Another slow smile. “You’re welcome.”
The pause is stretching out into a seriously awkward moment. I should just leave it alone. Let it be awkward. I’m no good at that though. “Why are you doing this?”
“Why shouldn’t I?”
“Because it’s not your style.” I almost said because you’re not a good guy. It doesn’t matter though. Milo catches my meaning anyway.
“I’m more like you than you think.” He jerks his chin toward Griff. “I’m more like you than he’ll ever be.”
I shake my head. “No, he understands where I came from. He’s been where I’ve been.”
“But does he know where you’re destined to go?”
Ugh. It annoys the crap out of me that Milo thinks he does. “I love him.”
“More than hacking? More than all of this?” Milo pans one hand to our surroundings. He smiles again, and in that moment, my skin pushes up in goose bumps.
“You should think about that,” Milo says, turning away. “I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
I watch him walk back into the darkness until the shadows have melted him completely. Down the hill, a headlight swings through the lower parking lot. Griff.
I scramble down the hill and I’m barely settled on the bike before Griff pulls away, speeding toward the exit. We make it to the first traffic light before he finally turns to look at me.
“You’re never going to get out of this, Wicked.”
“I did get out of it. Milo cut the feed. Carson lost.”
“For now. What about a week from now? What about a year? Don’t you understand? He’s never going to let you go. Once you’re useful to them . . . it’s never finished. You’ll never escape.”
“Yeah, I will.” My bag is wedged between us and it takes me a minute to open it.
“Did you find what Carson wanted?”
“I think so.” I hold up my jump drive and Griff gives me a so? look. “They’re pictures of the dead girl I found—Lell. I don’t know how Chelsea got them or why she gave them to Price, but Bay wants them so there’s something good here. I’ll make it my ticket out.”
“You really think he’ll keep his promise?”
He will if he knows what’s good for him. I look at Griff and can’t smother my giggle. “Yeah, he will. Remember what you told me? Get leverage? Well, I did.”
“With the virus?”
“Exactly.” I can hurt Carson where it hurts the most now: his career. It’s all he has and I’ll ruin it. And just thinking about it makes savage satisfaction surge through me. Is this what Carson felt when he blackmailed me? When he looked at everything I had gained and knew it was leverage?
I grin at Griff. “It’s done. I’m free.”
Carson’s house looks bottled up as ever, but after we park, the back door opens and Carson waits for us to come in.
I lean close to Griff as we approach. “Give me a couple minutes to talk to him and then we’re out of here.”
Griff nods, waiting in the kitchen as I follow Carson into the living room. He drops onto the sofa, pushing paperwork to the side. He looks utterly at ease . . . until I see his hands are shaking.
Rage.
Good. I flick the envelope on top of the pile. “I’m done,” I say, and my smile is crazy easy even though I’m sweating under my clothes. “I’m finished.”
“Are you now?” Carson slowly opens the envelope, eyes on me. “We had a deal. How do I know you kept your end?”
“Take a look at what I brought you.”
The detective spends a few minutes trying to access the jump drive from his personal computer, and when he finally does, his breath hitches. “These were in Price’s office?”
“Yeah, and I found them just before Bay came in. If I had to guess, that’s what the hacker’s client was looking for. Enjoy.” I turn to leave and Carson seizes my wrist, twisting it.
“Nah-ah-ah. You’re not finished here.”
My fingers curve into claws. “I think I am. Deal’s a deal. This is your problem now.”
“Your problem too if Lell’s killer comes looking for you.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
“You said Bay was at the courthouse? You saw him?”
I take a steadying breath. “Yeah, and I quit. We’re finished, Carson.”
The detective’s mouth curls into a knot. “You’ll quit when I’m finished with you. That’s the way this works, trash. I can make you do whatever I want.”
I lean into Carson, smell how his breath is dry as graveyard dirt. “Not anymore. I uploaded a virus onto Bay’s computer. One keystroke from me and it will activate, putting your digital fingerprints all over his computer files. Try explaining that to your chief of police. You threaten anyone I love again and I will burn you, do you understand?”
Carson’s eyes narrow and, again, I can’t help my grin. “You’re screwed, Detective.”
He studies me. “You know you have your father’s smile?”
“You know you didn’t get anything on me?”
“Maybe so.” The detective’s eyes flick away from me. He nudges his chin toward Griff. “But I did get him.”
26