Page 10 of Twice the Rivalry

CODE

Aball of lead sat in his gut as he listened to Savage and Simba figure out the details of Glitch’s arrival and stay at the clubhouse. He knew he should probably be annoyed, but at the same time, he didn’t have the right to be when he was the reason she needed to hide out. Because of a stupid decision he made when he was pissed off at her for attacking and shutting down his system.

This was why he tried to keep a tight rein on his temper. When he saw red, he did shit without thinking.

He sent an apology message to Glitch, but so far, had gotten no response. Not that he was surprised. Hell, she was probably plotting his murder. And if not her, then Karissa was. He could feel her glaring daggers at him, and when he glanced at her, her mouth was pulled down into a fearsome scowl. This wasn’t Karissa, Razor’s Old Lady, this was Karissa, the former mercenary, and he could admit it made him a bit nervous. Even sitting on Razor’s lap, it didn’t detract from what her eyes were promising to do as soon as she could get close to him.

Razor also scowled at him, no doubt pissed he also, unknowingly, put Karissa at risk.

A soft chime on his computer brought his attention back to his screen, and he clicked open a message from Glitch.

Glitch: You better make some space in your inner sanctum, because when I get there, I need a space to work, and I’ve decided that I’ll be working with you to make sure you don’t fuck up again.

Code scowled at that, the idea of her working with him not a good one. Not only because she would probably try to kill him, but he hated anyone working in his space or touching his things. Which meant he was going to have to set some ground rules. Or find her another space to work. Yeah, that was going to have to be the way this went, because he couldn’t spend day in and day out with her in his space.

They’d done that once, and it had ended with the two of them fighting like cats and dogs and insulting each other all the time.

“Alright, we’ll plan for you to arrive in the next couple of days then,” Savage said briskly, pulling him out of his thoughts. “If you need anything in the meantime, let us know. Glitch, we’ll get you set up in a space when you’re here and—”

“I’ll be working in Code’s office,” Glitch interrupted, making Savage scowl.

Code bit back a sigh. “Actually, I think—”

“See, that’s the problem, you weren’t thinking when you put my fucking picture up on a dating website,” Glitch interrupted coldly. “So, no, I’ll be sticking close, and you and I will be getting nice and cozy. Or are you not man enough to handle having me in your space again?” There was a taunting note to her voice that set him on edge.

“I can handle you just fine,” he tossed back, temper pricked, even though he knew she was baiting him.

“Apparently not if you can’t keep yourself in check,” Taz’s southern twang replied. “So I suggest you make some room, brother, or you’ll be answering not only to Glitch and Xena, but to me, because I don’t take too well to anyone who fucks with my team.”

“And when they’re finished, it will be our turn,” Simba added warningly. “We’ll see you in a couple of days.” Then the call dropped and silence filled the room.

“I don’t know if I should laugh or beat your ass,” Savage remarked thoughtfully as he glanced at Code.

“I know which one I want to do,” Karissa bit out.

“Now that the call is over, shouldn’t you be out of here?” Code tossed back, glaring at her.

Karissa’s eyes went hard and flinty. “Let’s get one thing clear. This is your fuck up, not mine. You were the one who couldn’t take a hit to his ego like a man, and instead acted like a spoiled little boy and threw a tantrum. A tantrum not only put her in danger, but me by extension. Which means that if shit hits the fan, it’ll be your ass I hang out to dry.” She pushed off of Razor’s lap and looked around the room. “I thought you all figured this shit out when I was dealing with Sena, but apparently you need a reminder. My team and I did shit that most of you, even those of you who served in the military, would never do. So the next time you want to treat me like a little girl who can’t understand what the big men do in here, remember I’m a hell of a lot more lethal than all of you. And now, you’re not going to have just me to worry about, you’re going to have someone who can not only kill you in your sleep, but can also make your life a living hell, under your roof. So I would start sleeping with one eye open, boys, because shit is about to get very uncomfortable for you all. Your little boys club is about to get a good solid kick into the twenty-first century if you’re not careful.” Then, without a backwards glance even when Razor tried to stop her, she stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

“Why the hell do I have to worry when I didn’t do shit?” Jax whined. He was the club’s resident jokester. He stood at six feet, and had ink covering most of his body. He didn’t have the same pretty boy looks as Razor, but enough that he never wanted for female attention. His hair was a dark brown, and he had green eyes that rivaled Royal’s, especially when he was laughing.

Everyone turned to look at Code, and he fought not to squirm in his seat. “Care to explain?” Savage asked, though by the tone of his voice, it wasn’t really a question.

“She hacked into my system and shut me down,” Code defended angrily. “What, did you expect me to just take it sitting down?”

“Of course not,” Savage returned flatly. “But I also expected you to use your damn head and not let a woman get to you.”

“It’s not like they haven’t been trying to one up each other,” Fury pointed out. “Something was bound to happen, with the two of them trying to piss the other off. Who’s to say that she wouldn’t have outed you in some way next?”

“I notice you’re only willing to say that with Karissa not here,” Razor remarked with a scowl. “Who the hell cares about them picking at each other? That’s no excuse, and I’m fucking pissed. You need to fix this, brother, or we’re going to have a major problem.”

“Fuck,” Code hissed. “Look, I’m sorry, okay? It was stupid, and I shouldn’t have done it. I was pissed and I let my anger get the best of me. I’ll apologize to Karissa, and I’ll apologize again to Glitch when she gets here.”

“I don’t see the point in beating a dead horse,” Savage said before anyone else could interject. “So let’s move on. Code knows he was an ass, and he’ll take his licks as they come. Especially with Glitch coming here and Karissa being here as well. So until then, we make a plan to keep both their location as quiet as possible.”

Ink snorted. At six feet, with blue eyes, long dark hair, and covered in tattoos, it wasn’t hard to figure out where he got his road name from. Also, he was their resident tattoo artist so they never had to pay for any of their tats. “Have you met them?” he laughed. “Them breathing will be enough to let people know they’re here. And as they hang out with the women…” He trailed off and let that point sink in. Savage, Fury, Steel, Rogue, and Razor all shared wary looks.

Code rolled his eyes. “Look, the best way to keep them safe is off the grid. They stay on the grounds, they don’t go shopping or whatever female shit women like to do, and we make sure no one mentions them. It’s not rocket science. And I’ll keep an eye out for anyone who mentions either of them online.”

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