Page 105 of Run, Little Rabbit

I give him a flat look. “Sure, Mr. I-sit-by-his-bed-and-explain-coding-all-night.”

He rolls his eyes at me. “What do you want help with?”

I slide Bennie’s phone across the desk to him. “I want you to publish all the data you found on here, bar anything on my mum and your family. Unless you want to, that’s up to you. And then I would like you to send this to Detective Teddy Bear.”

I fish out the detective’s business card that Max gave me and place it next to the phone.

“Detective Inspector Theodore Kodiak,” Sphinx mutters, and I can see the cogs whirring behind his eyes. “You’re telling me that Maxim Volkov has the next Chief of Police under his thumb?”

“Yep.”

“And he gets away with calling him Teddy Bear?”

“Apparently so,” I say with a grin. “Will you do it?”

He lets out a deep sigh and runs his hand through his white hair, sending the long strands in all different directions. “Yeah. Of course I will. You know I will.”

“Great, and when you leak it, tag Verity and the girls in it. Those ladies will spread this gossip far and wide without your fancy algo-coding-thingy.”

He snorts. “Is that a technical term?”

“Absolutely.” We drop into silence for a moment, and I take a minute because I know that what I’m about to say is going to piss him off. “When I go to meet my dad, I want you to stay here.”

“What? No. Echo—”

I grab his hand and squeeze it tightly. “I need you to look after Veon, and I need you to sort Bennie’s phone out for me. I don’t trust anyone else with either of those tasks. Please, Sphinx.”

He tilts his head back and looks up at the ceiling, no doubt asking God for patience and strength of will to deal with the intensity of the puppy dog eyes I’m throwing his way.

“Urgh,” he says with a sigh. “Fine. But I’m not happy about it.”

“Noted. And I know you’d rather stay with Veon anyway. He’s been asking for you.” A spark of hope flickers in the depths of his pale blue eyes, and I know I have to say something. “Be careful with him. I think he’s more fragile than he appears. I also don’t want him to break your heart. I don’t think he’s very perceptive.”

Sphinx rolls his bottom lip between his teeth, and a wariness creeps into his gaze. Part of me hates that I put it there. “I know, Echo. Trust me, the last thing I want to do is fall for the straight guy who’s hung up on somebody else. But what can I do? The heart wants what the heart wants.”

I give his hand another squeeze before letting go. “Then I hope he sees you for the treasure you are. Just give him time.”

He nods and then picks up Bennie’s phone. “You sure this is the path you want to go down? There’s no going back once this is all over the internet.”

“I know, and yes, I’m sure.” It's the right thing to do, even if the consequences may be painful. There's enough evidence on Bennie's phone to lock up a lot of bad people for a long time. And besides, Max seems to trust this Detective Kodiak to do the right thing when it counts, so I’ve got to believe that too.

“Sweet. Give me an hour, and all of Bennie’s secrets will be public knowledge.”

“What about this Cypher guy? Won’t he be pissed we’re spoiling his fun?” I wasn't entirely sure who this Cypher was, but based on what I could see, he wasn't to be underestimated. Since he and Sphinx already had some kind of history, I worried that any consequences would be more severe for him because this was something that was personal to both of them.

He rocks his head from side to side. “Probably, but don’t worry about him. I can handle him.”

I wasn't sure, but I'd just have to be there for him if he needed it. “Okay. Thanks, Sphinx. Take care of Veon for me and I’ll text you when we’re on the way back.”

“You better, or I’ll hunt you down.”

“I expect nothing less,” I say with a laugh before patting his shoulder in some sort of a goodbye. I didn't want to say goodbye because I hoped it would help me come back alive after taking down the head of the Irish Mob, and I was afraid that if I said those words, I'd jinx myself and end up dead. I know it’s silly, but when you’re facing someone with a reputation like my father’s, you need all the help you can get. Hell, I'd even accept divine intervention if it was offered.

Chapter Forty

Echo

Sphinx:

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