“Probably not.” He shrugs breezily. “You won’t know until you roll the dice.”
I work my jaw back and forth, not wanting to give in, but knowing I must. If I don’t do this, he’ll leave and…well, we can’t have that.
“Please.” I drop my voice low, my teeth grinding. I may not understand emotions, but manipulation? That, I’m familiar with. “I need you, Neo.”
Neo’s breath hitches, and my monster roars in triumph. His throat bobs before he speaks again. “But why? Why do you care?”
Really, it’s an excellent question. Why do I care? I could just lock Neo in this room and refuse to let him leave. Why am I going to the trouble of suggesting a plan that’ll keep him closer to me?
Because that way, you can keep an eye on him.
Yes. He won’t be able to get up to as much mischief if he’s working at my side.
Sure. That’s what I meant.
“Because Idoneed you,” I say. It’s near impossible to let my guard down, but I try. Cade and Ansel are right—I made this mess, even if I didn’t mean to, and only I can clean it up. “My emails are piling up faster than I can answer them. My schedule’s a mess. I’ve missed three meetings in the past week, and that’s before I get started on what’s required for The Firm.”
Neo sniffs. “Then hire yourself a temporary assistant.”
Part of me expected Neo to trip over himself in his haste to spend more time annoying me. The unsettled feeling from earlier is back again, threatening to drive me crazy. “I don’t want a random person. I want you.”
He flops back on the bed, his face wooden as he stares at the paneled ceiling. “No one wants me. Not even you. You’ve told me often enough.”
I hesitate. How do I proceed here? I can’t lie to him. But I alsocan’t let him leave. “I need you. Not someone else. You. The Umbra Syndicate has gone quiet, and that’s not a good sign. If anything, it makes me more wary. I need your hacking skills as well as your organizational ones.”
“Use Ansel.”
I tap my fingers against my legs. “Please. We both know Cade isn’t letting Ansel within three miles of anything to do with them.”
Neo sits up slowly. “So Ansel’s too precious to risk, but I’m not?”
I take a moment to think over my words. Maybe if I’d done that in the kitchen, we wouldn’t be in this situation. It’s odd—no one else brings out this side of me. Only the guy sitting on the bed. It’s dangerous. I don’t like it. “I would never let anything happen to you, Neo.”
“You mean The Firm wouldn’t.”
“I wouldn’t,” I repeat. “You’re under my care, just like everyone else in this house.”
“So let me move out, and then you won’t have to worry about me.”
My nostrils flare at his insolence. I’m not mad though, not really. Not when baiting me finally has the spark back in Neo’s eyes. “Out of the question.”
“One might think you enjoy what I put you through,” Neo drawls, one of his feet going up the inside of my thigh again. I don’t let myself react. “It’s the only reason to keep me here that makes sense.”
His foot falls suddenly as he straightens and stretches. “Well, maybe it’s not enough for me. It’s been fun, but I’m done with anyone making me feel unwelcome.”
I don’t let myself think. Or rather, the monster doesn’t. It has Neo pinned against the bed before he can fully rise from it. My thighs are straddling his hips. My fingers are around his throat—not strangling him, just holding him in place. “No. You will not leave.”
“There you are,” he breathes, his pupils dilating. “I’ve been wondering where you’ve been.”
“You’re not leaving,” I repeat with a snarl.
“Isn’t this better?” Neo croons. He lifts his hand to cup my cheek. “It’s not healthy to hide who you really are all the time.”
“I’m not hiding. I’m protecting people.”
“Who?”
“Everyone.”
