The tattooed hand comes into focus again. I pinch my phone screen to see better. Unfortunately, Redwood Prep’s cameras do not have a zoom feature, but I can make out some kind of circle shape on his wrist.
The hand disappears in a flash as it drags someone else out of the camera’s line of sight.
“This is so frustrating,” I mutter, pulling my phone closer as if that’ll turn the picture quality HD. The most I can make out are the distinct blobs of human heads bobbing around.
Paying more attention to the shadows, I determine that there are two clusters of fighting men, and there seems to be a man in the center of each cluster. The two fighters move fast. I can’t tell exactly what they’re doing, but every time they get close to the thugs, they knock them out.
After a few minutes, the Sagging Pants guys are groaning and writhing on the street, and only the two tall, thin shadows remain upright.
“There you are,” a dark voice growls.
I yelp and jump around. The cell phone clatters to the ground, and I reach to pick it up.
Finn storms into the chemistry lab and yanks me upright before I can touch the phone.
I shudder when I look at him. It’s like one of the tall, thin shadows jumped out of my phone screen to haunt me. He looks especially lethal, his pure-black eyes blending into the dark as if he were made from the night. As if he were made from secrets and evil and death.
A startled cry freezes on my lips. Even my body knows that I can’t scream without his permission.
Finn’s narrowed gaze slides over my body in disdain. “You’re not bleeding.”
“You sound mildly disappointed.”
His eyes collapse into annoyed slits, and it feels like I’m a child about to get a spanking. “I called.”
Ah, yes.
I’m suddenly reminded about his growled instruction to answer whenever he rings my phone.
“I was busy.”
“Doing what?” He bears down on me, infringing on my personal space. Breathing my air. Making my watch chirp.
The air of danger swirling around his body makes the hair on the back of my neck stand to attention. I would not at all be surprised if Finn suddenly twisted my neck to the side and bit me, turning me into a creature as dark and twisted as he is.
“Trying not to get shot.” I try to push him off. “Ever heard of breathing room?”
His nostrils flare, and he keeps a tight grip on me. “Did you see the shooters?”
“Personally? No. But a bullet doesn’t exactly need to be close up to make an impact.” I know I should be nicer, but the fight outside is still going on, and now I can’t see a thing because the Dark Lord of Redwood Prep here has an iron-fisted grip on me.
At last, Finn releases me, and I scoop my phone back up. The screen isn’t broken, but sadly, the fight is over. The street is completely clear, and the trucks drove off.
It’s like they weren’t even there.
Finn plucks my phone out of my hand and stares at the footage. He recognizes what I’ve done instantly. “You hacked Redwood’s surveillance system.”
“Hack is a strong word. It’s more like they left the door open and I walked in.”
Honestly, if people don’t want their privacy infringed on, they should take greater steps to protect it. I don’t make the rules.
He studies me, his eyes piercing me like a samurai sword slicing through my flesh. Has no one told him that staring is impolite? Especially when he does it with that magnificently beautiful face?
“You’re a hacker.”
“I prefer the term ‘ghost in the system.’”
“Ghost?”
