Page 85 of Soaring Free
Three years. He has been watching my security cameras and me forthree damn years.
I felt like such a fool when he told me that’s why he had convinced Shane to host the holiday party at our house so he could physically access our system and plant a trojan horse in our security system, which would allow him the ability to not only watch my security feed, but also loop the system. I don’t even want to know how many times he utilized the loop option so that he could trespass into my home. He was not happy when I discovered his preferred entry and fixed the balcony door to my primary bathroom, and it wasn’t the first time he scared me as he talked about what it felt like to not be able to access me whenever he wanted. But he always knew where I was because in addition to the GPS tracking he put on my SUV, he somehow had an app hidden on my own damn phone that tracked where I was at all times, all without my knowledge. The tracking app let Kyle know when the coast was clear to trespass into my home like the creepy rat bastard he apparently has been for quite some time. He also casually mentioned that he’s been calling me for over a year—all the blocked calls I received where the caller never made a sound or said a single word? It was Kyle the entire time.
Kyle doesn’t seem like a computer guy so I have to figure out how I can get him to admit who’s helping him, but first things first, I need to try and scrub away the ick of this day. It’s pointless because he will douse me with more ick the second he walks into the room, but right now, I need a small victory.
I strip down before opening the glass door to the shower and letting the warm water give me a moment of peace. After washing my hair, I use twice as much soap as usual to start trying to clean away the gross feeling coating my skin.
“Perfect.” Kyle’s voice startles me, and I jump before turning to cover myself.
I look over my shoulder at him, holding back my knee-jerk reaction of yelling at him to get out. “Kyle, I thought we talked about this, and I needed some privacy.”
“I know, Angel, but I couldn’t stay away. I won’t join you—this time,” he playfully says as he winks at me.
Before I can say anything back, I feel a familiar trickle and look down to see a small amount of blood. Shit, I didn’t even think about that. But wait, if I’m on my period, that may actually be a good thing for once.
“What’s wrong, Angel?” He scowls and starts to move closer.
In seventh grade, I played Juliet in our school’s production of Romeo and Juliet. It’s the only acting I have ever done, but I’m going to try and pull off the performance of a lifetime. If Kyle thinks I’m disappointed, maybe he will be more accommodating to what I want—and do not want—right now. “Nothing, it’s fine. We just need to postpone your plans a few days. I didn’t realize my cycle was coming today.” I give a sad shrug, although internally I want to give my uterus a high five for saving the day.
“You didn’t? I figured it would be here today or tomorrow.”
What. The. Fuck.
“Oh really? How would you know that?”
“Angel, you need to pay closer attention.” He smiles at me like we are in on some joke together. “I told you I’ve been watching you. I know everything there is to know about you, dear. Don’t worry, I’m prepared for everything you could need. The tamponsand pads you buy are in the linen closet. I have a heating pad somewhere around here, I know you prefer that for your cramps.”
What am I supposed to say to that? For the first time in my life, I am completely speechless. Shane never even knew when my period was and we lived together for over fourteen years.
“You don’t need to look so disappointed, Angel. You don’t fully grasp everything I’ve done for us to be together, but I promise you, there has been more effort and time than you even imagine. So don’t worry, Savannah. After everything I’ve done to be with you and allow us to finally be together, a little blood isn’t going to stop me,” Kyle says as he winks.
So, a little blood isn’t going to stop this man from taking something from me today that I am not willing to give? I cover my mouth as a sob threatens to break through. My eyes blur with tears that I no longer can hold back.
“Hey, Angel, it’s okay.” Kyle is now standing outside the shower stall with one arm raised up and leaning against the wall. “If your cramps are that bad, we can wait until tomorrow or the next day. I know you always feel better after the third day, and remember, I said I would never hurt you. I’m going to make it good for you—I promise. I take care of what is mine.”
I’m not yours, you fucking asshole. I have to figure out how to get the hell out of here before he can carry out his plans now that he all but confirmed nothing—not even my own blood—is going to stand in his way of having me.
I need Theo to find me or The Cavalry to show up. And if not, I need to find a way to save myself.
Chapter fifty-five
“I knew The Federalist was involved, that little blip in their shellcode at the auto garage felt like them, but I couldn’t prove it until I identified the payload they used on her home security system,” Sophia rattles off without looking up from her computer.
“Great, there’s two spies with their jargon we don’t understand now,” Jack deadpans as he cracks open a soda and sets it back down on the counter. “Can you please translate what the hell you just said?”
“Are you the angry bear brother? Never mind, your sister is missing. Anger is understandable. I’m angry and it’s not even my own sister. But basically, the payload is like … how do I explain this, Liam? Wait, you can explain this, I need to focus.” She glances up briefly before returning to her work.
“You know how the Greek soldiers hid inside the Trojan Horse, right? Well, consider a payload as the weapons the soldiers that were inside the Trojan Horse used to hurt their enemies. The payload is the part of the code that causes damage,” Liam explains.
“So, she found the sword and knows who it belongs to?” I ask.
“Sophia identified the … manufacturer of the sword and can now use that to lead it back to them and whoever bought the sword. The Federalist is a well-known hacker, and is a good one, but Sophia is better.
“Yes, I abso-fucking-lutely am,” she mumbles without breaking focus from her screen.
“She recognized some code that he likes to utilize,” Liam answers.
“Do you know who The Federalist is? Or where they are?” Ryan asks.
