Read Online Three the Hard Way by Sydney Croft - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sydney Croft
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couldn’t have been that close without one of them touching the other. “Defending him now, huh?”
Fuck. “No. It’s just . . . Fuck, I don’t know. I don’t know anything. And you . . .”
Ian’s hand came up to cup Tag’s cheek, and he suddenly lost the ability to speak.
But that, he supposed, was better than losing his mind.
“And me?” Ian said softly, tracing a finger along Tag’s jawline. Tag jutted his chin, the stubborn thing. It’d been one of the most endearing things about him, the first trait he’d noticed when he’d first made contact with Tag.
“What about you, Ian?”
“You know everything you need to know. In here.” Ian pressed a fist against Tag’s chest, over his heart. “I wouldn’t be here now if I hadn’t fallen for you.”
Tag drew in a shaky breath, but his next words were firm. Angry. “You sold me out.”
“I did, yes. That was my job.” A job he both loved—for bringing him Tag—and hated, for the betrayal he’d been forced to commit.
Tag’s eyes narrowed. “And what’s to stop you from doing your job again? Why shouldn’t I believe Justice is right—that you’re either planning to drag me back to Itor or leading them here?”
“I’m not dragging you back anywhere,” he promised. “But you do have to take out my chip before it activates.”
Tag looked confused. “Chip? We searched you.”
“It’s called a micro chip, Tag. Without a detector, most people would never find it without my help.” Ian stared into Tag’s eyes, knowing this was most likely his best—and possibly last—shot to make Tag trust him again. “The P-128S chip is practically undetectable if it’s not transmitting.”
“Even to my magnetic ability?” Tag asked, and Ian’s first instinct was to lie, but lies were what had gotten them into this situation in the first place. “No. If you’d turned on your gift while you were searching me, you’d probably have found it.”
“Fuck.” Tag looked up at the ceiling as if there were a portal to the past up there. “So what’s it do, exactly, this microchip?”
“It sends out a homing signal letting Itor know exactly where I am, and that I’m most likely in trouble.” Tag narrowed his eyes. “It’s not activated at the moment.”
“How do you know?”
“I watched Itor set the timer. It’s a fail-safe. I’ve got seventy-six hours left. If I don’t contact them within that seventy-six hours, it’ll go live.” He paused. “At that point, Itor’s going to either think I’m in trouble . . . or that I’ve deserted them.”
Tag sighed. “So how do you get rid of it?”
“I don’t. If I try to cut it out . . .” He took a deep breath. “If it’s exposed to air, it’ll self-destruct. Taking me, and everyone within a twenty-foot radius, with it.”
Taggart’s eyes widened with surprise, and then a true hint of concern. “Jesus, Ian. Is that even possible?”
“Ah . . . yeah. Hello, it’s Itor, home of the most powerful evil geniuses in the world.” Ian hesitated, and then blurted, “But there’s a way you can help me get rid of it.”
“Me?”
“I wouldn’t ask you . . . I didn’t come here for you to do this. But this, showing my belly, my weakness . . . this is the only way I can truly get you to trust me. If the homing signal activates, I’ll run, lead Itor away from you and give you a chance to get out of here.” He slid out of his parka and shivered as he lifted his T-shirt up over his back to expose his shoulder blade. “Do the honors?”
“What do you want me to do?”
Ian jerked his chin at the heated wall. “Do that to it. Except hotter. Melt it.”
Tag took a quick step back, the color draining from his face. “The fuck? Hell no.”
“Please, Taggart.”
Ian held his breath through a long moment of silence until Tag said, “I can’t. Heating a metal wall or bending a fork is one thing. Channeling my powers into a human . . .” He shuddered, and Ian wondered what
Fuck. “No. It’s just . . . Fuck, I don’t know. I don’t know anything. And you . . .”
Ian’s hand came up to cup Tag’s cheek, and he suddenly lost the ability to speak.
But that, he supposed, was better than losing his mind.
“And me?” Ian said softly, tracing a finger along Tag’s jawline. Tag jutted his chin, the stubborn thing. It’d been one of the most endearing things about him, the first trait he’d noticed when he’d first made contact with Tag.
“What about you, Ian?”
“You know everything you need to know. In here.” Ian pressed a fist against Tag’s chest, over his heart. “I wouldn’t be here now if I hadn’t fallen for you.”
Tag drew in a shaky breath, but his next words were firm. Angry. “You sold me out.”
“I did, yes. That was my job.” A job he both loved—for bringing him Tag—and hated, for the betrayal he’d been forced to commit.
Tag’s eyes narrowed. “And what’s to stop you from doing your job again? Why shouldn’t I believe Justice is right—that you’re either planning to drag me back to Itor or leading them here?”
“I’m not dragging you back anywhere,” he promised. “But you do have to take out my chip before it activates.”
Tag looked confused. “Chip? We searched you.”
“It’s called a micro chip, Tag. Without a detector, most people would never find it without my help.” Ian stared into Tag’s eyes, knowing this was most likely his best—and possibly last—shot to make Tag trust him again. “The P-128S chip is practically undetectable if it’s not transmitting.”
“Even to my magnetic ability?” Tag asked, and Ian’s first instinct was to lie, but lies were what had gotten them into this situation in the first place. “No. If you’d turned on your gift while you were searching me, you’d probably have found it.”
“Fuck.” Tag looked up at the ceiling as if there were a portal to the past up there. “So what’s it do, exactly, this microchip?”
“It sends out a homing signal letting Itor know exactly where I am, and that I’m most likely in trouble.” Tag narrowed his eyes. “It’s not activated at the moment.”
“How do you know?”
“I watched Itor set the timer. It’s a fail-safe. I’ve got seventy-six hours left. If I don’t contact them within that seventy-six hours, it’ll go live.” He paused. “At that point, Itor’s going to either think I’m in trouble . . . or that I’ve deserted them.”
Tag sighed. “So how do you get rid of it?”
“I don’t. If I try to cut it out . . .” He took a deep breath. “If it’s exposed to air, it’ll self-destruct. Taking me, and everyone within a twenty-foot radius, with it.”
Taggart’s eyes widened with surprise, and then a true hint of concern. “Jesus, Ian. Is that even possible?”
“Ah . . . yeah. Hello, it’s Itor, home of the most powerful evil geniuses in the world.” Ian hesitated, and then blurted, “But there’s a way you can help me get rid of it.”
“Me?”
“I wouldn’t ask you . . . I didn’t come here for you to do this. But this, showing my belly, my weakness . . . this is the only way I can truly get you to trust me. If the homing signal activates, I’ll run, lead Itor away from you and give you a chance to get out of here.” He slid out of his parka and shivered as he lifted his T-shirt up over his back to expose his shoulder blade. “Do the honors?”
“What do you want me to do?”
Ian jerked his chin at the heated wall. “Do that to it. Except hotter. Melt it.”
Tag took a quick step back, the color draining from his face. “The fuck? Hell no.”
“Please, Taggart.”
Ian held his breath through a long moment of silence until Tag said, “I can’t. Heating a metal wall or bending a fork is one thing. Channeling my powers into a human . . .” He shuddered, and Ian wondered what
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