13
821 Words
The last of the warriors filed out of the war room, murmuring to each other as they went—half in awe, half in fear—after watching Rae reroute drones, patch the perimeter, and humiliate Aspen’s peanut-butter victim on live feed all within ten minutes.
The moment the door clicked shut behind them, Rae stretched her arms above her head and leaned back in her chair, a satisfied grin pulling at her mouth.
“Well, ladies,” she announced, spinning lazily toward Remi and Del, “since we’re clearly saving the world one sensor at a time, I decided to use my talents for something a little more… rewarding.”
Remi narrowed her eyes. “Rae… what did you do?”
Rae’s grin sharpened. “I hacked the food delivery app.”
Del blinked. “You what?”
“I was starving,” Rae said, already typing another command on the control panel. “So I nudged a few digital doors open. Boom—lunch incoming. And yes,” she added smugly, “I ordered enough for everyone. With dessert.”
Remi groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Rae, you can’t just hack food into existence. We’re going to get banned from every delivery service in the region.”
Rae turned her chair fully toward her, smirk dialed to maximum. “Remi. You’ve known me for ten years. If they were gonna ban me, they would’ve done it back when I made the sushi place deliver to the middle of the bayou during a thunderstorm.”
Del choked on a laugh. “Oh my god, I remember that! The delivery guy thought he was being sacrificed.”
Rae pointed her coffee cup at her. “And yet, we got our tempura rolls hot. Efficiency.”
Trey, leaning against the wall like he’d been watching the best show all day, raised a brow. “You’ve been doing this for ten years?”
“Minimum,” Rae said, entirely too proud. “It’s a lifestyle.”
Elijah shook his head with a crooked, amused smile. “So you’re a full-time tech menace and part-time food thief.”
“Add ‘problem solver’ to that résumé,” Rae fired back, tapping a final command that made the cameras flicker. “I fix things. Like hunger. And your sad excuse of a security grid.”
Will tried to hold a straight face, but failed. “So… you hacked our systems and our lunch.”
“Two birds, one laptop,” Rae replied.
Remi sighed, though the smile tugging at her mouth said she wasn’t even a little mad. “You’re unbelievable.”
Del bumped Rae’s shoulder lightly. “Yeah, but she’s our unbelievable.”
Rae lifted her coffee cup like a toast. “Damn right.”
Aspen barked once in agreement, tail thumping like a drum.
And right on cue, the sound of tires crunching across the gravel drifted through the open window. Rae perked up instantly.
“Et voilà,” she said smugly, standing and brushing off her hoodie. “Lunch delivery—on schedule. Told you I had it handled.”
Remi squinted at her. “Please tell me you didn’t hack their GPS to shave time off the route.”
“No comment,” Rae hummed, already heading for the porch with Aspen trotting loyally behind her.
The rest followed her outside just as a nervous delivery driver climbed out of his car with several steaming bags.
He spotted Rae—messy ponytail, hoodie, laptop under one arm—and immediately brightened.
“Oh—hey, pretty. If I knew the customer looked like you, I’d have delivered even faster.”
Rae blinked, visibly taken off guard. “Uh… Merci?”
Trey stiffened. Elijah raised a brow. Del whispered, “OH this is gonna be good.”
The guy stepped closer, trying way too hard. “So… you come here often?”
Rae sighed, deadpan.
“Aspen. Va lui faire peur, mon garçon.”
Aspen’s ears perked. His stance changed instantly—tail high, chest puffed, and one perfectly timed, thunderous bark that echoed off the porch.
The delivery guy practically levitated backwards. “OKAY—yep! Message received!”
He thrust the bags into Rae’s arms and sprinted back to his car like he was escaping a crime scene.
Rae stared after him, unimpressed. “Dramatic.”
Del was laughing so hard she bent over. “You weaponized your dog.”
Rae shrugged. “He works for treats.”
Will shook his head. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”
Rae smirked. “Very wise.”
Aspen strutted beside her like the hero of the hour.
Inside, the smell of pasta filled the war room. The tension that had hovered all morning melted into warm laughter, chatter, and the kind of comfort food that made everything feel just a little easier—for now.
- Writer
