Apex Five: Mech Elite novel · Chapter 8 of 24

Chapter 8: The Press Room

His mouth was warm and practiced and tasted of mint.

For three years that taste had meant home.

I put my left hand flat on his chest and shoved him off the cockpit rail with everything I had.

Dane landed on the dock road on his back.

The drone cameras swung down to follow him.

I climbed out of Old Nail in front of all of them.

He was getting up with a smile already pasted on, and I hit him across the face so hard my burned palm split open.

The crack carried across the yard.

"That's for the cut," I said.

I hit him again, backhand.

"That's for Mira's face."

Dane's cheek went red in the floodlights.

The news crew's lens never wavered.

"Wyn," he said, in a very small, very reasonable voice. "You're upset. You're confused. You're not yourself."

"I'm exactly myself."

I took the black drive from Hob's hand and held it up to the nearest camera.

"Dane Pryce sold my sync key to Pryce Defense on the Tuesday before the Cup final," I said. "He called me a headline. The contract is in his father's office, and the date it was signed is on this drive."

A reporter at the back of the van said, "Miss Calder, can you confirm that this is authentic?"

"Play it. Play it on your own speakers."

Hob held the tablet toward the van.

The recording started, tinny and clear.

I did not listen to it again.

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