Genius (CENTURIES series: Book #2)

13

Mia blinked in total confusion. "He fixed it?"

"I told you he was a computer whiz."

"But I thought you fixed it?"

"I didn't."

"But then... then what about the message you left?" She asked, frowning. "'You're welcome – Genius'?"

"You read it wrong," Eli scoffed. "Your friend Zoe deciphered it correctly, but she made the assumption of thinking 'Genius' was a signature. It wasn't, it was message for me, the whole thing was; 'You're welcome, Genius.'" He drawled. "He was mocking me because I couldn't fix it."

"Wait, so you tried to fix it?"

"I was bored as fuck, just like the day in the auditorium when I saw the puzzle. I tried fixing it, but computers aren't really my game, that was always Caleb's."

"Wow," Mia breathed. "You guys are seriously... I mean..."

Suddenly loud heavy metal music started thumping from Elana's room and caused a startled yelp to escape from Mia. She whipped her head around and stared at Elana's door. She couldn't imagine that pretty little girl listening to Black Veil Brides.

"She likes the vibrations," Eli voiced, making her turn and look back at him. He was glancing at the door as well. "She can feel the bass in the floor. That's the closest she gets to experiencing music."

"God..." Mia couldn't imagine a world where she didn't have music. It was one of the most uncomplicated, simplistic joys in the world, and to not have that... "When did you discover she was a deaf-mute?"

"I didn't know Caleb back then, but back around the time she was born. They'd just lost their parents and she didn't respond to anything he said or did."

She wanted to ask how it happened, but she felt like it wasn't her place to, so instead she asked; "How did you guys meet?"

"Low Point," Eli replied, not meeting her eyes. "Got into a fight with some dicks and we had each other's backs. Next thing I know he's inviting me to stay with him at his apartment and introduces me to Elana. I knew ASL, I taught her, bada-boom, bada-bing, we were mates. Now the dick's vanished off the face of the earth and left me with his little girl."

Mia took it all in and then pressed her lips tightly together. She wanted so badly to offer him money, or at least just something to borrow, but she knew he wouldn't accept it. He wasn't a charity case, but after hearing everything that had happened, she wanted nothing more than to lend him a buck. Or just a hand.

Her eyes slid down to his neck and once again, she found herself admiring his beautiful ink. Even though she had seen every part of his beautiful body, Mia could still get hypnotized by it. She knew beneath his clothes, his body was not only masculine and strong, but also covered in art, in history. Everything, right from his pierced nipples, to his extensive ink, to those eyes that were glaring at her in this very moment, they told the marvelous story of someone who had been through hell and had survived. But she also knew that to the unobservant audience, you just saw rebelliousness, pent up anger, and so much hostility it was enough to scare you away from him – which was the ultimate goal, of course. But he didn't scare her. Not anymore.

"We're going to find him," She said, now meeting his eyes. "I promise. And in the meantime, I promise I won't tell anyone about... about any of this. About you."

Eli clenched his jaw, but then nodded. "Appreciate it."

She gave a nod back and then begun standing up off his lap. "I should get home then."