Back in the car, I grip the wheel and let it settle. Jon David Bellamy is soft. All shine, no threat. Laurette spent too long letting him touch her.
She needs something real.
She needs me.
I’m in my workroom,everything arranged exactly how I like it, when Matt’s knock breaks the quiet—three quick raps, always identical. He steps in with his backpack slung over one shoulder, eyes already scanning.
“Silas Rourke, huh? News is calling it a pro hit. Investigation ongoing.”
“Which means they’ve got nothing.” And they won’t. I left no trace.
He huffs a quiet laugh. “Another monster off the streets. Nice work, bro.”
I nod. No need to say it. We both understand what it was.
He opens his laptop. “Garden District? That’s high end. Guess this one has money.”
A pause, subtle, a hitch in his rhythm before his fingers move again.
“Full scrape,” I say. “Street cams, traffic feeds, anything residential you can reach.”
“Interior too?”
“If it’s there, I want it.”
He cracks his knuckles and gets to work. “Say no more.”
I want it all. Every room. Every pixel. Every breath she lets the Cloud collect.
He’s buried in the code when he slows again and glances over his shoulder. “Interior feeds? That’s not usually your thing.”
“She’s not usual.”
“She?”
The glow from his screen pulses across his face, casting flickers of blue across his cheekbones. His expression doesn’t shift, but I sense the change.
“Laurette Devereux. ADA.”
Might as well tell him. He’ll find out soon enough.
His hands freeze above the keyboard. Eyes snap to mine. “Assistant District Attorney?”
I don’t move.
“I doubt the ADA hired you to protect her. What the hell are we doing, Bastien?”
I drag a hand across my jaw, slow, deciding to fess up. “This one’s personal.”
He lets out a dry laugh and turns back to the keys, fingers still flying. “Yeah? Please explain why I’m hacking into the Assistant DA’s home network.”
I don’t answer, and Matt stops. He swivels to face me. “Jesus, B. Are you compromised?”
“No.”
Not compromised.Consumed.
She’s under my skin, in my blood, lodged so deeply she’ll never get out.
