8:25 P.M.

I burst through the door to my apartment and collapsed onto the couch without even bothering to take off my jacket. My head was pounding, my heart racing, and a tangled mess of thoughts swirled violently inside me. What the hell had I just done? And what would happen if it all went sideways? It was rash—reckless, even—but maybe... maybe it was my shot at finally getting out of Blume for good. I just didn't know if I'd be alive to see it.

9:45 A.M.

The vibration in my pocket jerked me awake. I fumbled for my phone, squinting at the screen through bleary eyes. Work.

I sat up, brushing a few messy strands of hair out of my face, and took a deep breath before I answered.

"Hello?"

"Why aren't you here today?"

I immediately recognized the shrill voice and sighed. "What's it to you, Michelle?"

"I'd like to remind you that I'm responsible for keeping track of absences. So, what's your excuse?"

"I appreciate the concern," I said dryly. "You can go back to kissing Dusan's ass now. Bye-bye."

I hung up before she could respond, tossing the phone onto the table. It slid off and clattered to the floor, but I didn't care. I rolled over, turning my back to the world, hoping I could just slip back into oblivion. But of course, the phone buzzed again.

Groaning, I grabbed a pillow and screamed into it before stomping over to pick up the damn phone.

"What?!"

"Hello, Miss Foster." My stomach twisted. That wasn't Michelle. "I see you're not exactly a morning person."

I forced my voice to stay level. "Hi, Mr. Nemec."

"You didn't show up today."

"Did Michelle tattle?"

"I went to your office to check on you myself after that little 'incident' two nights ago. Didn't see you there, and I got... concerned."

"How thoughtful," I replied, dripping sarcasm. "That definitely qualifies you for 'Boss of the Year.'"

"Teagan," he said, voice firm now, "I expect you to be here within the hour. Not a minute late."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll be forced to do something neither of us will like."

My upper lip curled at the thinly veiled threat. "Oh, I'll tell you exactly what you're going to do: you'll be legally obligated to fire me. And then you can explain to HR how you mishandled a valuable employee's concerns. Understood?"

Silence. The tension practically hummed through the phone.

"You're awfully bold today, Teagan," Dusan said softly. "That's new."

"I'll be gone for ten days, and you won't breathe a word to HR. And when they notice, you'll smile and nod because you're a man who doesn't play favorites. Right?"

He chuckled, but it sounded strained. "Well, well. Look at you, finding your backbone. But there's a fine line between confidence and overstepping boundaries. Want me to remind you that I'm not a man to be messed with?"

"And I'm not a woman to be messed with, either, Dusan. You even think about crossing me, and your career will be a thing of the past."

Another pause. It stretched on forever, coiling tighter and tighter.

"You think you're so clever, don't you?"

"You clearly underestimate me."

"You actually have the guts to threaten me after what you did last night?"

My blood ran cold. My fist tightened, nails biting into my palm. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb," he snapped, voice sharp. "The security cameras didn't show much but webcams do."

My pulse skyrocketed. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Good job, DedSec, I thought bitterly. One job. You had one damn job.

"I don't know which hacker group you're conspiring with, but you're going to cooperate with me now," Dusan continued coolly. "I'll be generous and let you have today off. But I expect to see you tomorrow."

"And if I don't?"

He laughed softly, the sound sending a shiver down my spine. "I'll make it very simple: if you so much as think about making these documents public, I'll make sure every demon you've tried to bury comes clawing back to the surface. You won't just lose your job, Teagan. You'll lose everything—including your freedom. And then... well, it'd be easy for your ex-boyfriend to find you in prison, wouldn't it?"

He hung up, the finality of it like a hammer blow. My hand slowly unclenched, blood welling up from the crescent-shaped marks left by my nails.

The phone slipped from my trembling fingers, clattering loudly against the floor. My heart felt like it had been torn out and stuffed somewhere down by my ankles. I stared numbly at my bloodied hand.

He knew. He knew, and now he had the upper hand. I stood up shakily, stumbling toward the mirror by the bathroom. My reflection looked like a stranger's. Mascara streaked down my cheeks. My hair was a tangled mess, eyes hollow and rimmed with dark circles.

I tried to breathe through the spasms, but it was like choking on air. Tears blurred my vision as I stared at my ruined makeup. My hand tightened into a fist, then slammed into the mirror.

Glass shattered, the shards biting into my skin. I didn't feel it—couldn't feel anything past the panic roiling in my gut. Shaking, I backed away, staring at the blood on my knuckles.

With a deep breath, I snatched up my phone and dialed Wrench. My fingers hovered over the 'End Call' button as it rang, again and again.

Finally, he picked up. "Yeah?"

"You couldn't disable the fucking webcam?!" I screamed.

"Whoa, whoa—easy! What's going on?"

"You got so caught up in your advanced-tech infiltration that you missed the most basic detail! The plan backfired—exactly like I said it would, genius!"

Wrench sighed, the sound heavy. "Okay, okay. Just calm dow—"

"Don't tell me to calm down!" My voice cracked, turning hoarse. "I'm done with you. All of you."

"Teagan—"

"Don't!" I cut him off, my throat burning. "Just... save it."

Silence.

"I don't know what to say," he murmured eventually. "I—We're... really sorry."

"Do me a favor and leave me alone, okay?"

I ended the call and threw the phone on the couch, feeling the tears well up again. I needed to get my head straight. A shower. I'd take a shower and figure out my next move.

The hot water scalded my skin, but slowly, I felt the anxiety start to melt away. My thoughts churned—what could I do now? But every solution, every plan I tried to make unraveled before I could grasp it.

After what felt like hours, I stepped out and dried off. The anxiety still hummed under my skin, but I pushed it down. Maybe a walk would help. Clear my head.

By mid-afternoon, my phone buzzed again. I hesitated, but answered.

"I told you to leave me alone," I snapped.

"Something's not right," Wrench said urgently. "Can you come to the hackerspace? We need to talk."

I groaned. "It better be important."

As usual, I took a cab. When I arrived, Wrench waved me over and led me to the back room. The others were already gathered, looking more serious than I'd ever seen them.

"What is it?" I demanded.

"You mentioned a webcam," the hipster guy started. "But we checked. We deactivated it."

"Yeah, well, Dusan has footage. So obviously, you missed something."

"No, we didn't," Wrench cut in. "We definitely shut down the webcam. Dusan must've planted another camera—hidden somewhere we couldn't detect."

"That's impossible," I argued. "You would've picked it up."

"Not if it wasn't connected to the network," he explained grimly. "Or if he jammed the signals so our servers couldn't see it."

My mouth went dry. "He can do that?"

"Yeah, no shit," Hipster muttered.

I turned to him sharply. "What's your name?"

"You can call me 'M' for now," he said with a half-smile.

I nodded, filing that away. "So where does that leave Operation Blumesday?"

Wrench glanced around uncertainly. "Honestly? We're back to square one. What are you thinking?"

I sighed heavily. "I don't know. But for now... I guess I have to go back to work."

The room fell silent. No one argued. No one had a solution. For now, I was on my own.

I turned and left the hackerspace, feeling their eyes on my back the entire time. Outside, the night air was crisp, a sharp contrast to the suffocating tension inside. I needed to clear my head and figure out my next move. But even as I hailed a cab and gave the driver my address, a thought lingered at the back of my mind: I wasn't just up against Dusan Nemec. I was up against a man who thought three steps ahead.

When I finally reached my apartment, I collapsed onto the couch, feeling drained. My phone buzzed, making me flinch. Wrench.

"What now?" I muttered, answering it.

"Hey, so… I know things have been—uh, you know—tense, but I thought you should know something."

I sat up, immediately on alert. "What is it?"

"Just... hear me out." There was a pause, like he was considering his words carefully. That wasn't like him. "We pulled Dusan's security feed again. Went through it with a fine-tooth comb."

I frowned. "I thought you said—"

"I know what I said," he interrupted, almost defensive. "But we found something. Another camera, just like we thought. It's not a normal setup. It's hidden under his desk, wired directly into the building's power grid. No Wi-Fi, no signals. Completely off-network."

My heart sank. "So that's how he caught me."

"Yeah," Wrench replied quietly. "I just… I'm sorry. We should've caught it sooner."

I leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. "Doesn't matter now, does it? He's got me pinned, and we've lost our leverage."

"Not necessarily," Wrench countered, his voice soft but firm. "You still have the documents. And we have time. He's just trying to scare you."

"Well, it's working," I admitted, the words slipping out before I could stop them. There was a beat of silence on the other end, and I wondered if I'd said too much.

"Listen," Wrench said, his tone uncharacteristically serious. "We'll figure something out. You're not alone in this, okay?"

I blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected warmth in his words. For a moment, I almost believed him. Almost. "And what if he's already planning his next move?"

"Then we'll be there to counter it," Wrench said with a sudden fierceness. "Whatever happens, we'll figure it out together."

Together. The word felt strange, almost foreign. I'd been on my own for so long that the idea of having someone—anyone—stand by me felt... surreal. But there was something in his voice, something that made my chest tighten in a way I wasn't prepared for.

"Okay," I murmured, unsure what else to say.

"Okay," he echoed softly. There was a slight pause before his usual bravado slipped back into his tone. "Besides, if he tries anything, I'll just hack his coffee machine to only brew decaf for the rest of his miserable life."

A surprised laugh escaped me, the tension easing just a little. "Wow, real hardcore, Wrench. Truly a revolutionary move."

"Hey, don't underestimate the power of crappy coffee. It's psychological warfare," he shot back, a grin audible in his voice. For a second, it almost felt like things were normal again—like we weren't in the middle of a corporate warzone.

"Thanks, Wrench," I said softly, the words carrying more weight than I intended. His breath hitched audibly on the other end.

"Uh, yeah, sure, no problem," he mumbled, and I imagined him scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'll, uh, check in with you tomorrow?"

"Sure. Tomorrow." I hung up, staring at my phone for a long moment before setting it aside.

What the hell am I getting myself into?