Page 46 of Make Them Bleed

“By lying to me.”

“Yes.” Flash of anger stiffens my spine. “Because truth would have made you reckless.”

“Oh?” She tilts her head, eyes shining. “And this”—she smacks her palm lightly against the blank white mouth of the mask—“thisdidn’tmake me reckless?”

Static crackles between us. I feel her breath through the mesh mouth vents; she must hear my pulse inside the mask’s cavity. The rubber smell is suddenly suffocating.

“I followed you,” she whispers, voice hot with confession. “Yesterday. From my apartment to Hancock’s to the art store tothisexact door. You know what went through my head?”

I can’t answer.

“That if the man behind this mask wasn’t you, I might still trust him—because he keeps me alive.” Her laugh breaks. “Imagine my relief when I realized itwasyou. And imagine my fury when I realized you didn’t trust me with the truth.”

My lungs ache behind the vocoder’s whine. I lift a hand, gently curl my fingers around her wrist where it grips my hood. “I trust you witheverything.”

“Prove it.” Her voice drops to embers.

I tremble as I reach back and unclasp the hood. I rip the mask off, my breathing labored. Cool air rushes over my skin, and I watch her pupils dilate as my face emerges.

Her breath leaves in a shudder. “Arrow.”

One word, soft as prayer. Then she’s moving—hands threading into my hair, tugging my mouth down to hers. The kiss detonates. It’s hot, desperate, and every minute of secrecy igniting at once. I groan against her lips, arms locking around her waist, crushing leather and cotton together.

She tastes like cinnamon coffee and burnt adrenaline. Her teeth nip my lower lip, and I answer with a hungry tilt, grazing her tongue. She gasps, the sound vibrating through both of us. My hands roam—up her back, over her tense shoulder blades, settling at the base of her skull where I cradle her like something precious.

She breaks away just far enough to speak. “You owe me years of honesty, Arrow.”

“I’ll spend the rest of my life paying.” I kiss the corner of her mouth, her cheek, the sensitive patch below her ear. She shivers violently.

“You kissed me with rubber,” she pants. “Kiss me forreal.”

I obey, my mouth crushing hers, deeper, giving and taking. Her fingers sweep beneath my hoodie hem, skimming my flank, and my pulse stutters so hard I nearly stumble. She presses forward,body pinning mine against the desk edge until hard wood digs into my thighs. The monitors rattle, their screen savers flickering like distant fireworks.

“Wait,” she whispers, pushing me away.

“What?”

She waves her hand like she’s putting clues together in her head. “How?”

I stumble over my thoughts as I answer, “How what?”

“How did you know I had gone on the dark web and—” She pauses. “—how did you know?”

Fuck.This is something I wasn’t looking forward to explaining. “Let’s go back to the kissing,” I say, trying to lay on my charm, but she’s not having any of it.

“I’m serious, Arrow. How?” She parks both hands on her hips in a way that lets me know I need to answer her now or lose her forever.

I take a step back, breathing in deep. “Spyware on your computer.”

She gasps, like a literal gasp. “What does this mean? Like can you see me through my computer?”

“No, nothing like that… well, technically, but no.”

Her eyes blow wide as she steps back. “You’ve been spying on me? Reading my emails? And god knows what else.”

“I did it to keep you safe.” No, this is all going wrong. “I did it to protect you.”

She moves to the other side of the room. Quickly. Too quickly. “I can’t believe you, Arrow. You don’t think I’m capable of taking care of myself.”