Chapter 9

NINE

B rianne stood in front of the full-length mirror in her brownstone, barely recognizing the woman staring back at her. Gone were her usual casual-chic jeans and graphic tees. In their place, she wore a black crop top adorned with neon circuit board patterns, paired with high-waisted leather pants that hugged her curves like a second skin. Her blonde hair, usually styled in loose waves, now sported electric blue streaks and was pulled into a messy, edgy updo.

"Well," she muttered to herself, applying a final swipe of metallic blue lipstick, "if this doesn't scream ‘I hack computers for fun,' I don't know what does."

She thought about the kiss with Reid. God. She'd had so many dirty dreams, she had to take a cold shower. He'd invaded her sleep and refused to leave. His big, hard body and that mouth.

Her phone buzzed with a text from Reid: I'm outside. Ready?

Brianne took a deep breath, steeling herself for the night ahead. She needed to stop thinking of getting Reid naked and focus on the plan. This wasn't just another night out at a gaming convention. They were about to infiltrate an underground hacker den, all in the hopes of finding a lead on her stolen game prototype. The gravity of the situation hit her, sending a shiver of excitement and fear down her spine.

"Game on," she whispered, grabbing her bag and heading out the door.

Reid Parker's sleek black car idled at the curb, its tinted windows reflecting the neon signs of the Brooklyn night. As Brianne approached, the passenger door swung open, revealing a transformed Reid.

Gone was the impeccably tailored suit and tie. Instead, Reid wore dark jeans, a fitted black T-shirt, and a leather jacket that accentuated his broad shoulders. His usually neatly styled hair was artfully tousled, giving him a roguish look that made Brianne's heart skip a beat. Aw, hell. There went not thinking of getting him naked. If Suit Reid was hot, Relaxed Reid was sinful. The wolfish grin he gave her made her knees shake.

"Wow, you look hot," Brianne blurted out before she could stop herself. "I mean…You clean up nice, Mr. Security Expert. Or should I say, you dirty down nice?"

Reid's lips quirked in an I'm gonna eat you alive smile she wanted to put to the test. "Hot?"

She blushed. "You know what I mean."

His eyes roamed over her face and settled on her mouth. She licked her lips and his gaze shot up to her eyes. "I'll take that as a compliment. You look... different."

"Different good or different ‘did you lose a fight with a neon sign'?" Brianne asked, sliding into the passenger seat.

"Definitely good," Reid replied, his eyes lingering on her for a moment longer than strictly necessary. "You'll fit right in with the crowd we're about to meet."

As they drove through the streets of Brooklyn, tension built in her stomach. "So, run me through the plan one more time," she asked, fiddling with the zipper of her leather jacket.

Reid's eyes remained fixed on the road, but his voice was steady and reassuring. "We're going to The Neon Nexus, an underground club known for its... eclectic clientele. It's a hotspot for hackers, gamers, and anyone involved in the less-than-legal side of the tech world."

"Sounds charming," Brianne replied. "And how exactly did you find out about this delightful establishment?"

"I have my sources," Reid answered. "The important thing is if anyone knows anything about your stolen prototype or The Glitchers, they'll be here."

Brianne nodded, her mind already racing with possibilities. "And our cover story?"

"We're a couple of freelance coders looking to make some connections," Reid explained. "You're the tech genius, I'm the muscle. If anyone asks, we've worked on some... morally ambiguous projects in the past."

"Morally ambiguous, huh?" Brianne grinned. "I can work with that. Though I have to say, you make a pretty convincing tech genius yourself in that getup."

Reid chuckled, a rare sound that sent warmth through Brianne's chest. "I'll leave the tech talk to you. Just try not to go too deep into the gaming jargon. We want to blend in, not stand out."

"Please," Brianne scoffed. "I can talk circles around these script kiddies without breaking a sweat. You just worry about looking pretty and intimidating."

As they approached their destination, the streets grew darker, the neon signs more frequent. They pulled up to an unassuming brick building, its windows blacked out. The only indication that it wasn't abandoned was a small, pulsing blue light above a heavy metal door.

"This is it," Reid said, killing the engine. He turned to Brianne, his expression serious. "Remember, we're here for information only. If things go south, we get out. No heroics, no risks. Understood?"

Brianne nodded, suddenly very aware of how close they were in the confines of the car. "Got it. In and out like stealing a rare item in a stealth mission."

Reid's eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not sure I followed that reference, but I'll trust you know what you're doing."

"That's the spirit." Brianne grinned, trying to mask her nerves with humor. "Now, let's go mingle with the digital underworld, shall we?"

They exited the car and approached the door. Reid rapped on it in a specific pattern, and after a moment, it swung open. A burly man with more piercings than Brianne could count eyed them suspiciously.

"Password?" he grunted.

Brianne stepped forward, channeling all her confidence. "The firewall burns at midnight," she said, reciting the phrase Reid had given her earlier.

The bouncer's expression didn't change, but he stepped aside, allowing them entry. As they passed, Brianne couldn't resist adding, "By the way, love the hardware. Very Y2K chic."

Inside, The Neon Nexus was an assault on the senses. Pulsing electronic music throbbed through the air, accompanied by the clicks and beeps of dozens of computers and gaming consoles. The walls were covered in graffiti-style artwork depicting famous hackers and video game characters. Holographic displays floated in the air, showing scrolling lines of code and fantastical digital landscapes.

Brianne's eyes widened as she took it all in. "Holy motherboard," she breathed. "It's like Tron and Blade Runner had a baby, and that baby threw up all over a LAN party."

Reid leaned in close, his breath tickling her ear. "Focus, Brianne. We're looking for anyone who might have information about The Glitchers or your prototype."

Brianne nodded, scanning the room. Her gaze landed on a group huddled around a table covered in high-tech gadgets and multiple screens. "There," she whispered, nudging Reid. "I recognize a few of them from online forums. They're big players in the hacking scene."

They made their way through the crowd, Brianne acutely aware of Reid's presence behind her. As they approached the table, one of the hackers looked up, his eyes narrowing.

"Fresh meat," he sneered, his voice carrying over the music. "What brings you to our humble abode?"

Brianne stepped forward, summoning all her gaming bravado. "Just a couple of coders looking to level up our game," she said coolly. "Heard this was the place to be if you wanted to... push the boundaries a bit."

The hacker leaned back, studying her. He was young, probably early twenties, with neon green hair and more piercings than the bouncer. "Is that so? And what kind of ‘boundaries' are we talking about here?"

Brianne smirked, falling easily into character. "Oh, you know, the usual. Firewall breaches, data extraction, maybe a little corporate espionage on the side. Nothing too crazy."

The green-haired hacker's eyebrows shot up. "Bold claims. Got anything to back that up, or are you all talk?"

Brianne's mind raced. This was the moment of truth. She glanced at one of the screens on the table, recognizing the code displayed. "Well, for starters, your SQL injection attempt there? It's good, but it'll trigger any half-decent intrusion detection system. Now, if you nested your queries and used a time-based blind technique..."

She leaned over, her fingers moving across the keyboard as she demonstrated. The hackers crowded around, murmuring in appreciation as Brianne's code flowed across the screen.

"Holy shit," the green-haired hacker breathed. "Who are you?"

Brianne straightened, grinning. "Name's Pixel," she said, using the alias they'd agreed on. "And this strong, silent type is my partner, Bear."

Reid nodded, his expression stoic but his eyes dancing with amusement.

"Well, Pixel," the hacker said, extending his hand. "I'm Glitch. Welcome to the party. Looks like you might actually belong here after all."

As Brianne shook his hand, she caught Reid's eye. They were in. Now came the tricky part - finding out what these hackers knew about her stolen prototype without giving themselves away.

"So, Glitch," Brianne said casually, leaning against the table. "What's the hottest item on the black market these days? We're always looking for our next big score."

Glitch grinned, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Oh, you know, the usual. Corporate secrets, unreleased tech... but word on the street is there's something big coming down the pipeline. A game-changer, if you'll pardon the pun."

Brianne's heart raced, but she kept her expression neutral. "Oh? Do tell."

As Glitch launched into a vague description of a stolen game prototype that sounded suspiciously like her own work, Brianne felt Reid tense beside her. They were on the right track.

But before she could press for more details, another hacker at the table - a girl with purple dreadlocks and cybernetic implants along her temples - cut in. "Enough shop talk," she declared. "If you're really one of us, Pixel, prove it. Let's see you take on the VR challenge."

She gestured to a corner of the club where a group had gathered around a person wearing a VR headset, their hands moving frantically in the air as they navigated some unseen digital landscape.

Brianne hesitated for a split second before her competitive spirit kicked in. "You're on," she said, flashing a confident grin. "But fair warning - I've never met a game I couldn't beat."

As they moved toward the VR setup, Brianne felt Reid's hand on her arm. "Be careful," he murmured. "Don't lose sight of why we're here."

Brianne nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. "Trust me," she whispered back. "I've got this. Sometimes you have to play the game to win the prize."

With a deep breath, Brianne slipped on the VR headset. The real world faded away, replaced by a dizzying digital landscape. A neon-drenched cityscape materialized around her, skyscrapers twisting impossibly into the sky, their surfaces pulsing with lines of code.

"Welcome to the Grid," a disembodied voice announced. "Your mission: hack the central mainframe and escape before the system deletes you. You have five minutes. Begin."

Brianne's fingers flexed, muscle memory kicking in as she interfaced with the virtual environment. She sprinted down a glowing street, dodging firewalls that materialized as crackling barriers of energy.

"Watch out for the data streams!" someone in the real world called out.

On cue, rivers of binary code flooded the street. Brianne leaped, grabbing onto a floating platform. She swung herself up, narrowly avoiding digital dissolution.

"Nice moves, Pixel!" Glitch's voice cut through the simulation.

Brianne grinned, her confidence surging. She navigated through a maze of shifting corridors, solving complex coding puzzles that appeared as holographic displays. Her fingers flew, manipulating the virtual code with practiced ease.

"Two minutes remaining," the system warned.

The central mainframe loomed ahead, a towering monolith of pulsing light. Brianne cracked her knuckles. "Time to work some magic," she muttered.

She dove into the mainframe's defenses, her mind racing as she unraveled layers of security. It was like playing every hacking minigame she'd ever designed, all at once.

"Thirty seconds."

Sweat beaded on Brianne's forehead as she input the final command sequence. The mainframe's surface rippled, then shattered in a spectacular display of fracturing light.

"Mainframe breached. Escape route activated."

A portal opened before her. Brianne dove through just as the timer hit zero. The virtual world dissolved, and she found herself back in the club, surrounded by wide-eyed hackers.

"Holy shit," Glitch breathed. "That was... I've never seen anyone beat it that fast."

Brianne removed the headset, grinning triumphantly. "What can I say? I've got a way with code."

The room erupted in cheers and applause. Hackers crowded around, peppering her with questions and congratulations. In the excitement, Brianne's eyes sought out Reid.

He stood at the edge of the crowd, a mixture of pride and something else - something warmer - in his gaze. Brianne made her way to him, riding high on adrenaline and success.

"Not bad for a script kiddie, huh?" she teased.

Reid's lips quirked in a smile. "Impressive," he admitted. "Though I'm not sure I followed half of what you were doing."

"That's okay," Brianne laughed. "I'll teach you the ways of the code."

Maybe it was the thrill of victory or the way Reid was looking at her - like she was the most fascinating puzzle he'd ever encountered. Whatever the reason, Brianne found herself leaning in, closing the distance between them.

She rose to her tiptoes and brushed her lips over his. Their lips met in a kiss that sent electricity sparking through her body, more intense than any virtual reality. For a moment, the noise of the club vanished, and it was just the two of them. Then, he pulled her close, a soft growl sounded from him before he took her lips in a deeper, harder kiss. God.

Her body melted into his. Tongues danced together and her blood thickened in her veins. The way he owned her with the kiss proved to her that what she felt during their first kiss was real. His hands on her body were electrifying. Every place his big hands caressed tingled. Her need for more than a kiss made it hard to think. She gave as good as she got. Reid's kisses were like a claiming. A mark in her soul of his desire for her. She wanted him too. So bad. So much.

When they parted, both slightly breathless, Brianne grinned up at Reid. "Now that," she said, "was definitely a high score."

Reid's eyes flashed and she sucked in a breath. Jeez, this man was panty-dropping gorgeous even when he looked ready to eat her alive. He looked like he was having a hard time controlling himself. With his arms still around her waist, he licked his lips and glanced at her mouth. "I think we both won that round."

As they turned back to the crowd of hackers, now eyeing them with renewed interest, Brianne felt a surge of confidence. They were one step closer to finding her prototype, and she'd just unlocked a whole new level with Reid. She pressed herself closer to him and he groaned. "If you don't stop that, I'm going to have to cut our night short."

She licked her lips and met his gaze. "Do you promise?"

"Fuck, Brianne."