Vendetta

BONUS: SHADOWS 2/2

The ride back to the Hackerspace feels longer than it is. I haven't seen Aiden since Clara's funeral, he wasn't even at the wake. He disappeared and I lost contact with him, so to know he's in San Francisco lights a small fire inside of me that died long ago in Chicago. Besides Clara, Aiden was one of my biggest inspirations in the field. What we do is dangerous, and he's right at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to being targeted as a hacker. Even though he's at risk every day, he keeps at it if it means helping others and saving someone's life.

I park in my usual spot when we reach HQ, waiting for Marcus outside of Gary's Games & Glory before we head to the back. When the Hackerspace door slides open, Wrench is on the other side, leaning against the wall and tapping his foot. His gaze shoots up to us and he clears his throat. "You okay?" He asks in a monotone.

I take my mask off and press a smile. "Yeah," is all I give before hopping down the stairs, eager for the reunion. I hear the boys following behind me as I step foot onto the main floor. Josh and Sitara surround Aiden as he talks to Ray, who must've gotten word he was headed over. I catch the end of Ray's sentence, "Look, I've been meaning to reach out to you to tell you-"

"Aiden!" I call out with a smile that continues to widen. Ray steps to the side and I can see the concerned look on his face. I don't understand why until Aiden turns around, his smile dropping into a glare.

He takes hurried steps toward me and grabs my arm. "Missy, what the hell are you doing here!"

"I-I'm here, I'm a part of DedSec," I stutter, unsure why he's so upset. Ray quickly comes up to us and intervenes just as Wrench and Marcus reach the bottom step.

"Whoa whoa whoa, Aiden let's just calm down here." He tries to pry Aiden's hand off of me.

"Is this what you've been doing all these years? Hiding and being reckless?" He raises his voice.

Nobody raises their voice at me. Now I'm pissed.

Before I can retaliate, Wrench shoves Aiden hard, causing him to stumble back. "Hey, what the fuck is your problem?" He shouts.

Ray takes the opportunity to grab Aiden's arm and grip it tight to keep distance between us. Aiden completely ignores Wrench and stares at me. I can see the disappointment in his eyes underneath the anger. "Clara wanted you away from all of this, as far away as you could get."

"Are you serious?" My tone is sharp as I take a step forward beside Wrench. "Don't you bring her into this. Not her or you have a say in what I do with my life!"

"She told me to keep you safe, goddammit!" Aiden pushes back.

I scoff. "Then where the fuck have you been all these years, Aiden? You're the one who disappeared. You're the one who got lost in the wind. Keeping me safe, like hell you were!"

He points a finger at me. "You will not twist the story-"

Wrench steps forward and points back at Aiden, his other hand balled into a fist at his side. "Don't you speak to her like that."

Aiden shrugs Ray off and steps up to Wrench, towering just slightly above him. "Who the hell are you, man? Her dweeby little boyfriend?"

Wrench stammers for a second, unsure what to call what's between us. "Just, you do not want to piss me off more than you already have. El's mine so stay the fuck back."

Something stirs inside me that I don't like after what Wrench says.

"Or what, big guy?" Aiden sizes him up again. "You gonna take a swing at me? Think you can handle it?"