Total pages in book: 148
Estimated words: 142939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
I shouldn't be so cocky. Vane has a whole lot more power than I do. I bet he even has the president's number. I’m sure that comes with making some of the best technology the world has ever seen.
Hell, his grandfather helped create the Trench Gun. Its devastation hadn’t been fully intended for what it could do, but it was quickly realized for all of its capabilities. His family was destroying Nazis before it was cool. Thank God it never fell into the wrong hands.
That’s the line you always ride, wondering if what you’re creating is going to do more harm than good. I bet Vane rides that line with every breath he takes. I’m sure more than most people in the whole fucking world.
“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
“I can’t let that comment go. This is going to hurt,” I tell him as I push my wrist upwards to make full contact with his body. “Fire,” I tell my gloves. I hear the shock go off, but nothing happens. “What the hell?” How is this even possible? Vane still keeps me pinned beneath him. I purse my lips. Of all the times one of my creations was going to fail me, of course it chooses now.
“You didn’t think I’d know you’d try to taser me?”
“But how?” I question. I guess he could have something that pulls and grounds the current, but it would still need to travel through the body. I think. Biology isn’t my area of expertise. Clearly, Vane knows all areas.
“As I said, I’ll show you my trick if you show me yours.”
“Let me go, and we'll pretend this never happened.”
“That’s not going to work for me. You’ve already seen too much. I’ve already seen too much.”
“People will come for me,” I threaten.
“I can have a government army surround my home in one call. It would take your friends a while to work past that.” My mind flashes back to how little staff security I’d seen around here. It had been too easy to get in. The stupid red flag was there, and I ignored it. My greed and need to find Vane, I mean the tech, blinded me.
“This was a trap,” I whisper. He set me up. He somehow knew I was coming. What does he want from me? Oh God, is he a double agent or something? Has he gone rogue? Does he think I might have information? Will he try to extract it from me?
I know this is not the time, but with him being so close, my mind can’t help but wonder what methods he would use to get this information. I quickly push those thoughts to the back of my mind. Focus, Ocean.
“It is.” His hold on me tightens. “I hate to do this, Liberty, but it’s the only way I can manually lock this place down so your friends can’t creep their way in through technology.”
“You know my name.” No one knows my real name.
“I know everything,” he says before kissing me. It comes out of nowhere, surprising the hell out of me. Just as much as the small prick I feel enter my skin before the world starts to fade away. Everything is like a dream pulling me under. Vane Bartow is the last thing I see before I fall asleep.
But then again, I often see him there.
6
VANE
Her eyes flutter open, and she glares at me immediately, sleep draining from her like water from a reservoir. She’s in my bed, the entire compound on lockdown, my trap snapped firmly shut on her just as I planned.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” She sits up and looks around, scanning for a weapon, no doubt.
“I needed to get you alone.”
“What?” She yanks the duvet up to her throat.
“You’re a tough woman to track down, much less hang on to. I figured if I set a–”
“Trap,” she hisses. “This whole thing was a trap.” Her gaze darts around the room again. “What do you intend? Sell me to some enemy government? Ransom me back to Buffy?” She gives a humorless laugh. “She’d never pay up.” Her eyes narrow. “But you wouldn’t want money. What is it? A competitor has some sort of secret tech you’re after? You think you can leverage me to–”
“You have quite the imagination.” I smirk and sit on the corner of the bed.
She shrinks back. “What is this?”
“Exactly what I said–I wanted you alone.”
She swallows hard. “You don’t mean to, to …” Her cheeks burn scarlet as she looks down at the black duvet.
“I’d never hurt you,” I interject quickly. “I need you to know that.”
Her shoulders relax the tiniest bit, but the skepticism doesn’t leave her face. “You drugged me and dragged me into your bedroom. I can’t trust anything you say.” She glances down at herself. “Where’s my gear?” An edge of panic coats her voice.