LOGINMASONHerr date with Brian went to shit.I should've been happy. But between the shudders and sobbs and the sound of her choking on her own tears, I was starting to wonder how bad the date could've possibly been. I turned the heater a bit higher and glanced at her again. She wasn't soaked, but still huddled herself as though the cold had seeped deep into her bones. Tsk.“Do you want to take my jacket?” I asked, already shrugging it off while one hand remained on the steering wheel. “It's still raining. I'm not sure it’ll be over by the time we get to your house.”I'd pulled the jacket off completely now, but when I gave it to her, she didn't move. She stayed huddled. Didn't say a word. Didn't make a sound. Until…“Can I crash at your place tonight?” She asked.Something hot and fast shot up inside me.“W… what?”She put it her head against the window, slowly releasing herself from the huddled position. I could see the dried tear marks on her face now.. “I don't feel like going
TIFFANYWhat was the perfect birthday gift for a man who may or may not be your boyfriend, and may or may not have already cheated on you?I stood outside the restaurant with the small wrapped box sweating against my palm, asking myself that question for the fifth time in ten minutes.The place was warm light and quiet money. Glass doors. Soft music leaking out every time someone entered. The kind of restaurant where people celebrated things they were sure about.I was not sure about anything.Still, I smoothed the front of my dress, checked my reflection in the dark glass, and went in before I could talk myself into a cab home.Theo was already at the table.Of course he was.He rose the second he saw me, black shirt open at the collar, watch catching the light as he pulled my chair out like this was simple. Like we were simple.“You’re late,” he said, but there was no real edge in it.“Yeah. Sorry. I got stuck deciding whether to come,” I answered.That earned a small smile. “I’m gl
MAXShe was still coughing when I put my hand out.Wheezing like I'd choked her hard enough to kill her. And maybe I had.But I needed to be sensible about this. “Show me” I said. Mika blinked at me through watering eyes, one palm still pressed to her throat. “What?”“Proof,” I said. “That they know about Bianca.”For a second she looked almost relieved. Like she’d been waiting for me to ask.“I knew you wouldn’t believe me,” She reached into the small bag at her side, pulled out a folded printout, and held it between two fingers. “So I brought it.”I took it.The paper was clean and professional. No dramatic red stamps. No movie-villain nonsense.Just a profile sheet.A username. A blurred still from a stream. Payment routes. Cross-referenced names.[Fox.] Branded on the first page.And under possible real-world links, one that made my blood go flat and cold:[Bianca Langley — probable.]I read it twice.Then a third time, slower, like the words might rearrange themselves int
MAXMy first spell at Lang Corp wasn’t exactly a memorable one.I’d taken the offer from Sully because I wanted to get back at my brother. My mind was further made up when I picked up the injury against Kieran’s team in the college quarterfinals. I had shitty colleagues, a pompous boss, and a situationship with Vanessa I wished I could bury in an archive and never see the light of day again.Yet here I was… again.Well, not exactly.A fancy boutique in the central district wasn’t exactly Lang Corp duty, but apparently Theo wouldn’t be available to formally acknowledge my acceptance until tomorrow.So for now, I had to tail his assistant.“How about this?” She turned to face me. “Does it make me look fat?”I dragged my gaze off the exit I’d been staring at and set my focus on Mika Wayne.Slender. Petite. Annoying.“I’m not a fashion designer or a seamstress,” I replied. “If you wanted opinions on clothes, you should’ve dragged someone else down here instead of lying to me.”“I
ADRIANI’d beaten everyone. My first time playing hockey, and I barely broke a sweat.Well, that wasn’t exactly true, but it wasn’t important either.All that mattered was that the three thousand dollars was—“Move.”Caught up in the rush, I didn’t notice him until he bumped into me and nudged me out of his path.Caleb.Awn. Poor guy was pissed he lost the bet.“Are you alright?” He crouched to check on the guy I’d just body-checked and scored on.“I… I’m fine. I just—”“He was slow and thought hogging the puck would make me chase after him,” I cut in, stabbing my hockey stick against the ice. “I guess I just had to school him the hard way.”Caleb didn’t answer. I didn’t really care.“So, do I get my three thousand now, or—”“You get nothing,” the captain of the hockey team snapped as he rose to his feet.There it was. That little flash of heat and anger he’d barely managed to hide the second I walked in.“This was a tryout, not a derby game. You don’t get points for trying to kn
THEO“Hmm.” I folded my arms and leaned back into my chair. “I guess I’m not the only one that hates that bastard after all.”Sure, compared to Brian’s, my reason was a bit more shallow… but still. Similar fruit off the same tree.“Thanks for the heads-up, I guess,” I added. “I’ll try to find a way to deal with him. Properly.”Brian didn’t respond right away.He squinted. Then tilted. Then let the words disappear further into the silence between us.“Did you not listen to anything I just said?” he finally replied. “You can’t ‘deal’ with Matt. Definitely not on your own. Not even with my help and whatever contacts bringing you into Lang Corp has gotten you. ‘The Circle’ is your only—”“Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time.” A fatigued groan rolled off my lips. “Unfortunately, I haven’t met this clique, and I’m pretty sure it’s never been mentioned around me since I started working here. Besides, the bounty on your head’s been lifted, right?”“No thanks to you,” he muttered.Wha







