“Robert, you fucking asshole,” I bite. I’m tempted to click on the device, but I know that’s what he wants.
And if Robert left me this little easter egg, I know he’s watching me.
Which pisses me off more than it should. Not because he’s watchingmebut because the last thing I need is for him to discover Oliver.
I can’t let him sink his teeth into my little Rabbit. I won’t let that happen.
So, I click onMaster Computer Program. It takes a couple seconds, but the only thing that loads is a black screen with a blinking red cursor.
I watch as the letters type out two words.
Hello, Flynn.
And then they disappear. The screen disintegrates and the device disappears. Master Computer Program is no more.
I suck in a deep breath and backtrack my steps until I’m out of the system and shut my computer.
“Fucking hell,” I growl, wanting to throw my damn computer across the room. Anger floods me, and I have to take more than a few deep breaths to calm down. I get out of bed and head through my dark hallway, past the playroom, past the bathroom to the stairs. The kitchen lights are low and brighten as I approach the basement door and head down to my private lab. The cool air kisses my skin as I head for the metal shelves that hold a variety of tech I haven’t used; most of it kept for late-night tinkering when I can’t sleep or when I get frustrated and need something to build.
It doesn’t take me too long; most of the bins are categorized, and with how much time I’ve been spending in the office, I haven’t ventured down here in months. I grab what I need from the bins—an old Nest camera, a few parts from various cameras and phones, and pull out my chair and get to work.
When I finally awaken, my back is killing me, and instantly I realize why—I’d fallen asleep in my lab chair. I rub my eyes, noting the time displayed on the wall reads 3:53. I groan, knowing there’s no use trying to go back to sleep, so I collect my equipment and head upstairs. It doesn’t take me long to grab one of my tech backpacks and shove all my newly tinkered toys inside. I take my time and shower, knowing exactly what I plan to do today. I’m not letting Oliver out of my fucking sight.
This… this isn’t what he signed up for.
Robert Stratford can hate me as much as he wants, but I will not allow him to bring unknowing civilians into his little hacker fantasies.
The hot water sluices over my skin, and steam builds as I remember our last conversation. When I’d told him we were no longer capable of working together.
Creative differences, I’d told him. He’d told me to fuck off. That I’d come crawling back when my little glitch glitched its last breath.
And then he crashed my fucking computer and wiped my damn hard drive clean.
Years of work. Decades of work down the fucking drain. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he’d planned for it. The office had a field day with the computers crashing and the servers going haywire. Tech called it a data breach, but it was more than that.
It was a cyber hit. Thankfully, I’m not an idiot, and most of my work was backed up to Ghost, but that’s not the point.
Robert was sending me a message.
I drew my line in the sand, and Robert showed me just what he was capable of. The only saving grace I had was Ghost and the NDA. I told him if he ever tried to even look at a damn computer, or breathe a word of our relationship, I’d know, and I wouldmake his life a living hell. And if he tried to tear me down, he’d have another thing coming.
I hated making threats. But I couldn’t let him get away with thinking he could do such a thing without some form of retaliation, even if I had all my information backed up.
Which is precisely why I ghosted my way into all his financials and gave him a data breach of my own.
No one threatens me. Not like Robert, anyway.
Sometimes I wonder what we could have been if we hadn’t turned into enemies. Sometimes I wonder if I could have disciplined him better. Taught him how to use that vicious spark inside of him forgoodinstead of selfishness.
But then I remember that Robert Stratford brought out the worst in me, and letting him go was the only way I was going to save myself from ending up a monster. The one inside me is bad enough, but I wasn’t going to let anyone change Veil and change my mission.
I shut off the water and head to my bedroom, taking my time as I dress. I slide on my black athletic pants and longsleeve, grabbing one of my fleece lined black hoodies I usually wear when I’m lounging around the house on cold weekends. I grab a button-down and a pair of trousers, folding them neatly. Methodically, I go through the motions. It’s not like I haven’t thought about this day. Prepared for it.
I just didn’t think it would happen this soon, and I certainly didn’t think it would be because of someone I know. Someone I used to care about.
I wouldn’t say I loved Robert. What we had… it wasn’t healthy, and I know that. I have always liked a challenge, and that’s what Robert was. A challenge. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued by his genius. But no matter how smart he is when it comes to tech, he’s got a blind spot.
Like the Master Computer Program, he lacks empathy. He doesn’t know how togive.He only knows how totake.
