Page 204 of Ruin Me With Lies
“What are you doing?”he asks, though his eyes are locked on my cleavage.“You’re hot as fuck, you know that?”
Probably still drugged if he thinks that.“I’m checking for a chip.”
“A chip?Like the one you have?”
“You know about my chip?”
“Pavlov told me about it, yeah.”He squints.“You think he chipped me?”
“It’s the only explanation for why the gate opened for you.The chip also acts as an access key.You don’t get chipped unless you’re implicitly trusted.”I stand up.“Okay, I’m going to cross the room and activate mine.If you’re chipped, you’ll feel...a connection of sorts.Not sure how to explain it, but if it happens, you’ll know.”
“Oh...kay,” he says slowly, a deep furrow between his brows.
I walk across the room, putting a solid stretch of space between us.Then I rub behind my ear to activate my chip, and wait.
Stefano straightens.And I see the moment he feels it.His brows shoot up and his body jolts forward like he’s being yanked by an invisible string.“Holy shit, what the fuck is that?”
His reaction hauls a laugh out of me.
“It’s like…” He takes a step forward, then stops himself, like he’s physically resisting a pull.“It’s like a live magnetic line from here to where you are.”
I nod.“Yup.You’re chipped.”
“Where?When?How?”He frowns, concentrating, then presses two fingers to the inside of his upper arm.“Right here.This is where the connection feels strongest.But...there’s nothing there.”
Deactivating my chip, I cross the room back to him.“It’s developed to feel like flesh,” I explain.“You won’t notice it unless you know what you’re looking for.”
“Why would he put this shit in me without my permission?”He rubs hard at his inner arm, pissed.“How do I get it the fuck out?Tell me.”
“Chips can only be removed at the HQ lab.You can’t just cut it out.”I step closer and wrap my arms around his neck to calm him down.“Being chipped is agoodthing, Stefano.”
“You pronouncedviolationwrong,” he seethes.“How the hell is this a good thing?”
“Because it means you’retrusted,” I tell him.“You’re welcome here anytime.You’reinside.No longer just on the outside as a beneficiary.Still limited access until you start contributing, but trust me, it’s good.Veryfew people get chipped.”
“So what, you’re saying there’s going to be a bunch of random strangers tuned into me all the time?Tracking my every move?”
Shaking my head with a laugh, I step back and take his hands.“That’s not how it works.For you to even get chipped, there had to beat leasttwo people who volunteered to tie themselves to you and swore an oath to prioritizeyourlife above all else.
“Those people become your personal aides who you can contact anytime, anywhere, about anything.It’s sort of like one-way telepathy.Or prayer.You speak, they hear you, and they get you whatever assistance you need.No one the wiser.”
His scowl doesn’t change.
I squeeze his hands.“You can activate or deactivate it whenever you want.Or keep it activated but mute it when you need privacy.It’s all up to you.I’ll teach you how to use it.”
His brows pinch together.“Who would just sign up to be tied to me without even knowing me?”
He has no idea how popular he is inside The O.“People who know that being on your side means being on mine.”
Tilting my head, I contemplate him for a beat.“But what I find strange is that Dad would go through with this without you ever meeting them.That breaks protocol.”I narrow my eyes.“Did you make some kind of deal with him?”
His jaw flexes, and he averts his gaze.
Oh no…“What deal did you make with my dad, Stefano?”
Instead of answering, he grabs my wrist and pulls me flush against him, wrapping me into a hug and nuzzling into my semi-dry hair.“I don’t want to talk about that yet.”
“Stefano—”
