Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 110273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 551(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 551(@200wpm)___ 441(@250wpm)___ 368(@300wpm)
“I know you probably know what I’m going to say. She’s awake again. That light went out after her mother died. It’s been gone, but it’s back, and the more she planned with Matt and the other one, the more that light grew. She needs to be a part of this fight, not on the sidelines. She needs it on a vital human level, and that’s all I’m saying.” A beat. “Other than to say, it’s really nice to see her back again.” He inclined his head. “I’m done now.”
That meant I’d put the right guy on her.
I nodded and clapped him on the arm. “After this, you’ll be getting a hell of a promotion.”
He blinked a few times. “That’s not why—”
“I know.”
Josh and the others had already bypassed us, setting in motion their jobs, but I headed for the back door.
I could hear her.
The door was left ajar just an inch. It wasn’t latched, but it was still closed for some privacy.
I opened the door and waited, taking her in, and it was just as Fitz said, but more. I doubted he had stepped back to watch her work. If he had, I would’ve gotten more of a speech. No, no. He said what he did because he saw her planning, but this, seeing her bending over, frowning, squinting at the computer like it was her personal opponent in backgammon, would’ve hit him in the same way but on steroids.
She was breathtaking.
Her hair was falling forward, and she wasn’t tucking it back. That said she was more than distracted. She was obsessed.
Curses were falling from her mouth.
Her back was arched over.
Her fingers were typing like lightning over the keyboard, and she had pulled up her own laptop. It was plugged in. She was alternating between Camille’s system and her own, back and forth, back and forth.
Then she was back to the main system. Her hand on the mouse. She was clicking through screens so fast that I couldn’t make out what each screen was about. Clicking. X-ing. Bringing them back up. Cursing more.
She paused, her breath held.
She was reading, biting her lip.
Another curse, then she brought up a new screen and went back to typing like her life depended on it.
I intended to watch her a moment, then pull her away.
I couldn’t do either.
I watched her and I couldn’t stop.
I took in her pride, her stubbornness, her will to right the wrong—and she cared. I was remembering another time when I saw her hack, when she cared enough not to harm Sera- phina, Cyclone, or Matt’s accounts. She got in. She wanted to let Quinn and Peter know that she could get in, but she didn’t harm them. She cared even at the start.
“You love.”
She screeched and whirled around. Blood had drained from her face, but seeing me, she scrunched up her face in frustration. “No, no, no. I need more time.” She wheeled back, taking a moment to press the bottom of her palms to her eyes. She lowered them, shook her head, and started back. “I need more time. This girl is crazy with her firewalls. She has like five backup systems, and I had to get them online in order to get everything from them.”
I waited.
It was a minute later when she paused and looked at me. “What did you say?”
I knew where we were. I knew what she was doing. But this moment was important, so I was taking it.
I nodded at her. “I told you that you had siblings, and you loved them immediately. I gave you their files. I let you see their faces, see their names, and that was it. You sunk for them. Then I took it from you and said you’d be a stranger to them. I saw how that crushed you, but you did it anyways. You didn’t cry or whine or become resentful. You didn’t hate them, and you could’ve. Others would’ve. Most would, but not you. You loved them first, and you loved them pure. That never changed. You’ve been angry at your mother, and you were angry at Peter, and I know you were angry at me. The three of us, we could take it, but never at your siblings. You only loved them. You never let anything else in there when it came to them. No anger. No jealousy. Nothing. Only love.”
I remained in the doorway. I knew she needed space, and I wasn’t going to crowd her. I was going to do what I could to give her as much time as she needed, but I needed to tell her this much.
“It’s that same love that’s motivating you now. It’s driving you. Marie misjudged you. Quinn insulted your upbringing. But when they did that, you knew it wasn’t you being insulted. It was Chrissy, and that’s what pissed you off the most, because in your core, you are all Chrissy Hayes.”