Page 59 of Mile High Heist

Ryle twisted, looking at me wildly. “Do not,” he said. “Olivia—”

“I will break him,” the man said, teeth flashing. To prove it, he walked over to Ryle, who twisted with a snarl: “don’t you fucking touch—”

The man punched him in the gut, causing Ryle to groan and fold over.

“Stop!” I cried, stepping forward. “Stop, don’t—”

“Next I will snap his pretty neck,” the Viper said, and reached for Ryle’s throat. I had no doubt he could. The mental image alone made me sick to my stomach.

I’m sorry, Jax.

I dropped the taser. “Okay,” I said, lifting my hands. “Okay.”

The Viper smirked and released Ryle with a shove. Then he extended his hand again, beckoning me closer.

With a last silent apology, I walked straight into the Viper’s arms.

17

MADOC

Monsters recognized monsters.

That little cluster of nuclei located deep in my temporal lobe clocked the threat. A normal brain would be flooded with the typical flight-or-fight response.

Mine was flooded with bloodlust.

Julie blinked up at me with a soft frown. “Little snake?” she repeated, her lip trembling in fear. “I think you have me confused with someone else.”

“Do I?”

She nodded. Blinked three times in quick succession.

I considered letting her maintain the charade. She wanted to keep playing. The perverse part of me reveled in the foreplay. She wasn’t on her knees, but the idea of prolonging it made me twitch.

“My mistake,” I said, stepping back.

We’d play the game for a bit longer. I still needed to find the prototype. And I didn’t mind an audience.

The moment that audience decided to participate was when the fun could begin.

I turned and scanned the servers. I’d learned enough about the prototype from Zola when she wasn’t pointlessly rambling. But the real key to identifying it was standing two feet away.

I brushed my fingers along the rows of blinking servers.

Julie shifted, watching me warily. “Should you be touching them like that?”

Without looking at her, I pointed to the floor. “Rubber mats.”

I continued, sliding a finger along the humming brackets. Julie shifted closer again.

“Maybe if you tell me what you’re looking for, I can help you.”

“You already are.”

There was a beat. “…but I’m not doing anything.”

I smiled, my fingers brushing the warm mouth of a port. Around us, the plane shuddered violently. We’d entered the Valley of Death. It meant the pilots would be distracted. It meant I had time to play with my food.