Read Online Disruption by Jessica Shirvington - Free Book Online Page B

him to leave.
    Quentin blinked, stunned, and I heard the small but unmistakeable beep of his M-Band registering his increased pulse. It was a satisfying sound.
    ‘What if it doesn’t work?’ he asked, looking away.
    I had him.
    It was time to finish the conversation. I stood and looked down at him, enjoying the higher ground. ‘I’ve got it covered. Just get me access when the lab is closed and I’ll take care of the rest.’
    I stared at him until he nodded.
    ‘And if you set me up or we get caught …’ I trailed off.
    ‘Yeah, yeah, I get it!’ he snapped.
    Walking to work that afternoon, I couldn’t deny I was pleased with myself. Years of planning had gone into this and it was all falling into place perfectly. If things kept going this way, the next time I broke into an underground hub I could be bringing my father out with me.
    The thought opened up a number of other questions, but I couldn’t afford to go there. I had to have faith that once my mom and brother saw Dad, once they understood that he wasn’t to blame, that he hadn’t done whatever horrific things they’d envisaged, everything would work itself out. Maybe we’d even move back to the countryside. Dad had been a pesticide engineer; he developed and produced tailored pesticides and plague remedies for crop farms. It would be nice to get out of the city. I imagined Dad would want nothing more than open spaces after being underground for so long.
    ‘So, how’d it go?’ Gus asked, when I made my way into the back office.
    I smirked at him.
    ‘Poor guy,’ he mumbled. ‘Can’t wait till someone turns your world on its head and messes with you.’
    They already had, but I wasn’t about to sob-story with Gus. He knew I was looking for my dad, but otherwise we had a strict need-to-know relationship.
    When he realised I wasn’t going to respond, he went on. ‘I set up a meet with that new contact tonight, if you’re game?’
    Actually, I was bone tired. I hadn’t slept at all the previous night and I’d done a work-out early this morning that a saner person would’ve skipped. What I wanted to do after I finished my shift was go home, do my homework and sleep.
    But providing cover for Gus was my responsibility.
    Gus had the contacts to set up the meetings, but he barely knew how to throw a punch and the black-market crew were hardcore.
    I clenched my teeth together. ‘Sure.’
    Gus nodded, looking down at his computer. He glanced back up only to say, ‘We’re meeting at Burn after close.’
    Icing on the cake.
    I hated that place – it was full of heavy gambling and lust-enhancers. It was like walking into a sensory overload. Plus I was underage, which meant I had to use the forged M-Band Gus had programmed for me. All in all, it made my head hurt.
    At least I’d get to see my brother. Burn was where he worked.
    ‘Fine, but I’ll have to stop by home to get something to wear.’
    Gus gave me an up-and-down look and a nasty grin. ‘Completely understood.’
    I alternated between stocking the shelves and running the register. I usually worked with two or three other assistants out the front, while Gus ran the programming side of things out the back. So, for the next four hours, I moved between listening to Stella – who was thirty-five and a career shop assistant – brag about her latest lust conquest, which had me somewhere between disgusted and plain embarrassed for her, and a stream of customers all looking to upgrade their M-Band software and accessories. I struggled to keep a straight face when a man who looked like he was well over seventy wanted to have his Viagra doses controlled by the M-Band medical zip. Ew.
    The low point of my day hit when Stella dragged me out back and told me to feel her fake boobs. She was adamant I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. I tried to explain that I didn’t need or want to be convinced, but she just grabbed my hands and thrust them to her chest, right as Gus headed past us for the