Page 44 of Cup of Lies

Somehow, I know he’s Dragon.

He grins, flashing perfect white teeth at me. “Nice cut, John Boy.”

I grit my teeth, annoyed by the fact the crazy, devilish one who wanted to gut me looks like a fucking angel. A dark, twisted one, but there’s still something terrifyingly beautiful about him.

Ignoring him, I find the leader of this motley crew. Koyn, or Prez, takes a seat at the head of the table, dark eyes boring into me. I stiffen my back and affix him with my most apathetic stare. It served me once before, so maybe it’ll serve me again. Showing my anger sure as hell doesn’t get me anywhere.

Koyn flips open a laptop he’s set on the desk and tears his gaze from mine as he types something. Then he motions for theguy next to me to push toward me my own laptop that I’d noticed was missing from my bag after my shower.

I glance over at the guy. Bermuda. Same guy from last night with the laptop. He must be the brains of this operation.

“I don’t know what kind of security you’ve got on that thing, but I’ve never come across it in all my days of doing this shit. Let us in.”

I’m not sure what it is they’re looking for, but at this point, I have nothing to hide. Memories of my entire time with my father, and then the past several months, have all come together to make a twisted image.

I wasn’t just tortured by a doctor who wanted to break my mind.

It’d been done for the sole purpose of turning me into a person I was designed to be. My father—Orion Crowne—was behind that creation. He was a puppet master, pulling each and every string, including Romy.

I’ve taken a blade much sharper than Dragon’s to his hold on me, severing me from the fucked-up plans of my adoptive father.

Now that I’m free, I want to make him pay.

“It’s not a static password,” I explain as I check my watch and then type in a password. “I created a program that cycles through variables. If it’s nine in the morning on a Tuesday, the password is different than that of a Wednesday night.”

Other variables include things like temperature or weather. It’s a lot to memorize, but it makes hacking damn near impossible.

“Holy sheeeeet,” a tubby guy with a beard says and then elbows the guy beside him. “They make ’em even smarter than Prez and Bermuda. Didn’t think that shit was possible.”

As soon as I have access to my computer, I flip it around and then slide it across the table to Koyn. “You’re in. Get whatever it is you’re after and then let me see LuLu.”

Koyn’s eyes narrow as he snatches the laptop. “You don’t get to make demands, Johnny.”

“Caius,” I grit out. “And, from what I’ve gathered, I think our agendas may align.”

Dragon lets go of his lover boy and leans forward, flashing me a predatory grin. “You want to disembowel men who steal kids and women and use them for depraved shit? John Boy, you’re sicko behind those fancy clothes. You’re like the gift that keeps on giving.”

I tear my gaze from his to meet Koyn’s shrewd one. “More or less,” I agree, “but with the precision of a scalpel. You people have been hacking off tails. I can give you the head of the king cobra.”

“Is that so?” Koyn drawls out.

“Yeah, man. And you two share the same title.”

“President Huxley.” Koyn scratches thoughtfully at his beard. “You’re chummy with that piece of shit?”

“I was his unwilling patient after my parents died and then dumped off on Orion Crowne when he couldn’t break my mind like he wanted. His tentacles reach far and wide.” I cross my arms and smirk. “And my woman’s father is Gideon Langston. Our fathers and Huxley are the trifecta of evil doing their damnedest to control the world.”

If we take them out, then this shit finally ends.

Romy

Ican’t believe I’m going back.

Everything inside of me screams for me to turn around and drive as far in the opposite direction as I can.

But that only brings me away from my goal.

Kaitlyn.

---