Page 33 of Make Them Cry

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“Meaning?” I ask.

“Meaning,” Render says, smug, “I traced the timestamp to a single developer machine.”

Three names appear on the screen.

I lean in.

And the bottom one makes my stomach churn.

Regent.

“Fuckinghell,” I growl. “Nobody knows who that is.”

Arrow crosses his arm. “We need to find him.”

Knight nods. “Agreed, but how? It could be anyone who has access to the NovaPlay systems.”

“I want him to pay,” I say, voice low.

Arrow nods. “Then let’s bait the bastard.”

Knight cracks his knuckles. “Render, you up for building a honeypot?”

“Oh baby,” Render grins. “I thought you’d never ask.”

While they hash out trap logistics, I stare at my tablet, watching River at Riverside. The way she moves through the space like she owns it. I watch her practice the moves I taught her yesterday.

I watch.

I just need her to know she’s not alone.

But damn, it’s getting harder to stay in the shadows. I want to show up. I want to knock on her door, pull off the mask, and sayI’ve got you.

But the timing’s not right.

Not when the bad guy’s still out there. Not when someone knows how to exploit every system we’ve got.

My phone buzzes.

RIVER:I’m practicing.

I watch the screen for a moment.

And type:

ME:I know.

Across the room, Arrow says, “You watching her again?”

“I can’t stop,” I say automatically. “I need to know she’s okay.”

Knight chuckles. “Damn, bro. You’ve got it bad.”

“Yeah,” I murmur, eyes still on the screen. “And I don’t even care.”

ELEVEN

RIVER

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