Chapter 21 #2
“Look at me,” he demanded. “The Dread situation was a cold calculation for my own benefit. It was a mistake I will spend the rest of my life trying to atone for. But Wraith is different. I built this identity long before you. Wraith is a ghost. He allows me to move through circles and gather information where Cipher can’t go. ”
“If I expose Wraith, I lose that reach,” he said, his voice dropping to a rough, urgent whisper.
“I had to be absolutely certain Havoc wouldn’t compromise this meeting before I revealed the truth to you.
Every tool I have, every identity I wear, exists to serve you.
I need Wraith to remain a secret so I can use him to hunt down anyone who threatens you.
You have to see the difference between Dread and now. ”
He finally let me slip past him and I paced away, needing space. The anger that had burned so hot moments before was cooling, leaving behind a complicated mess of emotions I was too tired to sort through, which was becoming my default mode where Cipher was concerned.
“I would have,” Cipher said quietly behind me.
I turned back to face him, confusion momentarily replacing my frustration. “What?”
“Taken his hands,” he replied, his voice made the hair on my arms stand up. “I would have hunted Wraith down and taken his hands for touching you. And I would have killed him if he’d done anything beyond that.”
My earlier threat to Wraith, to him, hadn’t been empty after all. Not with Cipher. There was something darkly comforting about his possessiveness, about knowing exactly how far he would go to protect me.
“I know,” I said softly.
“Do you?” he asked. “Do you understand what I would do to anyone who harmed you? There are no limits, Annie. No lines I wouldn’t cross.”
“I understand.”
His thumb traced my lower lip, his touch feather-light but possessive. “Good,” he murmured.
I crossed my arms. “But you could have told me you were Wraith.”
He furrowed his brow, looking slightly confused. “There was no reason to. Wraith isn’t connected to Cipher or Thomas Smith. He’s a separate entity entirely. A ghost in the system who occasionally provides information when it suits him.”
“So if you’d decided not to help Havoc at all, I never would have known about this identity. I would have remained in the dark?”
“Yes.” His honesty was both refreshing and infuriating.
“Then why agree to help now?”
“Because of you,” he said simply. “The only reason I entertained Havoc’s request was because you were involved. I wouldn’t have bothered otherwise.”
His words softened something inside me, though I wasn’t ready to let him see that yet. “That doesn’t excuse scaring me half to death in a dark warehouse.”
“I know.” He stepped closer, his voice gentler. “And I’m sorry for that. But I needed to maintain the separation until I was certain I could trust Havoc to let you deal with this.” He gestured to himself. “I trust you, Annie. But I don’t trust anyone else with this information.”
I sighed. “So why tell me at all? Why not just keep playing this game?”
“Because once I decided to help Havoc, I knew I wanted you to know the truth,” he explained. “But I needed to make sure Havoc would actually let you handle the situation alone first. I couldn’t risk exposure.”
“So this was a test. For Havoc.”
Cipher nodded. “I needed to know he would respect the boundaries I set as Wraith. That he wouldn’t try to follow you or attempt anything to interfere with our meeting.”
I shifted uncomfortably, guilt washing over me. Cipher had just admitted to testing Havoc’s willingness to let me handle this alone, but the truth was Havoc wasn’t letting me handle it alone at all.
“What’s wrong?” Cipher asked.
I opened my mouth, then closed it again, unsure how to confess that Havoc and a response team were positioned nearby, ready to burst in at the first sign of trouble. My silence apparently told him everything he needed to know.
He smiled. “Let me guess. Havoc’s nearby, ready to save you if need be?”
“I—“
“Please,” he said, sounding almost offended. “I’d be disappointed if he wasn’t. In fact, he and I would need to have a very serious conversation if he hadn’t set that up.”
“I thought you’d be furious.”
“Because I said I was testing to see if Havoc would let you handle this alone?” Cipher shook his head. “There’s a difference between respecting your ability to handle a meeting and being reckless with your safety. I expected surveillance, but I would never tolerate abandonment.”
I nodded but a sickening realization washed over me. My secret. The one I’d shared with Wraith.
“Oh god,” I stammered, heat rushing to my face. “When I told you about when I was fourteen—”
Cipher stepped forward, gently placing his fingers against my lips. “Annie, stop.”
I slapped his hand away and jerked back from his touch.
“You manipulated that out of me! You made me relive one of the worst moments of my life!” I wrapped my arms around myself to ward off a sudden, bone-deep chill.
“I bared my soul to a monster because I was terrified of what would happen if I didn’t pay his toll. But it was just you.”
Cipher went still. “I didn’t know you would give me that,” he said. “Wraith always demands a secret as payment. I thought you would tell me something simple. I thought you would tell him about us.”
“About us?” I repeated.
“That you’re seeing me. That we’re together.” He looked up, his silver eyes dark and intense. “It would have been the easiest secret to surrender.”
“You think I would expose you to a stranger?” I asked incredulously. “I would never hand over your name to someone who could use it against you.”
Cipher inhaled sharply. “Now I feel like an even bigger asshole.” He took a step closer to me. “Annie, I never intended to make you weaponize your own pain. I would never ask you to bleed for me.”
“Save it,” I said, turning my back on him. I loved him. I accepted who he was. But right now, his methods had a very real, very painful cost.
“Are you going to analyze those components or not?” I asked the dark warehouse walls, refusing to actually look at him.
The silence stretched out behind me as I waited for him to try to charm his way out of the mess he’d caused. Maybe offer a clever excuse.
“Yes,” Cipher finally answered. I looked back and watched as he stepped up to the table.
“So what now?” I asked, gesturing to the components. “Where do we go from here?”
Cipher picked up the pieces, examining them in the harsh overhead light. “I need to analyze these properly. My equipment at the Labyrinth will tell me more than I can determine here.”
He gathered the shield and belt components and placed them into a secure case. Once he was done, he looked up at me.
“Are you coming with me to the Labyrinth?” he asked. His voice was carefully neutral, but his eyes tracked my every movement.
“I need to debrief Havoc first,” I said. “I have to let him know I survived the big, scary informant. Then I’ll meet you there.”
Cipher gave a tight nod. He stepped closer but stopped well outside my personal space.
“When you talk to Havoc, tell him that I will continue to only contact you with my findings,” Cipher said. “Make it explicitly clear that if anyone else tries to reach out, Wraith disappears completely.”
“Got it.” I stepped back, preparing to leave. “I should go. Havoc’s probably getting worried.”
“I’ll see you at the Labyrinth.” There was no question in the statement this time.
I nodded. “I’ll be there.”
I turned and walked toward the warehouse door. I paused at the threshold and looked back. Cipher stood in the beam of light, watching me.
“Goodbye, Wraith,” I said quietly.
“Until next time, Keeper Bishop.”