Chapter 1 #2
I don’t like that this hacker knows my name.
But when I glance over at him, he’s back to focusing on the computer, typing away in some code I don’t understand.
Green prompts flash as the click of the keyboard sounds monotonously while flickers of different scenes pop up on the screens next to the one he’s working on.
I think about pulling out my phone but stop myself. He could hack it or something. Best to leave it in my bag. With my fingers, I comb through my long, dark hair, attempting to fix the mess it became on the way over here.
The changing images on the monitor pull my attention.
First, it’s a shot of the empty street outside the warehouse with Hunter’s Porsche parked just outside.
It rotates to a park setting… The one on campus behind the cathedral.
Another view is of fraternity row. More of the campus.
Admin building. Library. Sorority row. Then, Omega house.
My heart skips a beat at the next image of the back of Omega house. Perhaps taken from the lake? The top right window is my room. Shifting in my seat, I swallow. It’s far enough away; it could just be monitoring our patio, but why is this hacker watching all these places?
The next image rips the breath from my lungs. My balcony. My fucking balcony. The angle is too high for a person. Too close for a street camera. Where was this taken from?
My limbs tighten, fingers twitching to grab my bag, my knife…something. But I freeze as the screen flickers.
Another image. This one closer.
The lamp next to my bed glows behind the curtains.
If I were standing there right now, could he see me?
Every hair on my body stands erect. A chill stiffens the air. Eyes darting around the space with worry, I think about running to Hunter for help, but before I can move, the figure stops his fingers from dancing across the keys.
Silence stretches the atmosphere into a strand of atoms. My ears buzz at the lack of sound. Heart pounds against my rib cage.
The hooded man turns to me and speaks from behind his mask. “You’re beautiful when you sleep. I can’t wait to see you when you’re awake.”
Terror overtakes me, stabbing me in the gut. What does he mean?
Before I can run away, Hunter and Bryce burst into the room, arguing about something, breaking the force of electricity between me and the shadowed stranger.
Hunter stands behind the hacker as if he’s going to intimidate the scariest man in the room. “I’ll pay you next week. You know I’m good for it, Vanq.”
Bryce shifts from foot to foot and brushes the end of his nose with the back of his hand. “We just got a new shipment in and will be selling that off—”
Without looking at the two of them, Vanq cuts in. “I’ve already done the work, so payment is due now. If it’s not already wired to me, then that’s a complication I don’t think you want.”
For once, Hunter is speechless. The nervousness in his eyes makes my stomach drop. How can we get out of this?
“Fuck!” Vanq’s sudden outburst startles me. One of his monitors flickers to black, and he stands abruptly, the scrape of his chair against the concrete like a wailing cry cutting through the stiff air. After inspecting the back of it, he swears again under his breath.
“Anyone have a knife? I need to tweak this wire,” he says with an outstretched glove.
Bryce sniffs. Hunter lifts his finger and points at me with his voice barely above a whisper. “She does.”
“No, I—”
I feel the hacker’s stare behind his mask as he turns his palm up toward me, fingers beckoning to lend him my knife.
It’s more dangerous to be disobedient. That’s what they tell us.
Heaving a sigh, I dig in my bag and lay my father’s gift in his gloved hand. I feel naked. Exposed and alone. The cold steel is the only thing left between me and the chaos unfolding in front of me.
Hunter shoves his hands on his hips in a vain attempt to assert control. “Vanq. Come on, you know Beta and, hell, my father are good for any payment. We’re at your service whenever. Midterms were hard on us, and Terror Tuesday is next week, and—”
“There.” Vanq ignores him and straightens his posture, my knife now a dangerous prop in his hold. Facing my boyfriend, he lifts his chin slightly to address him. “Your character was built on farces and excuses. Ask me what I want instead.”
Hunter’s mouth closes. The bravado fades from his face, replaced by something darker. He glances back at Bryce, who shrugs.
“What do you want?” Hunter asks, his voice tight.
Vanq wafts my knife through the air like a showman. “Entertain me.”
When Hunter’s face flushes red with fury. “Look, I don’t speak your language. What are you asking for?”
The room holds its breath as Vanq turns to me, then Hunter, then Bryce. In my half squat to a stand, I pause as my dress rides up my thighs until I feel defenseless in a way I never have before.
With a tilt of his head, the hacker responds, “I want your boy to make me a movie.”
Hunter swallows, the tension in his throat thick. “What kind of movie?”
The hooded man flicks the knife at me, using it like a pointer. “The kind where she’s on her knees, sucking you off.”