“It took me a while to get through his defenses, but I do love a challenge.” If she even mentioned touching him, I’d ensure she didn’t walk out of this office alive. “Aren’t you curious how your boyfriend always knows just the right thing to say? Even for a modern man, he’s dangerously perceptive. Almost as if he can read your emotions.”
She dangled a secret in front of me, hoping I’d take the bait. I wouldn’t fall victim to her trap, even if it left me curious. At first, I assumed his ability to calm the room came from years of training with the government. She wasn’t wrong; he had a sixth sense for reading the room, and almost supernatural…
The smile spread across her face. “There it is.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” I lied. It made sense. I thought my reaction to Cypher’s had been irrational and over the top. Whenever he rested a hand on my shoulder, my thoughts quieted. Could it be that Booker?—
“Your boyfriend is an empath.” She slowly stood. “A rather good one at that.”
I couldn’t muster a lie as I replayed every interaction. Had this been the secret he tried to share last night? If Tiaand Becky had waited a minute longer, would he have come clean and confessed his abilities? Was I mad? Was I evenallowedto be mad? It wasn’t like I didn’t have my own skeletons spilling out of the closet.
“It’s like a feast every time you visit my office. Him, he’s like water or stale bread. There’s no chaos to replenish the well.”
“It changes nothing,” I said, standing.
“Dear.” She braced her hands on the desk, leaning forward. “By your expression, it changes everything.”
“I could have you arrested right now.”
Her eyes narrowed. She had powers, but other than a lot of awkward eating puns, I couldn’t tell what they were. That had never stopped me from walking into a fray. We’d trash the office, break a few walls, and possibly fall out a window and plunge four stories, but nothing in her arsenal could stop me.
“Which one of you would make the arrest? Tint? Hellion?”
Nothing but that.
“When I give my confession, should I mention your boyfriend’s superpowers? I wonder if the government knows? I bet they’d frown at that.”
Whatever power she possessed, it came second to the information she had gathered. Catherine Keyes had predicted this moment and knew that by plunging a knife into an open wound, she’d walk away the victor. It was coldand calculating, but what angered me the most—it worked.
“This will only end one way,” she hissed.
Her eyes clouded white, with a wisp of yellow energy cackling at the edge. I had two options. I could walk away and let her claim a momentary victory. It’d sting my ego while I regrouped, but it also meant she might enact whatever plan she had brewing. My other option was to reach across the desk and snap her neck. Dead men tell no secrets.
“This isn’t over.” Not even Hellion would cross that line.
“I hope it isn’t.” The power surged, and energy radiated from her eyes. “I do love our chats.”
For a second, I considered crossing it, going from vigilante to villain. It’d save Synergy. Hell, it’d save the city from whatever she planned. I couldn’t do it and walk away with my honor intact. She had manipulated me enough. I wouldn’t let her push me any further. Could she taste the question? Or how incredibly close she had come to dying?
I turned and headed for the door. I glanced over my shoulder. She had already returned to her seat, fingers clacking away at the keyboard as if it had been a minor inconvenience. I exited and walked down the hallway. Catherine had weaponized my secret, the one thing she could hold over my head.
I had one card left to play: remove her leverage.
18
Drew: Avoid the office. I’ll explain tomorrow.
Booker: Who is this?
Drew: Drew. New phone.
Booker: Good. I miss seeing your texts.
Booker: What’s going on?
Drew: Got called away on business. Explain when I can.
Booker: Be careful out there.
