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I caress his hair, looking to soothe his pain as he lets out everything that’s asphyxiating him. Stanley is crying, sobbing, suffering, and I’m helpless.
“I’m going to fix this, Stan,” I promise in a barely audible tone.
Even if I don’t know how... I’m going to try.
I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t do it.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Isit in one of the booths of the diner where Stanley and I connected for the first time. The memory of our first civilized conversation is bittersweet. I feel the determination roaming my body. I haven’t slept at all, and my nerves are brushing my skin, threatening to come out. I don’t know if this will work out, or if he’s going to show up. I need to try. The last thing that I can do is sit around weeping when I still have the final piece in this game.
Letting out the air that fills my lungs, my eyes travel the place. I don’t order anything; I just sit down and wait impatiently. I’m too anxious to eat, even when my stomach is empty, and I haven’t consumed anything since yesterday.
The bell of the door chirps when someone enters the shop. I bite my inner cheek, gathering the courage to do this without screwing it up or punching him. Fury blooms under my skin. It’s a burning sensation, flames covering my body as my blood boils in my veins.
John Carter spots me in the booth and walks in my direction with a disgusted frown. His lips are pressed together, showing that he’s not happy to do this. His dark eyes don’t allow me to see what’s going through his mind, and honestly, I don’t care about that. He could go to hell for all I care, but I need him.
I have no doubts that he was the one who told the professor.
“What do you want?” he asks as he sits down in front of me, going straight to the point.
Good.
We’re on the same page.
“You did a fucked up thing, and now you’re going to help me fix it.”
He snorts.
“That’s not going to happen.”
I lean my elbows on the table, looking him straight in the eyes.
“I think it will,” I say, and I take out a black USB from the pocket of my jacket, putting it on the table.
“What’s that?” he inquires, arching a brow.
“Ryder told me your little secret. Somehow, he plans to keep his promise of not posting the information he gathered from your phone. But I don’t owe you a piece of loyalty. I won’t hesitate to post it. It would be so, so sweet for me.”
“You’re a little bitch,” Carter observes with an amused face.
I tilt my head.
“Maybe, but you don’t want to try me. I bet it’s anguishing for you, knowing that more people have your secret in their power,” I dare him.
John clenches his jaw.
“If I listen, you have to give me the USB and any other copies that you have,” he proposes.
“Deal.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Ican’t believe that I’m making a deal with the devil after what he did to me. Even when we agree that he went too far by snitching about what Stanley and I were doing, there’s still a bitter taste in my mouth. I feel like I’m betraying myself by teaming up with Carter. He’s the person I despise the most after my uncle, but I have to choke it back until I make sure to get Stan off the hook.
Pushing the door open, I enter the office of the Harpy, having a mix of strange emotions. I’m scared, determined, nervous and sure at the same time. They contradict each other, and I don’t understand how I’m capable of having them filling my chest, taking control of my body, but it’s happening. From the corner of my eye, I make sure that Carter is still with me wearing a smug expression. Taking a deep breath, I try to ease the tensions.
The professor barely looks at me. She arches a brow, intrigued to know the reason why I just burst into her private sanctuary.
