Seventeen Justice #2
I feel shy. Darn it. So I lift my chin and walk to him, sitting on a plank.
The wood is warm from the sunrise, and I notice the grooves cut deep into the boards, like someone sharpened knives here.
His heat radiates through the space between us.
Leo licks my face, snorts happily, and then jumps off the porch, bounding into the trees.
His tail wags once before he disappears, ears high, already on guard.
Maybe I can be honest with Justice. “I’m not going to give you the code for the computer virus.” At least not until I figure out a cure for everybody if it gets loose again. I feel guilty enough about that already. Causing a world-wide problem would suck.
“You’ll give me what I want.”
What a complete ass. Maybe I can change the subject. “Forget that for a moment. Why do you need my help, if it’s not for that virus?” It’s a safe topic, much safer than talking about sex the night before, so I latch on to it.
He looks into the trees. “It’s about that virus. You apparently know that my brother has lexical-gustatory synesthesia and he gets a taste in his mouth when people speak to him?”
I nod. All right. Now we’re finally getting to it. “Do you have that?”
“A variation of it. Voices can irritate the hell out of me.” That makes sense.
He does seem cranky. “When you tangled with the garnet and nearly killed my brother, I thought I could help. I tried to charge the stone myself and take that virus into my body, hoping it would leave Thorn’s. He doesn’t know. Won’t know.”
I swallow hard. “Are you dying too?”
“No. I don’t think so.” His tone is maddeningly calm. “If I am, it’s slower than it was with Thorn.”
My stomach twists. “Oh.” The word is flat, useless. I try not to grimace but fail. “What is happening with you?”
“Ever since I tried to exchange energy with the garnet you infected, voices can hurt me a lot worse than before. It’s always been difficult, but now voices can bruise or cut me easier than before.”
Holy crap. No wonder he wants me dead. “I didn’t mean to hurt Thorn,” I burst out, surprising myself.
“Or you. Honest. I thought I could cause a disruption. Not a death.” It’s the truth, but I don’t expect him to believe me.
“I wanted to test it out on Malice Media, perfect the virus, and hit TimeGem Moments to retake my company.” Using the diamonds, of course.
Not the citrines. I’d never infect the citrines.
He cuts me a look. “I don’t know whether or not to believe you, but I think I do.”
Because we had sex? “Why?”
“Lies cut.” He looks away again.
So now the guy is a lie detector? This might not be good for me.
Although I am telling the truth about Thorn.
This at least explains why Justice wants me near his computers.
Perhaps I can cure him without giving him the code.
“How can I help?” To heal Thorn, we healed the garnet and Thorn at the same time. So why wasn’t Justice healed as well?
“I don’t know. Do you still plan to infect your family’s crystals?”
“No.”
He winces and rubs his neck. The muscles in his shoulders roll under the shirt, thick and coiled. “When I tell you not to lie to me, listen carefully. I will retaliate.”
Crap. I really don’t like this. “Then don’t ask me questions I don’t want to answer.” Should I lower my voice? Soften it? I don’t want him to retaliate. “I’m glad Thorn didn’t die, and I’m sorry you were also infected.”
He glances at me, apparently unharmed. Yeah, that’s the truth. “Can you fix it?”
“I have no idea, but I’ll try. Will you promise not to kill me?” I hold my breath. Oh, I won’t make it easy to kill me, but I don’t like my odds against him.
“I promise.”
I still. He just promised. “Um, okay. Because we, ah, slept together?” Curiosity has always been a problem of mine.
“No,” he says softly.
All right. That may hurt a little bit. “Then why?”
“I never planned to kill you.”
How does that make sense? My mind scrambles. Wait a minute. Dread slams into my stomach. “Do you also promise not to lock me down somewhere away from computers?”
He doesn’t answer.
Damn it. “If you do, you might as well kill me.” It sucks that we don’t trust each other, considering the sex was, well, amazing. Beyond so. The thought sends anger through my blood. “Have we screwed each other out of our systems yet?”
Without warning, he partially turns and plucks me off the porch, settling me on his hard thighs. His arm is solid around my waist, his chest hot against my shoulder. He smells like smoke and rain and iron. “Not even close. Did I hurt you last night?”
I try not to relax while surrounded by so much heat. And muscle. “Do you care?”
“Yes.”
Well. All right, then. “No, you didn’t hurt me.
” Not in a way I didn’t appreciate. I glance down to see the back of his hand shredded.
The grooves are deep, skin raw, blood dried in the cracks.
I gingerly run a finger over one of them.
He protected my skin from the bark and injured his own.
While he had me up against the tree. “I don’t want to be your enemy, Justice. ”
“Good.”
Yeah, but that wasn’t my brain speaking. Not even close. My body leans into him without asking my permission, and his hold tightens just slightly, like he noticed.
A rumble echoes through the trees, and a black SUV drives around the side of the rock formation.
Its tires grind on gravel, engine deep and quiet.
Justice stands, still holding me way too easily.
Too casually, like I belong right here, cradled against his chest. His dark eyes flick at the vehicle, and I once again can’t read him. “Our ride is here.”