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Chapter 14
Bunny
After my shower, I go to my room and get dressed in a loose t-shirt and some gym shorts. I pass Kendrick and Doc in the hall, both of them unashamedly naked and covered in various body fluids. Kendrick has blood smeared on his face, and Doc’s crotch glistens with my release. I leave them to go wash up and turn towards the control room, where I’m ninety percent sure I’ll find Neil and Keys.
With what we learned from the dead Viper, I have questions for Neil. Keys, too, really. Like, how did Justin figure out who Keys was when even Neil didn’t know, and how did he track Keys back to the Burrow? And if Justin knows about the Burrow—and Samson Ramsey does, too—then why haven’t we been invaded yet?
Sure enough, Keys and Neil are right where I thought I’d find them, hunched over an array of computer parts. Their foreheads touch as they work on the tower, and occasionally Keys runs his fingers over Neil’s arm or face or leg, as though he can’t get enough of Neil, like he craves the feel of his skin as much as he craves those lollies.
Some women might get jealous at this. At the way Kendrick and Doc love each other, at Neil and Keys’ burgeoning romance, but not me. The more love around, the better, right? As long as I don’t get left behind or forgotten, and I makedamnsure none of them will ever forget me. No, no jealousy from me. I’m all for it. If I could only get Kendrick to accept Keys and Neil as fully as he accepted Doc into our lives, things would be perfect.
I shake my head to snap myself out of my musings. I need to be sharp when I question the boys.
“Keys, Neil … I need to talk to you two.”
They look up from their project with curious glances. Keys’ expression is mixed with reflexive guilt, as though he assumes he did something wrong before I can even make any accusations. Neil doesn’t have that vibe, though I suspect that he’s not as accustomed to being in trouble as much as Keys is. Trouble seems to be Keys’ default setting.
“What did you find out from the Viper downstairs?” Neil asks.
I cross my arms over my chest and give Keys a knowing glare. “Some disturbing shit. Like the fact that Neil’s coworker Justin has been spilling all kinds of beans to the Cobra. Our location. Our operation. Everything about us. Stuff he shouldn’t know.”
Keys holds his hands up in mock surrender. “Bun, I swear, I never told Neil any of that stuff. There’s no way this Justin guy could’ve learned it from Neil because Neil never learned it from me. I don’t know where he got his intel from.”
“Is it possible that he got past your firewalls, Keys?”
He shakes his head, silver-blonde hair flying. “I don’t see how. From what Neil tells me, Justin’s a smart coder, but he’s no hacker. He shouldn’t have been able to get past my defenses.”
“Then how did he know all that shit, Keys? Tell me how he knew.” I take a step forward, and Keys scoots back. “The only connection, theonlycommon link is you. You and your game, your online romance with Neil.”
To my surprise, Neil moves between me and Keys, like he could somehow stop me from beating the shit out of Keys if he was the traitor.
“He says he didn’t do it, Bunny.” Neil’s face burns bright red and sweat beads on his forehead. I can’t tell if it’s nerves from facing off with me or guilt of some sort. Did Neil blab? No, that doesn’t make any sense. Keys says Neil didn’t know anything. There’s no way he could have been the leak.
Frustrated that my line of questioning is going nowhere, I wheel around and stalk out of the control room. I’m not getting anywhere with this. I need to do some investigating on my own.
It’s high time the Summer City Hare makes an appearance.
I stalk back to my room, thankfully not running into Kendrick and Doc a second time. They don’t need to know what I’m up to, especially not Doc. He’s gonna be pissed when he finds out I’m ditching the immobilizer and sneaking out of the Burrow. I’m on a mission, and I can’t let Doc stop me.
I gotta find Justin and get some answers.
Back in my room, I slip into a fresh, clean Bunny outfit. I debated wearing the bloody one from the interrogation of the Viper to go talk to Justin, but since I’d left that in the other room, I decided I’d be nice and show up clean. My only regret is that my mesh sleeves will show the bandage from the gunshot. That’s less intimidating than I’d like, but there’s nothing to do about it now. It’s either keep the bandage on or take it off and let the stitches show … although, that might be cooler …
With the bandage discarded and my gear on, I climb out my window and sneak down the fire escape. My heels clank on the metal, and I cringe and freeze, hoping no one heard. When a few seconds pass without Kendrick yelling at me, I figure I’m in the clear. I continue down to the alley below and trot off into the night.
Justin’s apartment is across town. I never learned to drive, and Kendrick has the keys to the van, anyway, so I hoof it instead. A girl doesn’t get legs like these overnight! I’ve made this trek and ones like it plenty of times over the years, so a little walking doesn’t bother me.
When I get to his building—after skirting in the shadows to avoid cops a few times—it’s almost morning. The predawn haze and fog creates the perfect atmosphere, though, and I grin as I climb the fire escape to find his bedroom. I’ve already scoped which floor is his and which side of the building he’s on, so it’s just a matter of peeking in the windows until I get the right one. No sweat. I got this.
Except he’s not the window on the landing. Or the next one down, or the next. I’m edging along the ledge, hoping my balance holds and praying his window’s unlocked. It’s a balmy night, so maybe I’ll luck out and he’ll have it open.
At the fourth window I peek into—and about fifty feet from the fire exit landing, about five floors from certain death—I finally find him. As I’d hoped, his window sits wide open, and the idiot’s fast asleep.
He has no idea what he’s in for.
I slip inside, grateful to be off the ledge. What kind of apartment building doesn’t have fire escapes at each bedroom window? It’s ridiculous. Granted, the Burrow only has a fire escape because Kendrick built one for me. Some of the older buildings in Summer City don’t have any, so I guess I should be grateful Justin’s building has at least one. It could have been worse: I could’ve had to scale the building or go the B&E route.
This technically isn’tbreakingand entering. The window is already open; I’m just entering.
