Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 63895 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 256(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63895 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 256(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
“You did good. I got your messages, too. It kept me sane in there, knowing you and the crew were on their way.”
“We’d never leave you in there, boss.” Phantom came over and joined the hug. Along with Mimic and Mustang and soon Bang Bang and Doc, the group finally reunited, this moment bathed in a golden, soft glow by the setting sun.
Theo cleared his throat. Roman cocked his head, scrunching his eyebrows together. “Huh, who’s this?”
Theo held out a hand, smiling like a golden retriever waiting for a treat. “Theo Cupper, sir. I’m the one who opened all the cell doors simultaneously. Wasn’t too hard—their system is equal parts advanced and equal parts prehistoric. Easy to exploit.”
Roman shook his hand, still appearing skeptical.
“Oh, and I’m the newest member of your crew.”
“Huh?” Roman asked, turning back to the Rainbow’s Seven. “Is that true?”
Wyatt scratched at the side of his head. “It is. He’s an, uh, old friend. Really great with computers, as you could probably tell. He wanted to join up with us. Wants to keep helping us.”
Wyatt figured he could bring up the “ex” thing later, when Roman and Bang Bang weren’t still wearing their jumpsuits.
“If you think he’d make a good addition to the team, then I’m fine with it.”
“I do think he’s a good addition,” Wyatt said, looking at an overly excited Theo. For being a coding savant who worked in the darker corners of the internet, Theo was awfully charismatic. He tended to have an easier time drawing people into his orbit, which was why Wyatt had been surprised to see him feeling so alone. He always had an eclectic group of people floating in and out of his life.
“So are we the Rainbow’s Eight, now?” Bang Bang asked.
“Let’s not change anything just yet,” Roman said, one arm around Wyatt’s shoulders and the other rubbing his chest. Wyatt wanted to drop his head back and close his eyes, but he’d likely fall right to sleep if he did that, Roman’s touch working its magic on him almost immediately.
“Do I at least get a cool nickname?” Theo asked as the group started to walk toward their getaway car, leaving the helicopter behind to get picked up by its rightful owner. “I was thinking maybe something like Cyberman? Or Computer-dude?”
Wyatt rolled his eyes as the rest of the group started to laugh. Mustang hopped into the driver’s seat. “Maybe you should be called Keyboard Warrior?”
“Oh, that’s not a bad one,” Theo said, hopping into the back, squeezing in next to Wyatt and Roman.
“It was a joke. That’s a terrible nickname.” Mustang shook her head and threw the truck in drive. Mimic chuckled at her side, dropping the mirror and applying some lip gloss while looking back at Theo. She was already looking happier than she’d been in weeks, now that the gang was finally back together again.
“What about Tor? It’s the browser I use to get around the seedier parts of the web. Plus, it starts with a T,” Theo asked the group, tossing it around under his breath before saying, “You know what, I actually really like that.”
“It’s not bad,” Wyatt agreed. Phantom grunted his approval, sitting on the other side of Theo. Wyatt had noticed there appeared to be some friction between the two, obvious from the second they were introduced. He couldn’t exactly place why the hostility was there but hoped it would ease away once they got to properly know each other. Maybe Phantom just didn’t like newcomers stepping into his turf? Or they just didn’t vibe with each other and likely never would?
As long as they stayed friendly, that’s all that Wyatt cared about. He’d hate to have caused a rift in the group because of his decision to let Theo into their circle.
“Alright, Tor it is,” Roman said. He had a hand on Wyatt’s leg, thumb rubbing up and down his outer thigh. It was electrifying, having Roman so close to him. He felt like a pubescent teen all over again, hormones flooding through him and short-circuiting a couple of different neural networks. “Welcome to the Rainbow’s Seven. And thank you for rescuing us.”
Roman leaned over and offered a genuine smile to Theo, received with a warm “You’re welcome.” Wyatt briefly wondered if their dynamic would change after Roman found out the extent of their past “friendship.” He’d had his bouts of jealousy before but never to the extent that worried him.
“So where are we heading? Back to the aquarium?” Roman asked, leaning forward and looking to Mustang.
She pursed her lips, lowering the window so the wind rushed in and blew her curls up into the air. “Yeah, about that,” she said.
“We had to abandon it,” Mimic said.
“What? Abandon it? What the hell happened?”
“The Pride happened,” Mimic said. She put an arm out her open window, moving it like a dolphin jumping through waves. “They found us out a couple days ago. We had to run, and I don’t think we can go back anytime soon.”