Page 82

I was a world-class hacker, top-tier, but there were a handful globally in a league of their own, the Michael Jordans of code. One name stood out:PhantomZero, a ghost who’d oncecrashed a nation’s banking system for kicks. If anyone could outmaneuver Department 77, it was them.
I opened an encrypted channel, my fingers steady despite the panic gnawing at my chest. The message was simple:Need a deep trace and sabotage. Department 77.
I sent it, knowing the cost would be steep.
Seconds later, a reply pinged back:Fifty million. Quarter upfront. Deliverable in 48 hours.
Ridiculous, but worth it to protect Vivi, to dismantle the trap around her. I typed two words—DO IT—and transferred 25% to the provided account, a numbered vault in the Caymans.PhantomZerowould get to work, and I’d have answers soon.
I closed the laptop, my pulse still racing, when footsteps approached. Deputy Norton stepped into the waiting area, his frame taut with authority, sleeves rolled to reveal corded forearms. His eyes, sharp and weathered, locked on mine, but his expression gave nothing away. I stood, pocketing my phone, ready to demand Vivi’s release, but he spoke first.
“She’s not coming out tonight, Dane,” Norton said, voice low, unyielding. “Processing’s taking longer than expected. And the governor called.”
I stepped into his space, close enough to see the stubble on his jaw, my voice a growl. “If you think you’re keeping her in there, you’ve got all the Danes to worry about.”
Norton didn’t flinch, but his eyes flickered, weighing me. He wasn’t a lightweight—his stance, his calm, screamed professional—but he knew he was out of his depth. The Dane name carried weight, and I wasn’t bluffing. Atlas and the others would tear this place apart if I gave the word.
Norton raised a hand, placating, his tone softening. “Easy, Dane. It’s fine, as long as she doesn’t leave town. I’ll push the paperwork through.”
I held his gaze, my demon barely leashed. “Make it fast.”
He nodded, turning to go, but paused, glancing back. “One more thing. Tell your girlfriend to stay off the internet. Some pretty graphic images from Ms. Lane’s death are making the rounds out there.”
My blood ran cold, theShadyLadyphotos flashing in my mind—Vivi’s desperate reach, Jessa’s fall. Norton’s words confirmed they were spreading, a public crucifixion to break her further.
I didn’t respond, just watched him disappear down the hall, my fists clenching as I fought the urge to follow, to demand more. Vivi was in there, grieving, caged, and I was stuck out here, waiting, failing her again.
I sank back into the chair, my laptop closed but my mind racing. The shadow group—Department 77, I was sure of it—had played this perfectly. Jessa’s death, Vivi’s arrest, the hijackedShadyLadyaccount posting images to frame her—it was a calculated strike, not just against her but against me, against Dominion Hall. They’d used her to draw us out, and I’d missed it, too focused on her to see the bigger game.
My demon snarled, possessive, protective, but rage wouldn’t free her. I neededPhantomZero’s trace, needed to infiltrate Department 77’s network, needed Vivi safe in my arms.
The waiting area was a blur of fluorescent light and distant voices, the clock ticking too slowly. I thought of Vivi’s face last night, her eyes red but steady, the hope I’d sparked when I promised her a new life.
She’d trusted me, let me hold her, and now she was alone, carrying Jessa’s death, the weight of guilt I couldn’t yet lift. I had to tell her aboutShadyLady, about the hijacking, but how? Her grief would be a buzz saw, and I didn’t know how to wield the truth without cutting her deeper.
My phone dinged, an encrypted ping from my spiders, likely more onShadyLady’s trail, but I didn’t check it. Norton wouldbe back soon, Vivi with him, and I needed to be ready—to hold her, to promise her we’d fight this together. The images were out there, spreading, and I’d shield her from them, from the world’s judgment, from Department 77’s reach.
I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, staring at the floor, my resolve hardening. They’d used Vivi to get to me, but I’d turn their game against them.PhantomZerowould deliver, and I’d burn Department 77’s shadows to ash.
27
VIVIENNE
The door buzzed. A sound so small, so simple—just metal unlatching from metal—but it broke something in me.
I stood slowly, knees stiff from hours on the concrete bench, my whole body hollowed out and bruised from the inside. The guard didn’t say a word. Just nodded. I followed him down a hall that smelled like bleach and resignation and stepped out into the humid Charleston night like I was trespassing.
Then I saw him.
Elias.
He leaned against his SUV like he had all the time in the world, arms folded across his broad chest, that controlled kind of stillness that always made my pulse do strange things.
I stopped walking.
His eyes locked on mine. No smile. No fury. Just seeing me. Like he always had. Like the rest of the world could blur and he’d still pick me out of the static.
“I’m a mess,” I said, voice barely above a whisper.