Page 76 of Neon Flux

“And I got you the Kinetic Shield tech that’s keeping half your people alive,” I countered, shouldering my bag. “I’d say we’re square.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Where are you even going? Not back to Hellfire, right?”

The question carried implications—judgment wrapped in concern. Classic Taos.

“Somewhere better than this,” I said, gesturing around the dank warehouse.

“With what money?” Her gaze sharpened, scanning me for signs of new prosperity. “You haven’t had a gig in weeks. Unless…” She studied me like she could see my treachery.

I kept my expression neutral. “Bye, Taos.”

She grabbed my arm as I turned to leave, her fingers digging in with surprising strength. “They’re using you. Whatever they’re paying, whatever they promised—they’ll discard you the moment they get what they want.”

The hypocrisy of it almost made me laugh. “Not that different from here, then, is it?”

Color rose in her cheeks. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Ask Deacon why I got blacklisted after the shield tech job.” I pulled my arm free. “Or better yet, look in a mirror.”

For a moment, genuine panic flashed across her face. Then the revolutionary persona snapped back into place. “I don’t know what Vex told you, but—”

“Save it. Tanaka will still be dead in three weeks.”

I walked past her, ignoring the mixture of anger and alarm on her face. Something inside me told me I didn’t want to know what had happened to Tanaka. I had a feeling I already did.

“So that’s it?” Taos called after me, her voice echoing in the cavernous space. “You’re just going to abandon everything we’ve worked for? Everything she stood for? We have so much good still to do!”

I paused at the door but didn’t turn. “You barely knew her, Taos.” And the professor had used me too. Just like everyone else. I didn’t owe her anything.

I left Taos standing there, her perfectly calculated expression of betrayal wasted on my back. Outside the hideout, DITA chirped to life in my ear.

“Missed you, E! Are you coming home?”

“Not quite yet, DITA. Pull up that location we found. Let’s run one more search.”

I didn’t look back as I walked away. Whatever Taos was building with her cobbled-together code and borrowed revolutionary zeal, I wanted no part of it. Some rebellions were just another form of self-service, dressed up in prettierpackaging. And I had someone much more interesting to deal with now.

Cy had my number. He knew I was involved with the leak of the shield tech, and that was a death sentence. Right now, he had all the power in the situation, but I wasn’t about to leave it that way.

People assumed I should be used to being degraded, considering I was a sex worker. They thought my very lifestyle was subjected to someone else’s whims. They were wrong. In the club, I held the power. When I was up on that stage, everyone wanted me. Men would have given me almost anything just for me to crush them beneath my heel. They wanted to be subjected, and they held on to the illusion that their money put them in control, but I knew better. I could always say no. I set boundaries, and clients obeyed them—or they got kicked out.

Rook had been the exception. He had caught me at my weakest, plied me with Vector and sweet words, and I’d revealed all my weaknesses, all my insecurities. I couldn’t maintain boundaries when high. He hadn’t needed to break down my defenses—I’d done that for him. I would not let that happen again.

Cy might be blackmailing me, but I wanted him to know he wasn’t in control. That I had outsmarted him once, I could do it again.

I stoodoutside Cy’s apartment building. It had been a real pain in the ass to find his specific address, but that couldn’t stop me. Not since I already knew the building. I just had to go through their rental agreements. I’d had to tweak DITA’s algorithms a few times, but we’d managed it.

His apartment building was high-end, just on the edge of the Blue and Tech Districts.Corpo sellout.Tetraglass windows reflected the evening sun, and the whole thing was spotless. I let DITA remove my ad blocker, and immediately the building’s localized adverts popped up. They touted Sky District-style living at a lower cost and really hammered home how they hadthe best security money could buy.

We’d see about that.

I’d changed into an athleisure look—tight leggings and a bra that definitely did more to lift my boobs than hold them in place. I walked up to the front door and pretended to struggle with my bag until someone walked out of the building, chivalrously holding the door open for me. I flashed them a smile, and they returned it before I ducked inside.

I waved at the security man sitting at the front desk, and he gave me a warm smile. I resisted rolling my eyes. Look the part, and no one ever questioned you. I walked straight into the elevator and, as soon as the doors closed, kicked open the maintenance panel and plugged in.

Two swift lines of code and we were moving.

“Security system is based on the OSRAM 801 series, but it seems they haven’t installed the last two updates,” DITA chirped in my ear.