Page 2 of Ghost

She enters another string of code, frowning when it gets her nowhere she hasn’t already been.

She’s lost in thought, and I’m lost in her.

How she fights against my firewalls.

How she wets her lips when she’s thinking, and how her eyes light when she breaks open another file.

The faintest hint of a smile curls up in the corner of her mouth, but it’s immediately followed by her eyebrows scrunching when she finds the file empty.

A constellation of freckles dusts the apples of her cheeks.

She’s an entire universe wrapped up in one body.

Her blue eyes scan the screen, meeting the camera lens.

Just for a second.

Just long enough that it feels like she’s looking into my eyes.

Shutting down the feed, I try to digest whatever is stirred in my gut. I pull out of her system and sync my phone to my laptop so I can keep an eye on her chasing her tail while I’m on the move.

Once I’m connected, I walk out of the office and down the hall.

We’re only in town for a few weeks, helping the Road Rebels defend their territory, but their old equipment and dusty office have me missing our Las Vegas Clubhouse.

At least the brunt of the battle is over. After the collapse of the Merciless Skulls clubhouse, the Iron Sinners have started withdrawing their help, and whoever is left is scattering. It’s a win for both the Rebels and us since they transport most of our product from New Mexico to Nevada.

But if this hacker is any indication, my work isn’t done yet.

The remaining Merciless Skulls might be in the wind, but someone sent this girl after the club.

I make my way down the hall and toward the clubhouse den. The Road Rebels clubhouse is quiet since most of my brothers are still passed out after a late night of celebrating us putting a few more Merciless Skulls in the ground.

Steel looks up from his phone the moment I stop in the doorway.

Like me, he doesn’t drink as much as the other guys, so he wakes up early. As our club’s president, he takes pride in never getting too wasted and losing his clear head, especially on the road.

“What’s wrong?” Steel’s gaze narrows.

“Nothing.” I rake my hair back.

The lie is out before I can stop it, and it’s the first sign I’m fucked. I don’t ever lie to my president, but something about this girl grinds against the loyalty that’s embedded in my bones.

I don’t feel right telling Steel about her until I’m sure of what she’s up to because the second I do, she’ll be the enemy, and the club will need to handle it.

Handle her.

“I’m grabbing a coffee. Want anything?” I prop my forearm on the doorframe.

Steel lifts his mug off the table and tips it at me. “I’m good, but let me know when you’re back so we can talk logistics. You drained the Merciless Skull’s assets?”

“All but a couple of accounts I’m still working on. But something’s off.”

“What?”

“When the Iron Sinners first showed up, we thought it was to help. But they didn’t get involved in the shootout, and even if Legacy said it might be all financial assistance, there’s no indication Titan transferred funds to them.”

Steel’s eyebrows pinch. “Why were they here if they weren’t helping?”