Page 143 of Keeping Kasey
“I sure as hell didn’t justshow up,” I snap.
His quick retort doesn’t come, and I think he’s going to ignore me, but after several seconds, he says, “They don’t need to know the details of your return. We filled them in on what actually happened when you left and told them we have a new deal now.”
“Why?”
“Because they were going to find out anyway—”
“Why aren’t you telling themhowI came back?”
I know the answer I’m looking for—an acknowledgment that he regrets the way he handled things. Anapology.
“It’s none of their business,” he says instead.
I suppose I should be glad he didn’t tell them everything. The fewer people who know how helpless I’d been, the better.
There is no position that could make you weak, beautiful. Especially with me.
I have no idea where the memory comes from, but I hear Logan’s voice as clearly as the day he held me in my bed.
I’m sure he meant it back then, but it isn’t true anymore.
Logan’s hate-filled expression—staring down at me while I knelt at Mark’s side, covered in blood—is burned into my head.
He made sure I knew how weak I was.
I let silence reclaim the car and stare out the window.
I hoped the discomfort of returning to the base would wane after yesterday, but it hasn’t.
Not even a little bit.
Being back here reminds me of every horrible feeling from the day I left. It was only a few months ago that I walked through these halls every day, but it feels like a different lifetime.
I’m itching to get away from here as soon as possible.
I refuse to take so much as a lunch break, but it’s worth it. I’ve made a lot of progress. I spent all of yesterday installing the Seeker and tailoring it to the Consoli database. It took longer than I would’ve liked since I had to bypass my own security measures, but it means that today I can start running tests to find the rest of the bugs that need to be worked out.
Maybe I’ll be out of here before the weekend.
Damon lounges on the couch, but instead of taking a nap like he used to, he works diligently on his laptop for the second day in a row, and I hate that I’m genuinely curious about what he’sdoing. It’s a reminder that I used to care, and I have to remind myself that I don’t anymore.
Ford is another story entirely.
His fondness for me hasnotgrown in my absence.
Unlike Damon, Ford makes a point of keeping an eye on my screen. I’m sure it was a direct order from Logan, but it pisses me off. Not only is it suffocating, but it also prevents me from looking into how the Consolis found me.
I planned on scouring every file and avenue of correspondence between the Consolis and Morenos for any clue as to how they found me, but I can’t with Ford watching my every move. I’m sure he’s itching for an excuse to tell Logan I’m not doing my part.
I intend to uphold my end of the bargain, but I don’t trust Logan to uphold his.
I don’t even think it would be out of malice, but convenience. If the Consolis ever need a job like this done again, they’ll want to call me. It wouldn’t surprise me if they keep tabs on me when I leave, and I’m not willing to let that happen.
When I leave here, it’s going to be for good.
But that isn’t going to be possible with Ford hovering every second I work.
As much as I dislike the cybersecurity capo, seeing Ford alive and well is comforting.
