Page 29 of Killer's Obsession

Maybe I’m stronger than I thought.

Chapter Seven

Killer

I jog down the metal stairs to the basement. I hate coming down here. The way the fluorescent lights reflect off the concrete walls reminds me of a fucking prison.But, Chief said Zero found something about my girl, so I keep moving toward the Matrix.

“Jesus.” I snort at the name he’s given his digital playground. It is pretty high tech, though.

I reach the reinforced steel door with its keypad and camera mounted in the upper corner. The tech man is paranoid as fuck about security, and the only way in is if he lets you.

I stare directly at the camera, roll my eyes, and lift my middle finger in salute.

The electronic lock clicks immediately.

He’s always watching.

Pushing the door open, I step into what looks like mission control for a goddamn space launch. The room is dark exceptfor the glow from a dozen monitors mounted on the wall. The blue light casts everything in an eerie glow, reflecting off Zero’s glasses as he hunches over his keyboard.

“What took you so long?” he asks without looking up, his fingers flying across the keys. “Chief said you’d be down thirty minutes ago.”

I grunt, moving further into the room. “Checked on Memphis before I came down.”

Zero spins in his chair to face me, pushing his glasses up his nose. “How’d she take it?”

“Take what?” I drop into the empty chair beside him, the wheels squeaking under my weight.

“The news about her father.” Zero’s eyes narrow behind his glasses. “You did tell her, right?”

I shift uncomfortably. “Not yet.”

“Not yet?” Zero repeats. “What the fuck are you waiting for?”

“She came out of my room today, Zero. On her own.” I run a hand over my faux hawk, frustration building. “She’s making progress.”

“And?”

“And I don’t want to fucking break her again by telling her that it was her daddy that sold her out to the Russians.”

Zero leans back in his chair, studying me like I’m a complex piece of code. “That’s not your decision to make.”

“The fuck it isn’t.”

“You think she’s going to appreciate you keeping this from her?” He shakes his head. “Women don’t like secrets, man. Trust me on this.”

I snort. “Since when are you the fucking expert on women?”

He shrugs, turning back to his monitors. “I’m just saying, if you care about her?—”

“She’s mine.”

Zero’s hands freeze over his keyboard, and he slowly turns to face me again. “Well, shit.”

I glare at him. “Problem?”

“No problem.” He raises his hands in surrender. “Just surprised, is all.”

“Why?”