Chapter Thirty-Six

Jin Tower.

Home base at last.

Back to where I should have been at full power.

Which probably wasn’t the best thing right that minute.

“I love you all, but I could kill someone right now,” I said. “Why didn’t anyone tell me about this?”

We all sat around in a circle in one of my posh conference rooms—the big circular couches covered in a soft black linen were meant for strategy meetings like this, and the whole room was wired for technology: flat screen TVs, holo-conferencing portal, surround sound, voice-activated services—ideal for important gatherings.

Ideal except for one thing: it had a sadly small number of items to throw when I was furious.

“Sorry,” Gavin said. “I just got out of recovery. Hadn’t checked in with anyone yet. I assumed everything was fine.”

I put my head down for a second, tried to cool off. “I didn’t mean you. I know Royce fixed your hand while I was still unconscious.”

“Then who did you mean?” Alice said. “Not like I know your business around here, and Royce was kind of busy trying to save all our hides.”

“I don’t know, I just, argh.” I stood up, fists clenched, eyes squeezed shut, wanting to punch something, break something.

Kill something.

Someone.

“This shouldn’t have happened,” I said.

Royce stood up and put both hands on my shoulders. I winced even with the light pressure.

“Sit down,” he said. “Don’t make me regret my decision to let you leave the clinic.”

Etienne touched my back. “We’ll figure this out. What’s important is that you’re alive.”

“You’re tired. You’re overwhelmed. You’re in pain. You just had two major surgeries. You shouldn’t even be up yet. Calm down,” Royce said. “Or I swear, I’m going to sedate you again.”

I may have been gaining a reputation as a difficult patient.

“Fine.” I slumped back onto the couch and folded my arms. “Ouch,” I said when my own arms put too much pressure on my chest. Everything up there hurt. I was losing track of how many times my chest cavity had been sawed open, and that’s not something to brag about.

Etienne put her hand on my thigh, avoiding anything above my waist. She was smarter than me that way, and her gentle touch did make me feel better.

Royce sat on my other side, Gavin and Alice positioned across the circle from us. Gavin’s hand was in a cast from his fingers up to his bicep, and when he put his head in his lap, the casted arm leaned against his ear, pointing up at an odd, uncomfortable angle.

As my anger cooled, I felt like a total jerk. Gavin had risked life and limb to keep me alive, and he usually took pride in keeping SEI running smoothly across all our different facilities. I’m sure he was mortified that this had happened, even if he had no way of preventing it personally.

“You can blame me, if you want,” Royce said. “I’m the one that said not to tell you.”

Whether or not that was true, he knew I couldn’t get mad or try to punish him.

“I’m sure it sucks to have all those abilities missing,” Alice said. “I know I’m going to feel like that for awhile, after we make another circuit.”

Alice was still holding her own, doing fine on Royce’s drug cocktail while she waited for us to gather materials for another Seoul circuit.

“Just give it time,” Royce said. “I think in another month, that Tae-min asshole might have been right—once we can tune the circuit correctly, you might actually be faster than before. It’s just that the wounds need to heal before we can start sending extra current through it.”

“I know, I know, you’ve said that before,” I said, totally failing at sounding relaxed and confident.

Etienne kissed my cheek. “No matter what happens, you’ve got us. All of us.”

The irritated part of me wanted to say something about how cheesy vows wouldn’t do anything to fix the situation, but even I couldn’t bring myself to say those words, not with those pink lips and her hopeful eyes peeking out of that heart-shaped face, looking me with total sincerity.

I hated to admit it, but I missed that stupid mesh. It was still in me, temporarily neutralized by the chip, and now I was slow, powerless, and it contributed to my overall irritation. Nothing was going my way, and that’s not how it was supposed to be in Jin Tower.

“I want to see the message,” I said.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Royce said.

“Too bad. This is my castle—my rules,” I said. “And the voice system is tuned to me.”

Gavin looked up, his eyes silently asking me not to do it.

“Adriana,” I said, addressing the AI system. “Play my most recent holo-message.”

“Message display in five seconds,” the system said.

Hardly anyone bothered to send holo-messages anymore. More of a novelty or usually some kind of a troll, and I knew there’d only be one for us to watch.

From the center of the table, a cylinder of light rose to the ceiling.

Augustine’s face appeared, a 3D monstrosity suspended in the beam.

The primal part of my brain wanted to smash the table projector—fitting punishment for containing his ugly visage.

“Good evening. So sorry to be of bother to you, but I think maybe you want to know my proposition. Your dog. He has wandered away from home, it seems. I have rescued him for you, but you can imagine I have spent some time and money to do this. Gladly, I will return him to you, but it is only fair, I think if you stop your bids on our…mutual interests. This is a good trade, yes? Otherwise, maybe I need to do some racing of your dog. Sell him to someone interested, perhaps, so I can pay the expenses. I have heard you are out of the country. Because I have courtesy, I shall wait for your response. Let us lunch, soon. We have much to speak of.”

I jumped to my feet, yelling in rage, as I flipped the table over.

Everyone stood up. Everyone. And then I had the distinctly surreal feeling of being taken by surprise—usually I was the fastest in the room—but before I knew it, Gavin was in my face, inches from my nose.

“We’re getting Lucky back. We’re getting our rightful territory back. Augustine’s not going to take this round,” he said.

I smiled, grabbing his shoulders, not caring how much it hurt.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” I said. “We come out on top, or you can pin the losing announcement on my gravestone. Nobody fucks with my dog and gets away with it.”

“He disrespected us. That can’t stand. The house always wins,” he said.

“We need to go have another chat with Leo,” I said.

Gavin nodded.

“No,” Royce said. “There’s only a few hours between now and that stupid drone race. If you have any hope of competing in that, you need to rest.”

Gavin smirked. He knew.

I was getting my dog back, one way or another.

“Alice needs to talk with Caramel and Gideon anyway. Kill a few birds with one stone,” I said.

But what I really wanted to kill was one annoying Swiss French guy.

I just needed a big enough rock.

***

The evening seemed cooler than normal for this time of year, or maybe I’d just gotten used to the sticky Korean heat. Then again, Royce said I was having trouble keeping my temperature up. Something about my body adjusting to not having the mesh firing all the time. I wrapped my coat around myself.

The parking lot was empty, but Leo’s truck was there, sign on, steam coming out the top, ready for business.

“Jin,” Leo said. “You’re looking…casual.”

For once, I didn’t care that I was disheveled—hard to do your hair and makeup when you can’t raise your arms above your head. I was so frustrated that I threw on this old tweed coat and called it good.

I gave a small laugh. “Yeah, I know. I’m a hot mess.”

“How are you feeling? I heard some of the story from Caramel and Gideon. Seems like…you’re still recovering,” he said.

I’m sure I looked totally questionable in terms of health—still too pale, tired. I buttoned the coat all the way up to my neck so that it would hide all the bruises, scars, and bandages that would be covering my chest for the next few weeks.

“I’m doing okay, officially not dying anymore.”

Royce scoffed. “Not that she’s doing much to prevent that. You’ve got half an hour, and then you’re either going back to your room in Jin tower or back to my clinic.”

He stood close behind me, like he was worried I might collapse at any second.

I rolled my eyes and said to Leo, “He’s just afraid I’ll tear out my stitches again.”

“Or bleed to death. Little things, you know,” Royce said.

Leo cleared his throat. “Well I’m happy you’re doing better. Maybe you could use some food?”

“Always,” I said. I really was starving. “Thanks for everything.”

“Any time,” he said. “But you’re not out of the woods yet, are you?”

Gavin stepped forward. “We need help breaking a few rules.”

“Hey There. Oh,” he said when he saw Gavin’s arm. “You okay?”

Gavin nodded. “Just a little accident on our trip. Won’t slow me down.”

“Guess it was quite the trip,” Leo said and peered behind Gavin. “So this is your friend that I heard about?”

Alice strutted across the pavement, hand out, leaning into Leo’s window. “I’m Alice. Pleased to meet you.”

She had that way of moving that just breathed sex. Her mermaid hair flowed over her shoulders, and her bright red fingernails flashed in the light. She was the total opposite of Etienne, so I suppose it was fitting that she ended up with Royce. Help him stay out of trouble with all those girls in my clubs.

Leo swallowed. “Likewise,” he said, taking her hand briefly and pointing to the sign on his truck. “I’m Leonardo. Can I interest you in some tacos?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Don’t get many of those where I’m from. How could I refuse?”

Leo started cooking and Gavin moved back next to me, arm gently around my waist.

I shifted in his grasp. “Thanks for the extra attention, but I feel okay—I’ll let you guys know if I’m about to keel over.”

“No you won’t,” Royce said.

Gavin didn’t say anything, but he kept his arm around me.

“You sure you’re okay with this?” I asked Alice. “You don’t owe us anything else. Gavin’s probably fine on his own, but I’m sure he appreciates the backup, since he’s down an arm.”

She shrugged. “I wanted to see what the Undergrid here looks like anyway. And besides—I like punishing the wicked.”

Gavin nodded. “I usually work alone, but I could literally use an extra hand.”

“I don’t want you overexerting yourself either,” Royce said to Alice. “We’ve got things controlled for the moment, but before I can fix your implants too, I want you to be careful.”

Alice gave me a look of empathy. “He’s so cute that way, isn’t he?”

Royce threw up his hands. “I give up. Do what you guys want. I’ll just wait around to sew up the aftermath.”

“You’re such a dear,” Alice said. “I’ll make it up to you later.”

She kissed his cheek, and his expression softened. Melted, is more like it. Royce in love—who knew that was even possible?

Leo flung tacos across the counter on paper plates. “Dig in.”

I snatched one and took a bite. “Don’t mind if I do.”

I got the feeling Royce wasn’t eating or sleeping normally, and he couldn’t hide the look of relief on his face when he took his first bite. Even though she didn’t exactly seem like the nurturing type, maybe Alice would help look after him.

When we were all done stuffing our faces with tacos, Leo finished cleaning the grill and moved his sword into the window, rubbing the hilt.

“So. Any interest in having a third along for this trip? I’ve never liked that Augustine creep, and anyone that steals a dog is no friend of mine. That’s far below the belt. That man has no honor,” he said.

Gavin smiled. “Your sword is always welcome with us. You really think Gideon and Caramel will let us violate the exit portals?”

The Undergrid had strict rules about where you could and couldn’t exit—helped keep surface dwellers from complaining about, or in some cases learning about communities that were living right below them.

Some of those were right beneath Augustine’s hotel.

“I think I can persuade them,” Leo said. “Oh, Caramel said to say thank you for the car. She won the preliminary races with it, and wants you guys to come for the finals in a few weeks.”

My poor car. “I’m so happy she’s…enjoying it,” I said.

Alice bit a glossy fingernail. “You guys have underground drag races? Count me in.”

Great. We could have one big subterranean party where I could watch the bionic mermaid and the crazy Lolita driving around in my beloved car.

“Not sure what they’ll ask as for payment for this, but I get the feeling Caramel wants more cars. Might want to go shopping in your garage, if you know what I mean,” Leo said.

I sighed. At this rate, I’d be hitching rides from Royce again.

“Whatever it takes,” I said.

Leo nodded. “Great. We’ll help get Lucky back. Just promise me one thing,” he said.

“Yeah?”

“Win that drone race tomorrow. I want that guy out of our city.”