CHAPTER SEVEN

Bea

That was far too close.

And with my heart racing frantically and my rapid breathing, I need to calm myself down before I catch up with my brother. Though, I have to admit, if I said I hadn't thought about kissing Loki again over the last thirteen years, that would be an absolute lie.

I just never thought it would be a possibility.

Obviously, there's still chemistry here, but there's so much trauma in our past that we haven't even begun to deal with. However, I can't think about that right now. Theo is here, and he nearly caught us. That would have been a disaster. After years of hiding our relationship from him, only for him to see us in a moment of weakness like that, well, it would have been reckless of us.

Putting on a brave face, I make my way over to my brother. He smiles when he spots me, pulling me in for an embrace when I reach him. "How's everything going with the app? You making any progress with Loki yet?"

My stomach churns, thinking of the moment we had just shared in the hall, but I shake my head. "Ahh, no, actually. I don't know what the club was doing, but they were off on some official club business. They've only been back a little while, and I haven't had much time to spend with Loki, to be honest. I've spent more time with the women than him."

Theo rolls his shoulders with a grimace. "Bea… we need to get this shit under control. You wanted him to deal with it, so… get him to deal with it. Or I'm going to have to take over. We only have so long before we have to go public and announce this breach. If we don't have it handled by then, it could be the end of us both… and Loki is tied to this too, Bea. If we go down, he could too. Stop putting your head in the sand. This threat is real. It's happening. We need it taken care of."

Slumping my shoulders, I clench my eyes, trying to fight back my tears.

I know how real this threat is.

I know the implications it can cause.

I guess that's why I went out and got hammered to where I couldn't function—because this could ruin my business. Depending on how bad the breach is, I could be held liable. I could have clients coming at me for compensation, depending on the damage caused by the breach. Honestly, this could financially sink me, Theo, and Loki. Until they are in debt, so huge there's no possible way out of it. I don't even want to think about if there will be any legal ramifications. The thought is too fucking scary to consider. Hence drinking myself into oblivion.

Theo might think I am not taking this seriously—the problem is I know all too well about the complications. And maybe that is why I am stalling. Because then it becomes real. Because if Loki can't fix this, I don't know just how bad this is going to get.

I glance over my shoulder to where Loki and I were only moments ago, and I see him walking toward his tech den. Letting out a long exhale, I roll my shoulders. "Okay… we'll go talk to him now. Get this all figured out."

Theo grips my shoulder, making me turn back to face him. "I have a massive meeting tomorrow I need to prep for. I only popped in to see how it was going. You haven't even started, so I'm going to let you and Loki make some headway on things, and then I'll check in again."

Widening my eyes, I glare at him. "You're not going to come and help? Be in the room with me while we talk this stuff out?"

Theo groans, rolling his eyes. "You're a big girl, Bea. I know you and Loki haven't seen each other for a while, but he's not as scary as he looks. He's not going to bite you. You'll be fine. You guys were inseparable when you were younger. He's still the same guy, just with tattoos and that stupid long hair."

A slow smirk forms on my face as I look my brother up and down. His perfectly chiseled jaw with his meticulously maintained five o'clock shadow. His hair is styled in that snobbish, rich-guy way that makes him look like he thinks he is better than everyone else. Theo does not fit in here at the clubhouse. That much is for sure. How he and Loki have remained best friends over the years when their lives went in such opposite directions is beyond me.

"For the record, his long hair isn't stupid… it suits him. But okay, I'll go get this settled with him now. We'll figure it out."

He dips his chin, then turns to walk out. "You got this, Bea. I believe in you."

A quiet snort slips out, and I turn for the path leading to Loki's den. I take slow, methodical breaths, trying to calm my rising heart rate, then step up to the door and knock. My foot taps anxiously on the floor, and I stand back with my arms over my chest. The door suddenly begins to open, and my breathing stops as Loki stands in the doorway, his muscles rippling as he holds the heavily weighted door back. My clit begins to throb at seeing just how ripped his arms are.

Lifting my chin, I plaster on a huge smile and start walking toward him. "I've been waiting forever to talk to you about the health and wellness app. I've been here for hours with the mother of all hangovers while you've been off doing god only knows what. I mean, look at you," I tell him, then point to the obvious blood stain on his shirt.

He glances down while I move past him inside his den, and he reaches past me, closing the door to give us some privacy. "I'm a biker, Bea. What do you expect? I'm not that nerdy young guy anymore. I have a brotherhood to defend."

Spinning around the large room, I take it all in, a slow smile crossing my face. This is not what I was expecting when I walked in here. Maybe a couple of computers and a filing system, but this—this is a full tech hub. Screens line the walls, coding, running up and down them like he's running a system diagnosis on something. A security system lines one wall running for the entire perimeter of the clubhouse. A filing station is definitely installed, but it's neat and methodical. It's not like the tech setups Theo has in Silicon Valley. This absolutely has a hacker feel to it, but it's one hundred percent cooler than the stifling corporate feel of Theo's workplace environment.

I shift my ass up to sit on top of his desk while taking it all in. Letting out a small laugh, I shake my head and turn my gaze to meet his questioning stare. "No… you're definitely not that nerdy young guy anymore… now you're a nerdy biker. It's actually kinda hot," I quip, and he scowls, shifting from the wall and moving to his desk chair to take a seat in front of the main curved computer screen.

"What did Theo have to say?" he asks, clearly avoiding the topic of what happened with us in the hall but asking in a roundabout way if my brother saw us.

"He wants to know where we're at with the app breach. He's understandably anxious."

Loki sits back in his chair, getting comfortable. "Okay, I'm listening. I need you to tell me everything you know about this breach before I go digging."

Hesitating for a moment, I wonder if I should bring up what happened.

Just get everything out in the air and talk about this like adults.

But honestly, I don't know how that conversation will go. And right now, the app is what is important, not my historical and current tension with Loki.

I decide to let it go.

For now.

"So, a couple of nights ago, the app was breached, and from what Theo has been able to source, all the personal information and the health data of our clients has been taken. The source code looks to be from a singular attack, and thus far, Theo hasn't been able to find any of our clientele information leaked on the dark web . It looks like this might have been a targeted attack on our app."

Loki furrows his brow, sitting forward, scrubbing at his temple. "Why the fuck would anyone target a health and wellness app?"

Sinking in on myself, I prepare to tell him the whole truth. "I received some emails over a few weeks that were becoming more and more demanding in nature. They wanted the information from our clientele on the app. I dismissed them as spam, as you do, but then this happened. Then they sent the email blackmailing me for money to be paid in thirty days, or they leak the hack. I honestly don't know how the hell they even got in."

Loki groans, shaking his head. "Gimmie your cell."

I furrow my brows. "What?"

"Bea, your fucking cell. Now!" he demands.

Jumping up with how serious he sounds, I pull the cell from my pocket and hand it over to him without question. He swipes the screen, and my muscles tense. "You don't know my passcod—"

But then he enters it without hesitation, gaining access to my phone.

Slumping my shoulders, I sink back down onto the desk. "Oh," I whisper.

Loki slowly glances up at me, tilting his head. "I know you, Bea," he says, his voice deep, carnal, and so incredibly fucking sexy it has my insides shaking as we stare at each other for a moment. Our eyes connect as the air floods with that fire, that spark that has always been between us. Even with the years apart, it still burns so fucking intense. Then he clears his throat, shakes his head, and drops his eyes from mine back to my cell, breaking the connection.

I can finally breathe again.

Loki moves through my cell, checking things, and then he opens my mail system, beginning to search through my emails. Furrowing my brows, I watch him as he studies the emails closely. Then he spins, grabs a cord, and plugs my cell into his computer. It instantly starts dinging, and I jerk with the noise as he types with such speed into his software.

"What are you looking for?" I ask, wanting to know what his thought process is.

"I'll know when I see it."

My stomach churns, waiting, watching, hoping that he finds something to help when he lets out a grumble like he's really fucking annoyed. He frantically starts typing into his computer like a maniac, as if he's trying to combat something.

My mind is racing, and I'm confused as to what is happening. I stand, moving in behind him, but I don't say anything because I know he's deep in the zone. His fingers move with the speed of lightning—it's fascinating to watch, but then he stops suddenly. He cranes his neck to the side and turns to face me with a look of annoyance crossing his face.

Shit!

I think I've done something stupid.

"The emails they sent you, the ones you thought were spam, they had encryption in them. Now this is important, Bea…" he pauses, and my heart races. "Did you, at any time when you had those emails open, click on any of the links in the emails?"

My chest instantly begins to tighten, and I struggle to draw in a full breath. My heart races, pounding so hard I swear I hear it echoing in my ears. My hands start to tremble uncontrollably, my vision blurring as tears well up in my uncertainty. The room begins to spin, and I grip the edge of the desk, desperate to steady myself. My thoughts race, tumbling over each other in a chaotic swirl . Did I do this? I can't shake the overwhelming feeling that the walls are closing in, suffocating me. I squeeze my eyes shut, willing the panic to stop, but it keeps rising, relentless and unyielding. "I… I don't know. M-maybe? I was in a rush that day. I was flicking through things frantically. Oh God, Alex…. I might have accidentally done it. I vaguely recall hitting something, then flicking out of it in my mad rush. Did I do this?" The last part comes out as a breathy whisper as I snap my eyes back open.

Loki glances at me somberly as he scrubs at his bearded chin. "They downloaded spyware to your cell through one of the emails. Whatever you clicked on, put the bug in the system that activated the coding to search through the health and wellness app to source all the contact details and personal data."

It's like my soul falls through my body and descends straight into the bowels of hell. Because that is exactly where I belong for this. Shock overtakes my body as I sit here, shaking from the adrenaline overload. "I did this. I did this to our clients."

Loki exhales, moving to stand. He steps in front of me, shifting my knees apart to stand between them. "Let's not jump to any conclusions. Let me run some analysis. See what I can figure out. If I can trace the IP of the original emails, I might be able to figure out who sent this and who is holding our client information hostage, and also what the fuck they want it for? Do they want to sell it on the dark web to scam them, or is it for something else that I just haven't thought of yet?"

Trying to calm myself down enough to be able to speak back, I shift my gaze to meet his. With shaky breath, I reply, "What else could it be used for, though, if not to sell their information to other scammers?"

Loki shrugs, his forehead scrunching. "This doesn't seem normal, Bea. Why would scammers come after a health and wellness app for their information when we don't have a massive clientele list compared to other apps out there? We're small fries in comparison… something just doesn't add up. I need to dig further. It's okay, we have a little bit of time. We don't have to notify the public for up to thirty days from the initial discovery of the breach."

My shoulders slump with a small sense of relief.

It's not much, but it's something.

"So we have a few days shy of a month to come up with a plan."

Loki offers a small smile. Somehow, it's reassuring. Calming. The fact he is right in front of me pressed up between my legs isn't going unnoticed. Sliding my hand up to rest on his bulging bicep, I inhale sharply, the tips of my fingers feeling like an energy surge pulsates through them as he stares down at me.

"I'm gonna take care of you, Bea. I got this," he reassures, his eyes burning into mine.

A slow smile crosses my face, my heart racing as the energy in the room burns to an almost unextinguishable level. "Thank you. You're always looking after me."

His hand slides up, gently cupping my face. Butterflies dance harmoniously in my stomach as his fingers thread through my hair. Loki's eyes dart from mine to my lips, then back to my eyes like he is having trouble deciding what to do. So I lean forward, hinting for him to kiss me. To finish what we started in the hall.

But he softly smiles, pulling back infinitesimally. "I better get to work." He says it so quietly I almost miss it.

Almost.

The problem is, I did hear it, and the words are enough to cause that same soul-crushing feeling to happen once more. Letting out a long exhale as he drops his hand from my face, I pull my eyes from his and quickly slide away from him, jumping down from the desk to make my retreat.

The sting of rejection hits me straight in the chest, making it harder to breathe, so I turn my back to him to ensure he can't see the anguish on my face. "Thanks for your help, Loki. I really appreciate it," I somehow mumble as I make my way for the door to escape.

"Bea," his tone is demanding, that same sexy gruff that makes my knees weak. But I don't turn back to face him.

With my hand on the door, I take a deep breath. "I'll go tell Theo what's going on. He's anxious to hear any news." I pull the door back to walk out.

" Bea ," he calls out, even sterner this time. "I can't believe you still have my birthday as the pin code on your cell," he states, his voice softer now.

My chin drops to my chest, tears well in my eyes, and I can't stop them from overflowing. Sniffling, I want to turn to him. I want to tell him that there was no way I could ever change that code. It was impossible because changing it meant I had to truly let him go.

And I couldn't.

I still can't.

"It's all I had left of you, Alex," I whimper.

This is all too much at once—I should have never come here.

Steadying my shoulders, I spin and walk out of his tech den in search of some hair of the dog to turn this hangover into a twenty-four-hour-long bender. Because lord knows, I do not want to be sober anymore.

Making my way to the bar, Navy spots me instantly, widening her gaze as I approach. I slump my butt down on one of the stools, and she reaches over, grabbing a short glass. "By the expression on your face, hon, I think you need something strong."

Bringing my arm up to rest on the bar, I then drop my forehead onto my arm. "I think I need a sedative. Yep, that's exactly what I need."

Navy snorts out a laugh. "That bad, huh?"

Snapping my head back up to look at her, I huff. "Why are men such assholes?"

Navy bursts out laughing, then slides the half-filled glass my way. "Hmm… how to answer this one? I think men are only born with half the brain cells women are, so it stops them from behaving in a way we think is acceptable. In the way they speak, the way they act, just generally, they are half as good as us women."

Raising my brow, I smirk. "You made that up."

She shrugs, picking up her own glass and raising it in the air. "Maybe, but it sounds logical. Am I right?"

Finally finding the strength to laugh, I raise my drink in the air to clink it to hers. "It makes sense to me," I reply, cracking a smile.

Navy takes a sip, then exhales. "I don't know who's annoying you, but the one thing I do know about the men here is, if they're being a dickhead, it's generally for a reason. They don't tend to play games. They don't fuck women around. If he likes you, you'll know it. If he doesn't, he'll definitely let you know."

"It's not that simple with us… there's a whole ton of history getting in the way. Getting in our heads. It's probably best if I get this shit with my app dealt with, and then I walk away. Go back to emailing him when I need to speak to him, with zero in-person contact. It was just easier that way."

Navy tilts her head, really looking at me. "Was it, though? Was it easier avoiding him and longing for him all this time? Now that you're here, now that you can see him and talk to him in person, isn't that better than pretending like you don't exist to each other?"

Letting out a heavy scoff, I shake my head. "After what just happened. No. Absolutely not. I'd rather go back to before I came here and not see him than have to go through the embarrassment I just went through."

Navy slowly nods, reaches for the tequila bottle, and tops up my glass. "Okay then. I'll keep your glass full."

I nod. "Thanks, Navy."

She dips her chin. "You got it, hon." She turns, walking to the other side of the bar to serve another biker.

Puffing out a long gust of air that flicks my hair, I spin on my seat and glance out over the clubhouse. There are people everywhere, and they all seem to be in such a happy mood. Even setting up for some kind of celebration. I'm not really sure why or what. But hey, I'm in the mood to drink the night away.

What I do know is that Theo needs to be kept in the loop. So I glance back over my shoulder. "Hey, Navy, I need to call my brother and fill him in on what's going on, but Loki has my cell. Is there a phone somewhere I can use?"

She grins, yanking her cell out of her pocket. "Here. Use mine." She swipes in the code and hands it to me.

"You sure?"

Navy waves her hand through the air like it's nothing. "Girl, we all help each other out around here. Stay long enough… you'll figure that out."

"Thank you… I mean that."

She grabs the tequila bottle and pours a little extra into my glass. "It's gonna be a big party tonight. You sticking around?"

Inhaling deeply, my stomach twists, thinking about staying here with Loki, but I shrug. "Is there a spare room I can stay in?"

Navy chuckles. "Damn straight. I'll make sure it's all set up for you. You can stay as long as you like. I've already had a chat with the pres about this, just in case you're wondering, and it's all clear with him."

I furrow my brows. "You were expecting me to stay?"

Navy shrugs with a grin. "Let's just say the pres came to me about it. I think he is the one who was expecting you to stay."

Spinning, I glance over at Alpha, the president, who is sitting with his Old Lady, some other woman, and his daughter. The four of them are laughing and having a great time. Warmth flows over me, and my shoulders relax a little from the tension currently being held in them.

I don't know why Alpha put plans in place for me, but maybe he knows something I don't. Either way, I am sticking around, even if it is only until this breach issue is solved. Maybe even Loki and I can try to figure our shit out.

But not tonight.

Tonight, I need to unwind.

Spinning back to the bar, I grab my drink, throw back the contents, and it burns like a motherfucker. Then, I type in Theo's number and hit call. It takes a few rings, and I think maybe he isn't going to answer, but then he does. "Underwood."

"Urgh, how many times have I told you that answering with your surname makes you sound like an arrogant asshole, Theo?" I snap.

He chuckles down the line. "Where are you calling from, Bea? I don't know this number."

Tensing, my stomach rolls in apprehension. "That's what I need to talk to you about. Are you driving back to the Valley?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Can you pull over? I don't want you distracted while I tell you this information."

I hear his car engine dying down and then to a stall. "Okay, I'm off the side of the road. What the fuck is going on, Bea? Has Loki found something?"

Just tell him, Bea.

"Yeah… he's still working on analysis and trying to piece it all together, but it looks like those spam emails I got had spyware embedded in them."

Theo huffs down the line. "But that wouldn't matter unless you clicked on a link…" There's a long, hesitant pause. "Oh fuck, Bea, you didn't?"

That same sinking feeling takes hold, and my body starts shaking again. "I can't be sure, that's the thing. I might have by accident. There was one day, I received one of those emails, and I was flicking through everything so fast that I… I just don't know."

" Dammit , Bea!" he yells down the line at me. "How could you be so fucking stupid!"

Sniffling, my bottom lip trembles as I pick up the tequila glass. "I guess you're right… I am fucking stupid." I end the call, sliding the cell across the bar, then let out a long breath. "Well, tequila, old girl. Guess it's just you and me tonight," I mumble, then finish the drink with a tilt of the glass.

With my brother and Loki more than a little annoyed at me, I only have myself to blame.

Because, quite simply, I might have completely ruined us all.