by Candice Lim
“And let you gloat about your victory? Hell no!”
“Look where you are now, Kira. You’re here with me. That proves that you can’t run away from your destiny!” laughed Danny, hitting the wheel.
I looked away into the window. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I wasn’t supposed to feel this way for Danny. I must be tired. “Why did you reply to my comment?”
A brief silence stretched between us. Danny smiled sheepishly when I punched him lightly on the arm. “Ouch, no, I’m driving. You don’t want to die again, do you?”
“That’s terrible. So why did you bother to reply to me? You don’t usually reply to random comments.”
Danny smirked. “Your stalking skill is pretty good. Do you want to work for us? We pay our intern.”
I punched him again. This time harder. “Tell me!”
“Alright, alright. I looked up your name at the Social Sense Database.”
I frowned at Danny. “What? That’s not fair! Wait a minute, you mean you knew all the while it was me?”
“Sort of.” Danny shrugged. “I gave you the benefit of doubt. I found out you were working part-time at Rain Bar so I went to check you out. I wanted to see if you recognized me. You were so nervous that you broke a glass!” His laugh boomed in the car. I hit him on the arm again. “Ouch, stop it. I thought you were cute.”
Danny’s shoulders slumped as he relaxed into a tired smile. “I was thrilled when you agreed to go out with me.” Danny looked so good when he was smiling. He looked so peaceful and different from Detective Danny I first met at Rain Bar.
“I was only there for the street food,” I teased.
“No, you weren’t. I only told you that afterward.”
I shrugged. “I knew you were going to take me there.”
“No, you didn’t, you smartass.”
“You should’ve baited me with street food, you’d have caught the Soul Thief.”
Another silence fell between us. “I didn’t think you’d jump. I was devastated when you died.”
“Why? Because you couldn’t get your medal of honor or something?”
“No.” Danny pursed his lips. “Because that means I could no longer see you.” I turned to look at Danny. He eased the car into the empty space next to the curb and killed the engine. A sigh escaped his chest when his gaze fell on me. “So…you’re home.”
“I can go up by myself,” I said groggily.
“It’s not safe.”
“Danny, I live here.”
Danny laughed. “Or did you give me a wrong address because you were afraid I was going to break into your house with the squad?”
I rolled my eyes smilingly and got out of the car. My heart reeled when Danny put his hand on the small of my back and walked me to the lobby. Danny would be the first person to visit my apartment after Cypher was gone.
My eyes were getting heavy. I rested my head against Danny’s chest, listening to the steady thumping of his heart. The solid muscles of his chest felt so comfortable. “Mmm…you’re so comfortable.” I snuggled against him.
Danny wrapped his arm around my hips. “This is why I don’t think you should be going up alone,” he said in a patronizing voice.
“I’ll be fine. I do this all the time and look, I’m still here!”
I couldn’t remember how I got to my floor or how we got into the apartment. The next thing I knew, I was in the house. Danny rolled his shoulders and stretched his arms. His strained muscles stretched the fabric of his sleeves. I stood propped against the wall, watching him and wishing I could trace my fingers across them.
“So…I’ll text you again.” Danny checked the time. “In a couple of hours.” He grabbed onto my arm and thrust my keys into my palm. “Goodnight.” My eyes were glued to his face, my heart getting heavier.
Danny was turning his heels when I blurted out, “Don’t go.” He stopped, his piercing brown stare penetrated my soul. My mind was scrambling for words. “It isn’t safe to drive at this state. My bed…it’s big enough for two.” Heat rose on my face. Why the hell did I mention my bed? I sounded so thirsty.
Danny’s gaze lingered on my face, then he shook his head. “No. I can’t.”
“Please…” I begged. “Please don’t leave me.” Like Cypher did. I couldn’t bear another person I cared about walking out from me.
“What about Cypher?”
“I lost Cypher.” I tasted bile in my mouth. “I don’t want to lose you too.” Tears spilled from my eyes. I leaned closer and planted my lips against Danny. He didn’t stop me. He grabbed onto my hips and deepened the kiss. His hot breath skated across my cheeks.
It felt like forever when we pulled apart. I looked into his brooding drowsy eyes. “Please stay,” I muttered, tracing my fingers across Danny’s face. The warmth of his skin emanated against my fingertips. His body tensed against my touch.
Danny nodded. He pushed me against the wall and dove in to kiss me on my shoulder blades. My breathing picked up as I threw my head up to expose my neck and scratched my nails across the wall.
“Not only are you’re good at stealing souls…you’re great at stealing hearts too,” grunted Danny.
*****
I reached under the bed to shut off my morning alarm. The morning sun peeked through the curtains from the lounge room. I stretched and yawned and rolled to my side. My stomach reeled when Danny snuggled up against me. Last night memories flooded into my head.
I buried my face in my hands and let the reality sink in. Oh god, what have I done? I peeked at Danny through the space between my fingers. A peaceful expression on Danny’s face. He looked so calm and serene, nothing like the cocky model Detective Danny he pretended to be on Social Sense.
His muscular chest heaved and fell. I didn’t mind looking at this sweet view forever. He filled the void in my bed and the abyss in my heart where Cypher had left. If only this moment would last forever. I forgot how Cypher looked like when he slept.
I never thought I saw him sleep before. He woke up before me to go to work. It made me wonder if he’d ever laid there and watched me sleep. My memories of Cypher were fading and it felt like Cypher had left for a long, long time.
I shook my head and turned to the Mind Drive sitting on the bench.
“Cypher…” A chill ran down my spine. How much his memories had decayed by now? Would Cypher still remember me? He’d probably remembered how Britney looked like when she slept.
Danny stirred, breaking into my reverie. I sank in the bed and pretended to sleep. The thick veins throbbed across his arms when he stretched. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. His gaze fell on me. “Morning, Soul Thief.” He sat on the edge of the bed and cracked his back. “I almost forgot where I was.”
I took the chance to admire the muscles on his tanned back. I wrestled with my urges to touch him. I pulled the sheet over myself. I was wearing nothing but my underwear. “Do you want me to make you tea?” I tried to recall if I had tea at home.
“It’s your big day. We should go and get breakfast, get you ready for the important job.” Danny smiled. A hollow hole burned in my stomach. I wasn’t sure if I could face Wu Zhang without punching him in the nose after learning what he’d done. I shook my head to purge the thoughts.
“That sounds like a great plan.”
Danny scooped his shirt from the floor and put it on. His brown eyes pierced into mine as he grabbed me by the knee. “Don’t worry about the mission now. I won’t let anything happen to you. Let’s savor the time we share together.” A hint of sadness in his voice reflected my thoughts. I grabbed onto his hand and rubbed my thumb across his knuckles, soaking in the moment.
I didn’t say a word as I studied his face, taking in his gorgeous features. Danny leaned in and kissed me on the lips. His warm breath skated across my cheeks. His mouth tasted sweet and delicious against mine. His hands slipped under my arms and pulled me close into the solid wall of his chest.
&nb
sp; “It’ll soon be over and we can go back to our normal lives again,” muttered Danny.
I pulled away, a heaviness settled upon my chest. If going back to our normal lives means I won’t be seeing Danny again, then I don’t want to go back. I wanted this moment to last forever. How was I going to tell Danny that I didn’t want to do this anymore?
Danny grabbed me by the elbow, busting my reverie. “Everything will be alright, Kira. You’ll be fine.”
I forced a smile. “I know.”
17
I clutched my backpack close against my chest where my heart thudded steadily. The trip in the elevator going up to Wu Zhang’s lab was taking longer than usual. I looked out the glass tube at the skyline of Centerport City for the first time. The afternoon sun cast golden rays over the glass-coated buildings, setting the city ablaze. It always reminded me of the trees in the forest, but instead, the concrete skyscrapers soared and raced against another for the sunlight.
The magnificence of the city I grew up in failed to take the dread off my mind. I usually dreaded meeting Wu Zhang in his lab anyway. I felt like the demon who brought these souls I captured to be tortured in the eternal hell. Today, it was a different kind of dread. I felt like I was walking myself into Wu Zhang’s furnace.
Stay as long as you can in the lab. The Interceptor you carry will enable us to hack into Zhang Net. I’ll send you a message when we succeed. Danny’s voice whirled in my head. I squeezed my backpack harder. I promise we’ll get Cypher back. You’re our only hope to stop Wu Zhang.
My heart almost stopped when the elevator door slid open. I barely felt my legs when I dragged myself through the double door. I didn’t realize how tightly I held onto my backpack until my knuckles went raw and white.
Fire blazed through my veins when my gaze fell on Wu Zhang at his computer. I clenched my fists tightly. Wu Zhang. He was the one who murdered my boyfriend. He was the man who destroyed my life and future.
Sucking in a deep sigh, I feigned a poker face. “Good afternoon, Dr. Wu Zhang,” I said. Did I usually call him Dr. Wu Zhang? Or just Wu Zhang? Did I usually greet him at all?
Wu Zhang turned in his swivel chair. He frowned and glanced at his smartwatch. “You’re early, Kira.”
“There were…many casualties.” I dug into my backpack to retrieve the Mind Drive. The light on the interceptor device turned green. Danny and his team must be getting on it now. A haze of fear bounced around me when I put the Mind Drive on Wu Zhang’s bench. Last night, Danny had saved 11 pseudo-Mind Files in my Mind Drive.
This would buy us enough time to hack into the system.
What if he finds out they aren’t genuine Mind Files? I asked Danny.
He won’t. Trust me. These synthetic files replicate the information in the original Mind Files, but of course, they aren’t real. I promised I won’t put you in a risky position.
“How many Mind Files have you collected?” My gaze followed the Mind Drive as Wu Zhang plugged onto his computer.
“Eleven.” I forgot how to breathe until the Mind Drive was registered on the computer and the 11 Mind Files appeared on the drive. I let out a quiet, relieved sigh. My fingers were turning into ice and it didn’t help the air-conditioner was blaring in full force. The skin on the nape of my neck was tingling.
“Excellent. Your numbers are getting better, Kira. Keep up the good work.” I nodded. The uneasiness rising within me made me want to bolt out through the door. I didn’t remember when I’d been clutching onto my phone. No message from Danny yet. I collected the Mind Drive once Wu Zhang was done with it.
I stood there, my feet rooted to the floor, hoping Wu Zhang would ask me to do something. Anything to keep my mind from the purpose I was there.
Wu Zhang arched his brow at me after a while. “Why are you still here for?”
I shifted my feet. “Um, do you need help with the admin work?”
“Not at the moment. If you’re free, go pick up more mind files. You want to reunite with Cypher soon, right?” I laced my fingers together and unlaced them. I didn’t want to think about Cypher right now. The last thing I wanted was to lose my temper and fuck up the whole mission.
I glanced at my phone again. Still no message. Oh god, Danny, please don’t take your time. The urge to text Danny rose within me.
I racked my brain for excuses to stay a little longer. Wu Zhang turned to me again when I blurted out, “Can you write me a recommendation letter, please?” I’d no idea how’d that even come out. It was so lame.
An arrogant smirk curled the corner of Wu Zhang’s lips. “Is that why you’re acting funny? Because you’re asking me to write you a recommendation letter?” I wrestled to not punch him. I feigned the most docile smile I could muster.
“Yes, please, Dr. Wu Zhang, your recommendation letter will carry lots of weight for me to get into the postgrad course I want. This is very important to me…”
“When do you need your letter?”
“It’ll be great if you could give me by Monday.”
Wu Zhang scoffed. “You’re lucky you asked today. I won’t be around tomorrow until the next weekend.”
“Where are you going?”
“Conference.”
“I see.”
“I’ll send the letter to your email later.”
“Thanks.” My heart somersaulted to my throat when my phone buzzed. It slipped out of my grip. I caught it before it hit the floor. A relieved sigh escaped from my throat when Danny’s name appeared on the screen. “Oh my god, you’re the best!” it read.
Adrenaline catapulted my feet off to the double door. The uneasiness was pricking my skin. I couldn’t stand another second being in this lab, breathing the same air as Wu Zhang. Just as I was at the double door, Wu Zhang called out to me, “Kira!”
My heart stopped. All the blood drained from my face. Wu Zhang must have discovered the files were fake or he must have noticed someone was tapping into Zhang Net. Why would I even trust Danny that he wouldn’t find out? I stood frozen at the door and turned to him.
“Did you really want to get your postgrad or did you do it because you’ve no idea what you want in life?”
My mouth fell open, my mind drawing a blank. I held tightly onto the side of the door. I never thought of it myself. It had always been something I wanted to do during the final year. I never knew why. I guessed because it was a prestigious and the right thing to do. My thoughts went back to how proud Professor Seong sounded and how Lucia celebrated when I got the offer. It was almost like I was doing it for their reactions.
“Kira?” Wu Zhang asked again. “What did you like about the project?”
I opened my mouth, nothing came out. I couldn’t even recall what was the project about. I read the abstract Professor Seong sent me and never had another thought about it. I wanted to finish my business with Wu Zhang before I started thinking about it. My mind went to Danny. I didn’t want to leave him. I didn’t want to move out of this city. I wanted to stay this way with him. I sucked in a deep breath.
“For once, I want to do the right thing.”
“Do you think this is the right thing?”
“To me, yeah.” I pursed my lips and walked out through the double door.
Hot tears scorched my eyes, blurring my vision of Centerport City. I wasn’t even sure why I felt this way. The elevator trip felt like forever, the lump of tears in my throat was suffocating me. I wanted to break the glass and jump off. I wouldn’t have to think about Cypher and Danny anymore. I wouldn’t have to worry about disappointing Professor Seong if I didn’t take up the postgrad offer.
Once the double door slid open, I bolted out of the elevator and the facility. I sucked in mouthfuls of deep breath. I smiled at the black car waiting at the side of the street. Urgency ricocheted my feet towards Danny’s car. I sped up my pace and jumped into my ride.
Danny smiled at me. “Kira, what happened–”
I threw my arms around h
is shoulders and pulled him close for a kiss. His eyes fluttered closed. He grabbed me by the hips and deepened the kiss. Warm tears rolled down my face. I pulled away and slapped him lightly on the arm. “I almost died!”
“What happened?” Danny wiped my face with his sleeve and cupped his hand on my wet cheek. “I promised you’ll be alright. You should trust me.”
“I trust you…but I was just too scared.” I wiped my face with my hands and sniffed. Danny pulled out a packet of tissue to give me. I settled in my seat and steadied my breathing. My heart was still galloping in my chest. I’d no idea how I did that without breaking down in Wu Zhang’s lab.”
“You know I won’t let anything happen to you, Kira. You’re important to me.”
