“Alright. But while I have you, there’s one other thing.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“There were a few comments on the university Discord that made me think I might not be the only person those guys have done this to. I wanted to see if Romeo could dig anything up on them, but I don’t want to ask him myself.”
“Oh.” Understanding flashes across her face. “And what if he does find something?”
“Then I think we should bring Mariella in. I know it’s not exactly the purpose of the Aegis network?—”
“I’m sure she’d be more than willing to help,” Abella says. “I’ll talk to Romeo about it, and I won’t mention you.”
“Thank you.”
“Speaking of Romeo.” She shoots me a look. “You want to tell me what that was about in the meeting?”
She's obviously referring to my mini spiral about him putting himself in danger. But I don’t know how to answer without giving my feelings away.
“I understand it’s hard for you to be around him, Gabs. We can minimize your interactions as much as possible if that’s the problem.”
“It’s not that.” I sigh. “Romeo and I will have to find a way to co-exist. I just need some time to get used to the idea of him being involved.”
“You’ll figure it out.” She gives me a sad smile. “This war can’t last forever.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
Except…it’s already been nine years.
8
ROMEO
[ENTRY 002] — SYSTEM SCAN
> Observation: catastrophic blue balls.
> Effect: self-control degrading.
> Containment protocol: tie her to the bed and fuck her until the end of time.
> Note: does she ever wear a bra…or own a full-length shirt, for that matter?
When I openthe door to Gabi’s bedroom, her bathroom door is shut, and I can hear the shower running. Beppe blinks up at me, letting out a huff of excitement as he comes to greet me.
“Hey, runt.” I scratch his head, and he wags his tail as I pull a treat from my pocket and give it to him.
Happy with his score, he runs back to his blanket to gnaw on it.
I set the bouquet I brought for Gabi on her nightstand, and when I glance over at her bed, I freeze. The giant stuffed teddy bear peeking out from beneath the blankets catches me off guard.
At first, I think I’m imagining the similarities, but when I pull back the covers, I can see that I’m not.
It’s well-worn, the fur faded and threadbare in some spots, the stitching nearly coming apart at the seams in others. Despite my brain being nuked that day, the memory of what came before the strike still lingers.
We rode every ride at the fair, and I chased her through the funhouse while she screamed the entire way. Maybe it was the wolf in me, but that sound hardwired itself into my DNA, satisfying a primal need I hadn’t even known existed.
When I caught her, I pressed her up against the mirrored wall, both of us breathless. All I wanted to do was crush my lips against hers. I’d thought about it relentlessly when I palmed my cock in bed every night. But even then, there was a part of me that felt like I might ruin her.
So instead, I took her to the shooting gallery and played until I won her the biggest prize they had. She looked at me like I was her hero when the attendant handed it to her.
