Page 5 of Wherever You Are

“Come on, get up,” Davis said. “Don’t be such a pussy.”

I blink back the images, and my fingers tremble as I type on my cell. I’m keeping my promise to Willow.

I text:Made it back home. All good.

I know—I’m not telling her the whole truth.

But she doesn’t need to worry. I don’t need to be the tumor in her life. Especially because this was the last time I’meverconfronting my brothers.

Before I left the greenhouse, I did something I never do.

I told them, “I’m never seeing you again.” I choked out the seething words, and Hunter and Davis laughed. Like I’m some joke.

Mitchell got quiet. He looked between them and me, and his eyes fell to the floor in a daze.

I don’t think any of them really believe me.

But it’s true. I’m never going to see them again. Not even when I’m dead. I’d rather spend eternity in hell than come back as a ghost to haunt their asses. I refuse to let them have power over me anymore. The only problem…I forgot to grab my hard drive.

My stomach churns. It’s either my hard drive or seeing them again. Fuck the hard drive, then.

I lean back, close my eyes, and wait to go numb.

2PRESENT DAY - January

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

GARRISON ABBEY

Age 21

The next two days are a bigger blur. I bury myself in work and barely leave my desk at Cobalt Inc. Cans of Lightning Bolt! are piled in a tiny trashcan, and despite the fact that my ass hasn’t left this chair for eight hours, my space is pretty organized.

I can’t think if there’s shit everywhere.

Suddenly, a Styrofoam container appears next to my keyboard. I stop typing to pull out two twenties from my pocket and hand the cash to the white guy standing beside my desk. Combed back auburn hair and an expensive suit, Keith looks like he’s auditioning for the role of Douchebag #3.

He’s a little older than me and an intern in the Cobalt magnets division. We have a deal going. He grabs food from the cafeteria three times a day for me, just so I don’t have to leave my desk, and he upcharges me for ten-dollar sushi.

It’s worth it.

And he should be walking away right now.

But he’s still here.

I point to my headphones. They’re noise-cancelling, so I can’t hear him past the soft beat of my music. I can’t even read his lips that well, but I see his brows furrow in frustration. Okay, I don’t want to lose my personal Uber Eats because I ignored him on a random Thursday. I yank my headphones to my neck.

“Abbey,” he says. “This is the last time I’m doing this.” He points to the Styrofoam. I grab it and open the lid, making sure he didn’t spit on the tuna rolls. As far as I can tell, the sushi looks perfect.

I put the container in my mini-fridge under my desk. “Why is this the last time? Do you want more money?” I could go up to fifty, I think.

“No,” Keith snaps. “I’m getting shit from the guys in my office. They’re calling me your bitch.” That’s really not a surprise. I’m not well-liked here.

For one, I have ties to Connor, and I refuse to give these pricks an “in” with the boss. No secrets about Connor are coming from my mouth, despite numerous requests for weird shit. Like his favorite liquor and what time of day he’s “least” likely to reject their proposal. Do I look like I’m a walkingConnor Cobalt Wiki?

Secondly, I’m one of the only people who runs their own division alone in Cobalt Inc.

Connor said he’d officially title my division when I’ve presented my prototype. Right now, I’m keeping everything a secret—even the concept. Less pressure that way, and Connor doesn’t seem to care about it.