Page 4 of Byte

I didn’t need directions to Gabby’s house. I’d helped when she moved in and remembered exactly how to get there. Thankfully, she wasn’t far from the downtown area of Cedar Valley.

I darted in and out of traffic, rode between cars, and drove as fast as I could, but it still felt like it took forever to get there. Once I arrived, I jumped off my bike, pulled my gun from my holster, and entered her house through the open front door without hesitation.

No one was in the living room or kitchen. I started down the hallway and stopped dead in my tracks when a man stepped out of Gabby’s bedroom.

“Hey! Stop right there!” I ordered.

He turned his head to look at me for one second before he sprinted out the back door. I ran after him and chased him through Gabby’s back yard.

He glanced over his shoulder and saw me running after him. That’s when he produced his own gun and blindly fired at me while he continued to run.

I took a shot at him, and I was fairly certain I hit him, but he continued to run into the wooded area behind Gabby’s house. The fucker was fast. It didn’t take long for me to lose sight of him once we were no longer out in the open. Instead of wasting time trying to find him, I turned around and ran back to the house to check on Gabby.

I knew exactly where the makeshift panic room was in her closet and hoped she was still in there. I knocked on the fake wall. “Gabby, it’s Byte. Open up.”

The door opened, and Gabby launched herself at me. Her legs went around my waist while her arms wrapped around my shoulders, and she buried her face in the crook of my neck.

“Are you okay?”

She answered by nodding her head against me.

“I need to hear the words.”

“I think so,” she said shakily. “Are you okay? I thought I heard gunshots.”

“Yeah, he took a shot at me,” I said and felt her tense in my arms. “But he missed. I’m fine.”

I moved to the kitchen and attempted to place her on the counter so I could look her over and make sure she was okay for myself, but she refused to release her hold on me.

“Gabby,” I said slowly.

“Please don’t let go of me,” she whispered. “Not yet.”

“Okay,” I promised and tightened my hold on her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

She nodded again, and that time, I felt the wetness from her tears. “Just scared,” she said softly.

“You’re safe now,” I promised and moved to the living room to take a seat on her couch. “We need to call the club. And your sister.”

“No!” she insisted. “They just left for their trip. You won’t be able to get in touch with her until they land, and I don’t want her to turn around and come home as soon as they get there.”

“Okay, okay,” I said and held my hands up in a placating manner. “But I can’t keep this from the club.”

“You have to!” she yelled.

“Why?”

“Because they’ll want me to come back to Croftridge until Keegan gets back, and I can’t do that. I have to work, and I can’t miss school.”

“Fucking hell,” I grumbled and tried to think of a solution that would satisfy both of us.

“Should we report it to the police?” she asked quietly.

I sighed. When I agreed to listen out for Gabby while Shaker and Keegan were gone, I never once thought anything wouldactually happen. And for some reason unbeknownst to me, I was completely blanking on how to handle the situation.

“Listen, I understand where you’re coming from, but I need to give Phoenix a call.” She opened her mouth to argue, but I held my hand up to stop her. “He’s reasonable. He knows how hard you’ve worked to get where you are. I’m sure he’ll have a solution that won’t compromise your education or your safety.”

“Fine,” she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “Call Phoenix.”

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