Page 59 of Web of Lies
"Who are they?"
"The head of the operation is named Jackson Philips." Upon hearing the name, Kyle's eyes widen with a flicker of recognition. "Do you know him?"
"Fleeting. He's not around much, but his name occasionally comes up and appears in papers with bets, like at the harbor fights."
"Well, as you can see, he doesn't have a clean record himself. But he's staying out of trouble by handing in other criminals."
"But how did you end up working for him?"
"I offered my services to stay out of prison. Their cybersecurity was weak; it was a walk in the park to hack into their system. And they accepted, but they wanted me to do a test to prove myself."
"So, that test was the Butcher?"
"Kind of."
"Kind of?" he echoes.
"Not directly. I was supposed to infiltrate Hunt Corp. and gather information because they assumed the company had some. When I found nothing, I was instructed to stay and continue searching. Along the way, I got sidetracked by forming friendships with other employees, and I lost—" I freeze mid-sentence, eyes widening as my memory catches up. "Oh my God,my laptop." My hands fly to my face as panic sets in, my heart hammering against my ribs. "All of Hunt's data is still at the office. I left it there."
"Easy," Kyle says, scooting closer and placing his hand on my thigh. The warmth of his touch soothes the tension in my muscles. "Does anyone know your laptop is still there?"
"No," I say, shooting him a look filled with both confusion and relief.
"Could anyone get to it and steal it?"
"No, not unless they're part of the IT department."
"Good. Then we'll grab it first thing in the morning." He gives my thigh a reassuring squeeze, and the warmth of his touch sends a shiver straight through me. My heart rate slows. I take a deep breath and slump back onto the sofa, bringing my hand up to rake it through my tangled hair. My eyes stay locked on Kyle's calm presence. Heat creeps up my neck and spreads to my cheeks. In the middle of this mess, Kyle somehow makes everything feel under control. How can he be this calm, this solid, this protective when I'm the one who's supposed to be threatening him?
He carefully scoots across the sofa toward me, and I don't flinch. "Riley, I meant what I said all along. I want to help you, and I want to make things right."
"I don't know if you can," I whisper.
"I'll try anyway," he says. "Because, no secret, no lie, will ever push me away, you hear me? You can hide whatever you want, spin whatever web you need. I'd rather be tangled up in this mess with you, caught in our lies, our games, than lose you."
He brings a hand up to my face and brushes a damp strand of hair behind my ear, his rough fingertips brushing across my smooth cheek. "Riley, I love you. I really do."
My heart leaps against my rib cage. But this time, it's not from anger. It's from the overwhelming ache, the craving to love him."I love you, too." The words tumble out of my mouth before I can stop them. He blinks, but his lips twitch into a subtle smile. Before he can say anything, though, I shake my head. "That doesn't mean it's okay. This isn't easy." His smile falters. "I still don't know what to do with this, Kyle." My voice falters again. "You scare the hell out of me. Not because I think you'll hurt me, but because everything I thought I knew just exploded." I press my hand against his chest, right over his heart. "We lied to each other. Over and over. All of this is built on lies."
He leans closer, his forehead resting against mine. "Then let's build something new from here. With the truth. Even if it's ugly."
My fingers dig into the fabric of his shirt as I grip it. I don't know how a rat and the Butcher could end up being anything other than a tragedy, or what kind of future we could have. Yet, he's sitting in front of me, willing to give it a try. "I'm scared," I admit.
"I know," he says, wrapping his arms around me. Cocking his head to the side, his lips brush against mine, hesitant as if he is asking for permission. My eyelids flutter shut in the lingering haze of the ; every brush of his skin against mine sets off a fiery need to feel his solid frame nestled against mine. The familiar scent of mint mixed with tobacco and weed floods my senses, pulling me closer to him, into the familiar comfort of his presence. My chest heaves against his, and one of his hands wraps around the nape of my neck. I tilt my chin up and meet him halfway, pressing my lips to his.
My body moves on instinct, arms sliding around his neck, fingers tangling in his short hair. Kyle's hands grip my back, pulling me closer until there's no space left between us.
This kiss feels different from any we’ve shared before. It’s full of emotion and all the things we haven’t said and can’t say. It’s soft yet full of need, fear, and longing, as if this is the only thing keeping us from falling apart.
Chapter 27
Riley
I stare at my reflection in the mirror above the bed. A dull ache pulses in my skull and drills into my forehead as the high from the Ecstasy fades and the lingering aftermath takes its toll on me. My eyes are heavy, but a million thoughts race through my mind, forming a tangled mess that keeps me awake. With a long sigh, the air is pulled from my lungs, easing the chaos swirling in my head. My eyes flutter shut, but the silence doesn't last long. In the blink of an eye, my brain kicks back into gear, refusing to rest.
I open my eyes again and push myself up. The room is wrapped in darkness except for the soft glow of moonlight creeping through the slits in the curtains. My gaze shifts to Kyle, who is lying on his side, fast asleep, right beside me. Every now and then, a quiet snore rumbles from his throat. On the pillow next to him rests Dumpster, curled into a furry ball and purring gently as she snoozes with her tail draped over Kyle's head. At least these two are getting some sleep.
Another sigh slips from my lips as I reach for the water bottle on the nightstand. I twist off the cap, lift the bottle to my lips,and chug half of it. Maybe a joint would have been the smarter choice. While weed calms me down, Ecstasy keeps me awake, buzzing and alive when I feel like I'm drowning. Tonight, I didn't need calm as much as I needed a push to keep me from falling apart, and it worked like a charm.
