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“Just a couple minutes,” I grin.
“Well, shit.”
Laughter erupts from my throat and I can’t hold it back as I stride toward him, “Don’t be like that, I’m actually kind of impressed. You’re just full of surprises aren’t you Cole Lennox?”
When I reach him, entering his space, he shifts nervously and gulps.
Am I making him nervous?
“So, I, uh. I gotta head out, but the equipment is back in the office. Zeke will be here sometime Friday before opening to start working on the install,” I mutter as I run one hand through my hair nervously.
My stomach does this little flip flopping thing when Cole chews on his bottom lip and the confusion creeps in once more.
“Yeah, that’s cool. I’m off Friday, so I’ll make sure Spence knows so she can be here to let him in early…” he trails, looking around nervously.
“Cole, are you seeing anyone?” I blurt out awkwardly.
Smooth, real fucking smooth, West.
“I - uh… no,” his shoulders drop and he exhales as he takes a hesitant step forward. There’s only inches of space between us, and my palms start sweating at the thought of being so close. “Why?”
“No reason,” I begin, as I shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans, suddenly so unsure of myself. I don’t even know why I asked, or what the point in this was.
“Riot?” my name drips off of his tongue like honey, and it stops my racing thoughts. My heart thrums quickly and this palpable energy jumps back and forth between us, leaving me dizzy. I look at him, and he looks right back at me.
A game of chicken, that’s what’s happening. Each of us waiting for the other to make a move, cave, or freak out and run away. I’m not sure what I’m doing anymore, and as I press my eyes closed for just a moment to try and slow the voices in my head, suddenly there are lips touching mine.
Cole’s lips are warm and soft, and my brain tells me I need to put a stop to this, but instead my lips move along in tandem with his as he kisses me slowly. As quickly as it began though, it’s over when Cole jerks away suddenly, one hand flinging up to his mouth.
“Shit, I - I’m so sorry. That was… I didn’t mean to. You and Zeke, and I-”
Once my brain slows down and processes everything that’s happening, I take a deep breath and interrupt Cole’s minor freak out. “It’s ok Cole, it’s ok. I w-”
“No, I totally crossed a line, can we just… forget that even happened?” he interrupts me before I can even tell him that I wanted it too.
“Is that what you really want?” I ask.
“Yes. It’s what’s best,” he nods.
“Right,” I nod. His admission stings and it fucks with my emotions, but I don’t want to make everything weird so I force a smile, and play pretend.
“Already forgotten.”
Chapter fourteen
Zeke
My fingertips are frozen, as I lean over the edge of the rooftop, and fumble with the screwdriver, trying to remove the vent panel that leads to the attic. When the final screw comes loose, my leg slips on the snow covered roof and the panel falls from my hands, landing in a pile of snow.
My heart jumps into my throat and my breathing ceases entirely as I slip down the slope of the rooftop in slow motion. I grip the ropes attached to the harness around my midsection just in time, pulling the rope taut, and I’m stopped from plummeting 3 stories to my death. Once I’m no longer slipping, I tighten both hands around the ropes and inhale, pressing my eyes closed while I attempt to quell the panic inside my chest.
Once my rapid breathing subsides, I regain my footing and slowly inch over to the ledge of the roof. My fingertips are nearly frozen, and I can no longer feel them as I try to keep a grip on the shingles. Every muscle in my body tightens with apprehension as I swing my legs over the ledge. Angling my waist over the side, I wrap my hands in a death grip around the ropes, close my eyes and take a deep breath before letting myself drop down the side of the house.
Kicking my legs forward, I stop when my toes touch the edge of the vent opening. Slowly, carefully, and without completely caving to the fear creeping up my spine, I somehow manage to slip through the opening and into the attic of Grove House. Unclipping the carabiner from my harness, I tiptoe quietly through the dark attic, and down the steps, using the light from my cell phone screen to give me some smidgen of guidance.
If the blueprints haven’t changed, the server room is at the end of the hall. Based on the prior surveillance snaps I pulled when I briefly made it into the system, the room is largely left unguarded by Syndicate mercenaries due to the intense security system. And it’s good - their security system is good. But my tech is better.
Swiping my phone screen, I pull up the app that I designed to divert the hall camera to a pre-recorded loop. It won’t work for long, but it should give me the time I need to get in. Taking a deep breath, I open the door just slightly, peering out into the dark hall. It’s entirely empty, aside from the glow of the biometric scanner on the far wall - securing the server room.
