Chapter 4 #3
The Nexus erupted in chaos as medical drones deployed from ceiling hatches, racing toward the Keeper. The announcer’s voice cut through the pandemonium, calling for calm.
But it was too late. From our elevated position, I could see that the medical drones wouldn’t be able to do anything. She was dead.
The sight of her body, so small and broken, had me staggering back.
“Annie!” Dawn’s voice finally penetrated my shock. “We need to get you out of here!”
I turned to her. “What?”
“Annie, please,” Dawn begged, tears streaming down her face. “I can’t—I can’t—“ She sobbed and her words dissolved into unintelligible sounds.
Hunter pulled Dawn into his arms, her body shaking with sobs as medical teams finally made it to the arena floor and swarmed the fallen Keeper while security personnel attempted to contain the situation.
I remained frozen in place, the image of the Keeper’s crumpled body burning behind my eyelids, superimposed with memories of my own blood-soaked clothes after Dread’s attack.
Dawn wrenched herself from Hunter’s arms, whirling to face me with fury blazing through her tears. The box that had seemed so spacious moments ago now felt suffocatingly small.
“That could have been you!” she screamed, her voice cracking. “Don’t you understand? That was almost you three months ago!”
“Dawn—”
“No! You don’t get to brush this off!” She jabbed a finger toward the arena where emergency lights flashed. “That woman is dead, Annie. Dead! Just like you almost were when that monster came after you!”
She shoved me hard, her small hands connecting with my shoulders. I stumbled backward against the viewing glass, too shocked to react.
“Is this worth it?” she demanded, her voice breaking as the displays around us continued to flash emergency instructions. “Is any of this worth your life?”
It was then that I felt it. That familiar electric awareness prickling along my spine. I looked past Dawn’s shoulder and froze.
Cipher was standing halfway to our box, his body rigid. What was he thinking? Did Dawn’s words pierce through to him?
He couldn’t have missed them, couldn’t have misunderstood what she meant.
Dawn collapsed against me, sobbing. “Please, Annie,” she whispered. “I want to go home. I can’t watch this anymore.”
Hunter wrapped his arm around Dawn’s shoulders, guiding her toward the exit. I followed behind them, my legs moving on autopilot while my mind remained fractured in a thousand jagged pieces. The emergency lights pulsed overhead, bathing everything in alternating shadows and a harsh red glare.
Dawn’s sobs echoed out in the hall, each broken sound like a needle under my skin. Hunter murmured soothing words into her hair, his body curved protectively around her.
We had to pass directly by Cipher’s box entrance to leave but I kept my eyes fixed on Dawn ahead of me, counting each step toward freedom.
Then he was there, materializing in his doorway.
“Annie.” My name on his lips was barely audible, a whisper meant only for me. Like he had the right to sound concerned.
I didn’t slow. Didn’t turn. Didn’t acknowledge him in any way as I passed within inches of his body.
Not now. Not with Dawn’s tears still wet on my shoulder and the image of that Keeper’s broken body burned into my memory.
Whatever game he was playing would have to wait. I kept walking, my back rigid, my eyes forward. I could feel his gaze on me as I walked down the corridor, but I didn’t look back.
I wiped down the kitchen countertop for the third time, the cloth dragging against the already gleaming surface.
The apartment was quiet except for my breathing and the swish of fabric against stone.
My mind kept replaying the events at the Nexus in vivid, brutal detail—the Keeper’s death, Dawn’s breakdown, and Cipher.
Always Cipher.
“Goddamn it,” I hissed, attacking an invisible spot with such violence the cloth tore slightly at the edge. I wasn’t sure who I was cursing anymore. Him for existing or myself for still caring.
My hand trembled as I rinsed the cloth, water running hot over my fingers. I twisted it as if it were his neck.
The sob that tore from my throat surprised me with its violence. I slammed my palm against the counter, welcoming the sting that shot up my arm. Physical pain was easier than this hollow, gnawing ache that threatened to consume me from the inside out.
I snatched my phone up, scrolling through my contacts until I reached “Tech Support.” My thumb hovered over the name. After everything, I still hadn’t deleted his number.
The screen blurred as tears filled my eyes. I blinked them back furiously, hating myself for this weakness.
I started typing: You’re such an ass—
I deleted it immediately, my fingers shaking so badly I nearly dropped the phone. What was I doing? This was exactly the kind of emotional reaction he’d love to provoke.
I jumped when Hunter appeared in the kitchen doorway, his shadow stretching across my freshly scrubbed countertop.
“Dawn finally fell asleep,” he said quietly.
I didn’t respond, just fixed him with a glare. He had the decency to look ashamed.
“Annie, I’m sorry. I didn’t know Dawn would recognize Cipher as Havoc’s Nemesis. I definitely didn’t expect her to just—“ he gestured helplessly, “—walk up and start talking to him.”
I gave a harsh laugh. “And that makes it better? I was there to support you, Hunter. To help you through telling Dawn the truth, and you set me up.”
“He wasn’t there to upset you,” Hunter insisted, taking a step forward.
“Why the hell was he even there?” I snapped. “A Miscreant-level match? Please. He was there to antagonize me.”
Hunter leaned against the doorframe, his expression pained. “It’s not my place to—“
“Not your place?” My voice rose sharply, cracking at the edges. “But it was your place to tell him I’d be at the match? To set up this whole ambush?”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You’re right. That was wrong of me.”
“So why was he there if not to antagonize me? Give me one good reason.”
“Maybe...” Hunter hesitated, eyes darting to the hallway in the direction of Dawn’s bedroom. “Maybe he wanted to see you.”
“Right. He’s had three months to ‘see me,’ Hunter.
To call, text, send a carrier pigeon. Hell, he could’ve hacked my toaster if he wanted to communicate.
But nothing. Radio silence. Your friend is just an asshole, plain and simple.
” I grabbed the edge of the counter to steady myself.
“He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. ”
Hunter’s expression shifted, something like frustration flickering across his face. “If he didn’t care, why would he keep sending you food? Coffee?”
“What did you just say?” My voice came out barely above a whisper.
Hunter froze, his eyes widening. “Shit.” He dragged a hand down his face. “He’s going to kill me. Probably literally.”
“That’s not—“ I shook my head. “That’s impossible. Cipher wouldn’t—“
But even as the denial formed on my lips, the pieces clicked into place. The perfectly timed deliveries. The meals from restaurants I’d once mentioned loving. The coffee that always arrived precisely when I needed it most.
“How would you even know about those deliveries unless...” The world tilted as reality reorganized itself around this impossible revelation. He’d been watching me. All this time, he’d known exactly when I skipped meals, when I was working late.
Hunter looked genuinely worried now. “Annie, I shouldn’t have—“
I backed away, my hands raised as if to physically push away this new reality. “I can’t do this right now.”
I turned and fled to my bedroom, shutting the door behind me. My legs gave out and I slid down, pulling my knees to my chest.
Three months of pretending I didn’t care and telling myself I hated him, that he meant nothing and I’d moved on.
And all that time, he’d been there. Watching. Sending food when I was too exhausted to cook or remember to eat. Coffee when I’d been up all night with nightmares. Little comforts that had kept me going on my worst days.
The sob that tore from my throat sounded like it belonged to someone else. It was raw and broken. I pressed my hand against my mouth to muffle the sound, not wanting Dawn to wake up and find me like this.
What kind of game was he playing? What did he want from me?
Cipher thought he could just pull my strings from the shadows and watch me squirm. He loved his secrets. He loved being the one with all the power.
I wiped my wet cheeks with the back of my hand. My phone sat on the floor where I had dropped it.
The deadline for my answer to Alliance PR was tomorrow morning. I didn’t need to wait that long.
Cipher wanted to play games. He wanted to blindside me at the arena, he wanted to be the one in control.
Let him see how it felt to lose that control.
Let him turn on the news and see me on the arm of a Hero.
My fingers stopped shaking as I typed out a single sentence and sent it to Havoc before my fear could stop me.
I’ll do the PR campaign with Valor.
Let him sit in the shadows and choke on the sight of me belonging to someone else.