Page 126 of Neon Flux

I shook my head. I needed sleep if some rich fucker could rattle me like that.

I forced myself to focus on the screen, trying to recapture the thread, but it was no use.

The sound of footsteps pulled me back to reality. Cy appeared in the doorway, the dark void Levi left behind now filled withhis familiar electric aura. Something inside me settled—he was a counterweight to the chaos Levi stirred.

“You all right? Look like you saw a ghost.”

I nearly laughed at how close that felt to the truth. “Yeah. Got the computes. If we keep at it, we might have the data recovered by morning.”

He smirked, and it was so normal, so human, that the lingering unease began to ebb. “I’ll make us some coffee.”

He lingered in the doorway, and another moment stretched between us—not tense, but full of possibility. Like something was waiting to sweep me away, if I’d just let it.

“I’m not used to seeing you like this,” I said, before I could stop myself.

Cy’s smirk softened into something more genuine. “You mean, not used to me being nice?”

I laughed, any remaining tension bleeding away. “Yeah, I guess that’s what I mean.”

“Don’t read too much into it. I just don’t want DITA to scold me.”

“What?”

He laughed again, and my stomach flipped—for reasons that had nothing to do with fear. “Get back to work, doll.”

I turned back to the terminal, but my thoughts remained divided—half on the code before me, half on the two men who’d just stood in the same space. One whose electromagnetic field harmonized with mine in ways I still couldn’t explain, and one whose presence stretched far beyond what a single human should contain.

As I sank back into the data stream, it now felt—reassuringly—empty.

CHAPTER 45

CY

Morning arrived and we were all a little on edge. Eon had run into an issue with the data recovery around 4 a.m. and had been in a foul mood ever since. Maddox and I hadn’t slept either, which wasn’t helping matters.

“We hear back from any of our contacts? Anyone got an in with the Church?”

Maddox’s brow furrowed. “Only one. Your old buddy Rook.”

Behind me, I felt Eon shudder. Maybe it was something in cyberspace, but I had a feeling it wasn’t.

“He should be here any minute, actually,” Maddox added.

Eon shot up, her Vysor powering down.

“The fuck? Why here?” I asked.

“Sounds like the Kitsune aren’t too happy with our guy. He needs protection, no doubt.”

“Only if he’s got the info.”

“I’m gonna get going.” I looked back and Eon was packing her bag, shoving in her clunky keyboard and jacket.

“What? No way. You still haven’t finished the reconstruction and—” My Vysor pinged, and the receptionist’s face popped up.

“Your guest has arrived,” she said, her voice strained.

“Shit. No—you, sit back down.” I grabbed Eon’s arm and steered her back to the couch. “Keep working. Maddox, make sure she’s working.”