Page 12 of The Hacker

I started the engine, the road stretching out before me. I’d go back to Dominion Hall, finish the ballet’s network upgrades, keep my distance. That was the plan. But as I drove, the demon whispered, low and relentless.

She’s not safe until she’s yours.

I didn’t argue.

5

VIVIENNE

The studio was quiet when I slipped through the back door the next morning, my sneakers squeaking faintly on the scuffed Marley floor.

The sun wasn’t even properly up yet, just a watery smudge over the harbor, but I’d already showered, wrangled my curls into a messy bun, and thrown on leggings and a hoodie.

All because of a man I barely knew.

Pathetic.

And yet, there I was—early for once, heart beating a little too fast as I hunted for Teresa.

I found her exactly where I figured she’d be: hunched behind her battered desk in the Crescent Ballet office, nursing a coffee the size of her head and scowling at a spreadsheet like it had personally offended her.

“Morning, sunshine,” I chirped, letting the door swing shut behind me.

She jumped like I’d fired a gun, nearly sloshing coffee on her keyboard.

“Jesus, Vivi! You trying to kill me?”

“Not today.” I plopped into the chair across from her, draping my arms over the sides. “I come bearing questions.”

Teresa narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Questions usually mean trouble.”

“Probably.” I flashed her a grin. “I want the dirt on Elias.”

She froze, her hand halfway to her coffee mug.

A beat.

Two.

Then she exhaled like I’d asked for her social security number and firstborn child.

“Really?” she muttered.

I leaned forward eagerly. “So? What’s the story?”

Teresa rubbed her temples, her fingers leaving little red marks.

“We dated. Briefly. Years ago.”

She said it like she was confessing to a crime she didn’t even regret.

My eyebrows shot up. “Wait, seriously? You and Elias?”

“Don’t sound so surprised. I used to be fun once.”

She took a long sip of coffee, grimacing.

“But no. It was ... awful. Like dating my brother. Zero chemistry. We fought about everything. Plus, he was already married to his laptop.”

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