I stand and step away from the desk. My spine locks into place. With how I’m feeling, I need those stones sooner rather than later.
We keep garnets fresh, stocked, and accessible because they anchor every system we run. But alexandrite is rarer,less stable. Its energy is different. Our R&D teams are still studying the neural response patterns, but even early trials have shown results. If we can use the alexandrite to extend garnet charge time or even amplify output, it could change the pace of interface use entirely.
The science is still early, but I’ve seen the preliminary data. Faster emotional compression. Sharper memory echoes. Extended cognitive sharing. I’m sure the other social media companies are also conducting similar research.
“All right. I want to check on our properties,” I say. We head toward the front door. One of my men is already waiting, standing to the side and ready. He hands me my Glock without needing to be asked. I take it and slide it into the holster at my side.
I check my watch. The data feed lights up as expected, synced with the surveillance reports. I scroll through two updates quickly. “Ella’s back at the house on Elm?” I ask as I step outside into a suddenly drilling rain.
“Yes,” Bronco says. He moves ahead of me and opens the back door of the town car. “She arrived twenty-three minutes ago. I have a man on the house.”
“Good,” I say. “Have him call if she moves.”
He nods and taps something on his phone.
I slide into the car and shut the door behind me. I don’t like how easily I tracked her. She either wants to be found or she doesn’t understand the stakes.
Neither option sits well with me.
For now, I have to act like the head of the Irish mob and hold everything together. It’d be a hell of a lot easier if I were at full strength. I need to get everything in order so I have time to heal myself … with Ella Rendale’s help, whether she likes it or not.
Ella
The click of the keys is sharp in the quiet. I type fast, my gaze locked on the stream of code climbing across the screen. I’m deep inside Aquarius Social’s mainframe now, chasing threads Wesley probably didn’t think I’d find. I spot his signal ghosting mine, and for a second, I let him think he’s gaining ground.
Then I flip the switch. Reroute. Bury. Move deeper.
He’s good. One of the best.
But I’m better.
I should feel bad about this, considering we’ve been on a couple of dates and all, but I don’t. I like the challenge. It’s like playing chess with someone who actually knows how to think three moves ahead. Most people don’t. Most people only see what’s right in front of them.
My mind shifts to Justice and the anger in his eyes as I’d left earlier with the police officer. Oh, I know Justice could’ve stopped us. But he didn’t. Getting in trouble with the law the second Thorn leaves town would’ve been a bad move.
I try not to smile.
Rain starts a pattern against the windows, soft and rhythmic. I barely register the sound. This is one of my favorite safe houses, tucked into a cul-de-sac on Elm Street. Every house around me has that worn-down charm that says its residents don’t have neighborhood picnics. Retired couples. A few single professionals who work from home. No kids. No teenagers. A couple of lazy dogs. Maybe a cat or two.
I’ve been thinking about getting a cat, but I need to make sure I’m going to live long enough to take care of one. Between my stepmother and now Justice coming after me, it doesn’t feel like the right time to add responsibilities.
Plus, I’ve found life is easier without ties or love. Yeah, I have Alana and Rosalie, but we formed ties as kids. That’s different. It’s too late not to love them.
Wesley makes a move that’s both sneaky and clever. He reroutes traffic across three fake nodes to distract me, maybe hoping I’ll get cocky and follow. I don’t take the bait. I tap out a quick counter, slipping into a shadow relay he left open by accident or out of arrogance. I’m not sure which. It slows him down just long enough for me to go deeper. Past the firewalls. Past the audit logs. Into the bones of the system most people don’t know exist. Does he have any idea he’s chasing me?
This is Aquarius Social’s mainframe, Wesley’s territory. He built a lot of this, but he didn’t build all of it, and some of what’s here doesn’t look like him. My earlier hack has finally uncovered more of this one.
I pause.
There’s a cluster of code tucked deep inside a rarely accessed corner. It’s not his style and seems too modular, too insulated. Tendrils of data branch off like veins, pulsing with activity. But it’s not just timestamp manipulation or data masking. This is something else. A high-level relay, maybe. Something designed to cross domains.
A path.
My eyes narrow. The encrypted pathway is hidden and running from Aquarius into a completely different system. TimeGem Moments.Mycompany.
This penetration is farther along than I expected, thehacker expertly manipulating the Aquarius Social servers to infiltrate TimeGem. It’s genius, really.
Oh, my stepmother thinks she owns the infrastructure, and she guards it like a dragon hoarding gold. No one touches it without clearance, and even then, access is layered in redundancies and biometric fail safes.
