AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They didn’t dress in grocery-store suits and look like they were dealing with the aftermath of a wedgie. They were like me.Regular me.They wore jeans and had tattoos on show. One kid had a green mohawk; another appeared unsure about the year of our Lord because she thought being emo was in fashion.
A challenge, then.
That was my first take on the situation.
The second was that maybe my ego was bigger than I thought.
Said ego had been bruised by Star’s repeated invasions into my code, yet as a result, my work had never been tighter.
It was true that only when your mettle was tested did you know what you were capable of.
And Star was the benchmark by which I measured everything.
She was my peer.
My equal.
My fucking everything.
The thought had my jaw clenching with irritation.
Love was supposed to be nice.
It wasn’t supposed to hurt like this.
Absently, and of my own volition, I rubbed at my chest. That was when Black clapped her hands and shouted, “Team, we need Eagle’s Claw live in five minutes for testing. Are we still on track?”
The emo kid called out, “We are.”
Black, folding her arms across her chest, nodded and fell silent so I did the same, except I leaned against the wall and studied the group.
Then, much as if a school bell had sounded—most of these fuckers seemed young enough to belong in high school anyway—they got up five minutes later and traipsed out.
As one, they all flicked a glance at me.
That was an interesting experience.
Some looks were covetous; others were heated. A few were bitter, and a couple were competitive.
“You’re their criterion,” Black informed me once we were alone.
I arched a brow. “What do you mean?”
“The OG asset,” she mused. “The first of their kind.”
Clearly, I’d been slow on the uptake. “They’re like me?”
“Yes. Turned to Uncle Sam to get out of jail sentences. The program worked so well with you, Mr. O’Donnelly, that we decided to expand our team.”
“Why let me in on that secret?”
“Because it isn’t a secret and it’s good to know that you’re not irreplaceable or unique.”
“I never said I was either.” I smirked at her. “If anything, every time I get a call from Riggs,youdefinemeas such.”
She tipped her chin to the side. “Star said you were annoying.”
My smirk died as I straightened up. “You know Star? Star Sullivan?”
