ReBoot (MAC Security Series Book 4)

by Abigail Davies

  I intend to grab this—him—with both hands and never let go.

  He pulls away, his lips separating from mine as he lets his forehead drop down onto mine. “What are you doing to me, Alexis Deacon?”

  “I have no idea, Evan.” A soft smile pulls at the corner of my lips before he spins us around and leads me to the warehouse, his fingers locking between mine before he brings them up to his mouth, kissing the top of my knuckles before he pulls the warehouse door open.

  What I don’t expect is to be greeted by every single person who works here as soon as we step inside.

  The table that sits toward the start of the warehouse seats five people, the only chair empty is the one I assume Evan sits at, at the end of the table.

  “I’m dropping Lexi home and then heading for a meeting like we discussed yesterday.” He’s staring at Ty, a silent conversation going on between them before Luke and Dean stand up.

  My eyes flit between them and then Evan, not having a clue what is going on here.

  “I’ll be back this afternoon.” With that he twirls around, walking back to the door, still leading me with his hand encased around mine and Luke and Dean following us.

  “Lexi?” I turn around as Evan opens the door, my gaze catching Kay’s as she stands up. “I hope I’ll see you at the next family meal?”

  “I—”

  “She’ll be there,” Evan answers, cutting me off and walking us out of the warehouse and over to his car.

  I frown at the back of his head, not liking that he answered for me. But he seems completely oblivious to the fact. My blood starts to boil and anger rolls through me like a dark storm.

  I slide into his car when he holds the door open for me, cutting my eyes from his as I huff.

  I cross my arms over my chest as he reverses out of the spot and drives toward the gate, a van following behind us. It’s not until we’re halfway back to Livvy’s that he turns toward me.

  “What’s up?”

  “Really?” I ask, the bitchy tone evident. Why the hell am I being so bitchy? “Do you see this?” I ask, pointing at my mouth.

  “Your lips?” He raises a brow. “Yeah, I see them. In fact, I can still fucking feel them.” He shuffles in his seat and I can’t help the smile that wants to spread across my lips.

  Wait… why was I mad? Ahhh. “Yeah, I have a mouth.” I clear my throat. “Which means I can answer for myself.”

  He drives past the community center and the precinct, the van still following us.

  “You’re gonna have to tell me what you’re talking about, baby, because I have no idea.” He raises a brow, a grin kicking up the corner of his lips.

  I throw my arms up in the air, my emotions all over the place. “You answered for me!”

  His eyes widen as his brows draw down into a frown on his face, turning to face me briefly before moving his gaze back onto the road in front of us.

  “I… Did I?”

  “You did,” I whisper, nodding my head for extra affirmation. “You said I’d be at the next family meal without even asking me.”

  He comes to a stop outside of Livvy’s house and turns the engine off before his gaze swings to the rearview mirror, as the van pulls up behind us. “Shit, I’m sorry, Lex. I didn’t mean to do that.”

  His face pales as he turns toward me fully in his seat, his hand taking ahold of mine as he stares into my eyes, portraying how much he means that. “I know what it’s like… I… I shouldn’t have done that.” He takes a breath, his chest shaking as he does. “Would you like to come to the next family meal with me?”

  I chuckle, shaking my head and leaning over the center console. “I’d love to.” I press my lips against his before pulling away and opening my door, stepping out and practically skipping up to the front door.

  It doesn’t go unnoticed how my mood flipped from happy to angry to sadness and then giddy. But right now I don’t care, because I can still feel his eyes on me.

  I spin around, about to wave to him when he pushes his door open, runs toward me and captures my lips with his again, holding me against him in an ironclad grip before letting me go and placing something into the palm of my hand.

  “Use this… it’s safe.” He spins around heading to his car as the van horn blares and I see Luke and Dean who are watching our whole exchange before they pull out behind Evan, lifting their hands and doing those weird salute waves.

  My hand closes around the rectangle thing and when I look down, I see it’s a cell phone. It pings in my hand and the vibration nearly causes me to drop it before I press the button to view the message.

  I know you won’t want to use it. But just to put my mind at ease. E x

  My lips spread into the widest grin: so wide that I’m sure my cheeks will break at any stage now. I spin around and walk into the house. For once I feel like I belong, like this is my home and I’m a normal adult who just got dropped off by her… boyfriend?

  Having a Sunday night off had become a novelty lately. Since Roy went to stay with his sick sister, I’ve worked every Sunday night, but now that he’s back I get the next couple of Sundays off.

  The sun is shining, the warmth seeping into my skin and turning it a light brown as I sit and nurse the bottle of water that I’m holding.

  Both Seb and West tried to get me to drink a beer, but I politely declined. It’s not that I won’t drink, it’s more that I don’t want to drink.

  Alcohol has never interested me, even when my peers at school were all gathering under the bleachers to have a sip of the latest bottle of vodka or whiskey that someone snuck into school. I saw the way it made them lose control: it made them become either a worse, a sad, or an angrier version of themselves. I didn’t want to be that way; I wanted to be the version of me that I was.

  “Burgers are up,” West shouts, waving the tongs he’s holding in the air.

  I chuckle, my eyes scanning the apron that he’s wearing: it’s a mixture of pink and purple with frills all around the edges, but he doesn’t care one iota.

  I lift up out of my chair, smoothing down my summer dress and pushing my feet into my flip-flops.

  “I’ll have one,” I say, coming to stand next to him.

  He turns, flashing me a smile that I’m sure gets all of the girls to instantly combust, but it has no effect on me whatsoever. “Sauce?” He raises a brow, holding a bottle of ketchup in his hands.

  “I don’t care what he says!” Seb thunders, causing my gaze to turn toward him where he’s pacing across the bottom of the backyard. “Get me the goddamn information!”

  I widen my eyes and turn my head slowly back around to West who is still standing, clutching the bottle in his hands and waiting for my answer.

  “Yeah.” I nod my head, holding my hand out for the burger as my eyes wander back over to Seb who is now kicking the plum tree.

  “Motherfucking bastard!”

  “Sebastian!” Livvy shouts. “Watch my plum tree… and your language.”

  His head whips around, his eyes widening as if he’s only just realized where he is. “Sorry, Gran.”

  She gives him a look that says, “You will be,” before turning back around to Mal and telling him all about the new club she’s joined.

  Shaking my head, I turn back to West, still awaiting my burger. “You have to pay the toll,” he says, pointing to his cheek.

  Rolling my eyes, I lift up onto my tiptoes and press my lips against the scruff that lines his jaw. Pulling the plate from his hand, I huff and then take a step toward Livvy, Mal, and Cal.

  “You’re glowing,” Cal offers, picking up his glass and taking a long swallow. “I wonder what could have you looking like that?” He smirks knowingly.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” I answer, sitting down and placing my plate on the glass table they’re all sitting around.

  “Hmmm.” His gaze meets mine. “I’d say that our son has the same glow.”

  I choke on the bite of burger that I took, coughing and splutterin
g before scanning each of their faces that are watching me intently. Mal and Cal haven’t mentioned the fact that we’re dating, or boyfriend and girlfriend—is that what we are now? I knew it was coming at some stage, after all, the traditional meet your parents after you’ve dated is a moot point because I knew them before I realized they were his dad and pop.

  “I… I…” I have no idea what to say.

  “Cal, don’t play her up, look at how embarrassed she is!” Mal shuffles closer, placing his arm around my shoulders and pulling me to him before whispering, “We’re happy that you’re both happy.”

  I nod, not able to form any words before hearing my cell ping. My hand reaches down into the pocket of my dress and I pull it out, seeing Evan’s name pop up onto the screen.

  Everything falls away when I see his name: the birds singing, the trees swaying gently to the slight breeze that fans over us all. All the people surrounding me disappear as I unlock the cell and bring up the app to read his message.

  EVAN: Did you know, only 8% of the world’s currency is physical money, the rest only exists on computers?

  I smile as I read it. I’ve had this cell for a week now, and every day he sends me a random fact, either about computers or clothes.

  LEXI: I didn’t know that. But rest assured that if anyone asks me, I’ll be able to answer them correctly.

  It takes me what feels like half an hour to text back yet his reply is mere seconds later.

  EVAN: Good. I just wanted to part my awesome wisdom on someone. ;)

  I snort out loud and then slap my hand over my mouth and nose before whipping my head up and seeing five pairs of eyes zoned in on me.

  “I’m just… I’m…” I clear my throat, standing up and pushing the chair back. “I’m heading inside.”

  No one says a word as I practically run inside and to my bedroom where I flop down on my bed and start typing him another message.

  LEXI: Tell me a random fact about you.

  I bite my bottom lip as my thumb hovers over the send button, but ultimately I decide to click it and then wait with bated breath for his reply.

  EVAN: The scar on my arm? It’s from a dog bite.

  LEXI: Ouch. Was it a family dog?

  There’s no reply for several minutes and I worry that I may have asked too much. Although, asking if it was a family dog surely can’t be pushing too far, right?

  EVAN: You could say that. It was the dog my birth mother had guard me when she locked me up.

  My head reels back and my eyes widen as a gasp leaves my mouth. I read the message again, and again, and again. Not quite believing or understanding what he’s saying.

  LEXI: I don’t understand? :(

  EVAN: Forget I said anything.

  My thumbs fly over the keyboard—fly is a relative word, it’s more of a dawdle—before another message comes through.

  EVAN: Family meal is at six on Tuesday, I’ll pick you up at five thirty.

  LEXI: Evan?

  EVAN: Lex?

  LEXI: You know you can talk to me, right?

  Those three dots that signal he’s writing a reply flash on and off the screen for a couple of minutes while I sit here with my heart in my throat at the tidbit of information he gave me.

  EVAN: I know. I gotta go. See you tomorrow. E x

  I curse myself over and over again on the way to pick up Lexi. I don’t know why I said what I did yesterday; the words flew out of my fingers without me realizing until it was too late.

  I knew that there was no way she could have known what I was saying, but that didn’t stop her from asking the innocent question of if it was a family dog. My scar tingles as I think about it; as I think about that day, the day that finally someone took notice.

  I remember like it was yesterday. My birth mother wouldn’t take me to the hospital even though I’d been bleeding for three hours. She had sat there and laughed, tears streaming down her face, thinking it was funny that her guard dog had bit me because I wanted to escape to find something to eat. She said it was my own fault for being greedy.

  I can still feel the hunger pangs in my stomach as I remember how starving I was: not that she cared.

  Watching her until she finally fell asleep, her dog sprawled across her lap—that was when I looked down at my arm: at the fresh blood mixed in with the dried blood and the dirt that coated my skin.

  My heart beats hard in my chest as I turn into Lexi’s road, the same way it did when I took a step toward the outside world. The sun beating down on my face, the bright rays warming my skin and blinding me for a second.

  I couldn’t remember the last time I was allowed outside. Not even to go to school.

  “Hey.” I startle at the sound of Lexi’s voice, not having realized I pulled up outside.

  She leans over, planting a kiss on my lips and smiling gently at me.

  “Hey,” I say back, tapping the palm of my hand against the steering wheel before I turn around and drive us toward the compound.

  I let the music play over the speakers, my head still stuck on that day.

  I walked for hours and hours until I finally found a hospital. I can remember the look on the nurse’s face when she saw me, the horror in her eyes as I innocently told her what happened. Up until then, I didn’t understand that what my birth mother was doing wasn’t normal behavior.

  For years I felt guilty for telling on her: for getting her into trouble. My dreams would be scattered with memories of her laughing or crying, the dog as it barked and growled at me. All of that noise still consumes me now, the only thing that quiets it is immersing myself in computers and devices.

  Too much noise… there’s always too much noise.

  I pull into the compound, leaving the car running as I slam my hands over my ears and squeeze my eyes shut as the noise gets louder in my head, almost like I’m standing next to speakers at a concert as they blast out sound at decibels that could deafen you.

  I just want it to stop.

  “Evan?” I hear Lexi’s soft voice and feel her hand as it strokes my arm. “Evan?”

  I shake my head, not willing to look at her as I try to take a deep breath, my chest rattling at the force. “I… I…”

  I feel her come closer, the heat of her body seeping into my skin. “It’s okay… breathe… in and out.” I do as she says, my hands starting to shake before I slowly open my eyes, my gaze clashing with hers.

  It doesn’t get past me that this is exactly what I was saying to her when she had a meltdown.

  “She’d lock me in a room with no windows.” I laugh a humorless laugh. “Room is a vast overstatement.” I shake my head, my gaze wandering away from hers as I feel her hands capture mine. “She’d leave me in there for days. No food, no water… nothing.”

  “Evan.” She gasps and when I look back into her eyes, I can see the sheen of tears that threaten to fall.

  “I don’t want your pity,” I grind out, ripping my hands from hers and pushing out of my car.

  The sound of her door opening and closing sounds around me as I lean against the side of the car, the gravel crunching as she walks closer before she stands directly in front of me.

  “I’m not giving you pity,” she snaps.

  I stare into her eyes, looking for the truth behind her words. I’ve never told anyone this and the thought of her knowing has me breaking out into a sweat. What if she looks at me differently?

  I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself enough but my voice still comes out shaky. “I was a kid… I didn’t know that it wasn’t normal to not be allowed outside and to be fed every day and not have to sneak around for one slice of bread.”

  I look away, not able to see the heartbreak in her eyes.

  “She’d get her dog to guard the room, making sure I didn’t come out while she had men over and ate all the food that she used to keep tightly locked up.” I clench my teeth together, the muscle in my jaw ticking. “I was so hungry that day, the pain was too much.”

  I feel her co
me closer, her hands landing on my biceps, her fingers stroking softly. “The scar.”

  “Yeah.” I nod my head, chancing a look at her as she lifts the sleeve of my t-shirt, her eyes landing on the jagged scar that runs down my bicep.

  “She wouldn’t take me to the hospital, so I escaped when she was asleep.”

  Her gaze flicks up to mine, understanding and… something else shining in their depths.

  My stomach flip-flops as I stare at her. Dad and Pop know what is on the official report, but I’ve never told anyone, not with my own words.

  How can someone have this effect on me? How can one person have me pouring my heart out without even prompting me?

  There’s something about Lexi, something that feels right. We fit perfectly, like the bullet in the barrel of a gun. You can’t use one without the other, that’s exactly how I feel about us. I can’t be me without her, not the real me.

  “That day people finally noticed what was going on in that house. When the neighbors were questioned, they swore they didn’t even know she had a son.”

  A tear escapes her eye but she swipes it away angrily before pushing her shoulders back and lifting her hands to my face. Her fingers running through the scruff before she pulls me down toward her. “I love you.”

  My eyes widen at those three words: three words that render me speechless, three words that mean every single thing to me.

  I slam my lips down onto hers, swiping my tongue in her mouth, not asking or begging but taking. My chest heaves as I place my hands under her ass, lifting her and letting her wrap her legs around me.