Chapter 40
Okay, so only three minutes past the meeting time. He grips his thighs, kneading his muscles. He can sense Electra noting the action, so he leans back and threads his fingers together in an attempt to appear calmer than he feels.
Electra’s scent surrounds him as she leans over. “Why are you nervous? I thought you said you’d met them?”
“I’m working with their business partner, Sable. Just let me do the talking,” he says.
She chuffs, but he ignores her. He trusts Sable to a degree, but this is Electra’s safety they’re talking about, and this time he’s the one having second thoughts.
Under her breath, she mutters, “I see nothing has changed. I guess I have my answer for that.”
“This isn’t the time or place.” Stay the course.
Follow the plan. Get the ID. He’s surprised he hasn’t burned a hole in the door with the intensity of his gaze.
Right as he’s about to launch himself out of the chair, the doorknob turns, and a familiar dark-haired man with a crooked nose walks in.
Res6 cocks his head to the side, studying him.
James steps forward with all the confidence of a successful businessperson. His relaxed demeanor is such a relief, Res6 almost stumbles as he stands to reach out his hand. He read about the customs during Electra’s time and wanted to be prepared. And possibly impress her. “Res6,” he says.
“James,” the other man offers in return. Not releasing his hand, he says, “You know, I still can’t figure out your motivation for turning us in. Especially considering her.” He inclines his head toward a frowning Electra.
Okay, so they’re confronting this now. Well, there’s the robbery and my effort to get in the inspector’s good graces. And Electra put herself at risk, so an ID is more necessary than ever. But Res6 doesn’t voice any of that.
James continues. “I see the marketing angle of getting a competitor shut down—a tactic that only lasted a week, mind you. That can’t be your only reason.”
It’s true. After the day Inspector Wanda took him and Viper to GROW for the inspection, they didn’t find more than a handful of minor violations.
Nothing that warranted being permanently shut down.
Since they submitted his blanks in place of the outstanding reincarnates, the inspectors didn’t find what they were looking for: more reincarnates.
Wanda wasn’t happy. He assumed she’d been expecting to collect a dozen of them as the recall progressed, but it seems IdenTECH got to them in time.
Luckier still, it seemed she had no clue as to his involvement.
NHOS had no choice but to let GROW reopen on January 1st.
Res6 tugs his hand away and returns to his seat. James sits down across from him. His gaze automatically skims over Electra. “Perhaps I have other reasons.”
“Are you going to keep me guessing?” James asks.
“I didn’t realize we were friends,” Res6 says, crossing his arms and doing his best to convey the matter being closed.
“My partner, Oro1, will be here any minute.” James turns to Electra. “You must be the reincarnate.”
Res6 feels her tense beside him. His every protective instinct fires. He fights the urge to pick her up and haul her back to his cave like her hero Vorack, but since she agreed to this, he doesn’t offer any comfort. She probably wouldn’t accept it if he did.
James offers her a warm smile, continuing, “Like me.”
Res6’s gaze snaps to the other man. To admit that with such a level of nonchalance . . . Either the man has a death wish, or he reads people exceptionally well.
Electra reaches across the table, taking James’s hand.
“Electra Lynch. Born 1998. Died 2027. I’ve been back for a few months now.
I’m glad to finally meet another normal human being.
” She nods in Res6’s direction, and he scoffs.
Is she teasing? He can’t tell. Zorg, is he back to being awkward around her again?
“Good, good. And I know what you mean. Trust me,” James says, chuckling, which seems to set Electra at ease. “You’ve come to the right people. If a discreet identity is what you’re looking for, we’ve got you covered.”
“Excellent.” He can hear the smile in her voice.
He refuses to glance in her direction. The thought of seeing her pleasing grin directed at James, when she’s only offered him a cordial press of her lips, makes him green with envy.
Across the table, James studies him. “You turned us in for using reincarnates in the fighting ring, but by then, Electra would have already been in existence. Now you’re going to great lengths to protect her. I’m still trying to understand why.”
He shifts, uncomfortable under the scrutiny. In an ill-advised move, he glances at Electra, who’s staring at him with the same bold, assessing gaze.
She smirks. “Good luck with that.”
Before he can navigate the strategic apology he planned, the door swings open.
The tall man who must be Oro1 steps through, sweeping his gaze around the room.
Does he sense the tension? He must because he strides around the table, holding his arms out wide.
Oh Zorg— Res6 hates the formal greeting.
Still, he jumps up, taking the other man’s forearms, and leans in to exchange air kisses.
“The French greeting stuck around,” James explains to Electra. “I’m sure you’ve noticed the mishmash of what used to be distinct cultural customs. A little Japanese here, a little Brazilian there. It’s anyone’s guess how it came to be this way.”
Electra chuckles as Oro1 takes his seat, but not before taking her hand and placing a soft kiss on her knuckles. Res6 can’t help but notice the pink that colors her cheeks.
Doing his best to hide his irritation and eager to prove himself the bigger man in front of Electra, he says, “Sable tells me I owe you an apology. I understand my actions upset a woman who is important to you. That wasn’t my intention, and for her distress, I’m sorry.”
“That was K8, the one who deserves your apology. She’s my fiancée now. And yes, if she’s upset, I’m upset,” James says. “But I appreciate your directness.”
“Fiancée?” Electra asks. “I thought marriage was outlawed.”
“The legal arrangement was. NHOS can’t regulate what goes on between two people in love.” When James says in love, he eyes Res6 knowingly. “I’m sure your good friend Sable can explain it to you.”
Damn Sable. He can hear her saying, I had to tell them something.
He dares a glance at Electra, who’s staring at him with wide eyes.
“Who is Sable? He doesn’t have any friends,” she says, and it stings about as much as he deserves.
Granted, he’s attended his last several lunch encounters as himself, and no one seemed to notice anything different, so he has that going for him.
He clears his throat. “Thank you for pointing that out, Electra.” He directs his attention to Oro1, seemingly the most reasonable one of the bunch. The only person from the present besides him. “As you’re aware, Electra is from the past, and she requires an identity.”
“Of course. It is truly our pleasure to assist in these sensitive matters,” Oro1 says.
Res6 resists an eye roll. Oro1 means he’s glad to take the excessive fee they’re charging him, despite his help with the reincarnates and his secrecy.
It’s for a good cause, Sable told him. Just think—you can tell Electra how your fee funded IDs for reincarnates who weren’t lucky enough to wake up to exorbitantly rich people like you.
“I can speak for myself,” Electra says. “You can leave the room if you don’t think you can keep quiet.”
James’s brows lower as he leans forward. “Electra, if you are uncomfortable in your current arrangement, I’m positive my K8 would welcome you with open arms. Just say the word. Your safety is of utmost importance to Oro1 and me.”
“Oh, I’m not living with him anymore. I’ve made friends. It’s not that hard.”
Instead of correcting her—because technically James just called Sable his friend—or correcting James, who suggested he might hurt Electra, which will never happen again, Res6 sits there flabbergasted like the ineffectual lump he is.
James leans forward. “Are you certain you’re safe?”
She waves him off. “Yes, I’m fine.”
That spikes a new fear in him. Who is she staying with?
He’s been focusing on her absence, but he failed to consider the danger she’s putting herself in.
That should have been the first thing he thought of.
He’s now torn between demanding that she come home with him for safety and respecting her need to prove she’s a valid individual, as referenced in her breakup letter.
That doesn’t stop him from reaching out to grab the arm of her chair and dragging it toward him. “If her current residence doesn’t work out, she can come back home to me. End of discussion.”
“Electra, ultimately it’s up to you,” James says. All three men’s attention shifts to her.
Res6 braces, sensing he’s moments away from doing something rash and out of character, like throwing her over his shoulder and storming out. Maybe all those romance books are getting to him.
She turns to him. “You want me to come home?”
Yes! Desperately! “Only if that’s what you want,” he says, watching her subtly deflate.
It isn’t enough. A few words in a tense meeting won’t be enough.
He knows this, which is why he has a plan.
This isn’t the time or place to make his move.
Still, for good measure, he throws in, “I respect your choices and I understand you need to be valid on your own.”
Her eyes widen.
Yes, I read your letter, he thinks, silently conveying his understanding.
Oro1 clears his throat, but Res6 senses he’s on a roll.
“James.” He turns to the other man. “Perhaps a dinner is in order, considering our working relationship via Sable. I’ll buy, of course.
I’m sure Electra would love to meet K8.” Feeling back in control, he gestures to Oro1. “Bring him too, if you must.”
Oro1 chuckles. “I realize I’m good-looking, but why does everyone assume I’m going to steal their woman?” He winks at Electra, which makes Res6 bristle.
James ignores his partner, eyes narrowing. “I’ll talk to K8.”
Electra gasps, excitedly gripping his forearm. “Actually, that’s a great idea. I’d love to meet her.”
His eyes narrow in on the gesture. Her touch does more to ease his tightly coiled tension than any of her words might. The room suddenly feels lighter. “Perfect. Dinner, then, and whatever else Electra needs,” he says, attempting not to seem like the worst man in the room.
The words come out so easily, they surprise him.
He’d been so against—well, everything. He could mentally tick off a list, but it boils down to her being a real human woman who forced him to confront the broken parts of himself so he could become the man she deserves.
Because that’s what happened. Electra happened, and now he wants to be the man she depends on.
Who she comes home to. Who she shares all her secrets with.
The man who keeps her safe. If only he can get her to see that. He will get her to see that.
Res6 sits a little taller, allowing his normally cool countenance to blanket him. There’s no need to act rash. He has everything under control. “What are the next steps?”
After the IdenTECH meeting, Res6 and Electra linger in the hallway, a taut silence vibrating between them.
“Are you really safe where you’re living?” He shoves his hands into his pockets so he doesn’t do anything stupid, like embrace her.
She shrugs. “Yes. Now that I’m getting an ID, I’ll be able to transfer the money I’m making from the column to a Worldbank account and get my own place.”
He fights a grimace. “I said you could come back and live with me.”
“You don’t want that.” She shakes her head, glancing down the hallway at two men in bright orange jumpsuits who are gawking at them. The men turn, slipping around the corner out of sight. She takes a step toward him.
She clearly knows nothing of what he wants, because his inner Vorack is screaming, Yes, I can be the man who protects you.
Considering she got scared and moved toward him, does she even know what she wants?
He’s more than happy to solve the riddle for her, but he senses he needs to give her time to come to the determination on her own.
He presses a hand to the small of her back, guiding her toward the elevators that lead to the SAT garages.
“It’s probably nothing. They most likely recognized one of us.” He clears his throat, eyeing her. “Now that you’re nearly as famous as me.”
“I know you don’t approve.” She grins. “Wait, are you teasing me?”
His palms itch to touch her. Back in his pockets they go. “Perhaps.”
When they’re safely behind the closed elevator door and moving between floors, she leans against the opposite wall. As she stares at him across the elevator car, her dark eyes don’t flash with the same fire as they had before, despite plans to get the ID she’s been wanting.
He can hardly take it, knowing he’s the cause. “Listen, I’m sorry I didn’t make it safe for you to tell me about your column. I know it’s important to you, and I’m glad you’re pursuing it. I understand why you didn’t tell me about it.”
“Thanks,” she says, staring at her feet. “What did James mean when he said you were helping them with the reincarnates?”
He shrugs, trying not to appear too eager to share the evidence of his growth.
“My friend Sable found out about a GROW recall, which put the active reincarnates at risk. They needed manupartners made with the same DNA to surrender in their place, so Sable and I used their DNA samples to make them.” Because I care about real people!
He mentally screams the words, trusting that she’ll infer as much.
Romantic heroes should never overwhelm the heroine at this point in the story by trying to force her hand.
She bites the tip of her finger, clearly debating something. “We could have lunch? As friends, I mean.”
Tempting, so tempting. She doesn’t believe he wants her back in his home, and he’d rather shut down CHOICElover than settle for friends. There is so much more that needs saying. A conversation that even he understands can’t be had over lunch, and definitely not out in public.
“I can’t.” He doesn’t offer any further explanation as he follows her off the elevator. She doesn’t argue. When the next SAT is available, he helps her into it and returns to the glass enclosure to await the next one.
Her SAT zips out into the atmosphere, taking her away from him—hopefully for the last time.
He has a plan. The first three steps are complete. He’ll give her a few days to process his actions. Perhaps James will give him an answer about dinner. Then it’s time to properly grovel.