🩸 CHAPTER 2 — He Let Her In
471 Words
Mara didn’t sleep.
Not after that.
Not after seeing her name on that screen.
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By morning, the city looked normal.
Like nothing had changed.
But something had.
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She stood by the window, arms crossed.
“You’re overthinking,” she muttered.
She wasn’t.
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People didn’t override hardware shutdowns.
People didn’t find you that fast.
People didn’t watch—and then wait.
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Unless…
They wanted you to know.
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She grabbed her jacket.
She needed answers.
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Dex would know something.
He always did.
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The shop door clicked shut behind her.
Dex looked up.
Paused.
Then frowned.
“…What did you do?”
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Mara didn’t waste time.
She told him everything.
The system.
The breach.
The message.
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Dex didn’t interrupt.
Didn’t joke.
Didn’t smile.
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That’s when she knew—
This was bad.
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“You disconnected?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“And?”
Mara held his gaze.
“It didn’t matter.”
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Dex went still.
“…That’s not possible.”
“Yeah,” she said quietly. “I figured.”
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He turned to his system.
Started digging.
Fast.
Precise.
Focused.
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Then—
He stopped.
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“…Mara.”
Her stomach tightened.
“What?”
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“You didn’t hack a company.”
Silence.
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“Then what did I hack?”
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Dex swallowed.
“You hacked a private network.”
“That’s not unusual.”
“No,” he said.
“This one is.”
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He turned the screen toward her.
Encrypted layers.
Hidden routing.
Military-level masking.
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“Who owns it?” she asked.
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Dex hesitated.
That was all the answer she needed.
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“Dex.”
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He exhaled slowly.
“…Adrian Voss.”
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The name hit differently.
Heavy.
Controlled.
Powerful.
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“Should I know him?” she asked.
Dex stared at her.
“You really don’t.”
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Before she could respond—
The lights flickered.
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Dex froze.
“…That’s not me.”
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The screen went black.
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Then—
Text appeared.
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You shouldn’t have come here.
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Mara’s breath caught.
“Is that him?”
“Yes.”
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Another line.
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Now you’re making this inconvenient.
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Mara stepped forward.
“What do you want?”
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The response came instantly.
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You.
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Silence dropped.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
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Dex whispered, “Mara… we need to go.”
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She didn’t move.
Couldn’t.
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Because the next line appeared—
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Stay where you are.
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A pause.
Then—
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I’m coming to get you.
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The screen went dark.
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Mara didn’t speak.
Didn’t move.
Didn’t breathe.
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Because this wasn’t a warning.
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It was a promise.
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And for the first time—
She realized she wasn’t being hunted.
She was being claimed.
- Writer
