Page 72 of Make Them Cry
I groan. “Of course it is.”
“It means change,” Juno says quickly. “Upheaval. Intensity.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Tasha laughs.
But something in my chest tightens.
Later, after Lark starts a group selfie contest and Tasha’s in the bathroom, I corner Juno in the kitchen.
She’s opening another bottle of wine, but when she sees my face, she pauses. “What’s up?”
“You tell me,” I say quietly. “You’ve been grilling Tasha all night.”
Juno doesn’t lie. She sets the bottle down and leans on the counter.
“River… I didn’t want to drag you into this too fast. But we’re looking into something. And we needed to see how she reacted.”
My stomach dips.
“Are you saying… you think Tasha’s involved?”
Juno lifts her brows. “I’m saying… we don’t know. Yet. But some of what we’ve found points to someone with internal access. And she’s on a very short list.”
I glance back at the living room. Tasha is laughing with Lark, holding a glass of wine, her face lit up.
“I invited her here tonight,” I whisper. “She brought me wine.”
“And we’re not accusing her of anything,” Juno says firmly. “We’re just watching. Listening. Trust me, I know how it feels when you don’t know who to trust.”
I nod. My hands are shaking.
“I’ll protect you,” Juno says. “We all will.”
For the first time in weeks, I feel like someone means it.
Even if it means breaking my own heart later.
TWENTY-FOUR
GAGE
“You owe me a soda,” Knight says, lounging back on the beanbag with his combat boots still on, like we’re not in the middle of plotting the downfall of an HR employee. “River totally called it. Tasha's got a thing for you.”
“She does not,” I mutter, sinking onto the old leather couch in the Riverside mission hub.
Arrow smirks from across the room, arms crossed like the smug bastard he is. “Actually, she does. Girl was blushing harder than a freshman at prom when she mentioned your name. And did anyone else catch the part where she called you the ‘office hottie’?”
Ozzy chokes on his drink. “Bro. The office hottie? That’s, like, the opposite of your brand.”
Knight leans forward, grinning. “Yeah, you’re more of a silent asshole with good hair.”
I flip them both off. “You jackasses done?”
“Not even close,” Knight says. “We still haven’t covered how you totally made out with River in your vigilante costume. That’s some Batman/Catwoman fanfic shit right there.”
Arrow raises a brow. “Did you say you were in too deep?”
I glare. “I said maybe.”
