CHAPTER 11 #2
We finally reach the roof, the guy unlocks the door for us, and I walk out.
“Thanks for the help, sweetie,” I hear Bjorn say as I gear up and stretch.
“Any time. And please call me.”
Without answering, Bjorn closes the door and walks toward me. Pretty sure that move made the lobby guy even more interested in this crazy Viking man.
“Had fun?”
“Toats,” he says, and ties his hair in a manbun. “And by the way, Alexios got your yellow signal. What’s going on with that?”
I drag a hand down my face and groan. “Ah, man… I fucked up very badly. But seriously fucked up…”
“Come on, Dami! Three missions ago, I sank a military tank in a pool… with the hostage inside. Your fuck-up can’t be that bad.”
“I went to Ollie’s house without a plan, got drunk with him and his stepmom, and it rained, so we ran inside.
Then we made out in his bathroom… a lot…
he blew me in the shower. I blew him on his bed.
” I list everything that happened, and with every detail I add, Bjorn’s mouth drops open a little wider.
“And then I fell asleep… and spent the night.”
“I take that back… your fuck-up is a hundred times worse than mine.”
“And that’s not even the worst part…” I tell him while putting on my earpiece.
“You got married!” Bjorn gasps, his hands covering his mouth.
“What? No! Why the hell would you think that?”
“Well, I don’t know! You said spending the night wasn’t the worst part, and you two are already fake-dating! What’s worse than dating if not marriage?!”
“Yeah, you are right, that would be worse… Checking comms,” I say, and Bjorn lifts his thumb. “But no, we didn’t get married. We had breakfast…”
Bjorn stares at me like I might have exaggerated by calling breakfast the worst thing on the list.
“…With Elijah,” I finish.
Bjorn freezes, and his light blue eyes open wide.
Yep… there’s the reaction.
“Are you fucking crazy?! You had breakfast with Elijah at his house, without a plan, no backup, and no fucking anything? Woww… Grattis,” he claps. “Dami, you officially have the worst fuck-up in Harknett history.”
“What was I supposed to do?!” I ask, lifting the lower part of my balaclava covering all the way until my eyes. “Make an excuse and run out the window?”
“Yes! And don’t give me any bullshit about not knowing what excuse to give! Your entire dating life has been nothing but excuses for why you don’t stay the night, why you don’t call, and why you definitely don’t stay for family shit like breakfast!”
“I know… I fucked up.”
We step on the ledge of the building and get ready to jump.
“And how are you?”
“With the mission? It went well by some pinche miracle, but I could’ve screwed this up so damn bad—”
“I’m not talking about the mission. I know you are a pro at what we do and managed to make a great impression on Mr. Psycho trafficker… I’m talking about your feelings. How are you?”
Oh no… This is Finni all over again.
?Pero qué mierdas!
Does all of New York want to talk about my freaking feelings?!
“My feelings are okay. Why would they be… you know… not okay? I’m fine.”
“Dami…”
“I said I’m fine.” And instead of talking to Bjorn about my feelings, like a normal person would, I turn around, close my eyes, and jump backward off the edge of the building.
God, this is the best part of the drop.
That split second where your entire body is completely weightless. The air rushes past your skin, swallowing all the noise, and for one perfect moment, you don’t think. You don’t stress… You just feel.
It’s the purest feeling in the world.
At least, right up until Bjorn ruins it by talking on the comms.
“Dami, I know you’re not okay. This is the first time in your life you’ve actually spent the night with someone.”
Mierda…
“You are ruining my jump,” I growl at him.
“You have done that yourself!” Bjorn says, imitating the voice of Ewan McGregor.
I burst out laughing, open my eyes, flip upright, and yank my ripcord. Above me, I hear Bjorn deploying his chute, too.
“It’s okay, Dami. You don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to. Just know I am, and always will be, here for you. We all are,” he says, as he pulls on the cords to begin our landing.
We touch down on the rooftop of Synapse Delta. Working quickly, we strip off our parachutes and douse them in a special chemical Tae whipped up. It dissolves fabric on contact, so the evidence will be completely gone long before security makes their rounds up here.
Bjorn unhooks the diamond-wire saw from his belt and starts slicing through the ventilation grate, while I grip the metal tightly so the bars don’t clatter into the shaft once he cuts through.
“I just want him,” I blurt out the second he finishes cutting.
“Yeah, I kinda guessed you wanted to do the mini drug lord.”
“No, Bjorn… I just want him. No one else.”
Bjorn slaps a hand over his mouth and gasps. His eyes go impossibly wide, and honestly, shock doesn’t even begin to describe the face he is making.
More like… stroke?
“Do I need to call an ambulance? Are you dying?” I poke his arm with the bar. “Are you dead?”
“WHAT?!” he pants, clutching his chest. “Damián Soto… are you telling me you want to date this man for real?”
“Yes…”
“Oh, man! I never thought I’d hear you say that. Hell, I figured even Tae was more likely to date than you!”
“Seriously? Tae doesn’t even like to be hugged.”
“Exactly…” Bjorn grabs me in a hug so tight the beast actually lifts me off the floor. “I am so happy for you!”
“Don’t be.” I pat his arm until he sets me down. “We’re sort of in the middle of a fight right now. Wanna go first or should I?”
“After you,” he says, moving away so I can get into the vent. “So you fought? What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know,” I admit, as I get into the vent.“What do you think I should do?”
“Hell if I know. What do you normally do when you fight with someone you’re hooking up with?”
“I ghost them…” I admit. “You?”
“Same…” Bjorn stops crawling down the vent and scratches his beard, probably waiting for the powers of his Viking ancestors to deliver the answer. “But what have you done to fix things with someone you actually wanted to keep hooking up with?”
“I’ve never had anyone I cared for enough to fix the problem. You?”
“Same…”
I groan, rubbing my face in frustration. “Look, I love you, and I am so glad you’re here, but they really should’ve sent Leif today.”
“Oh, a hundred percent. He’d definitely know what to do.” Bjorn’s eyes suddenly light up like he’s just figured out the answer to the universe.
“Should I call him?”
“Now?!”
“Ja, why not?” Bjorn sits down on the vent, opens his dinosaur fanny pack, pulls out his phone, and wiggles it within my reach.
“Mmm… you really think that’s a good idea?”
“Absolutely. He is all about forgiveness and soulmates, so he’ll know what to do. Plus… this way I get to hear when he finds out you have a crush and absolutely freaks the fuck out.”
“I don’t know…”
He clutches his phone to his chest, giving me the biggest puppy eyes in the world.
“Fine, call him.”
Which, to be perfectly honest, I kind of also want to hear him freak out. Something tells me it’s going to be hilarious.
“But first… we record.” Bjorn taps a special app on his screen.
“You’re recording him?”
“Obviously. His reaction is going to be nothing short of legendary. Besides, New York is a ‘one-party consent state.’”
“One-party consent? Wait… how many recordings do you have of me?” I ask, but the ass just grins and dials his brother.
“The fuck, Bjorn—”
“Hej, bror!” Leif picks up. “Hur m?r du—”
“Nej, Leif… we have an English speaker among us.”
“Oh…”
“But first… are you alone or in a secured room?”
“Ja, I am at the apartment.”
“Good,” Bjorn passes me his phone.
“Hey, Leif!” I say as we start crawling down the vent again.
“Dami! How are you? How is the mission? Are you eating okay?”
“Yes, Mom, he is eating okay. But that’s not why we call… tell him, Dami.” Bjorn grins, excited, waiting for his brother’s reaction.
“Do you… remember Oliver?”
“Your assignment?” he asks, sounding confused.
Which, of course, he is. What kind of stupid question is that? Asking if he remembers the guy who’s been helping us run this operation for almost two months… but whatever.
We reach the supply room and climb out of the vent. I check outside the door while Bjorn hooks the vent cover back into place.
“He’s not my assignment… He’s more like the super capable man who is helping us bring down the worst trafficker in the world, while having absolutely nothing to do with Harknett as a client or a contractor… but sure, that Oliver,” I say.
Bjorn covers his face, desperately trying to hold in a laugh. I smack the back of his head, which only makes his shoulders shake harder.
“Yes, I remember Oliver… What about him?”
“I like him.”
“Aww! That’s great, you’re getting along with your teammate.”
Bjorn completely loses it and bursts out laughing. “He’s in denial.”
“No, Leif. ‘Like’ as in… I have a crush on him.”
The line goes completely silent… and then the call ends. Bjorn and I stare at the phone, unsure of what just happened.
“Did we just break my bror’s brain?”
“Looks like it…”
Bjorn looks left, then right, scanning the long, white corridor. “Was it left or right after the storage room?”
“Two lefts, up one flight of stairs, and a right,” I say.
Bjorn glares at me, and I grin.
“Soooomeone is clearly more intelligent.” I tease him.
“I am more intelligent. I’m just obviously still in shock from your confession.”
We hurry down the hall, take the stairs two at a time, and finally reach the server room.
“Come on, it’s in here.” I rattle the handle, but it’s locked.
BZZT! BZZT!
Bjorn’s phone buzzes; only this time, it’s a video call. He answers it, revealing Leif, his ashy blond hair and beard still wet from a shower, staring blankly into the camera. Bjorn passes me the phone so he can focus on picking the lock.