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“There’s no way he could’ve hacked the system,” Ridge says. “My systems are un-hackable.”
“But how would he know the passcode?” Wilder questions. “The only way that’s possible is if one of us told him.”
They grow quiet, casting suspicious glances at each other.
“Oh, knock it off. No one gave him the passcode.” I recline back in the chair. “And Ridge, you’re the best programmer we have, but you know as well as I do that no system is un-hackable.”
Ridge opens his mouth to argue, but then thinks better of it and shuts up.
“That still doesn’t explain how he got into the apartment without you hearing him, Jett,” Xavier says while typing on his phone. “Unless you were too stoned.”
“I wasn’t too stoned,” Jett says. “I was just a little preoccupied.”
“With what?” Wilder asks, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table.
Jett shrugs, rolling his tongue in his mouth, as if trying not to smile. “Training Zhara, just like I was told to do.”
Jackson eyes him over. “Training her how, exactly?”
Jett shrugs again. “Does it really matter?”
Before anyone can answer that question—because I’m pretty sure I know where this is going—I clap my hands together.
“All right, no more talking about this. We have bigger problems.” I point at Jett. “The next time you’re with Zhara, don’t let yourself get so distracted. You’re lucky she used your phone to text me for help.”
He salutes me. “Yes, boss, sir. But just for the record, what she did was pretty badass. I mean, she just reached into my pocket and got out my phone without me even telling her to… She can think on her feet.”
I nod, completely agreeing with him. “You’re lucky she can.”
“I know,” Jett says, the humor in his eyes vanishing. “I’m sorry I fucked up.”
“It’s okay. We all do it sometimes. Just be more careful.” I turn to Ridge. “Okay, now for the next thing… I need you to do a favor for me.
He nods. “Sure. What’s up?”
I hesitate, knowing he isn’t going to like my request. “I need you to hack into the Shadow Files and see if you can access the list of names of the people who have been rescued from the Drug Tunnel Experiment Facilities.”
Ridge blinks at me, taken aback. “Those files are in the Locked Section. Do you know how much trouble I can get in if I get caught trying to access those files?”
“Then don’t get caught,” I massage my temples with my fingertips, feeling a headache coming on. “Please, just do this, Ridge. It’s important.”
“Why?” he asks. “Because if I’m going to hack into files that could potentially get me locked up, I’d at least like to know why I’m doing it.”
I exchange a look with Xavier and Jackson and then back at Ridge. “Tonight was a setup. There was no Taylor. No weird cab driver. Taylor never sent any of the texts. She doesn’t even have a clue what’s going on.”
“Then how did this person text Zhara from Taylor’s phone?” Jett asks.
“He bounced a signal from Taylor’s phone,” Ridge guesses and I nod. “But why? And who was it?”
“Does the name Riverson Stellman ring a bell?” I ask.
Ridges eyes widen. “The man who ran the Drug Tunnel Experiment Facilities before they were shut down.”
“Not just ran. Created,” I press. “And he was never caught.”
“Holy shit,” Jett breathes. “And you talked to him?”
“Only for a second,” I say. “Then he took off. We tried to chase him down, but we lost him in the underground tunnels.”
Jett shakes his head back and forth, stunned.
“Wait? Why did he text Zhara?” Ridge asks. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“Well, from what Riverson told us before he took off, it kind of does,” I say. “Because, according to him, Zhara is a test patient from one of his old facilities.”
Our gazes move to my bedroom door. If what Riverson said was true, if Zhara was a test subject at a drug facility, then her whole life has been nothing but a lie.
Not only that, but her future could be in danger.
Coming Soon!
Discovering Zhara: Sweet Lies & Deadly Kisses
(Bad Boy Rebels, #5)
A Sneak Peek at Reinventing Alexis: A Wild Night
Here’s a sneak peek at Reinventing Alexis: A Wild Night (Bad Boy Detectives, #1). This story is about Zhara’s twin sister, Alexis, the detective organization, a stalker hacker, and the three guys trying to protect her.
Reinventing Alexis: A Wild Night
(Bad Boy Detectives, #1)
Reinventing Alexis: A Wild Night
Jessica Sorensen
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2017 by Jessica Sorensen
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
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For information: jessicasorensen.com
Cover design by MaeIdesign
Betrayal
Alexis
For the past seven years, I’ve been in love with my best friend, Blaine. I know, I know. I’m a complete walking cliché. But I can’t help it. If I could change my feelings for him, I totally would. But ever since my fourteenth birthday, I get butterflies in my stomach every time he looks at or touches me (in a completely friendly way, of course; otherwise I wouldn’t be babbling about my one-sided crush right now). And no, I’m not silly enough to believe that getting butterflies means I’m in love with him. I know I’m in love with him for several different reasons. One, I’d do practically anything for him, even questionable things I normally wouldn’t do. Like, for instance, when we were in high school, I lied to his mom about where he was so he wouldn’t get in trouble for going to a party. I didn’t lie because he asks me to—Blaine would never do that—but because I have this uncontrollable urge to protect him. And back then, I wasn't a liar.
The second reason: because I can’t stand any of his girlfriends he's had. And half the time I don’t even have a good reason for disliking them.
And the third is pretty simple. Because when I think of my future and who I want to spend the rest of my life with, I see Blaine. That’s it. There’s no one else for me.
Coming to this conclusion when I was fourteen has been very unfortunate and has made dates and kisses pointless. Which is probably why at eighteen years old, I’ve had a total of two boyfriends, kissed three guys, and… Well, that’s about it for me when it comes to the boyfriend department.
Life would be so much easier If I could just have
Blaine.
“Oh God, here we go again,” my friend Masie says from the lounge chair across from mine. “Seriously, Alexis, you need to just tell him how you feel.
Shit. Did I just say that aloud?
“No way,” I say, readjusting my sunglasses. The sun is hot against my pale skin. I’ve never actually worn a bikini since I burn simply thinking about the sun. Plus, I’m not a bikini girl—never have been. Masie’s theory is that I act this way because I suffer from low self-esteem, caused by being teased during my earlier years of high school. Which yes, I know happens to a lot of people. And these people, I’m sure, can wear bikinis later on in life, if they choose to. But not all of them do, so I’m not an anomaly. When I tried to explain all of this to her, though, she just shook her head.
“Oh Alexis, when will you start seeing things for what they really are,” she said. We were about fifteen at the time, and I’ll admit I was a bit more naïve then than I am now. “I blame books. You read too much, and it messes with your sense of reality.”
“My sense of reality is fine,” I replied. Seriously, did she just say I read too much? Jesus, Masie. I mean, she’s cool and everything, but the girl can be a ditz sometimes. “And what does that even have to do with wanting to wear a bikini? Maybe it’s just not my thing. Not every girl wants to wear one.”
“It’s not just the bikini,” she said. “It’s the clothes you wear—seriously, you dress like you think you’re the princess of Goth. And you hardly talk to people at parties. And don’t even get me started on dating.”
“I haven’t even gone on a date in a year.”
“Exactly,” she said, as if it proved some hidden point. “Look, we’ve been friends for forever and trust me when I tell you that all that shit you went through our freshman year messed with your head. But you’re not that girl anymore. You’re beautiful, smart, and funny. You just need to realize it and start letting other people see it. You know, let your wall down.”
