Loose Ends | Miles | ✓

seven | miles

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NOTHING. AFTER RISKING my arse at work to check the bloody archives and looking over my shoulder at every sudden movement that could be Max coming to fire me, I'd managed to spill my coffee and find zero information on the group calling themselves Blackout. Needless to say, any other terrorist groups logged as having used technological warfare were, as the database said, terminated. Even if there was a connection between Blackout and any of these other attempts, there was hardly enough information to prove it.

    On top of all of that, I couldn't seem to focus on anything. Including family supper.

    "Miles? What do you think?" Charlie was looking up at me expectantly.

    I blinked at him. "About what?"

    Lily sighed from across the table. "Charlie just spent the last ten minutes explaining his master plan for pranking his maths teacher and you weren't listening to any of it?"

    I shifted my eyes uncomfortably between Lily and Charlie. "No?"

    The whole table—well, the whole table minus Charlie and I—let out a long sigh.

    "Is there something more important on your mind, mate?" Leo asked. The look in his eyes gave me the sense that he knew there was something going on.

    I settled my chin in the palm of my hand and shot Charlie a wide smile, banishing all thoughts of Blackout and the side mission out of my head. "Absolutely not. By all means, Charlie, start from the beginning."

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    IT WAS ALMOST midnight by the time I managed to sneak out of my house, but there was no way I was attempting to drop two stories from my bedroom window again—I learned that the hard way—nor was I about to leave without a coat. The air bit at my skin as I walked to my car, causing me to wrap my scarf tighter around my face. Kat would be angry with me for being late, but sneaking around is hard work, especially when you share a room with a brother who also works at an intelligence agency. Besides, did I really care what she thought?

    I repeated the same phrase over and over again even as I passed the man in the lobby and rapped my knuckles against Kat's hostel room door. Sure enough, Kat's scowl was what greeted me as it swung open. "How nice of you to show up," she said, walking back into her room.

    Closing the door, I followed after her, beginning to pull off my coat. And to my surprise, I heard Kat make a noise I didn't think she was capable of: laughter. "That is the ugliest scarf I've ever seen!" Kat jested, pressing a hand against her chest.

    I felt my hand come up to tug on the ends defensively, and my mouth pulled downwards in a frown. "Is there anything about me you do like?" I asked, though I immediately wished I hadn't. A part of me wanted her to answer, but I had a feeling it wouldn't be a pleasant response. There was nothing about me she liked. I was just the annoying flirt from uni to her, only useful when she needed my connections.

    Kat held my gaze for a moment, her pretty eyes searching mine as if I were a complex maths problem she couldn't quite figure out. Finally, she strode past and sat at the edge of her desk. "Were you able to find anything today?"

    I chose to ignore the strange moment that had just passed and settled onto the edge of her bed. "Nothing," I said. "Not even the hint of a connection."