The Six: Genesis | A Reverse Harem Novel

Twenty-Four

"Blue—wait!" Levi's heavy footsteps pick up their pace, and he passes us to stand directly in front of me. "Just hear me out."

"Hear you out?" I scoff, shouldering past him. "No, thanks."

"Look, what I said was out of line—I admit it—but this is madness and you know it."

I pause, swinging around to meet him head-on. His normally bright green eyes are subdued, bloodshot and winged with dark circles. Restlessly, his hands comb his wild copper brown hair, leaving it sticking in all directions.

He looks like shit as if he hasn't slept in days. Wrinkles line his white button-up shirt and slacks, turning his normally polished exterior into a picture of woe. What the fuck happened to him?

"What's madness is your audacity!"

Catrina watches us from the side. With her arms crossed, she paints the perfect picture of concentration balanced against intense rage. Gatlin hovers ahead of me at the end of the hall, suspended under the grip of pain medication.

Wearily, I place myself between them and him. I don't want them touching him or going anywhere near him until he can protect himself. I'll fill the void for now.

Charlie backs me up but doesn't speak a word. His critical eye measures the level of tension in my body, quickly assessing whether or not Levi or Catrina will physically harm me. Luckily, Catrina saves her angry rages for private talks.

Or is it unluckily?

"I came to apologize for what I said before. It wasn't fair and I shouldn't have said it."

"Fair?" I scoff. "You think I give a shit about it being fair? The least of it was the worry of fairness. You not only disrespected me as your boss, but as your friend, and called me a whore!"

Does his self-righteousness know no bounds? Fair? Shouldn't have said it?

In all our years of working together, Levi has never spoken to me like that. He went too far. And while I understand and see his frustration to a point, he needs to take responsibility for his own actions and words. This doesn't sound like a true apology—it sounds like someone is making him crawl back on his hands and knees.

It wouldn't have been long until I formally demoted him, anyway. If he can't provide sufficient reasoning for disagreeing or give constructive criticism, his place is elsewhere and no longer anywhere near me. My heart squeezes.

Levi has been with me since the beginning.

When Hawthorne Holdings was a conglomerate comprising multiple businesses from hotels to online stores to makeup and workout equipment, stretching to movie studios, Levi was the first to believe in us. He came along after a long road in the military, setting standards and rising faster than others he'd joined with. Like most of us, he was burned out and wanted a change.

The change meant helping build Inatrium from the ground. Establishing reputation and gaining the footholds in the doors to speak with governments. I wanted—and want—to save as many people as I can.

Not an end game, the battlefield is a live place to test my robotics and study human behavior. Soon, I want them on every street corner servicing the public where we need them most. Levi was supposed to be there for all of it—and he will be—but I can't trust him to watch my six.

Not anymore.

Charlie tilts his head to the side, slightly angling his body to keep Levi from touching me. If he did, I can't account for my actions. He deserves worse than a slap!