Page 180 of Villainous Rise

“Looking forward to it,” I replied. Not in this lifetime, old man.

I turned to say goodbye to Annie, but she surprised me by stepping forward. Her hands came up to the exposed lower half of my face, fingers cool against my jaw as she pulled me down and her lips pressed against mine.

She was kissing me goodbye. In front of Havoc.

She pulled back. “I’ll see you later.”

I nodded, momentarily speechless, a rare condition for me. With one final glance at Havoc’s carefully neutral expression, I stepped through the door and took flight, the feel of Annie’s kiss still lingering on my lips.

CHAPTER 32

CIPHER

I paced the length of the lab, the hammer in my forearm pulsing with restless energy that matched my mood. Three holographic screens hovered in front of me, each displaying fragments of the data Havoc had sent. Twenty years of intelligence on Halcyon, and still not enough to pinpoint who was using Mercer’s identity.

“Fuck,” I muttered, flicking through another useless file.

The Hammer interfaced directly with my systems, processing information faster than any conventional computer could. But even with its power, I was hitting dead ends. Whoever was using Mercer’s name knew exactly how to cover their tracks.

I expanded a timeline of Halcyon’s known activities before his capture, searching for patterns, connections, anything that might lead to a current associate. Nothing obvious emerged.

“Cross-reference all known associates with current Alliance and League personnel,” I instructed the system. “Flag anyone still active.”

My mind kept drifting back to Annie’s face when she saw Halcyon. That terrible stillness, as if she’d turned to stone. I’d seen her afraid before, but never like that, never with that bone-deep terror that erased everything else.

I wanted to find whoever was using Mercer’s identity and tear them apart with my bare hands.

Something bumped against my leg. Then again, harder.

I looked down to see one of my service drones repeatedly ramming into my shin, a small package clutched in its mechanical grip. Right. I’d ordered it to bring me the prototype power dampener I’d been developing for Annie’s cuff.

“Persistent little bastard,” I muttered, reaching down to take the package.

The lab door slid open with a soft hiss and Annie stood in the doorway, still dressed in her uniform.

I had never been the domesticated sort of fool who kissed someone hello or goodbye. But between the goodbye kiss she’d given me at the Tower and now, watching her step into my sanctuary, looking exhausted and entirely too appealing in that Keeper uniform, it prompted a permanent update to my behavioral patterns where she was concerned.

I was going to be the man who kissed his partner hello. Every single time. I wanted my mouth to be the first thing she felt when she walked through my door.

I crossed the lab and caught her by the waist. She let out a soft breath of surprise right before I tilted her chin up and captured her lips. I tasted the faint trace of coffee on her tongue and enjoyed the little noise of pleasure she gave before I finally pulled back.

Annie blinked up at me. Her eyes were hazy and a dark flush had crept up her neck. She swayed when I loosened my grip on her waist, taking a second to find her footing.

“Hi,” she breathed.

I smiled, letting my thumb drag across her lower lip. Derailing her was quickly becoming my favorite hobby. “Hello, Sparks.”

She cleared her throat and physically shook her head, visibly forcing herself to focus.

“Any progress?” she asked.

“Not enough,” I admitted, leading her over to the displays. “Havoc’s information is thorough, but whoever’s using Mercer’s identity knows how to stay hidden.”

Annie nodded, her gaze drifting over the data scrolling on the screens. “What can I do to help?”

I studied her for a moment, noting the tension in her jaw, the way her fingers kept smoothing nonexistent wrinkles from her skirt.

“There’s really nothing to do at the moment,” I said, leaning back against the workbench. “I’ve got Number Three and Eleven tracking down leads, and my systems are running every possible connection to Mercer through Alliance and League databases and everything in between. It’s a waiting game now.”