Page 59 of Neon Flux

Dev exhaled a slow breath, setting his tools down and peeling off his gloves. He tapped a finger to his lips, thinking. “Because if I don’t, no one else will.” His dark eyes flashed, something sharp beneath the usual sarcasm. “You ever notice how the people who need the most help are the ones no one gives a shit about? People like you. Like me.”

I frowned. “So you’re doing charity work?”

Dev let out a short, humorless laugh. “Charity’s for people who want to feel good about themselves. I do it because it pisses off the people who think we should just suffer. The corpos. The rich assholes. The parents who throw their kids out because they don’t fit into their perfect little mold.” His lips curled into something between a smirk and a snarl. “Every time I put someone back together, it’s like spitting in their faces. And that? That makes it worth it.”

Now I did smile back. “So you’re a petty bitch?”

He mirrored my grin. “Why do you think we get along so well?”

I tugged on his earlobe, and he flinched. “Watch the tech, E!” He waved me away, and I sat back down on the couch, enjoying a few moments of comfortable silence. He finished his testingand stood up, stretching his lean arms overhead, fingers laced together.

“You going to sleep here tonight?” he asked.

“Yeah, if that’s okay. I don’t have—”

He waved his hand, cutting me off. “What’s the point of me being a bleeding heart if you don’t take advantage?” He grinned, but my heart sank.

“Dev, you don’t have to do this. I can take care of myself. I’ll figure something out.” My pinky twitched, and I knew Dev saw.

“Do you need me to order you more detox?” His voice was gentle, and I hated it.

“No, I’ve been clean.”It didn’t count.

The kindness on his face made me want to run as far away as possible. “Eon, you know it’s not a burden.”

My face twisted. I wasn’t used to having things in my life that weren’t transactional. Dev knew this, so he gave me an out.

“How about you keep the clinic open late? See if anyone stops in to make an appointment. Then we’re even for the sleepover.”

“You’re leaving?”

“I’m gonna go see a man about some fitted sheets. Will you be okay by yourself for a few hours?”

“Of course I will.” Now I finally returned his smile. “Just don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“That is a very short list, E.”

I threw a pillow at him as he walked out the door.

CHAPTER 21

CY

“This is the place?” Maddox asked, but even through his usual monotone I could sense his judgment.

The Hellfire Club was a dive, even by Neo Stellaris standards. Neon sign flickered in and out, half the letters already dead, leaving only H E L L to glow in dim red. The walls had glitchy screens showing footage of dancers who probably hadn’t worked here in years. Bass-heavy synth music inside was loud enough that I could feel it thrumming in my chest before we even stepped through the doors.

I adjusted my jacket and shot Maddox a sidelong glance. “You expecting a red carpet? Maybe a high-end lounge?”

He didn’t respond, just scanned the exterior, his expression unreadable. Not that I expected much else.

I pushed the door open, and we stepped into a haze of smoke and low-lit desperation. The air reeked of cheap perfume, sweat, and spunk. A handful of patrons were scattered around, nursing drinks, eyes flicking toward the main stage where a dancer swayed half-heartedly to the beat. She looked bored. Most of the crowd did too.

Rook was easy to find—a king in his own crumbling kingdom. He was lounging in a semi-private booth, half-shadowed by the dim lighting, a drink in one hand, the other draped over the shoulder of a dancer curled up next to him, stoned out of her mind. His suit was immaculate, a sharp contrast to the wreckage of the club around him. His white-blond hair was slicked back to show of the scar that ran down his pale face. Same old Rook. Pretending he was still in control, even as the world burned around him.

Maddox and I approached, and his eyes flicked up, a slow, knowing smile creeping onto his face.

“Hey cabrón, long time no see. What brings you back to my gutter?” Rook was all teeth as he smiled at me. He could smell the creds waiting for him a mile away.