Double Edge | WATTYS 2023 SHORTLIST + AMBYS 2023 WINNER

Chapter 02

"Why the face?" I cocked a brow and slid my hand over my abdomen. "You think I'd ruin this physique?"

Kimi shook her head. "Boy, please." She grabbed her tablet and glanced at the screen. "You got these at Juno's Corner Mart?"

Tonguing my cheek, I half nodded. "I mean, that's where someone got them."

She lifted just her eyes to look at me. "The place where your sensors activated?"

Nothing got past Kimi. She was good at her job. That's why I loved her. The lead technician assigned to Paxton's important, controversial experiment.

"Look, my sensors went off because of some kids messing with the store's owner. Those cigarettes, though? I'm telling the truth." I slid my hand over my freshly cut hair. "Have I ever lied to you?"

Kimi paused. Her slender fingers tapped her tablet before placing it beside me on the bed. Her hand moved to my neck next. She pressed against the back of my ear. "No, you've never lied." She stepped in front of me. Her other hand did the same to my opposite ear. "Sometimes I wish you had, though."

There were pressure points behind my ears; hidden buttons for the computer upgrades in my body. With each touch, a sensor powered on, a feature activated, all against my will.

My enhanced ears picked up on her racing heart. I lifted my gaze and, with my augmented sight, I watched her temperature rise. She was nervous. Why?

"What's wrong?" I asked as her hands slid down my shoulders and the sides of my arms. "Did something happen?"

Kimi sighed. She scooped her tablet again and went over to her desk in the corner of the room. One quick tap on the keyboard brought the monitor to life. My picture brightened the screen, as well as my vitals. I was a healthy robot-man, wasn't I?

Dropping into her seat, she reached for her mouse. Two clicks and my face was gone, replaced by pictures of other people—two men, different places.

I jumped up and stood behind her. "Shit, you found 'em? Where?" Them. My ex-friends. The very same people who turned me in for the crime they committed.

Kimi looked up at me, a small smile on her face. With one hand, she lazily pointed at the computer screen. She rubbed her temple with the other. "On the left is Mark Sanchez."

"Yeah." I knew Mark. I grew up with Mark. For the longest, he followed me. In our teens, he became my shadow. It wasn't long before he found himself and pushed everyone out of the way. The picture was evidence of that. How many gold chains did one man need?

"He just came back. He'd been living in California for the longest. And the other," Kimi grabbed the mouse and scrolled down the computer screen, "Ruben Ramirez. He's around. Found him living in the suburbs not too far from us, but lately, he's been pinging."

I snorted. "Pinging, huh?" I glanced at Kimi. "How? You've been checking their phones?"

"You asked me to, didn't you?"

Leaning over the back of Kimi's seat, I turned my head. Our faces were just inches apart. I caught the deep red spread over her cheeks, the shimmer in her eye. "I did ask you," I said, lowering my gaze to her lips. "Thank you."

Sometimes we'd get this close. It happened. Could I avoid it? Yes. Would I? I tried. Honestly, I tried. Once Kimi licked her bottom lip, I stepped back. It needed to be professional. I have to remember that.

"Get me their phone location in the next hour." Rubbing my hands together, I glanced at the door. "I'll start looking for them this afternoon."

Kimi didn't say anything. I expected her to. She was a person who always had something to say. Silence—Kimi didn't know her. When I looked back at Kimi, she'd scrolled the computer monitor back to my profile, my vitals. She typed a few numbers into my feedback section.