Gemma
The next day we get up early, eat, and go to check out the
apartment Zina found.
I still can’t shake the feeling that Zina is up to something, but she
acts normal, and the process goes completely smoothly.
The place is gorgeous, in a good location, and totally furnished. I pay upfront with money from the Nautilus job and buy it right
away.
It feels good, like I’m finally the independent person I’ve always
wanted to be.
Zina and I are just leaving when the door to the apartment across the hall opens.
A man walks out, and our eyes meet.
I gasp in surprise. “Jace?! What are you doing here?”
Back in college when I was running a team of hackers, Jace Pearson was one of my best. His skill was second only to mine.
He’d come from nothing. Even though he was a whiz with computers, back then he’d been terrible with people.
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hazel eyes look huge.
If I hadn’t recruited him, who knew what might have happened to Jace.
Even so, back then we weren’t close friends. Just boss and employee. When I left to get married, the team fell apart. Even Zina didn’t know what happened to most of them.
But now, here Jace is. He’s wearing a hat and has his hood pulled up so I can’t see his hair, but he still has those giant glasses.
He’s hardly changed at all.
He stares at me and presses his lips together, not speaking.
Apparently, he’s just as shy as ever, too.
“Do you live there?” I ask, pointing at the door he just came out of.
“Yes,” he finally says. His face is neutral. He was always a man of very few words.
“Jace left the city for a while,” Zina says, “But he came back and got in touch with me/recently. He’s even better than he used to be, so of course I hired him for us.”
She winks at Jace playfully, but he just blinks his magnified green–gold eyes at her.
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“Anyway, now you’ll be working together and living close. I’m sure
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two will have lots of time to bond!”
16 min left
I nearly groan as I finally realize what Zina has been up to all this
time.
I’m getting divorced, and she’s already trying to hook me up! And
not with just anyone, either. With a former employee who barely
showers and never talks.
But I like Jace, and I don’t want to hurt his feelings, so I smile.
Besides, Zina has to be right about his success.
This is an expensive neighborhood. He wouldn’t be able to afford
to live here if he wasn’t already doing well for himself.
And back then, Jace’s calm helped balance out Zina’s crazy. He’ll
definitely be a welcome third to the team.
I stick out my hand to Jace and say, “Welcome back to the team!”
He stares at my hand for a minute, then reaches out and shakes it.
His hand practically engulfs mine. I never realized how big it is, or
how long and strong his fingers are.
And even standing this close to him, he smells a lot better than he
used to, like expensive, earthy cologne.
His warm hand releases mine almost too quickly, and I push the surprising thoughts about his hands and his scent out of my mind. 13:32
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least. There’s no way.
16 min les
“Oh, you know what?” Zina says brightly, checking her phone, “It’s dinner time! Let’s get something together!”
I hesitate, but I am hungry. Jace also agrees, and so we walk from
the apartment building together.
We walk down the street, passing several upscale restaurants that are full of rich people enjoying their dinners. We don’t bother going in, since we’re looking for something that doesn’t cost a hundred dollars per person.
As we walk, Jace sees the bag filled with paperwork from buying the apartment in my hands and says, “I could carry that if you’d
like.”
The bag in addition to my purse is actually a little heavy, so I end
up handing it over.
He takes it like it’s nothing and puts it over his shoulder. I can’t
help but notice the way the muscles and tendons around his
wrists move as he settles it.
Three years ago, Jace was a scrawny nerd, but now I notice how
broad his shoulders are beneath his hoodie and the dark denim
jacket he wears over it.
What has he been up to these last three years?
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Zina tells some joke that makes us both laugh. Suddenly, I notice
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16 min 1 fi
My phone is ringing. I take it out to look at the screen and frown. The hair on the back of my neck rises, and I suddenly have the
sense I’m being watched.
Cassian is calling me.
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