Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
RIVER
I wake slowly. Warmth. Comfort. Safety.
Gage’s arms are around me, his chest pressed to my back, breath warm against my neck. For a few precious seconds, I forget the chaos of Cathedral, Regent, and Tasha. There’s only this. Him. Us.
But then my mind wakes fully—and all the tangled threads of danger, betrayal, and hidden truths wrap around my ribs again.
I roll over carefully, facing him. His lashes are dark against his cheek, and his mouth is soft in sleep. He looks younger like this. Peaceful.
But I can’t pretend the world outside this safe house has stopped spinning. I brush my fingers across his jaw.
He opens his eyes. “Morning,” he murmurs, voice low and gravelly.
“Hey,” I whisper. “You stayed.”
He nods. “Wasn’t going to leave you. Not after last night.”
We lie there for a while, our legs tangled, my head on his chest. I feel like I could stay like this forever, but my thoughts won’t let me.
“Gage,” I say quietly, lifting my head. “Do you think it’s Tasha?”
He’s silent. Then, “Yeah. We’re close to proving it. The USB. The therapy leaks. Regent’s access logs. All of it points to her.”
My heart stutters. “But why? We’re best friends.”
“Jealousy’s a hell of a drug,” he says softly. “You’re brilliant. You got promoted fast. You were liked. She wasn’t. That leaves marks on some people.”
I sink into the mattress, heart pounding. “It’s like…I keep trying to find logic, but it’s just this endless loop of betrayal.”
He reaches for me, pulling me into his arms again. “I know. I hate that this is happening to you. But you’re not alone in it.”
I look up at him, biting my lip. “And what about Regent? He’s the puppet master, right?”
Gage’s jaw flexes. “Yeah. He’s smart. Slippery. We don’t even know his real identity yet. But we will.”
There’s a determined fire in his voice I’ve only ever heard when he talks about protecting me. It makes something inside me flutter—something deep and visceral.
I smile softly. “Well then, hero hacker… want to spend the day with me?”
His lips tilt up. “Thought you’d never ask.”
I change, and then we head to his place so he can get ready. Then we head out. The sun’s out, air crisp. Gage wears a hoodie and jeans, casual but still hot enough that I catch three women turning their heads as we pass. I take his hand possessively. He doesn’t let go.
We walk to a nearby café. He buys me a matcha latte, and we sit on the patio in the sunlight. We don’t talk about work or trauma or cyberstalkers.
Instead, we talk about favorite childhood video games. His was GoldenEye 64. Mine was Spyro the Dragon.
“I used to try to burn all the sheep,” I admit.
He laughs, head thrown back. “You’re terrifying.”
“You love it.”
He reaches across the table and brushes his knuckle down my cheek. “Yeah. I really do.”
And I melt. I fucking melt.
We’re walking back to the car when we see them.
Helena. And Andrew.
In the middle of the city park.
Kissing.
As in, full-on, lips-devoured, tongue-to-tongue, scandalously intimate kissing.
I freeze mid-step. “Wait—what?”
Gage grabs my elbow. “River, wait—”
I spin toward him, heart slamming against my ribs. “Andrew’s married, right? With two kids?”
“Yep,” Gage says grimly. “He is.”
“And Helena works in HR. Just like Tasha.”
We look at each other. Something shifts in the air between us. Something sharp. Dangerous.
“I think we should follow them,” I say.
Gage doesn’t argue.
They walk along the park path, hands brushing occasionally. Helena looks around a few times—clearly trying to keep this secret. Andrew looks far too relaxed for a man cheating on his wife in broad daylight.
They stop at a food truck. Talk. Exchange something—too quick to see.
“What was that?” I whisper, gripping Gage’s arm.
“No idea,” he mutters. “But we’re logging this.”
We follow them to an alley behind a bookstore. Andrew hands Helena something small. A flash drive?
“Holy shit,” I whisper. “They’re sharing something else.”
“Encrypted data? Access credentials?” Gage murmurs. “Could be a link to Regent.”
“They’re both high enough in the company to pull files. If one of them works with Tasha…”
Andrew leaves first, heading back toward his office tower.
Helena lingers, then ducks into a black car parked on the street.
“I don’t like this,” I say, heart pounding. “What if Tasha is working with them?”
“She might be,” Gage says quietly. “This whole thing is bigger than one traitor.”
I look at him. “Then it’s time to burn it all down.”
He nods.
But I can see the flicker in his eyes. The fear. The pressure.
Because now we’re playing with fire.
And someone’s going to get burned.