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"The others before her stole more than money from me. They took assets, business, and more. But the money, well, that I couldn't forgive. When it happened for the third time, I decided I needed to approach things differently. Drake's daughter, his price for entry, was young, moldable, and had experience with computers. She may not be an expert, but at least I know fear will always hold her back from fucking me over like so many men did before her."
His hand latches onto the back of my neck, forcing my head down. I gasp as pain ripples through me at the odd angle.
He leans down, whispering harshly in my ear. "Isn't that right?"
I whimper, not able to answer. Dante can't save me, and there's no way I can fight back. A wave of rage rolls through me, but it's quickly doused with the fear that he'll snap my neck.
"Jenkins, try not to break my sub. It's so hard to find good ones these days," Dante calls nonchalantly.
I notice the bite behind his words, though I doubt Jenkins does. Hesqueezes, pinching a nerve in my neck, and I flinch. He lets go, chuckling.
"My apologies, Cruz. I'm sure she's no worse for wear. Making sure she remembers her place is important, don't you agree?"
"I'm sure you put safeguards in place regardless of how well you're able to control her."
"Of course, so why would I give you access that I wouldn't even allow her?" Jenkins asks, settling in his chair again.
Dante glances at me and I avert my gaze. Ever since he showed up, I haven't been able to handle this place as well as I did before. He may have woken me up from my apathetic state, but he made me weaker in the process. I still don't know how to deal with it. Toeing the line gets progressively harder with each interaction. Everything is building within me and eventually I'll blow. I can only hope I take down Jenkins when I finally erupt.
"Actually, I believe you should have her do it. You've obviously trained her well, allowing me to come in and mold her to what I expect. Between the two of us, we should be able to avoid any issues you had before."
Jenkins leans back in his chair, contemplating Dante. When his eyes flick to me, I focus on the banking program that's popped up. It's blurry from the tears, but it doesn't matter. I still don't know what this is. There's no log-in, no indication why I'd have access to this. Blinking rapidly, I try to clear my vision.
A communication box pops up, then disappears into a black coding box. I only know basic code, though I've probably forgotten everything since I haven't used it since I was a kid. Ember pushed me into the class, claiming we could be secret hackers who traveled the world and made our own money. It was a five-month fad for her, but I found out I actually liked it. Unfortunately, it was short-lived since I ran off after my ex a mere two months later.Words appear in the box instead of the usual string of numbers, letters, and symbols.
Let me in fuck this shit
I frantically click out of the box, making sure Jenkins isn't watching me. It pops up again and I panic, my breath stalling in my lungs. This time a string of actual code appears as if someone is hacking into the system. Nothing happens and it devolves into more curse words being strung together in an incoherent rant.
I click out of the entire program, then send it to the recycling bin. I empty it, but it's not gone forever. I don't have access to the hard drive to erase it permanently. Hopefully Jenkins doesn't look too deep. He's got enough to deal with that I might not get caught.
"I'll consider it." Jenkins’s voice breaks into my chaotic thoughts, and I scramble to remember what Dante asked him.
"I'm going to enjoy a show before the meeting." Dante stands, flicking his wrist at me.
I shut down the computer, even though I'd usually leave it. Falling into step behind him, I fold my hands in front of me, ducking my head. When the door snaps shut behind me, I let out a sigh of relief.
"What the hell was going on back there?" Dante mumbles from the corner of his mouth.
"Not here."
The walk back to the room is brutal. I'm bursting to just blurt out everything. I prod his back when we reach the door, and Jag steps in behind us. Avery shoots off the bed, squaring up as if she's being attacked.
"Your thumb shouldn't be in your fist, sunshine," Jag grumbles.She glares at him, but drops her hands to her sides.
Dante pivots, planting his hands on his hips. "Are you okay?"
His question takes me off guard and my lips part. "Uh, I'm fine. But someone's fucking with the system."
He doesn't take the bait, instead brushing my hair over my shoulder and inspecting my neck. His fingertips skim over my skin, searching for bruises, probably. It doesn't hurt anymore, though my muscles might be sore tomorrow.
"Dante, someone was trying to hack into the Guild."
He rears back, hand cupping my face. "How do you know that?"
"Because a coding box popped up with someone trying to gain access. I don't think they could see anything, since it seemed like they were still trying to get in, but they're out there. If Jenkins finds out, he'll trash the whole thing and probably blame me." I wrap my arms around my waist, some of the old anxiety seeping back in.
"Wait, it just popped up?" Avery asks.
