for hacking training, and we were still going over the basics. You’re one of the best hackers in the group. Plus, don’t I pay you well?”

He nods. “No argument there. So, this one’s a keeper, huh?”

“More than a keeper. We’re going to be together even in the afterlife.” I smile, daydreaming about us transcending different realities, always finding our way back to each other.

He pauses. “Remember when I said that thing about you scaring me—”

“Drop it.”

He does a zipping motion across his lips and continues typing. “So, when are you going to tell her all about… you know.”

I sigh. “I can’t, not yet. She nearly had a panic attack when she saw me push Rhys, imagine how she’d react if she found out therealstuff that goes on.”

“Well, you can’t hide it forever. What, you’re going to be forty-two, kids running around in a big house, and still not telling them how you make your money?”

“I’m not hiding it from her forever. I’ll tell her when the time is right, I just have to ease her into it. When she almost had a panic attack in front of me, it felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest. I don’t want to see her like that again.”

“Aw, my little buddy is in love.”

“Shut up.” I toss a straw wrapper at him. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Relationship-wise. I know you’re into all that kinky BDSM shit.” I chuckle. “But you haven’t had anyone in, what, a year? Or more.”

He rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah, I’ve just been busy between school and this assignment John has me doing. I don’t have time to meet anyone new at the moment. It’s like an everyday job at this point. John’s nuts. Something about his ex-wife.”

A smirk tugs at my lips. “Remember that girl in the dark green dress at the Labor Day party? The one who couldn’t hold her liquor and you had to cut her off?”

“Oh, Tulip? Yeah, she’s smoking hot.” His face lights up.

“Tulip?”

“She’s got red hair and wears green. Like a tulip. You know—her hair is the flower, her dress is the stem.”

“What the fuck, Asher.” I chuckle. “Anyway, you would be perfect for her. I have to warn you though, she is a brat.”

“Even better. What’s her name?” He flashes a smug smile.

“Frankie. She’s getting in good with Amelia. Hey, why don’t you—”

“Got it!” he exclaims, cutting me off. “I’ll send the information to your email. The other one, not your personal one.”

We fist-bump, and after I give him a bit more background on Frankie—she needs to come with a warning label—I leave to go look over what he sent.

I decide to wait until I’m back in my room at the mansion to read through the email. I want to give this my full attention. Usually, I’m an expert at controlling my enthusiasm, but right now, my hands are jittery as I open my MacBook.

Scrolling through, I find things like:

Tiffany’s Tennis Bracelet

How to get rid of an old scar

How to get a fake ID

My mind short-circuits when I stumble upon something I never would have expected her to look up—not in this lifetime or the next.

Knife play.

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