“I was just making a new friend, isn’t that right?” She tossed a shrug at her companion.
“Lexie,” I told them both. And while Lettie was grinning at me like a cat who caught the canary, Cherry was observing me with caution.
“Tequila?” I asked them, and while Lettie squealed with delight, Cherry only agreed with a curt shake of her head.
As the night went on, the more we drank, and the more we talked. While a part of me felt like I had been trapped in some kind of web, the alcohol bled through my warning sirens so they were more like faint little bells in the distance. Easy to ignore.
“So, tell me, Lexie, what brings you to one of these get-togethers? I’ve never seen you before.”
“I’m here with a friend.”
“Ah.” Lettie brought the tequila to her lips and gulped it back without even a wince.
“And you?”
She looked over at Cherry, who had been annoyingly quiet the entire time. “She’s the brains, I’m the muscle.” She laughed, and I couldn’t decipher if she was being serious or not.
“Brains?”
“Tech genius. Whatever you want to call it.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Coder?” I asked Cherry. That finally got her interested, and the curves of her lips tipped up. It seemed like she almost smiled at me. “Something like that.”
Lettie cackled from next to me. “I can’t believe she let you get away with asking her that. Why doesn’t she get the annoying spiel of how beautiful it is and blah blah?”
Cherry just glared at her counterpart, but I wanted to actually hear it, “Tell me.”
“Think of it like my name,” she said lowly. “Good code, impeccable code, clean, shiny, attractive. It should have an alluring surface, but it’s layered. The body of it is sweet, unseeming, the logic of the code, it lies here, the functions, the algorithms, well crafted, efficient—before we get to the pit. Simple from the outside, enough to entrap you so you overlook the core. And before you know it, it’s a tree, taking root in everything, invading, impossible to ignore.”
I whistled. “A cherry of a code.”
“A cherry of a code,” she said matter-of-factly back to me.
“A cherry of a code,” I whispered.
“No, a cherry pie.” Randolf’s gruff voice brought me back to those around me, and he pointed the bottle of vodka at me that he was just drinking straight from the bottle.
“No, you don’t understand. I just figured it out.” I kicked back and out of my seat, laughing, while everyone stared at me like I had lost my mind. And maybe I had. “It’s a cherry of a code! We have to go. I know how to get in.”
I looked at Luke as I said the words.
I know how to get in.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Lexie
December
The night was cloaked in darkness, the only sounds being the rustle of leaves and the distant hum of city life as we left it behind. The moon hung high in the sky, casting a pale light over the abandoned warehouse that appeared to be empty. But we knew better. The shadows seemed to dance along the cracked pavement as we arrived, Randolf parking the blacked-out vehicle a safe distance away.
Luke motioned for all of us to gather in, his voice low and steady. “Alright, everyone, we don’t know what’s waiting for us inside. Let’s run a perimeter check before we move in. Lexie”—his eyes flicked to me—“stick close to me until it’s time. I know this is your first time in the field, but stay alert. Be prepared.”
I nodded at him, my heart racing with excitement—or fear. I wasn’t sure which. Probably a mixture of both. I adjusted my backpack, which felt heavier than usual, filled with the gadgets and gear I had meticulously prepared, as well as what Lukedemanded I take. “Got it.” I could barely mask the tremor in my voice.
Luke zeroed his gaze on me, even though he was addressing everybody. “Stay alert for any unusual activity or security measures we might not have been able to account for.” His eyes filtered between us all. “And keep your comms on. I’ll be in contact with you as we create the perimeter.”
At that, Randolph and Zed opened the doors and exited quietly, holding them open for the rest of us. The team fanned out, moving silently over the gravel, our silhouettes blending and bleeding into the night as if we were part of it. Laurel and Randolf took one side, while Zed slipped into the shadows on the opposite flank.