Page 30 of Byte

“I don’t think you should go in there.”

“I’ll be fine, but you need to stay here,” he insisted. “Lock the doors, and if something happens, drive away.”

“No! Please don’t go,” I begged.

“Gabby, I’ll be fine. I doubt anyone’s still in there.”

“Then why can’t I go with you?” I argued.

“Because you need to stay safe in case someone is in there.”

“So do you!”

“Gabby, this is what I do. I’ll be okay.”

“Fine,” I huffed. Then I grabbed his shirt and pulled him toward me until my lips met his in a bruising kiss. I wasn’t sure what kind of reaction to expect, but him grabbing my hair and returning my kiss was more than I could have hoped for.

He broke the kiss before I was ready to let him go. “We’re going to talk about that when I get back. Stay here,” he said and got out of the truck before I could try to stop him.

While he cleared my house, I sat there for what felt like forever. I coaxed the dog into the front seat with me and wrapped my arms around him while I waited. I was debating on whether to break my promise and go inside when Byte finally appeared at the front door and motioned for me to come inside.

When I got out, the dog trailed behind me like a shadow. “Shadow,” I said and looked at Byte. “His name is Shadow.”

Byte nodded. “It suits him.”

“I take it no one’s in there.”

“No, but someone was,” he said and stopped me before I could go inside. “You need to brace yourself. It’s pretty bad in there.”

Pretty bad was an understatement. My house had been trashed. Every shelf had been cleared. Every cabinet had been emptied. Basically, everything I owned was on the floor. Even the contents of my refrigerator had been dumped on the floor.

After walking around the house with Byte and taking in the scene, we returned to the living room. I stood there, staring blankly at the floor. I didn’t know what to do, and I couldn’tthink of any words to say. I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t manage to do that either. I couldn’t do anything.

“Gabby!” Byte shouted in a way that made me think he’d said my name more than once.

I lifted my head to meet his eyes but couldn’t make myself speak. “It’s going to be okay,” he said.

I turned my gaze back to the floor and waited for him to tell me what to do. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t function. I needed him to take charge because I had completely checked out.

10

BYTE

“I’m getting you out of here,” I said and scooped Gabby into my arms.

Once I had her safely in the truck with Shadow, I closed the door and called Phoenix.

“Prez, I need help,” I said as soon as he answered.

“Tell me what’s going on.”

“I drove Gabby back to Cedar Valley today. We just got to her house, and the place is trashed. Almost everything she owns has been destroyed. And I think she’s in shock. She hasn’t said a single word since we went inside, and she’s got this blank look on her face that is freaking me the hell out. I don’t know what to do.”

“Bring her to the clubhouse. I’ll round up the brothers while you’re on your way, and I’ll get Harper to come over so she can stay with her while we have church.”

“Thanks, Prez. Oh, Flint and Diesel were going to drive her car back to her place. They may have already left, but can you call them and let them know to leave it at my house or drop it off at the clubhouse?”

“Yeah, I’ll take care of that. You take care of Gabby and drive safe.”

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