Page 4 of Twice the Rivalry

He didn’t bother answering. Instead, he pounded his fingers on a few keys and kicked her out of his system. Petty? Probably, but it gave him a little bit of satisfaction to know she wasn’t as good as she claimed.

He hissed out a breath and looked at the box he set down next to him. As he stared at it, he couldn’t stop the kick of his lips into a slight smile. He was man enough to admit it was a clever insult, and if it was anyone else, he would probably take it in stride and just let it go. But this was Glitch, and nothing about her could make him give up so easily.

He could picture her now, sitting at her own computers, pissed at him for kicking her out of his system. At five-two with bright pink hair and equally bright blue eyes, she would look more like a pissed off sprite than a formidable woman like Karissa. But still, after seeing her take down a few of the men when they were here previously, Code knew her looks were deceiving.

Still, even knowing that she could probably kick his ass if she wanted, he wasn’t nervous. He could take her, and right now, he needed to decide on his retaliation. She was right, the gloves were off, and it was time to see who was better.

He never lost, and he wasn’t going to start now.

CHAPTERTHREE

GLITCH

Three Weeks Later

“Ihad no idea you were so vindictive,” Taz drawled, his amusement clear as she continued to click away at her keys. “This is what, week two of you two trying to one-up each other?”

“Week three,” Glitch said absently as she narrowed her eyes on the screen. It seemed her nemesis had gotten a clue and figured out one of her ways into his system, and effectively walled it off. Not that it would stop her, but it did mean it was taking her a few more minutes longer to get in than she liked. She had plans, and they did not include wasting time on this bullshit.

“My mistake,” Taz mumbled sarcastically. “What did he do now? I’ve lost track of all the shit you two were getting up to while we were gone.” The team had been away on a rescue mission, this time to find a little girl that had been sold by her step-father to a pedophile in another state. The aunt had been the one to call, and the team refused to take any fee. They weren’t about to let that little girl, who was only four fucking years old, stay with that asshole one second longer.

Now, the little girl was with her aunt, and both the pedo and the step-father were six feet under.

That also meant that while she wasn’t busy helping the team with the logistics, she was dealing with Code and his attempts to best her. Their little battle had turned into an all out war, and she was not about to let him think he was winning.

“Somehow, he figured out a way to set off every alarm in the building, all at the same time. He made it so I couldn’t be the one to turn them off until I practically had to beg him.” she groused.

“You don’t beg, babe,” Taz said with a snicker.

“I don’t,” she agreed with a tight smile as she typed faster. She was almost in, despite his many attempts to keep her out.Take that, asshole, she thought to herself happily. “But I can make him think I did.”

“And what did you do in return?”

Her lips widened as she recalled watching her retaliation on the screen. “I sent Xena a creepy as hell Chucky doll that does the whole head turning thing, and had her hide it in his room. And, of course, I made sure to have a camera in it so I could see his reaction. I waited until he was asleep before I turned it on and started making it talk, saying all kinds of creepy evil shit. Then I had it turn its head, and I was able to activate a spring that I put in it so it launched at him. He screamed like a little girl, and had some of his brothers rushing in to help him.” She watched that recording a few times just to give herself a good laugh.

Taz laughed loudly. “Damn, babe, that was a good one. And kind of insane. I’m glad I’m not on your bad side. What has he done since then that you’re now going back at him?”

She lost her smile and scowled. “The bastard messed with my system,” she hissed, infuriated all over again. He really had taken off the gloves this time, and she wasn’t about to let him think he got away with it. She was out for blood, and she was going to make sure he was bleeding before she was done.

“Shit,” Taz groaned. “How did he do that? And when?”

She glanced at him before continuing her work. She was in Code’s system, and he was working to get her out, but that wouldn’t be happening. Not until she had done what she needed to do, and that was bring him to his damn knees. “He somehow managed to hack my system, and I’m pissed about that in the first fucking place, and then he changed all my app images to random shit that didn’t make any sense. He also messed with my keyboard so I couldn’t use any part of my damn computers. All while you were on your way back here with the little girl and her aunt. If he had been sitting here next to me, I probably would have shot him, I was so pissed. He’s lucky I have a spare computer and access to my system or we could have been fucked. I’m not about to let him get away with it.”

When she realized what was happening, she panicked for a moment, knowing that everyone was on their way back, and they were vulnerable without her having access to her systems. But that panic had been quickly replaced by fury at the realization of what he’d done. It was difficult for her to push it all aside and get herself set up on her spare computer, but she did it. It only made her more determined to make him pay, because no one messed with her system, especially when she was in the middle of a mission with her team.

So as soon as the team was in the clear, she signed off, spent all night fixing her system, making sure that Code would never get access again without jumping through some major hoops and scaling some thick walls. She hated knowing she had let her guard down and he was able to get past her. He was good, but he was nowhere close to her level, and it was time he remembered that.

“So what are you going to do?” Taz asked.

Glitch arched a brow and glanced at him, even as her fingers still flew over the keyboard. “Are you sure you want to know?” she asked. “Or would you rather have deniability?”

He stared at her for a moment and then scoffed. “Good one, babe. We both know that I never turn down the opportunity to mess with someone. Especially if it involves Xena and her man. So by extension, that includes the asshole who thinks he can take you down and live to tell the tale.”

Glitch grinned. “Then prepare yourself, because we’re about to get some calls.” She hit a few more keys, then sat back and let out a sigh of satisfaction.

Taz grinned too. “And what exactly did you do? Just so I’m prepared.”

“I shut down his system,” she replied gleefully, standing and stretching her arms above her head. She felt her stiff muscles start to loosen and it felt so damn good. She absently thought that it was about time she booked another massage, to work out some of the more stubborn kinks.

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