Chapter Three
Tanner’s eyes fluttered open, the piercing headache being the first thing he was aware of.
He rolled over with a groan to shut off his phone alarm, the repetitive jingle making him grind his teeth.
Resisting the urge to hurl the annoying object across the room, he reluctantly sat up.
His head still hung down, and he buried his face in his hands.
Somebody make it stop.
The headaches wouldn’t go away. No matter how many painkillers he took, water he drank, or healing meditation music he played, they now seemed to be a constant in his life.
After stretching his arms over his head and a big yawn, he reluctantly got out of bed to get ready for his shift at Nexus Systems. His roomie at the University of Miami had night classes, so he’d already left.
Tanner plucked his phone from the tiny nightstand next to his single bed, checked the time, then dropped it into his backpack hanging from his bedpost. He needed to be out the door in thirty minutes, but he didn’t have much to do before he left.
All he needed was to splash water on his face, get dressed, grab a protein bar, then brush his teeth before heading to work.
Tanner froze, grabbing his throbbing temples as a wave of dizziness washed over him.
He grabbed the back of the swivel chair at the built-in desk at the end of his bed.
It also doubled as a dining area and homework central.
Small, yes, but then so was the room. And anyway, he didn’t need that much space for his laptop and a spot for a cup of noodles or a slice of pizza.
Tanner breathed deeply through his nose a few times, waiting for the moment to pass.
The dizziness of the past week was a new aspect to his miserable existence.
He rubbed his chest, a twinge of sadness passing through him.
Thinking of his life as miserable at twenty, when he was doing well at school and had a high-paying job nearby, made him feel ungrateful.
Sure, he didn’t have much in the way of a social life, but that wasn’t anything he sought out. He’d always been this way. One or two good friends while growing up—including his bestie—who’d gone to Harvard instead of joining him at U of M.
That had bummed him out, but they were adults now.
They couldn’t be attached at the hip forever.
His fantasy that the unrequited crush he’d had on Scott would finally blossom into the real thing was dashed anyway.
Scott’s email the month before announcing his engagement to a sorority girl had sealed their fate.
Tanner let out a sigh, the dizziness gone, and his temples at a low throb.
He could manage that. For about the hundredth time, he pushed the thought aside that he should go to the doctor.
For all he knew, he had a brain tumor. He shuddered.
Nope. Didn’t want to think about it right now.
After finals were done, he’d revisit the idea over winter break.
Once he finished getting ready, Tanner checked the time on his phone. Ten minutes. Maybe he could give his mom a quick call. She kept leaving messages, but instead of returning them, he’d shoot off a quick text saying he was busy. Then he’d promise they could catch up the following week.
The real reason he was avoiding her was that he wasn’t sure how to explain what he did for a living since he wasn’t allowed to talk about it.
Tanner drew his eyebrows together. That was also when the headaches had started, after he began working at Nexus Systems. Minor at first, a couple of painkillers knocked them out right away.
However, they’d been gradually building in strength over the weeks.
So far, he’d chalked it up to his schedule being upended.
He worked graveyard, took morning classes, and slept in the afternoons.
No wonder he had the headache from hell.
Quick call. Nah. After not talking for weeks, she’d want a marathon gabfest. That was something he really didn’t have time for.
By the time he’d jogged down the stairs to the first floor, he was ready to face the night.
His job was pretty sweet. The guy who was now his supervisor had approached him at the coffee shop he liked to hang out at right off campus.
At first, he’d been terrified that his favorite hobby of computer-hacking had finally caught up to him, that the government agent was there to take him into custody.
Not that Tanner believed anything he did was all that bad.
He certainly didn’t think it warranted being tossed into prison forever.
In the beginning, it was minor things, such as breaking into the school’s administrative systems to change his grades.
Once he realized he excelled at hacking, it sparked something inside him.
He spent all his time honing his skills, which led him to pursue sketchier activities.
The only problem was that his conscience wouldn’t leave him alone. He’d finally decided that he should use his tech powers for good instead of evil. Maybe have a great career in cybersecurity someday at a big, important firm. Nexus Systems had seemed like a dream come true.
As it turned out, he’d been busted all right.
The government was aware of everything he’d been doing and was also very knowledgeable of his capabilities of breaking into systems and rearranging information.
But instead of hauling him away, they’d offered him the big bucks to work for a deep state faction of the government.
And the money he’d been offered? Goodbye student loan debt.
Tanner rounded the corner that led him off campus, to the bus stop he needed, right past the coffee shop.
Being so close to the university meant they kept longer hours than most early-morning coffee haunts.
They could actually be busier after ten at night than ten in the morning.
The bus wouldn’t arrive for another fifteen minutes, but he liked to get there with time to spare, just in case.
Hopefully, there wouldn’t be that big of a line.
Right as he approached the coffee shop, he spotted a man leaning against the building, scrolling through his phone.
Something about the stranger made Tanner slow his pace.
Tall, muscular build under a leather jacket, with long dark hair pulled back in a loose ponytail.
The guy didn't look like the typical college student or professor. He was way too intense, too watchful.
When the stranger glanced up and their eyes met, an electric jolt ran through Tanner’s body that had nothing to do with his persistent headache. The man’s gaze was unnaturally sharp, as if he could see right through Tanner’s skin to the secrets beneath, his expression betraying a hint of surprise.
Odd. The guy acted as if he recognized him, but that was impossible. If Tanner had interacted with a man as fine as this one, there wasn’t a chance he would’ve forgotten.
Tanner ducked his head and quickened his pace, aiming for the entrance.
Just another random person, he told himself.
No reason to get all paranoid. A tremor of fear coursed through him as he passed through the front door.
Pictures of foreign government agents following him—abducting and torturing him for info—flashed through his mind.
His stomach roiled as he took his place in line, the uneasy truth of his situation becoming clear.
Money. Greed had driven him to hastily accept the position without properly thinking it through. Some sort of false sense of security had made him push many considerations aside. He’d be working for the government, they’d protect him. He was part of the dream team. Nothing to fear.
But there were so very many things to fear.
Tanner licked his lips as he peeked over his shoulder. The coffee shop was dimly lit for the nighttime crowd, but still bright enough that it would be easy to miss that man in the shadows outside. Still, he couldn’t see him anymore, so maybe he was overreacting.
He jiggled his leg, chewing on the tip of his thumbnail. Either that, or the dude was hiding in the bushes, ready to jump him on the way to the bus stop. And if that guy grabbed him? Yeah, Sir Hunkalot would easily overpower him in an instant.
“Hey, are you going to order or what?”
“Huh?” Tanner whipped his head around to meet the annoyed expression of the cashier. “Sorry.” After clearing his throat, he continued, “Um, I’ll have a large mocha latte.” He needed to stay on high alert.
After paying and getting his drink, he paused before leaving the coffee shop.
He considered his options. Despite how on edge he was, he couldn’t be late for work.
What he could do, though, was hover by the front door.
That way, he’d be able to see the bus approaching and could run to the stop at the last minute.
Almost immediately, the bus appeared at the intersection a couple of blocks up. Tanner waited for the light to turn green, then pushed his way outside, picking up a light jog so he’d be at the curb right as the bus arrived.
He’d almost reached the street when the breath was knocked from him as someone gave him a hearty push from behind. His coffee went flying, and so did he. To his horror, he landed face down on the pavement, the screeching tires of the bus like an alarm heralding his imminent doom.
Right as he screwed his eyes shut so he wouldn’t see death coming, large strong arms wrapped around his frame, and he was yanked off the ground with inhuman speed.
The world blurred as he was pulled against a solid chest, his feet no longer touching the ground as he was lifted high into the air. At least it seemed that way.
“I've got you,” a deep voice rumbled against his ear.
Tanner couldn’t speak, couldn’t process what just happened. One second, he was about to become roadkill, and the next, he was safely on the sidewalk, held in the arms of the man he’d spotted outside the coffee shop.