Page 78 of Fight or Flight
“Not overconfident,” I tell him. “And I’ve never denied that there’s something wrong with me.”
“Is that something the fact that you’re a psycho?” he asks sweetly.
“Yup. But the clinical diagnosis is antisocial personality disorder. Psycho is a colloquial term.”
He lets out a heavy-sounding sigh. “We’re about to do something incredibly dangerous that could literally get us killed, and you’re making jokes.”
“Who’s joking?”
He shoots me an unimpressed look. “Can you just be serious right now so I don’t end up having a panic attack?”
I gently grab his arm and tug him to a stop. He reluctantly turns to face me.
“I promise there’s no reason for you to be afraid,” I tell him, all traces of my earlier teasing gone. “Jax and I know what we’re doing, and we don’t leave people behind. Just focus on your part, and we’ll do the rest. If we do that, the three of us will walk out of there exactly the same way we walk in.”
He studies me for a few beats, like he’s trying to decide if I’m being sincere, then nods. “Okay. But I’ll kill you myself if you’re wrong.”
“Deal.” I motion toward the gate, and we start walking again.
“So you and Jax break into places a lot?” he asks, his voice low even though there’s no one around us.
“When we need to, and when we want to.” I shoot him a quick grin. “Like I’ve said, we have some unique hobbies.”
“Like hacking?”
“Like hacking,” I confirm.
“It’s so weird to think of you as a hacker.”
“And why’s that?”
“Because you’re not the hacker type.”
“And what’s the hacker type?”
“You know, someone like Myles or Carter. A quiet nerd who spends all their time at their computer.”
“I’m a nerd who spends all my time at my computer—well, most of my time. I’m just not quiet.”
He tips his head back and rolls his eyes. “I mean like an actual nerd who’s super smart and not…”
“Not…” I prompt when he trails off. “Go on, finish your thought.”
He shakes his head. “Never mind.”
“You think I’m just an empty-headed pretty boy who rides on my daddy’s coattails and likes to cause chaos and mayhem because I’m bored and I know I can get away with it, right?”
He shrugs.
“Well, news flash. You only think that because it’s what I want you to think. It’s what I want everyone to think. You’ve actually seen more of who I really am than anyone outside my family ever has, but you still only see the version of me that I show you. And life is easier if everyone just writes me off as a dumb frat guy with a bad temper and a smart mouth, so that’s the part I play around people I don’t trust.”
“Wait.” He looks at me, his eyes full of confusion. “You just said I’ve seen more of the real you than anyone outside your family, but then you follow it up by saying that you only show your true self or whatever to people you trust. So which is it?”
“Come on, Shane. You’re smarter than you let on too. You can figure this one out on your own.”
“Are you actually saying that you trust me?” He blinks at me like he’s not sure what to believe.
“Yes.”
