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“Of course I do. Enough to do time.”
“Time?”
“Prison.”
“You were in prison?”
“Yes.”
“For what?”
“Breaking into Gaia’s offices and hacking their computer network.”
“I thought you said Gaia was taken down?”
“It was after I did that. But I was arrested. Tried. Convicted. Served two years.”
“Served?”
“Prison time.”
“You were punished for doing the right thing.”
Laughter comes out of me, tasting like the bitter past. “I like the way you think.”
“It’s true!”
“I wish more people lived in your reality.”
“They will when we fulfill the prophe…” She inhales sharply and goes quiet.
I let her.
I need a little peace.
The desert rolls on by, some trucks passing here and there, but otherwise we’re in a fairly isolated area, headed to a small compound on the edge of a huge chunk of federal land. It’s the kind of place no one goes unless they have to, but billionaires discovered it a while ago.
And there is nothing more ambitious than a billionaire who does something bigfirst.
Soon, the road hypnotizes me, Paigelynn’s breathing becoming more steady, her eyes closed as she rests her head against the seat. Winnie is a puffball in her lap, and I set the car on cruise control, looking at my phone.
A message from Debbie.
Van found.
The clock tells me we’re twenty-two minutes away from my target, so I kick the speed up to 77 mph and hope we beat the people who are on our scent. Killing The Basher means I’ll pay a heavy price if the wrong people find me first, but there’s an advantage to what I’ve done as well.
When word gets out that someone like me took out someone that destructive, that huge, that predatory, it’ll make folks think twice about taking me on.
People aren’t stupid. Anyone with half a brain can piece together The Basher’s death, Rooney’s hamburger face, Paigelynn’s disappearance, and the shooting of her bodyguards. They’ll trace it all back to me, and when that happens, war will erupt.
The first real smile of the day spreads across my face as I take in a deep breath and revel in it.
Good, I think, as I watch Paigelynn sleep.
Fuckinggood.
CHAPTERNINE
