Page 28 of Sadist (The Triarchy Collection #1)

OCTAVIA

“ T heo, stop wriggling for fuck’s sake,” I murmured, cleaning the small, puckered wound in her shoulder. I swiped the gauze around the clean skin, drying it before carefully applying a fresh bandage.

“It itches,” she grumbled, scowling at me when I slapped her hand away as she tried to scratch it.

“If you pull these stitches, I’m taping bandages onto your hands and you will have gauze paws for the foreseeable future,” I warned, raising a brow at her. “You really are the worst patient.”

“Well, I have a nurse who’s as stubborn as a fucking rock,” she muttered. “But I guess I have to add nursing to the list of skills I didn’t know you had.”

I moved to redress the exit wound on her back, pleased with how it had healed over the past ten days, and gave her an apologetic look in the mirror in front of us.

“I can apologize again?”

“Like you did last time?” she chuckled. “Ouch!”

“Oh, stop being a baby,” I sighed, gently cleaning the wound. “And no. We tried that, and you opened your stitches up. You are banned until it’s healed.” I met her outraged look in the mirror. “You would have stopped me getting involved if you knew the truth.”

“Damn fucking right I would have. I can’t believe you walked in there alone.”

“There wasn’t time,” I said. “I’m lucky I got ahead of the file release as it was. And I didn’t realize that you would call. I didn’t even know she had my phone.”

“She meant what she said, Sweets.” She looked at me with haunted eyes. “She would have put a bullet in your head. Erryn is a fucking savage.”

“If I had told her that I was putting in a failsafe while removing the tech, she would have stopped me?—”

“I know, I know,” Theo interrupted, looking disgruntled. “I just…” she trailed off. “I didn’t know what I was going to see when I walked into that room.”

I wrapped my arms around her neck, enjoying the way she leaned back into me, her warm hand resting on my arm.

“Right. Bed,” I ordered, kissing her neck as she gave me a dark look. “I’ll come join you,” I added.

“How the fuck have I ended up pussy whipped in my own house?” she murmured, as she honest-to-god pouted. “Kiss me at least.”

I did, reveling in the feel of her lips on mine, and ignoring the dull ache of frustration from my temporary vow of celibacy. Honestly, it was fucking torture.

We hadn’t heard from The Triarchy since the day we had walked out, a trail of blood in Theo’s wake, and were recovering in the relative safety of her fortress while we figured out what to do next.

We hadn’t really talked about it. But the undeniable fact was, we had to leave as soon as Theo was up to it.

I told her everything.

How I had written the code now used in Vanguard Technology’s systems at fifteen.

How William had stolen it from me and built on my tech to create an empire that he had used to extort and bully his way into power.

How I had used my ability to hide my digital footprint to stay hidden all these years until I had fallen for the trap that lured me back.

Then I had shown her how I had accessed her systems while she was concussed and added myself to her security software, and in the process, beefed up her security.

She hadn’t believed me until I leaned across her and pressed a few buttons on her keyboard that had simultaneously unlocked every door in the building. She had watched the main door swing slowly open, her jaw dropping.

“Baby, I could have left at any time,” I told her, sinking into her lap to kiss her. “But you looked so cute while you were concussed.”

“You have a savior kink, don’t you?” she had murmured back. “I hate to break it to you, but I’m beyond redemption.”

We had slipped back into an oddly comfortable pattern, but we were both waiting.

For what, I don’t know. It seemed like each day it was getting worse, and I knew as soon as Theo was recovered, it would come to a head, and a decision would have to be made.

We were back in limbo. Our lives were safe. But neither of us knew what came next.

My phone buzzed in my pocket as I was making dinner, and I pulled it out to see the door alarm notification, clicking into it to see a sleek, black car at the entrance.

I crossed the room to where Theo was snoozing on the couch, the Kindle lying across her chest, and woke her gently, showing her the screen.

She was awake instantly, pulling her own phone out and regarding it warily.

“It’s Erryn,” she said, looking up at me.

“What does she want?” I asked.

Theo shook her head, looking as uneasy as I felt.

“If she came to kill us, she wouldn’t come alone.” Theo got up with a groan she attempted to hide before heading to the bedroom, returning and tucking a gun into the back of her pants, then hitting the button on her phone to let Erryn up.

It felt like a decade passed before a beep sounded at the door.

“She won’t hurt you, I promise,” Theo murmured, pressing a kiss to my temple before turning to face the door. She looked outwardly relaxed, yet I could see the energy fizzing just beneath her skin, ready to launch into whatever she needed from it.

The door swung open, and Erryn stepped into the room, her expression giving nothing away as she ran her gaze over Theo, and then me.

“You have a new record,” she said coldly, her words aimed at Theo. “Twenty-three confirmed kills in one day.”

Theo tipped her head. “What can I say? I’m an overachiever. And motivated.”

Erryn narrowed her eyes, and I could see the anger and hurt still simmering below the surface.

“Helena?” I asked. Erryn had lunged for Helena as Theo took her down without a thought for herself, fear etched into every line of her face. It was the same way Theo had looked at me when she burst through that door. Possessive, terrified love.

Erryn turned her cold, grey eyes on me, a muscle twitching in her jaw. “She’s recovering.” She studied the pair of us for a long moment. “So, you decided to stay in the country?”

Theo nodded. “Not for much longer.”

There was a strained silence, and Theo stepped slightly closer to me.

“Why are you here, Erryn?” she asked finally. “You could have called.”

Erryn shifted on her feet, shaking her head. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said quietly. “I needed eyes on you.”

I could almost feel Theo relax, the tension that had followed her for days seeming to melt from her skin.

“I’m fine.”

Erryn nodded once. “Well, that’s great, but I’m not just here for you.”

I stiffened as she turned to me, her eyes searching mine, the silence stretching for a moment longer than was comfortable.

She let out a long, resigned sigh.

“I need a hacker.”