Page 72 of The Brotherhood

“You magnificent bastard,” 8-Bit breathed on the phone, even kissing the screen with a loud smack.

“Okay—ew.”

“Shut up. This makes up for half your sins.”

“Oh, half?” AL let out a low hum. “I think this calls for a special kind of payment. Something intimate. Something thorough.”

8-Bit didn’t blink. “Don’t make me kill you.”

“At least I’d die happy.”

“Yeah. Keep dreaming.”

AL sighed. “Such a Dewy Decimal. Are we good?”

8-Bit didn’t answer right away. He glanced down at the number on his screen, heart still thudding. “We’ll see,” he muttered, then hung up.

At the back entrance, he paced, considering his options. Call now? Wait? Consult?

There was no fucking right time. No perfect setup. He needed to make the call now. Get her back before he died his last death and woke up to the nightmare of her still missing.

8-Bit hit dial and tightened his grip on the phone, putting it to his ear.

The line rang. Once. Twice. Three times.

The phone clicked followed by a low, “Who is this?”

8-Bit adjusted his grip on the comm. “You hijacked our system once before. Guess it’s my turn.” He paced in the silence.

“I see.”

“You have someone who belongs to us. We want her back. Today.”

More silence. Calculated, no doubt. “…Who?”

Not confusion, but testing.

“Her name is Beth. And she’s with child.” 8-Bit paused, waiting.

“I do have her,” he said, his voice nearly unreadable, neutral.

He resumed pacing, his breaths coming in sharp clouds. “Where is she?”

He didn’t hesitate this time. “With me. Under my protection. I’ll need coordinates and a phone number to reach you.”

8-Bit stopped at the unexpected cooperation, smelling a trap. “I’ll send the coordinates when we hang up. You can reach me on the number I’m calling from.”

“I’ll call you when we’re five minutes away.”

His fingers flexed against the phone, feeling like he’d just played into his hands somehow. “Good,” he muttered.

“How is her husband?”

8-Bit tensed with the odd question, wondering what he already knew and why he might be asking. “He’s being taken care of.”

“So, he survived?”

Something about the way he asked made 8-Bit’s stomach coil. “Yes, he did,” he decided to say, not wanting to jeopardize getting Beth back.

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