Page 8 of Gargoyle Defender

Victor straightened, staring at her with a confused expression. “No. But what does that have to do with anything?”

She gave a small shrug. “Just curious whether you knew of any good strip clubs.”

He frowned. “I hardly see how that’s pertinent to our mission.”

Cassiel elbowed him with a grin. “Speak for yourself.”

Victor grunted. “I always do.”

So far, all the operations Ronen had been part of had been built on strong camaraderie. However, their current line-up didn’t fill him with much confidence.

Ronen sighed. He hoped it wouldn’t be their downfall.

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.