Chapter 22
It turned out Ellington had prepared for his untimely death, and I’d thank him when I wasn’t planning a time-sensitive mission.
I had two days to prepare for the rescue of Beck, and I couldn’t factor in sleep.
Time melted into coffee, hash browns, and cramped hands from typing.
When I rested, code glowed bright on the backs of my eyelids.
“Ellington, you crazy bastard,” I muttered as I pushed my laptop away.
In his belongings, I’d found an envelope addressed to me, and on the tiny thumb drive tucked inside was a priceless and dangerous gift. The skeleton framework of code that would allow me to hijack The Unseen’s entire security system.
I stretched my arms, getting a whiff of questionable body odor.
Ellington left blurry photocopied notes, and I got a strange pang in my stomach at his messy scrawl. Funny how I missed the unhinged bastard. He hadn’t left emotional pleas or apologies, just two sentences.
You know what to do with this. Use it to destroy them.
He trusted my ability to build the rest of the system, and he’d planned for the likelihood of his not being around.
But the code on the drive was messy. Ellington wasn’t as skilled as some, but he had a hidden talent for coding.
His notes crawled up the side, leaving a jagged path for me to follow and action.
I first got interested in tech after I watched one of Mom’s dodgy friends jailbreak a phone. It unveiled a new world. Life had rules and boundaries, but a man with a scruffy beard just bypassed them. I still got a rush of energy when I did the impossible.
I took a sip of the cold coffee Ray had left me.
I stared at him over the cool glow of my laptop, asleep with his arm flung over his face.
He could nap anywhere, as noted by the little snore he let out.
The code reeled me back in. I passed the point of logic.
Everything was intuitive now, like I was a machine plugged into a greater network, working on autopilot.
So much hinged on my ability to get this just right.
We could smash our way in or slip in through a whisper.
My fingers itched. I could have worked on this for another six months and still tweaked it.
But time wasn’t on my side, so I patched the code together and tried to quell the dismay at the imperfections.
Ray and Jonah worked with Adelaide to organize everything else. My racing thoughts shredded the plan to ribbons.
The Unseen’s base was an imposing mix of concrete and cameras, set on a ten-acre slice of land. There would be no element of surprise, but I hoped we could pull off a bold entry they wouldn’t expect.
The Unseen were used to doing everything from the shadows.
What if we were too late?
I tossed the thought away like a hot coal. I hadn’t allowed myself to consider that The Unseen might not care to hold Beck. Sure, he was on the council, but did that give him any consideration when the rot of the organization went bone deep?
I typed faster, my breath shallow. This code was the key, so I didn’t stop, I didn’t sleep and I worked until my bones felt like jelly.
Jonah and Ray flitted around me, like moths drawn to a desperate, dwindling light. They left offerings I discovered later when I came out of my trance: pastries that were still crisp, green tea gone cold, and even a little plushie of a fox.
I pulled from everything I’d learned to make this the most undetectable bomb they never saw coming. The last section had me stumped. With all the loose ends so close to being tied, I needed a second opinion. I was halfway through dialing Connall’s number before I froze.
A lock tightened my chest. Would he expect us to come? Would he defend The Unseen after trading one master for another? I knew he wanted his sister safe, but he’d been shortsighted. The Unseen knew his weakness now, and they’d exploit it.
My hands trembled, but I pushed through, dizzy and numb with the desire to finish. I ignored the soft cough of Jonah behind me. A second one followed.
“Are you coming down with something?”
Jonah shrugged, falling onto the couch opposite me. His eyes widened as I looked up, and I wondered what a mess I must look like.
“He won’t admit to being under the weather, will you, big guy?” Ray punched Jonah’s arm.
Jonah brought his mug to his lips, pointing at the one next to me.
Lemon and honey, sweet and bitter, filled my nostrils.
They’d long since given up trying to convince me to take a break.
Soon, I wouldn’t need it. I estimated that with only a few more lines of code I would have an unassuming weapon to help us topple The Unseen.
Exhaustion pressed behind my eyes like concrete blocks.
I’d been awake for almost thirty hours straight.
My vision blurred at the edges, flickering with the endless glow of the computer.
I didn’t know the time or the day.
“Are you going to bail on me?” The joke fell flat, paired with my scratchy voice.
I punched in the last puzzle piece and leaned back on the couch. The indentation I’d made on the lumpy cushion might never come out.
“I’ll never leave your side, Lyra. Not willingly,” Jonah answered.
I drowned in the gray steadiness of his gaze. It said so much more with those words than the dangerous mission we were about to go on. My heart fluttered underneath its rib cage shield. Jonah was putting his life on the line for me.
“Germs or no germs.” Ray chirped.
I let them drag me to bed for a nap before we boarded a private plane three hours later. The hangar smelled of oil and metal. Jonah checked the plane with methodical care, as if he expected it to be rigged with nasty surprises. Ray looked on in amusement, jostling my shoulder with his own.
“Isn’t he cute?” he whispered as Jonah ducked under the wing.
“Overprotective.” Adelaide clicked her tongue as she pulled me into a quick embrace. “You look like shit.”
“Gee, thanks.” I followed her up the narrow stairs with a sigh.
I didn’t argue, though I was tempted to fuse myself to one of the plush leather chairs and never leave. My muscles ached from being tense for so long, and my fingers curled like claws. I patted my pocket, needing to feel the hard nub of the thumb drive.
All the exhaustion was worth it, even if feverish heat churned my veins.
Adelaide and her guys took the seats, and she jerked her head to the back.
“You’re no use to us dead, so get a few hours’ sleep when the plane takes off.”
I stared out the window, ignoring Ray and Jonah as they settled in beside me.
How could I sleep right now with my stomach a pit of snakes?
The sky was an endless expanse of blue. As we cruised, the sun glinted like a shard of glass through my eyes, so I pulled down the shade.
The steady hum of the plane lulled me. Ray drummed his fingers on the armrest, shooting me worried looks. Jonah sat opposite, like a hawk.
“How much have you got left in your tank? Could we take another day to rest?” Jonah pressed.
I shook my head, jolting upright at the mere mention of a delay. Sweat sprang on my upper lip.
“You’re no use to Chief dead,” Ray whispered, something like a plea in his soft tone.
“I had no choice, you know that.” Lack of sleep made me defensive, but I couldn’t hold the edge from my words. “Ellington gave me the key to get in, and damned if I waste this opportunity.”
Ray grabbed my hand. “I know, mia volpe.”
I snatched it back, neck prickling, knowing that Adelaide and her guys were listening to every word with bated breath.
But I was too far gone for careful words.
I’d spent most of my life picking my way between the right way to frame things.
Manipulating every conversation to get the result I wanted whether a target on a mission or coaxing my drunk mom into bed.
“You don’t know. You think I wouldn’t do this if it were you being taken?
I love all three of you, and it scares me how much.
I would put my life on the line a thousand times over if it meant saving you.
So, I’m tired.” I gestured at my haggard face.
“But I’ll go down fighting. Because I want a chance to tell Beck I forgive him, and I need him just as much as I need you both. ”
The jagged-edged confession tore up my throat and left my tongue tasting of blood. Ray’s cheeky grin froze, dissolving into something hungry. Jonah leaned forward, his breath heavy with a sharp exhale. I reached for them both, tangling our fingers before I could second-guess myself.
“You…” Jonah trailed off like he couldn’t find the words.
Maybe his throat clenched like mine as this tightrope moment held us immobile. No masks, no secrets hidden between words. There was no hiding anymore. Ray squeezed my hand, still grappling to find his world-famous charm.
“Mia volpe, you know better than to encourage me.”
Adelaide whistled from her row, having heard the entire exchange, and my cheeks flooded with heat. A high-pitched, hysterical laugh escaped me, and Ray and Jonah added theirs to the mix. I exhaled for the first time since Beck’s capture.
“If you won’t sleep, at least have something to eat,” Jonah said after a beat, back in overprotective mode.
He let go of my hand to ask for a snack. I accepted a plate of sweet treats from the flight attendant but made no move to eat them. A wave of dizziness crashed over me, and I wobbled. Ray pulled me onto his lap, careful of my injured arm.
“I don’t need—” I protested.
Ray cupped my face and searched my expression with a faint frown.
“Easy. You know what loving someone means, right? You have to let yourself lean on them.”
Jonah jerked his head to the back, and Ray lifted me with a soft grunt.
“Let me carry her,” Jonah argued.
“No, I’m already holding her.” Ray crushed me tighter.
“I want to—”
“For the love of cheesus, stop fighting and take her to sleep,” Adelaide snapped.
Ray cradled me against his hard chest and carried me down to a snug bedroom. Jonah followed us and pulled the door closed.
I turned my head into the pillow, finding it difficult to hold my eyelids open. My limbs were heavy as if stuffed with concrete. Jonah had a funny look on his face as he perched on the end of the bed and pulled off my shoes. Ray crawled onto the bed and yanked me into his arms.
“Hey, I’m trying to sleep here,” I grumbled, even as I melted against him.
I nosed his collar, breathing in his spicy cologne.
“So sleep. There’s only one bed, and Jonah and I are tired as well. Watching you kill yourself over the past few days has been tiring work.”
Jonah snorted, slipping in on my other side. His eyes met mine, and I knew if I told him to leave, they would. But I was broken, and my nerves were coiled wires. As their combined warmth seeped into me, some of the suffocating pressure lessened.
Our breaths amplified in the small space. It smelled of citrus, crisp and clean. It only made me gladder Jonah and Ray were with me, because I knew their musky scents.
They were home.
The delusion is strong after self-imposed exhaustion. But the idea of it warmed an empty part of my chest.
“Thank fuck I can afford private, right?” Ray stroked my hip.
“Did you pay for this or did Adelaide?” Jonah made a noise of disbelief.
“I might not be an heir, but I’m still rich, big guy. You want presents? I can buy you a buttload of plants.” Ray’s breath tickled the back of my neck.
Jonah didn’t reply, but a satisfied smile turned up his lips. “Just look after our girl.”
I melted. Note to self: exhaustion turned me into a sappy mess.
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Ray brushed a kiss on the back of my neck. “We’re going to get Beck back, destroy The Unseen, and after…” his rich voice trailed off.
“After?” I whispered.
“We’re going to get our happily ever after, of course.”
My ribs tightened around my thumping heart. Having happiness in endless supply had never been my goal. I’d been content with my masks and missions. My secrets and my lies. But not anymore. A fierce rush of need made me clutch them closer.
“I didn’t know you were an optimist,” Jonah arched a thick eyebrow.
“Not optimism. Delusion.” Ray chuckled. “I know we’re going to be happy, if I have to climb up into the clouds and snatch it myself. Lyra deserves to be surrounded by love, and I know we can give her everything.”
If I hadn’t already forgiven them, I would have at that moment. My heart beat deeper and harder than ever before. Like Beck’s tattoos, what I felt for them was permanent.
“First step is getting our Chief back. Let’s run over the plan again.”
Jonah growled and tapped my forehead. “No, first we sleep.”