Hitting another brick wall, I’m about to throw my keyboard across the room in frustration when I spot it—a random piece of code that seems out of place. It’s subtle, easy to miss if you’re not looking for it, but it’s there.
Hope springs in my chest.
Finally.
A fucking back door!
My fingers dance across the keyboard as I exploit the vulnerability. I bypass their security protocols and thread my way through loops of digital hoops.
Oh you’re good, buddy. But I’m fucking better.
I weave through another maze of code and BAM!
I’m in.
“Holy shit,” I whisper, staring at the screen as data starts flooding in. GPS coordinates, transaction records, communication logs.
Every-fucking-thing we need.
I rip my headphones off, my heart threatening to jump out of my damn chest. I pat Cyber on his shoulder frantically. “Cyber! Cyber! I found it.”
He pulls his earbuds out and rolls his chair closer to mine. I point at the screen, and his jaw drops.
“Fuckin’ A,” he breathes. “You did it.”
He pulls out his phone and makes a call, his eyes never leaving the screen. “We got something,” he says to whoever’s on the other end. “An address.” He nods at whatever they’re saying, then reads off the coordinates I found. “Yeah. Looks like it.” Another nod, glancing at me. “Got it.” He hangs up.
“Who was that?” I ask. “What did they say?”
Cyber rubs the back of his neck, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “Club business,” he mumbles, not meeting my eyes.
Are you fucking kidding me?
Heat rushes to my face. Without me, they wouldn’t know shit. I’m the one who broke through the firewall. I’m the one who found the address, and now I’m being shut out?
Fuck that noise.
“Frankie, wait—” Cyber calls out as I storm toward the vault door.
“Save it,” I snap over my shoulder. Whatever half-assed apology he’s about to offer, he can shove right up his ass.
I stomp across the compound and into the clubhouse, my blood still boiling. The common room is mostly empty this time of day, with only a few prospects cleaning up and Roxy behind the bar.
Probably a good thing considering how pissed I am.
Assholes!
Aggravated as hell, I slide onto a stool and cross my arms over my chest, trying to rein in my temper before I bite someone’s head off.
“You look like you could use this,” Roxy says, sliding a cherry Sprite across the bar to me.
Despite how furious I feel, I can’t help but smile. “Thanks.” She remembered that it’s my favorite.
“No problem, sweetheart.” She pats my shoulder. “I’ve gotta run and pick Saylor up from school, but I’ll be back in a bit. Help yourself to anything you need.”
I nod and take a sip of my drink as she grabs her purse and heads for the door.
That’s when I notice she took off and left her phone on the bar.
