Chapter 57
The Ghost in the Machine
Harper
Chills race down my spine. It could be my dad. But everyone thinks he’s dead, so if it’s not my dad, who is it? Someone my mom might know?
The guys are all watching us.
“What’s going on?” Eli asks.
“We’ve got a friend on the computer. Who can apparently hear us through the laptop’s microphone.” Jack wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me close like he’s afraid this person will try to snatch me away.
I’ve been watching Harper and her mother for a long time.
“That’s not creepy at all,” I mutter sarcastically.
Jack pulls me in tight.
Who are you with?
I weave my fingers with Jack’s and stare at the screen. How much does this person know?
Eli puts his laptop to the side and walks up behind Jack to read over our shoulders.
“You can hear what we’re saying?” he asks. His eyes are narrowed on the screen.
The microphone still works on the laptop. The camera, not so much. I’m looking to see what other systems have failed.
“How do you know it’s safe to ask Harper who’s with her? We could be working for someone who wants to find you.” Eli’s tone is matter-of-fact.
My brow pinches. Find who? We don’t know who this is. For all we know it might be one of their fathers.
I don’t. Your location says you’re at a house out in the middle of nowhere. And I doubt you’ll be able to find me.
Jack reads it out loud.
“You should shut it down.” Caden walks over. “We came here because we didn’t want to be tracked.”
By your fathers?
Chills again. This feels like too much.
“Who is this guy?” Caden glares at the screen.
Jack releases me to type on his computer. He says out loud, “We can’t disconnect or we’ll lose everything. He’s going through multiple VPNs to connect through the mobile device. How did you know this was on?”
It notified me as soon as it booted up.
“How do we know you’re a friend? Who are you?” I ask. My pulse quickens, wondering if my father escaped and really did leave me and my mom to this town and its monsters.
My insides turn cold. Would that be worse than knowing he’s dead?
Just a second.
I glance up at Caden. He scowls at the computer monitor. Eli looks thoughtful. Luke sets his computer to the side and comes over to sit next to Jack and me. He slides his hand in mine and squeezes it.
I rest my head against Jack’s shoulder. Nico meets my gaze and gives me a reassuring smile. Whatever this is, we’ll figure it out.
I’m not alone and neither are my guys. My mom supports us and now we might have a friend to help us with this shit my dad left behind.
We’ve turned off all our phones in case their fathers try to find us. But Jack made sure to set up a chat with my mother. Now it pings on his laptop.
Mom:
Why am I getting a text from an unknown number to tell you Mr. Snuggles knew them?
What the fuck? I turn to Luke and he seems suspicious.
Jack shakes his head and types, Tell us something you didn’t get from our conversation.
I’ll answer Mom later. She knows we’re all busy.
Poughkeepsie.
What? I cover my mouth. It can’t be.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jack puts his hand on my stomach.
“What does it mean, kitten?” Eli asks softly. He rests his hand on my shoulder.
“When I was little, it’s the word Mom gave me to use if someone had to pick me up from school because she couldn’t make it.” Who is this person? How do they know that word?
“Did anyone else know that word?” Luke squeezes my hand. “Did anyone pick you up using it?”
When I meet his eyes, I shake my head. No one ever knew that word that I know of.
“Jack, can I?” I put my hands over his on the keyboard and he draws back. I go to the chat with my mother.
Me:
Who knew my password for pickup?
Mom:
Me, your father, some of our friends
My father. Could it be? Mom thinks he’s dead. My heart can’t stop racing at all the possibilities. William said my dad was. But what if...
If someone knows that word, can I trust them?
I don’t know who else would have it besides someone I trusted with it
Someone your father or I trusted with you
Thanks
I love you
Love you. Be careful
Luke reclaims my hand.
Jack kisses the back of my neck. “It’s up to you, Harper.”
I look at each of my guys. They all watch me expectantly. This is my call. If what this person says is true, if I cut off communication, everything will be lost.
At least on the laptop.
But if this person isn’t being truthful, then we could be handing them ammunition to go after the original horsemen, which I’m not sure what would happen if it got into the wrong hands.
And then there’s this little piece of hope.
My heart aches. I want this to be my father. That somehow, even after all this time, he’s still alive. That somehow I can mend my mother’s broken heart and have a father again. But that also would mean he left us to these wolves, knowing exactly what might happen to us.
I rub at my heart, but I give Jack a nod to go ahead.
“What do you need us to do?” Jack straightens.
Confirm your identities.
I look to Jack. This time it’s up to them. I don’t know this person, but they know me. They may not know who I’m with or they could know everything. They know more than we do at the moment.
“Jack Hill.”
“Luke Foster,” Luke says.
“Eli Jacobs.”
“Caden Ross.” Caden doesn’t sound pleased, but he puts his hand on my other shoulder.
“Nico Lee.”
We wait to see what they want next, but they don’t type anything for a long minute. Did that scare them off? Will the laptop just blow up like one of those self-destructing messages in spy movies?
That would be ridiculous and the least likely thing that would happen. But my mind keeps chasing possibilities.
What we have here could blow up your fathers’ lives. You understand that?
The guys exchange looks before Eli says, “We’re aware. While not all of us are on bad terms with our parents. For some of us, it could be the only way out.”
I reach my other hand to Eli and he takes it. I add, “We don’t know if we’ll need to use it against them.”
Drawing in a deep breath, I remember my mom’s words.
“My dad saved this to make sure we could leave this town. That may be all we want, but if push comes to shove, we’ll be willing to do what’s necessary.”
Eli squeezes my hand.
I’ll need time to unlock this computer. I know what your fathers did and I want justice. But I also know with the horsemen, you have to tread lightly. Once we get in here, it should be easier to get into the drive.
The fact they know about the hard drive makes me feel better. A little. I don’t think many people outside of my parents knew about the hard drive. Even if this isn’t my father, whoever it is still had my father’s trust.
I hope.
“I’ll do what I can from this end.” Jack kisses me behind my ear. “We have other things that need to be looked into.”
I slip off his lap and pick up the tablet and my AirPods. Nico scoots over on the couch to make space for me as everyone else takes their seats with their laptops. When I sit next to him, I lean over and kiss Nico. His lips move gently against mine.
Those sparks light inside me, but we’re definitely not doing anything in range of that computer microphone. I straighten and dig into the videos from my house.
I have it on a fast speed because for the most part there isn’t anything to see. Our house sits empty most days and most nights. But we just want to see if anyone might have planted something after the security system went in.
We know Sidney and whoever she brought with her had the opportunity. As well as Mr. Wick. He was honest about one, but it could have been to put us off finding another one.
After a while, I curl up against Nico’s side. He drapes an arm over me while I continue to watch.
Voices wake me. I snuggle into Nico’s chest, inhaling the smell of rain and him. His arm holds me close to his warmth. Fuck, I love him.
“I’ve saved the videos we need to watch.” Nico’s chest rumbles beneath my ear. “Not much happens in Sidney’s room. I’m sure it was more active when you were in her life.”
“Not really,” Luke says. “It’s not like I wanted her more than anyone else. She was just more convenient and didn’t require any finessing to fuck.”
I really don’t want to hear more about my guys fucking anyone else. I turn my head to the room.
Luke’s eyes meet mine with a little apology. “Just a fact, princess. I’m very happy with where we are now.”
I arch an eyebrow and stretch next to Nico, careful of his knee. “Just remember we don’t need to share details.”
“Noted.” Luke gives me a smirk that lights up my insides.
I glance at Jack. He’s still working hard on the laptop. Both his screen and the monitor have characters flowing down them. I don’t understand anything I’m seeing, but I can’t help but wonder if our friend is still listening.
“Are we getting anywhere?” I ask. As I shift to sit up, Nico squeezes me close to him. I tip my chin up and kiss him. His lips are soft but firm against mine, and I give a soft moan, before pushing up to sit in front of him.
“Do we still have company?” I wait for Jack’s answer.
“They cut off a few minutes ago, but they’ll be back.” Jack runs a hand through his hair. His eyes are tired. I should have made him take a nap with me. “We can assume they can hear anything we say.”
That means if we’re going to have any discussions or any playtime it will have to be wherever that computer isn’t. Or be really quiet, which I haven’t gotten the hang of.
Eli stands and stretches. His shirt rides up, showing off his six-pack. He holds his hand out to me with a smirk. “Come help me make some pizzas, kitten.”
I take his hand and follow him out of the room. When we enter the kitchen, he closes the door behind us. I stop by the island, and he turns the two ovens on.
“Those need to preheat.” He lifts me onto the stone-topped island.
My hands automatically go to his shoulders. “Do we need to make the pizzas?”
“No, we have frozen.” His fingers toy with the hem of my shirt. “So that gives us about ten minutes to play before we put the pizza in and then twenty minutes after before they’re ready.”
His cocksure grin makes me squirm with anticipation. He takes my shirt off and my bra. Then he tsks while he unbuttons my pants.
“You know jeans are difficult to work with, kitten.” He cups my breasts in his hands and my nipples pebble to hard tips at his touch. Sparks light beneath my skin.
I shake my head. “I also know no one would get anything done if I wear a skirt.”
Chuckling, he leans in to kiss each of my nipples. When he pinches them between his fingers, I suck in a breath at the pleasure and pain that flow straight to my pussy.
“There’s no one like you for us, Harper.” He kisses my neck. His hair tickles my jaw as his touch heats my insides.
“No one who would let five guys fuck her?” My words are breathless. I’m teasing. I know they feel more. That I stopped being a conquest a long time ago.
“No one who would love us in spite of all our flaws.” When he lifts his head, his dark eyes hold me captive. My breath catches. His hand curls around the back of my neck, and I clutch at his t-shirt with both hands.
“We may have used girls before you, but they used us just as much. For popularity. For notoriety. For a good fuck. It didn’t matter. No one looked at us and really saw us. They only saw what we could bring them.”
He captures my lips in a soft kiss that makes the storm swell inside me and warms my heart.
“You make us whole in a way no one else has ever been able to do. We didn’t even know we were missing a piece until we claimed you.” He presses his forehead against mine as our bodies press together.
I wrap my legs around his hips and lock him in against me. I want more. Desire burns through me. “Eli?”
“I love you, kitten. It didn’t seem possible to love anyone before you. Now I can’t imagine a world without you.” His warm breath bathes my lips. “You asked me what I needed from you...”
He pulls away so he can search my eyes. I’m sure mine are as dark and brimming with love as his are.
“What do you need from me, Eli?” I ask softly.
“I need you, Harper. All of you. You calm some of that rage I needed to vent before. Your submission is enough for me. I want to give you pleasure and pain, but we can build up to see what our limits are. Together. I love you.”
Leaning in, I touch my lips to his, breathing him in for a minute. “I love you, Eli. I love the way you love me and push me and break me and piece me back together. Be as rough as you want with me.”
“Just promise me you’ll use your safe word when it’s too much.”
I reach between us and undo his belt and fly. My eyes search his, knowing this is important to him. “I promise.”
“That’s my good girl.”
The oven beeps behind him and he turns to look at it. Luke and Caden pull the pizzas from the freezer, while Jack holds the door open for Nico to come through. I didn’t even hear them come in.
Eli grabs my hair and tugs my head back, making me gasp. “We need a break before dinner, kitten. Are you up for a game?”
I search his fathomless eyes. So ready for a game. I’m on fire for them. “Yes, sir.”