It wasn’t just about the job for me anymore. I didn’t want to leave Neurovance and risk never seeing Jay again. I knew he couldn’t orwouldn’tleave with me. This company was technically his, no matter what kind of bullshit Luke had done to keep his shares from him. This was his father’s legacy; he couldn’t just leave and let Luke destroy it.
“I don’tknow,”Jay choked. “If Luke was responsible for my father’s death, he’s dangerous, Milo. I already suspect he’s hurting Sebastian in ways he doesn’t talk about. I’ve seen him flinch and limp around campus before when he doesn’t think anyone is watching. I don’tlikeLuke, but I’m not afraid of him like Seb is… I think he’s controlling him somehow.”
Jay rubbed the insert in his forearm absently, and I frowned down at it. He seemed to touch it a lot when he was anxious.
“Does Seb want to sell the tech to the government?”
“No, he doesn’t. He hates it just as much as I do, but Luke isn’t giving us a choice. All we can do is delay development.”
“Hmm…” I hummed, my brain whizzing a mile a minute.
“So, Luke is the only problem.”
Jay let out a dark, sad laugh. “Yeah. But he’s a pretty big one. One I don’t know how to solve.”
Suddenly, I had an idea. A terrible,wickedidea that made me squirm uncomfortably in Jay’s lap.
“What?” Jay asked, raising a curious eyebrow at me.
“I just thought of something… but it’s… It’s a bad idea. We shouldn’t do it. It would make us just as bad as this Dr. Grey character…” I mumbled.
A sly grin spread across Jay’s mouth, and he tugged me closer to him, a mischievous glint shining in his eyes.
“You having naughty thoughts, baby?”
I let out a shaky laugh and nodded.
“Yeah. But not the sexy kind.”
“Tell me.”
“Well… stop me if this is too crazy, but… what if wediddevelop the manipulator and used it to… make Luke less… evil?” I winced, peeking at Jay nervously as my cheeks flushed in shame at what I’d just suggested.
God, he was going to think I was so messed up…
Jay’s eyes widened in surprise, and his mouth parted slightly. He was staring at me like he’d never seen me before, and my face grew even hotter.
“Never mind, that’s a stupid idea andbad,so, sobad.Forget I said anything.”
Jay’s grip tightened on my hips, and I squeaked as he abruptly flipped me onto my back on the couch. He sprawled out on top of me, grinning at me like a crazy person.
“That’s… a deliciouslyevilidea, Milo,” he purred, kissing me roughly on the mouth.
“It’s too crazy! We shouldn’t!”
“I disagree.” His eyes flashed, and I could almostseethe wheels turning in his mind. “I think it’s just crazy enough. Sometimes you have to get your hands a little dirty for the greater good. Besides, if he reallyisresponsible for my father’s death, it’s the least of what he deserves.” Jay looked so angry for a second that I shivered.
“If we can get Luke to hand my shares back over to me and leave the rest of his to Seb, we can take control of Neurovance, and it canfinallybe what my father always wanted it to be. We can make tech thathelpspeople. With Luke out of the way, we’ll have complete control…My-loooooh…”he hummed, dropping sweet kisses all over my face as I squirmed beneath him.
“You’re so smart and…. surprisingly badass.” He laughed, and I couldn’t help but laugh with him.
“It will be dangerous,” I whispered. “Luke isn’t going to willingly let us use the tech on him.”
Jay pulled back and looked thoughtful.
“Maybe we can pitch it to him as a public demonstration of the prototype in the cortex once we’re ready to go public with it. I can convince him that letting people see the technology being used onhimwould be a show of faith that it’s safe. Like a PR thing.”
I nodded, feeling excited.
