Page 139 of Degradation
‘What is this?’ he asks as if he doesn’t know.
But I humor him.
‘It's what you've been trying to do,’ I say with less pride than I feel because I am quite proud that I got there first.
‘I've been working on it, and it came to me yesterday. I know what's wrong with the formula you're trying to produce, and I’ve fixed it. This simulation proves it.’
‘If that's true, where's the data?’ Blake asks, his dark eyes trained on me.
‘Here.’ I tap the side of my head and his eyes narrow at me.
‘I don't understand.’
But Shade sits back, regarding me with his expression still carefully blank. ‘This is a power play. Isn't that right, Marguerite?’
His use of my real name makes me blink. I wet my lips and see his eyes track the movement, but I give him nothing else to show that I’m nervous.
‘I assume Applegate knows,’ I say instead of answering him. ‘You wouldn’t be able to keep it from him. He keeps an eye on everything pretty closely.’
I stare at Shade and go in for the kill. ‘But I’ll bet your father doesn’t.’
His eyes narrow and he suddenly looks furious.
‘We don’t need you or your formula,’ he snarls. ‘We’re close.’
I snort. ‘Not close enough or you wouldn’t be so worried.’
Shade stands, but I hold my ground.
‘What is it you want?’ he asks.
‘I know you're into...some things. You made Envy for a reason, and I want in.’
They glance at each other.
‘I know that you're doing things that your father doesn't know about, and I know you want to keep them secret. We're seeing him tomorrow night. Either let me in as a partner, or I tell him everything I know.’
He sneers at me, taking a step forward and looming over me.
‘You seem to be forgetting that there are things he doesn’t know about you as well.’
I tip my head back to look at him. If he tells John about me, I’m cooked. But I hold my nerve.
‘And you could tell him,’ I agree, ‘and he’ll send me away to punish me. But your little project will still be dead, and you know he won’t stop there. He’ll make an example.’ I look at the other two still sitting on the couch. ‘Out of all of you. Even you, Jack.’
I sigh as I turn my eyes back to my stepbrother.
‘Especially you,’ I whisper, ‘and you know it.’
His jaw tightens and he grasps my chin more gently than I’d have anticipated considering the anger I can see flashing in his eyes.
‘I’m going to enjoy tanning your ass for this,’ he murmurs.
He sounds...playful, but his demeanor hasn’t changed. My eyes not leaving him, I step away out of his grasp and his hand falls to his side.
I put my laptop down on the coffee table in front of them.
‘The formula, thecorrectformula, exists only in my mind,’ I say. ‘There are no copies of it anywhere. It’smyproperty, and I'll be paid for it.’
