Page 6 of Unlocked

I visibly cringe, making him laugh out loud before opening the passenger door and hopping in. “This is nice,” I say, running my fingers across the dash. “Whose is it?”

“Mine," he replies with a smile. “It ain’t a Jag, but I guess it’ll do.”

Now it’s my turn to laugh. “Anything is nice when you don’t have a car, Ben.”

“True. Why haven’t you used your money to get a car yet?”

He’s not wrong in asking. My eyes linger on the corded muscles in his arm as he drives the truck. I don’t know when, but at some point, my best friend went from boy to man.

“Stop checking me out and answer my question, Kaz." he laughs. “You know I don’t play for your team.”

“I know, I know, but if you did…”

“It would be you," he smirks while finishing my sentence.

I lean back in the chair and sigh. “You know I was saving it for college. I can’t rely on underground fighting forever. I want to get out of here. I need to get away.”

He nods his head in agreement. “I get it, and I don’t blame you. You’re right; you can’t fight forever. Plus, your hackingskills are subpar at best, so we know you won’t be making money off that unless you plan to sell fake IDs forever," he jokes.

I shove him in the arm and turn on the radio. One year ago, Ben introduced me to a few people who ran an underground fighting ring. He didn’t want to, but I begged him one day when he showed up at my house with bruised ribs, a black eye, and a wad of cash. I started training with them the next day and was ready for my first fight within six months. There aren’t many girls who fight in the underground, so I had been against a guy who was thankfully in my weight class. I won my first fight thanks to his cocky attitude and slow right hook. After that, the fighting became addictive. The money was even more addictive. I know I can’t risk fighting like that once I’m in college full-time. Out here, it isn’t unusual for trailer trash to sport bruises and split lips. I could never walk around like that in the city, at least not if I wanted to be a lawyer someday.

The music shuts off, pulling me from my thoughts. “What’s going on, Kaz?” Ben asks me. “You okay?”

I blow out a breath before answering. “All my money is gone.”

“What?” Ben asks. “Do you think it was Pete or your mom?”

I scrunch my eyebrows up. I didn’t even think about Pete taking it. Shaking my head, I sigh. “No, I’m pretty sure it was my mother. I don’t think Pete would take the time to look through my stuff like that.”

“Fuck, I’m sorry. What are you gonna do?”

“I think I might have to defer college for a year. See if I can save up enough money to take some extra classes to make up the difference,” I respond sadly.

“What if I told you I could hack the system? What if you start taking prerequisites now at a cheaper college, and once you have those under your belt, I can hack in and add you to the system of a more prestigious college? It would help you get hired at a bigcorporate law firm, and you could work your way up once you're in the door.”

My eyes go wide. “You could actually do that?”

“I can do a lot of shit now, Kaz. I’ll even teach you some more stuff over the next couple of years just in case you need that skill set when you're a big wig in New York City," he says laughing as he pulls his truck into the little diner his parents run. It turns out that I would need those skills more than I had ever imagined.

Chapter 6

Kaz

Twenty-two years old

“What am I going to do without you?” Lydia whines as she grabs the tray of shots I just poured. I roll my eyes at her and laugh.

“We literally live together. You're still going to see me every day.”

She sighs out loud. “Ya until you decide you want to hang out with all the rich lawyers you work for. Won’t be long before a sugar daddy comes along and snatches you up. Before you know it, you will be living in his penthouse suite and wiping your ass with one hundred-dollar bills.”

“Okay, calm down. This isn’tPretty Woman.” I pour a shot of vodka and slide it towards her. “My job description is HR. It’s nothing to write home about. I doubt anyone is going to want to take home the Human Resources lady. Also, how dare you think I would shit on a one hundred-dollar bill.” I reply with my hand on my hip. She giggles before taking her shot while holding her tray in her other hand. She walks away, sashaying her hips back and forth as she goes. I wipe down the bar top and start cleaning up a couple of glasses customers have left. I’m going to miss this when I start work at Bolt Corporation on Monday. I contemplated bartending on the weekends for the extra money, but I’m not sure I can swing that if I decide to start taking classesagain. To the world, I already have a bachelor’s in business administration. Nobody knows I have barely completed my third year except my best friend, Ben, from back home. While I didn’t defer for a year, I did have to take fewer classes to keep up with bills and life in general. I feel a whirlwind of emotions stir inside. It's been a couple weeks since I’ve spoken to him and we never go that long between calls. I make a mental note to call him this week to catch up.

A piece of hair falls in my face and I brush it back behind my ear while I lean over, attempting to grab another glass off the bar top. My senses prickle, causing me to look up. My gaze connects with a set of bright blue eyes from across the bar. ‘Holy hell,’ I think as I peruse the fine specimen who is currently sitting on a barstool with a few other guys who are bantering back and forth. He is leaning casually against the back of the stool with one leg up slightly on the footrest. The other leg is stretched out with his foot on the ground. He’s got his elbow on the table and his jaw resting on his fist, just watching me. His brown hair with a slight curl hangs just above his eyes. His entire demeanor is screaming dangerous. A crisp white T-shirt and pressed jeans, I’m sure are worth more than my car, finish his look. He’s even got a tattoo peeking out from under his sleeve. Yummy. If I could choose my type, this man would be it. Am I fucking drooling right now? Yes, yes I am. He smirks at me and my eyes widen before I look away quickly. I totally just got caught checking that man out. I suddenly feel insecure as I turn away from the bar and pretend to organize the liquor behind me. Why was he staring at me? I look down at my ripped jeans and black crop top, searching for a stain. When I see nothing, I whip out a small compact from my clutch and proceed to search my face for any imperfections. Running mascara, smudged lipstick, a huge zit? Nope, nothing. I roll my eyes at myself before slipping the compact back where it belongs. The guy wasprobably trying to get my attention for a drink or something and I’m over here ogling him like he’s a fucking zoo animal. Get it together Kaz, you can’t make tips if you scare away all the customers. I was trying not to drink on the job tonight since I like to make very bad decisions when alcohol is involved, but clearly, I’m in need of a warmup. I grab a bottle of whiskey and pour a quick shot. The glass hits the tip of my lips as I turn to face the bar and I freeze. Bright blue eyes burn into mine.

“Any chance you can make me one?” his voice comes out smooth as he leans against the bar. I look up at him and try to gauge his height. He’s got to be at least 6’3. He’s long and lean, but I can see the way his muscles strain against his shirt. Jesus, he would destroy me. My pussy flutters at that thought. Down, girl.

“I’m sorry what?” I ask him as I shake myself out of my stupor.

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