Chapter Twenty-Five

Sami

I was numb. My night had gone from fantasy to horror in a matter of minutes, and I just wanted to wake up and find out it had all been a bad dream. Firefighters came to douse the building. Paramedics came for Will, and I heard terms like “critical” and “fourth-degree burns” and “amputation” thrown around before they loaded him into a Life Flight helicopter and took him to the nearest burn trauma center in Salt Lake City. The hand holding the laptop when it exploded had been burned down to the bone. I knew it was bad. I’d wrapped what was left of that hand in a shirt to protect it before Wolfe and I hoisted him out the window.

Wolfe and I both had burns, too. Although they were minor in comparison, Quinn ordered us to the hospital in Jackson for checkups. I got antibiotic salve and a wide square of bandage on my forearm and spent some quality time with an oxygen mask to help with the smoke inhalation.

While I sat there inhaling O2, I checked to make sure nobody was watching and grabbed my phone out of the pile of my clothes on the chair next to my bed. Nobody had noticed my phone was the only one that didn’t explode. I typed in the last number my benefactor used to contact me and hit the call icon. My heart thundered in my ears as it rang. Would they even answer?

And then they did. “Fragment.” Their voice was computerized, no inflection in the one word to tell me if they were pissed or amused.

“You almost killed people tonight!”

Silence.

I ripped off my oxygen mask. “Stop. I’ll do whatever you want. Just stop hurting my friends.”

“It’s a little late for that. You closed the backdoor. I warned you what would happen.”

“But you’re still in the network! So why does it matter?”

“You disobeyed me. I hope now you’ll know better for next time.”

I shook my head. “There’s no next time. I’m done with you. I’m telling Eric everything tonight. We will find you and shut you down.”

There was nothing but silence for several beats. Then they said very softly, “Tell him about me, and I’ll hurt him next.”

The phone died in my hand. It didn’t sizzle or explode like the others, but they had bricked it.

Dammit.

That hadn’t been an idle threat. They would hurt Eric or anyone else to keep me silent.

What should I do now?

When I was finally released, it was close to dawn, but I found Eric, Remy, Gavin, and even Blaze in the waiting room.

My guys.

I never in my life expected to have one guy care about me, and here I had four. I couldn’t let anything happen to them.

Blaze sat with his feet propped up in the chair across from him, his arms crossed over his chest as he dozed. Gavin stood over by the windows, staring out. At what, I couldn’t begin to guess, since the sun wasn’t up yet. Remy flipped aimlessly through the channels on the wall-mounted TV. Eric sat at the one table in the room, a laptop in front of him. My stomach clenched at the sight of it. I knew it wasn’t rational, but I wanted to run over, grab it away from him, and hurl it out the window like it was a live grenade.

Eric noticed me first. He stood up, his chair scraping loud enough to draw the other guys’ attention. My horror at the sight of the laptop must have shown on my face, because he slapped a hand down on the lid to close it. “Don’t worry. It’s brand new. It’s never been connected to our network.”

I nodded, drew in a breath, and exhaled slowly to relax my tensed muscles. If his computer had never been connected to HORNET’s network, it couldn’t have downloaded the virus that caused the overheating.

I tried for a smile to ease the worry I saw in all of their faces. “Well, um, I’m good to go. Where’s Wolfe?”

“They’re keeping him for observation,” Remy said and set aside the TV remote. “He inhaled a lot of smoke and has a few more burns than you. Did you see the way he vaulted over the couch to get to Will? Like a Superman tall-buildings-in-a-single-bound kind of jump.”

I had seen it. I’d also seen the way he’d used his own hands and shirt to beat at the flames eating through Will’s skin. It was why I hadn’t been able to leave. I’d grabbed a blanket from the couch before it caught fire, and we’d used it to smother the flames so we could pick Will up and get him out.

Blaze kicked away the chair he’d been using as a footrest. “That altruistic streak is going to get him killed.”

“I can’t be here to see it.” At Gavin’s whisper, we all turned to look at him. He was no longer staring out the window. Instead, he leaned against the windowsill and stared down at his boots, the overgrown golden curls of his hair falling forward, hiding the scarred side of his face.

Tonight must have been hell for him, bringing back too many unwanted memories.

“C’mon now, Crash,” Remy said, trying to sound cheerful, but the worry seeped through. “You don’t really want to leave. Do you?”

“I don’t know.” But the look on his face said he did know. He didn’t want to stay, and, with his history, who could blame him? The training hadn’t exactly been smooth sailing. Our first practice mission outside the training facility had resulted in the first HORNET death ever and multiple injuries. Then the drone attack during our mission last night. And now this. Anyone with an ounce of sanity would bow out now.

Maybe I should, too.

But then where would I go? Gavin never talked about himself, but I assumed he had a family somewhere that would take him in. My parents had never responded to my messages. They preferred to pretend I didn’t exist. If I left now, I’d end up living in a van by the river. Or worse.

“We’re all exhausted and stressed,” Eric said. “Let’s not make any life-changing decisions tonight, all right?” He walked to my side and wrapped an arm around me.

I was grateful for the support. The night had stripped me of every ounce of energy. I felt used up, deflated. I needed a shower and a solid ten hours of sleep. He gently turned me toward the door, and I leaned into him, breathing in his scent. He’d washed up while waiting for me and smelled earthy, like the forest after a rain. I, on the other hand, reeked. It didn’t stop him from touching me, tucking my filthy self against his side.

He felt like safety. Like home, which was a startling revelation. Even the house I grew up in hadn’t felt like a home to me.

No, I couldn’t leave.

Class Alpha was my family now. Eric was…more. I didn’t know what yet, but I’d figure it out when I wasn’t so fried.

Outside in the parking lot, Eric led me toward his Ford Escape while Remy and Gavin headed toward the beater pickup Eric had driven to the airport the first night we met. Blaze walked over to his Harley and slid his helmet on before starting the bike. I waved as he pulled out of the parking lot, followed by Remy and Gavin in the truck.

Eric held the door open for me. I stared at the passenger seat and winced. The SUV was brand new. He’d only bought it a few months ago, and it still had the new car smell. I was going to ruin that with my stench. Not to mention his nice, clean seats.

“I should’ve gone with Remy and Gavin in the truck.” I tried to take a step back, but he was right behind me, gently nudging me forward.

“They’re not going home. Quinn set them up at a hotel here in Jackson until we figure out what to do about the dorm.”

I glanced back at him. “I’m not going to the hotel?”

He all but lifted me into the seat and then even reached over to fasten my seat belt. “If you think I’m letting you out of my sight after tonight, you’re crazy. You’re coming home with me.”

I opened my mouth. Shut it again. Waited until he circled the hood of the car and slid in behind the wheel. “Will that get you into trouble with Gabe and Quinn?”

He said nothing as he shifted into gear and backed out of the parking space. Said nothing until we were on the road with the hospital in our rearview mirror. Then, with his eyes on the road, his face lit only by the passing streetlights, he said softly, “I don’t care.”

I sucked in a breath. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Somewhere between horrified and touched that he was willing to give up his career for me.

I rested my hand on his arm and felt his biceps tense under my fingers. “You should take me to the hotel.”

“You don’t want to stay with me?” He sounded more vulnerable right then than I had ever heard him.

“I don’t want to hurt your chances of getting your job back.”

He pulled off right before the turn that would take us up over the mountains and back to the training facility. He rested his forehead against the steering wheel. “If it causes problems, then I’ll quit.”

The bottom fell out of my stomach. “No, you won’t! You can’t.” I stared at him in horror. “You love this job. You love your team.”

He finally straightened away from the steering wheel and nodded. “I do, but I’m sick of being underestimated and underutilized. And—” He stopped short.

“And…?” I prompted when the silence stretched too long.

He shifted in his seat to face me. “I’m falling in love with you. There are other jobs out there for me, but there’s only one Sami.”

I didn’t know how to respond. He wanted to leave his job for me? But he couldn’t be in love with me! Because…because…nobody loved me.

Sure, I had the guys—Wolfe, Remy, Gavin, and even Blaze—who all cared about me in their own ways, but love? Not even my own parents could claim that.

And I was lying to him. I had caused all of this—the viruses, the drone malfunction, the exploding computer—by opening the backdoor. This was my fault. He wouldn’t love me if he knew.

Tears flooded my eyes, and I really didn’t want him to see. I stared out the passenger window until I was sure my voice wouldn’t wobble when I spoke. “Please take me to the hotel.”

“Sami, I’m sorry.” He reached for my hand. “I didn’t mean to freak you out, but I thought you should know where I’m at.”

Please, not tonight. I couldn’t do this tonight. I couldn’t look at him. I couldn’t process his words. I was beyond exhausted, and all I wanted was a shower and a bed so I could close my eyes and forget about it all.

“Please take me to the hotel,” I said again because I didn’t have the energy to say anything else.

He dropped my hand and, after a moment that seemed endless, turned the SUV around. The radio clicked on, filling the car with one of the local stations that played an eclectic mix of everything. The DJ stopped talking, and a bouncy electronic dance mix blasted through the speakers, so at odds with the heaviness of the night. I was okay with it, though. I thought it meant we were done talking for now, but then out of the corner of my eye I saw Eric reach out to stab the off button.

Nothing happened.

The music got louder.

I sat up straight and looked at him. “You didn’t turn it on?”

“I thought you did.”

“No, I—”

The wipers screeched across the dry windshield, and he scrambled to switch them off. Again, nothing happened. They continued to scrape loudly, out of sync with the ever-increasing music.

I pressed my hands over my ears. “What’s happening?”

“Fuck! I don’t have brakes!” he shouted over the noise, his foot pumping frantically on the pedal. The steering wheel spun out of his hands, and, at the same time, the seat belts caught and jerked us back into our seats as if we’d been in an accident. We hadn’t hit anything. Yet. But we were fast approaching an intersection, and our light had just turned red.

Eric grabbed the wheel and fought for control, his muscles straining. The seat belts again jerked us back hard, and he lost his grip on the wheel. We raced through the intersection. Luckily, nobody was out and about this early. There was no cross traffic or we most definitely would have been T-boned.

“Someone else has control of the car.” Eric gazed over at me, his expression a mask of terror, and held out a hand.

Oh, God. Of course I’d known it was possible. All new cars had computers. I’d never done it myself, but I’d heard other hackers talking about it.

Terror constricted my throat. I couldn’t swallow, couldn’t breathe. I grabbed his hand and held tight as the SUV steered itself on a collision course with a gas station.

“Bail out!” He tried to release my seat belt, but the belts jerked us again and this time held us against the seats.

I squeezed my eyes shut, braced for impact. Suddenly, the entire car went silent, like someone had pulled the plug. We rolled to a stop three feet from the gas station’s pumps.

My heart banged around in my chest like a bouncy ball. Eric threw open his door and didn’t even bother coming around to my side. He unbuckled my belt, scooped me into his arms, and pulled me out of the car from the driver’s side. He strode a good distance away from the car before finally setting me down on my feet.

I shook so hard my knees didn’t want to hold me upright. I clung to him and screamed at the car, “What was that? The fire tonight was too subtle a message?”

My benefactor had to be listening. He wouldn’t perform a hack like that if he couldn’t see it in action.

Eric drew away. He glanced down at me, then frowned at the car. “You think the hacker’s listening?”

“Wouldn’t you?”

His frown deepened. “Yeah. They want to witness their destruction.” He ran a hand down my back. “You okay?”

“No!” I felt like puking, terror still burning the back of my throat with bile, but my knees had finally gotten their act together and were doing their job, holding me upright. And yet, I still didn’t want to let Eric go. “But I will be.”

“I know you will.” He dropped a kiss to the top of my head, then lifted his gaze to the car. “Whoever is behind these hacks wants us to know they can get to anybody at any time.” He turned to face me. “What do you know about Nomad?”

“He’s wanted by the FBI.”

He studied my face, but I didn’t know what he was looking for or if he found it. His expression gave nothing away.

“Oh my God,” I said as understanding dawned. “Nomad. Is that who—”

“Yeah. I think so.”

My stomach twisted. Nomad was my benefactor. The most wanted hacker in the country. Maybe the world.

I was in so much trouble.

I opened my mouth to tell Eric everything, but Nomad’s threats rang in my ears. I looked at the car stopped inches from the gas pumps. No. I couldn’t take that risk.

“You can’t quit,” I said instead. “Not while Nomad is attacking us like this. We need you.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw as he studied his car. “We’re being attacked because of me. I wasn’t good enough to keep us safe.”

I winced. No, we were being attacked because of me. And if I had any chance at stopping this, I needed his help.

I cupped his stubbled cheek in my palm and waited until his gaze dropped back to mine. “I can’t handle this on my own, Eric. I need you.”