【54】Blonde Invasion

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By the time the end of the week arrived, we weren't closer to finding a solution

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By the time the end of the week arrived, we weren't closer to finding a solution. Hacking into Becker's computers had provided nothing relevant, despite the insane amount of time we'd put into it. But after a thorough scan of the MacBook he used in his New York penthouse, and the one at his office, we had accepted that it held nothing of value to us. Nothing other than more evidence of his greed.

With every day that ended in yet another failure, I grew more pessimistic. Lex was probably feeling the same way, even though both of us avoided to voice our worries. But the possibility that we might need to disappear again was very real. That perspective, even though it wasn't certain yet, was dimming my state of mind, despite my attempts at hiding it.

That probably explained why Lex picked up on my terrible mood as soon as I walked into the kitchen on Saturday morning. Leaned back against the counter, he eyed me behind his steaming cup of fresh coffee, but said nothing for a moment, probably trying to figure out what was up with me.

"Morning, baby," I greeted him as I passed by him, struggling to sound petulant. I poured myself a tall mug of bitter brew and went to sit on a high chair.

"What's on your mind?" he asked, putting his cup down.

"Nothing, I just... Everyone has been harassing me to join them tonight for girls' night, since we're back in Seattle."

"You can't go."

"I know it's too risky to go out there. Having bodyguards with me would probably ruin the mood, anyway. That's why I'm feeling like shit."

After a few seconds of pondering, he came my way with his coffee to sit on the other chair. His hand flew to mine, resting on the high counter, and he squeezed it gently. "You'll get to do all that when we're free again," he promised.

"But that's the thing, Lex. Do you still believe we can take Becker down? I'm starting to believe we'll never get rid of him, and that means we'll have to go on the run again. I haven't seen my friends in two months, and I'm realizing that I might never see them again, even though they are right here."

I hadn't put my concerns into words until now, and expressing them was so much harder than I'd thought. Tears blurred my vision, from anger at the injustice we faced, as well as sadness that I might have to leave everything behind for good.

My gaze was lost somewhere in front of me as I slowly accepted the fact that my life as I knew it might be gone already, and I was fooling myself into thinking we could still make it. Lex didn't speak, and when I realized why, it only made me ache more intensely. He didn't lie, and he wasn't about to pretend like I didn't have a point, like we still had a fighting chance.

Instead of words, he showed his support by lifting my hand to his lips and pressing a long kiss on the back of it. "Then if you can't go to your friends, how about they come to you?" he offered.

Confused, I turned to him with furrowed brows. Was he saying what I thought he was saying? Would he be okay with the girls and Mason coming here, in the sanctity of his private space? "Lex, it's like, twelve people whose sole goal is to get drunk and party, and that includes a very snoopy Mason."

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