Page 127 of Villainous Rise

He smiled. “Let me guess. Havoc’s nearby, ready to save you if need be?”

“I—“

“Please,” he said, sounding almost offended. “I’d be disappointed if he wasn’t. In fact, he and I would need to have a very serious conversation if he hadn’t set that up.”

“I thought you’d be furious.”

“Because I said I was testing to see if Havoc would let you handle this alone?” Cipher shook his head. “There’s a difference between respecting your ability to handle a meeting and being reckless with your safety. I expected surveillance, but I would never tolerate abandonment.”

I nodded but a sickening realization washed over me. My secret. The one I’d shared with Wraith.

“Oh god,” I stammered, heat rushing to my face. “When I told you about when I was fourteen⁠—”

Cipher stepped forward, gently placing his fingers against my lips. “Annie, stop.”

I slapped his hand away and jerked back from his touch. “You manipulated that out of me! You made me relive one of the worst moments of my life!” I wrapped my arms around myself to ward off a sudden, bone-deep chill. “I bared my soul to a monster because I was terrified of what would happen if I didn’t pay his toll. But it was just you.”

Cipher went still. “I didn’t know you would give me that,” he said. “Wraith always demands a secret as payment. I thought you would tell me something simple. I thought you would tell him about us.”

“About us?” I repeated.

“That you’re seeing me. That we’re together.” He looked up, his silver eyes dark and intense. “It would have been the easiest secret to surrender.”

“You think I would expose you to a stranger?” I asked incredulously. “I would never hand over your name to someone who could use it against you.”

Cipher inhaled sharply. “Now I feel like an even bigger asshole.” He took a step closer to me. “Annie, I never intended to make you weaponize your own pain. I would never ask you to bleed for me.”

“Save it,” I said, turning my back on him. I loved him. I accepted who he was. But right now, his methods had a very real, very painful cost.

“Are you going to analyze those components or not?” I asked the dark warehouse walls, refusing to actually look at him.

The silence stretched out behind me as I waited for him to try to charm his way out of the mess he’d caused. Maybe offer a clever excuse.

“Yes,” Cipher finally answered. I looked back and watched as he stepped up to the table.

“So what now?” I asked, gesturing to the components. “Where do we go from here?”

Cipher picked up the pieces, examining them in the harsh overhead light. “I need to analyze these properly. My equipment at the Labyrinth will tell me more than I can determine here.”

He gathered the shield and belt components and placed them into a secure case. Once he was done, he looked up at me.

“Are you coming with me to the Labyrinth?” he asked. His voice was carefully neutral, but his eyes tracked my every movement.

“I need to debrief Havoc first,” I said. “I have to let him know I survived the big, scary informant. Then I’ll meet you there.”

Cipher gave a tight nod. He stepped closer but stopped well outside my personal space.

“When you talk to Havoc, tell him that I will continue to only contact you with my findings,” Cipher said. “Make it explicitly clear that if anyone else tries to reach out, Wraith disappears completely.”

“Got it.” I stepped back, preparing to leave. “I should go. Havoc’s probably getting worried.”

“I’ll see you at the Labyrinth.” There was no question in the statement this time.

I nodded. “I’ll be there.”

I turned and walked toward the warehouse door. I paused at the threshold and looked back. Cipher stood in the beam of light, watching me.

“Goodbye, Wraith,” I said quietly.