Page 6 of Byte

“It was on. I know it was. I get home, turn it off, and reset it in stay mode immediately. Without fail. But it didn’t go off,” she explained.

“You’re sure?” I asked, even though I knew she was. Shaker and Keegan would have drilled that into her head. They were no slouches when it came to safety.

“Yes! Look,” she said and handed me her phone. On the screen, her security app showed the alarm being disarmed by her, reset in stay mode, and disarmed again minutes before she called me.

“I’ll be damned,” I mumbled to myself.

“How is that possible?” she asked. “I use my fingerprint to turn it off and on.”

“Do you also have a numeric code you can use?”

“Yes, but I never do.”

“Okay, so one possibility is someone hacked into your system and disarmed it using a numeric code. The other possibility is someone made a copy of your fingerprint and used it to get into your house,” I explained.

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying whoever did this is likely someone you know.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “Are you serious?”

“Yes, but we can figure out who that might be once we’re back in Croftridge. Do you want to go and grab your things?”

“Sure. I’ll be just a few minutes,” she said and took a few steps toward the hallway. She stopped and turned back to me with a terrified look on her face. Without a word, I got to my feet and followed her to her bedroom.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

I nodded in acknowledgment. She was scared, and rightfully so. Her sense of security had been abruptly stolen from her, and it would take a while for her to get it back.

3

GABBY

Ididn’t argue when Byte told me Phoenix wanted us to return to Croftridge for the weekend. Any other time, I would have protested, or at least insisted that they ask me instead of telling me. But I was terrified and wanted nothing more than to feel the safety and security I knew the club could provide.

Their protection was something I’d taken for granted. In Croftridge, no one messed with anyone affiliated with the club. Women and children were off limits, and everyone knew it. Apparently, the same wasn’t true for Cedar Valley.

I quickly packed a bag for the weekend, with Byte standing guard at my bedroom door. I don’t know how he knew, but I was too scared to enter my room alone. When my steps faltered, he wordlessly rose to his feet and followed me. I’d felt so safe in his arms, and I desperately wanted to feel that safety again. To be curled up against him where nothing could hurt me. It was odd. I’d been around him for most of my life and had never thought of him as anything other than Jacob’s club brother and my sister’s friend. But suddenly, I didn’t want to be more than a few feet away from him. It was silly, and I knew it, but that didn’t change anything.

Once my bag was packed, I followed Byte back to the living room on autopilot.

“Are y’all ready to go?” Edge asked.

“I think so,” I said and readjusted the backpack I was carrying.

“Do you have a helmet?” Byte asked.

“Of course,” I said and reached into the closet by the front door to retrieve mine. With that, I locked the front door, set the alarm, and climbed on the back of Byte’s bike.

My mind was a whirlwind of activity the entire ride to Byte’s house. I kept replaying the events of the night over and over, and one part stood out to me more than anything else. I wasn’t sure, but I thought I heard the person say my name, and Byte said it was probably someone I knew. That couldn’t be a coincidence, could it?

Before I knew it, Byte turned off the road onto a long, winding driveway that led to a house hidden by the surrounding trees. I couldn’t see a lot because it was dark, but from what I could tell, it looked to be a modern two-story log cabin.

Once inside, Byte showed me to the room I’d be staying in and told me to make myself comfortable. I dropped onto the bed and covered my eyes with my arm, inhaling deeply. I intended to enjoy a few minutes of peace before going out to talk to Byte. Instead, I promptly fell asleep.

I woketo the smell of freshly brewed coffee and cooked bacon. After a quick trip to the bathroom, I made my way to the kitchen and found Byte standing in front of the stove wearing a pair of gray drawstring pants and no shirt. He was tall and lean, with his well-defined muscles on full display.

“Good morning,” I said awkwardly. I’d known Byte for the majority of my life, but I’d never spent any time alone with him. And I’d never seen him with so little clothes on.

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