Jeremy Striker was hardly little—he was twenty and the brains of the research company. The file was slim on him, though it said he was some kind of child prodigy like Ronnie. Graduated college at sixteen and took over his dad’s company, Striker Industries, as head of research anddevelopment.
The team huddled in around me. “What is it?” I gritted out. Money couldn’t buy my respect. If he’d lied about something big that could get my team killed, I was out ofthere.
Ronnie kept tending to his shoulder but gave me her signature raisedeyebrow.
Damien sighed, looking ten years older in that moment and tired as all hell. I knew how he felt; going without sleep wastorture.
“He’s not a risk or anything, if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s just that he has some… special needs, and when we get in the Dream Wars, he… can have anepisode.”
Okay… I’m going to need more information thanthat.
“What kind of needs? What type of episode?” Were we talking epilepsy and seizures, because that was fine with me. I would never cancel a client contract over something likethat.
Damien swallowed hard. “He and I saw our parents die in the Dream Wars. He was onlyten.”
My heart pinched at his confession, and my eyes fell to Maxine, who was clenching her teeth. They had something in common, and I knew she was trying to hold her shittogether.
Damien went on. “He also has a form of mild autism. He’s extremely shy and lacking social skills, yet he does okay. But when we get over there, he completely changes. He has a form of selective mutism and will only speak to me, Josephine or Mr. Hansen, people he trusts. In the Dream Wars, he doesn’t like to be touched, he doesn’t like violence, and… he’s a runner. He’ll run away if shit gets tooscary.”
Ohshit.
I backed up and started to pace the hallway, needing to keep my headspace calm. I was fine with the selective mutism and autism, fine with him not wanting to be touched or being scared. It sounded like he had some major PTSD and anxiety issues, which I could handle, but a runner? Of course shit was going to get scary! This was the Dream Wars! It was like being tasked with protecting a child, but that child had gone through puberty and the ghouls would be after him. How could I protect a twenty-year-old man who wouldn’t talk to me and would run at the slightest bit ofdanger?
“Wait.” Damien went after me, causing Ronnie to fall away from his shoulder. He stepped in front of me with his hand out. “He’s a genius, with the ability to do rapid calculations and solve advanced scientific string theory problems. The reason we need your protection is because… his research is all about ending the DreamWars.”
His words slammed into me, my mouth dropping open. Ending the Dream Wars was something we didn’t even dare to wish for, or speakof.
Chapter Two
End the Dream Wars.
I stopped walking, forcing Damien to a stop, as my team returned to the room to give usprivacy.
“What did you just say?” I asked him head on. I was tired myself. Maybe I hadn’t heard him right. Last time I checked, Striker Industries made guns, bulletproof vests, and the dream band bracelets that allowed us to connect our consciousnesses before sleep, so we could go in as a team. But I’d read nothing about research in relation toendingthe DreamWars.
Damien Striker ran a shaky hand through his wet hair. “My little brother is close to proving a theory that dumping massive random data files over the airwaves can repel the ghouls, mixed with a plasma shield of our own making. Every night we enter the Dream Wars to test his theory and a device he’s creating that could be worn by every man, woman, and child. It would repel any ghouls within three feet, and the person wearing it couldn’t be harmed bythem.”
Holy shit.I’d read something inGhouls Weeklyabout their communication patterns being like those of a computer and certain “data dumps” affecting them, but nothing had come of it so I’d forgotten about it. Untilnow.
I couldn’t walk away from protecting someone just because they were different. It went against my inner moral code. I could’ve easily kicked Maxine off my team when her PTSD manifested, but I never could’ve lived with myself if I had. And if he could really create a device that could repel the ghouls, then we had to try. I just hoped Jeremy Striker didn’t get me and my team killed in theprocess.
Damien leaned in to me, so close I could feel the heat from his body against my chest. His warm breath in my ear, he whispered, “One morething.”
I was entranced by him, his heat, his breath on my ear. “The ghouls are… attracted to me. No matter where I go, no matter how far from the war I get, they find me. Every night. In every DreamWar.”
Well shit. So much for him just being a hot, rich guy. Though he wasn’t my first client with a ghoul attraction, and I was sure he wouldn’t be my lasteither.
I pulled back from him and lowered my voice. “Why didn’t you tell me about your brother’s researchbefore?”
His face was deadpan. “The last team I told, took it as a threat to their job security and tried to killme.”
Geez.
I mean yeah, technically I’d be out of work if his brother could create a device that repelled the ghouls, but to be able to sleep in peace again, to not have to bury any more friends or family members, I’d happily beunemployed.
“And what about the government? I have contacts with the president. I used to protect her. I could get you a meeting,” I informedhim.
He sighed, rubbing his temples. “You can’t be thatnaive.”
