The server had military-grade simulations.Real ones.Helicopter simulators, weapon designs—stuff that wasn’t supposed to be seen by someone like me. I was too far in, too hungry for the thrill, so I downloaded everything I could get my hands on.
That’s how I went from stealing game code to hacking the US military.
Total coincidence,but it didn’t matter.
The police didn’t care if I meant to do it or not. They found out, and that’s when the walls closed in on me.
Ezra found me at the edge of that cliff, caught between prison and the void. Instead of turning me in, he pulled me out. He saw something in me that no one else did. I wasn’t some punk kid messing around with code. I wasgood. He gave me a choice. Either rot away in juvie or work with law enforcement for a fewyears to track down other hackers as a punishment for what I’d done.
I glance over at Ezra, his usual expression—a mix of tired patience and unwavering determination—fixed on me like he’s already decided to forgive whatever mess I’ve made before I even finish making it.
I owe him everything.
Oscar took me in when Ezra brought me to his doorstep. I was a kid from a broken home with a violent father and a mother too scared to look me in the eye. Hacking and being out at night on the streets, looking for fights so I didn’t have to be home, was my escape. It was the only thing I could control. But even that went too far.
I go for the bag again, unloading on it with rapid-fire punches.
Ezra steps away as the sandbag starts to sway wildly, the chain above it groaning with each hit. I’m panting hard, but I keep going. He doesn’t interrupt, seeming content to stand by me as I work through my issues on the bag.
I don’t know how much time passes before I hear footsteps behind me. Panting from the exertion, I look up to see Alaric standing at the door, a sheepish look on his face.
“Sorry, I didn’t know you guys were down here,” he explains, his hand still on the doorframe, halfway in, halfway out.
Typical.
I wave him in, breathing heavily but trying to play it cool. “Don’t worry, come in. We’re done anyway.”
Ezra shoots me a look, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he shrugs and heads out, leaving me alone with Alaric. I hate that Ezra and Alaric don’t get along. It can’t be because Alaric is a thief or a so-calledjail rat. I mean, I’m a fucking criminal, too, and Ezra treats me like we’re brothers.
Alaric moves to the weight section and lies on the bench, preparing to lift. I wander over and stand behind him. “Need a spotter?”
Alaric glances up, his expression neutral. “No, thank you.”
It’s been months since I’ve seen him down here. Months since he’s been anything but a shadow. The muscles in his arms strain as he grips the bar, and something nags at me.
“You ever wonder…” I say, keeping my voice casual, “… if maybe you have such a fear of abandonment because you keep abandoning yourself in an attempt to stop other people from abandoning you? Just a thought.”
Alaric freezes, staring up at me, his expression unreadable for a second. Then he sighs. “Fine. Spot me.”
I step up, placing my hands near the bar as he lifts. I know I hit a nerve, but this is Alaric. He’ll never admit it.
“It’s good,” I say softly. “That you’re coming out of your room again.” He halts mid-rep, tension creeping into his shoulders that has me briefly hesitating before I push on. “We don’t have to talk or anything. I only wanted to let you know that I noticed when you went silent, and I’m glad you’re not anymore. I’m glad to have you back. You’re like a brother to me. I was worried that our family was falling apart there for a second. I can’t handle losing any of you after losing him.”
The words hang in the air for a moment, and that old familiar ache for Oscar hits me in the chest.
Fuck, I miss him.The way he could fix things without even trying or say the right thing when the rest of us stumbled over our own broken pieces.
He would have never let Alaric retreat like that.
I have to do a better job of being there for him.
Alaric’s face is unreadable, but there’s something in his eyes before he starts back up with the reps. “How come we’re getting all emotional today?”
“You know me, I’m an emo.” I give a half-smile. “And repressed feelings go to the cellar to lift weights, only to come back on a random Tuesday and punch you in the face.”
He huffs out a breath. “Sure, but still.”
I crook a smile. “That random girl they’re trying to push on you…” Alaric huffs, his arms shaking under the weight, so I pause as he finishes another rep before I speak again. “You know she’s not going to replace you, right?”
