Page 59 of Levi

“Likewise,” he said, grinning. “Next time I take you out, I’m going to pick the most upscale joint I can find, and I want you to wear nothing but a jacket and short shorts.”

“Okay.” She giggled. “But you have to wear exactly what you’re wearing now.”

“You’re on,” he said. Hannah could tell by the gleam in his eyes that he really would do it too. She didn’t mind rising to the challenge either. No matter how upscale the place was, with Levi’s money, they’d undoubtedly let him in.

Hannah reached up to kiss him gently on the lips, closing her eyes and immersing herself in his scent and the feel of his warm body against hers. She was tired, an exhaustion that affected her mind as well as her body. She had been under too much stress for too long, and now all she wanted was to curl up with Levi and not budge for days.

As they came out of the shadows, the agent in charge hurried to them. He took in the situation with quick glances and called out orders to the surrounding weapons team. The units dispersed into the hallways to clear the building.

“I’m Agent Sims,” he said, shaking hands. “We received a tip from Nick’s agency. Are you two in need of medical assistance?”

“No, we’re fine,” Levi said. Sims looked them up and down, noticing the smears of blood. The wounds they had sustained in the fight had healed already, thanks to their shifter metabolisms.

“Get these guys some clothes!” Sims called to a nearby agent. The guy nodded and ran outside to one of the trucks.

“Do we have Lincoln?” Levi asked. Hannah felt a ripple of tension run through her mate as his fingers tightened on hers. He was still very concerned about the use of his tech and what it meant for the world if it was used for personal gain.

He won’t rest until Lincoln has been stopped. It’s an insult to Levi on so many levels.

“He has been apprehended,” Sims assured them. “I have agents bringing him through right now.”

The other man hurried to them with shirts and jackets thrown over one arm. Levi gratefully slipped on a shirt and jacket, but he looked even more ridiculous now with his top half so composed and his bare legs sticking out of his torn trousers.

Hannah put on a shirt and settled her jacket back on her shoulders. As they headed for the open doors at the back of the dock, they saw agents dragging Lincoln out to one of the cars. He was struggling against the cuffs, swearing under his breath.

Hannah felt Levi’s hand grip hers even tighter, but only for a second. He let go of her and strode across the small space with purpose. She thought Levi might be about to attack Lincoln and shouted a warning, but Levi didn’t throw a punch. He just stopped in front of Lincoln and held his eye.

“You’re done,” Levi hissed. “It’s over.”

Lincoln glared at him, struggling against the agents.

“It’s all your fault,” Lincoln whispered. “You know that. I couldn’t have even come up with the idea if it wasn’t for you and your tech.”

Levi took a step back, and Hannah hurried forward to grab his hand. She willed strength into her mate so that he would see the truth and not be led astray by Lincoln.

Levi looked around as if to remind himself that he was not alone and, therefore, couldn’t beat the living shit out of Lincoln. That was when he noticed a news crew heading toward them, the camera carefully positioned to film him from the waist up.

Hannah giggled. The cameraman needed a raise for his quick thinking.

Levi sighed, looking away and shaking his head before locking his eyes back on Lincoln again.

“My tech was designed to help people … to advance our society and make the world better. It’s true, I was reckless with my ideas …”

“Huh! So, you admit it!” Lincoln yelled in triumph. “I’m going to lay all of this on you, you …”

“However,” Levi shouted, drowning Lincoln out, “anyone who creates anything of great power must be held accountable!”

Levi took a deep breath and looked around, addressing the camera and crowd as well as Lincoln. Hannah held his hand even more tightly, so proud of her mate that she felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

“Those that have the power to do good owe it to the entire world to deliver,” Levi began. “It isn’t good enough to create. We must be held accountable and understand how our creations could be used. I was wrong.”

Levi’s voice caught for a moment as he looked away, then brought his eyes back to the camera, his gaze full of determination.

“I was wrong,” he said clearly. “We need to know what tools we are putting out into the world and be aware of how they could be used. We especially need to be aware of the motives of people who only care about their own gain, especially when they are setting themselves up to harm even more people.”

Lincoln was looking at Levi in disgust. The FBI agents were listening, even as they went about their work. The news crew was positively enraptured by Levi’s speech.

“It’s people like you that give people like me a bad name,” Levi hissed, leaning in to look right into Lincoln’s face. “I will spend the rest of my life making sure I create positive change in this world, not engines of death and dominion.”

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