Page 55 of Brutal Savior

Quinn finishes her food then drops the plate carelessly on the floor and turns on her side. I need to housetrain this bloody girl. She watches me as I brush up her crumbs and collect the plate, taking it to the kitchen.

“You’re a clean freak.”

It’s a statement, not a question, and I don’t deny it. I don’t have many memories of my mum’s house, but I remember the smell. Every time I walk past an open dumpster, I get a flash of recollection. I remember picking through junk on the floor, hunting for a lost ball. The carpet, filthy with ground-in food.

It must have stuck with me, because I’ve always liked things tidy.

“You’re right. I am. And you’ll learn to be, too, or I’ll dress you in a maid’s uniform and make you clean this place top to bottom until you get the point.”

What a sexy image. My dick starts to stiffen, but I will it to stop. Down, boy. Not now. Quinn snorts and buries herself in thecovers. I get in next to her, pick up her collar, then think better of it. Just this once. I don’t think my wounded kitten will be scratching me tonight.

Quinn grumbles but doesn’t say anything as I wrap my arm tight over her, settling her into my body.

I lay the flat of my palm against her chest, feeling the beat of her heart. A nice, steady pulse. Quinn stiffens. “What are you doing?”

“Just checking.” I relax, resting my palm against her stomach. “You get the best of everything now, Quinn. Better medicine than you’d get at the Mayo Clinic. That heart of yours is going to learn to behave. It won’t stop beating unless I fucking tell it to.”

***

The next day, Eve and Gabriel come to babysit Quinn, under strict instructions to keep her resting and away from any alcohol. A horror movie marathon was mentioned which, surprisingly, all three of them seem happy with. I’m pissed I can’t join in, and my mood doesn’t get any better as the day drags on.

As I predicted, our leads on the bloke who hired Barry fizzle out in a dead end. The Gilda bring in his associates, but all they know is an anonymous person posted on the dark web for a hitman. He paid a deposit with the rest promised on completion of the job, but the funds came from an encrypted account.

As I head toward Hadrian’s lab, I’m twitchy, my skin clammy. This has been a waste of a day. I’m making no progress with my research, Quinn is with my friends instead of me, and it’s all this mystery bastard’s fault.

Plenty of people have cause to hate me, but these sneaky, cowardly methods are pissing me right off. I want to punch someone, but I’ve got no target in front of me. When I find thetosser who’s disturbing my first few days with Quinn, I’ll smash him into next week.

Hadrian’s lab is in a separate building dedicated to those who need vast amounts of computing power. Beneath the building, in a huge supercooled bunker, is a supercomputer to rival the best in the world.

Seb’s office is here too, but he’s not working today. Shaken from the attack, he’s chosen to have a quiet day to himself. When I called to check on him, he sounded like he’d been on the sauce for a while. Can’t say I blame him.

I pause outside the opaque door to Hadrian’s lab, breathing deep before I press the buzzer. I can’t come in here like a raging bull—he’s got his own work to do and is doing me a favor. Not that Kendrick gave him much choice in the matter. The door slides open.

Hadrian’s lab is tiny compared to mine and devoid of everything except ten PC screens facing each other in a circle, each with an empty chair facing the screen. A desk with three monitors, a mouse, and keyboard sits in the middle. A VR device hangs on a stand next to it. No visible PC towers—everything is linked to the supercomputer downstairs.

It’s quiet and eerie. There’s almost no color in the white room. I jump as the screen directly facing the door flickers on. A face appears. A pretty woman in her mid-thirties with red hair tied up in a ponytail. Freckles decorate her cheeks, and the corners of her green eyes move as she gives me a welcoming smile.

“Jacob. Lovely to meet you. I’m Candice. Hadrian just stepped out for a minute. He’ll be along shortly. Please, have a seat.” She looks down, indicating the seat in front of her screen.

“Ah…” I’m not usually lost for words, but this is right out of my comfort zone. My instinct is to ignore the avatar, but her pleasant, expectant expression and the very human way her eyes blink as I stare at her makes it feel almost rude to do so.

I take up the spot facing her. It. My back prickles at the feeling of being watched by the screens behind me. If they all come to life at once, I’m getting the hell out of here.

“How has your day been so far?” Candice has a slight accent, mostly US but with a bit of something else mixed in. Scottish? It makes me want to ask her where she’s from, though, of course, that’s ridiculous.

“Long,” I answer instead. “If Hadrian’s going to be a while, I’ll come back.”

“You don’t need to worry.” She looks over my shoulder. I turn, but there’s no one there. Another shiver creeps up my spine. “He’s almost here.”

The next moment, the door slides open, and Hadrian enters. He looks tired, eyes shadowed, but then again, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him looking bright and cheery. Maybe that’s just his face. He glances between me and Candice, a crease forming between his brows. “Candice. I didn’t tell you to let anyone in here.”

She smiles, and I swear to fucking God there’s mischief in it. “Oh, I know. But I scanned his biometrics, and I knew you were expecting him for a meeting. I made the call that you’d want me to politely greet our guest.”

He studies her, thoughtful. “A fair call, but next time, check with me first, okay?’

“No problem.” She rolls her eyes at me and lowers her voice. “He’s such a worrywart.”

Jesus. Running for the door is looking more attractive by the second.

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