ReBoot (MAC Security 4)

Someone taps me on the shoulder but I ignore them as I pass the meeting table and head over to the mats. I know my way around this whole warehouse like the back of my hand. As soon as I’m on the mats, I jump up high, bringing my knees up to my chest before crouching down and moving my hips to the beat.

“Evan!”

I sing the lyrics out loud—although I bet it sounds more like a scream in the warehouse with the way I imagine it’s echoing off the metal walls.

“I love this jam!” I scream, gyrating my hips faster as well as my shoulders, matching the beat.

“Evaaaan!”

My eyes spring open and I see Kay standing a couple of feet in front of me, hands on her hips but her lips spread into a big grin.

“Huh?” I ask, silencing the song and finally focusing on what she’s saying.

“We have visitors.”

“Visitors?” I ask, looking around and spotting two new faces sitting at the meeting table with Ty, Kitty, Luke, and Dean. “Oh.” I clear my throat, determined to style it out. “Sup?” I nod my head and relax my shoulders, moving one lower than the other before I swipe my hand under my nose, but I’m met with silence before they all break out into full raucous laughter—even Luke is laughing.

It’s not until I step toward the meeting table that I realize who the visitors are and my stomach dips as my temper flares. It takes a lot to get me to the stage where I get this angry, but seeing their faces has my hands clenching into fists and my chest rising and falling faster with rage.

“Evan,” Ty warns, standing up and walking toward me, stopping right in front of me and blocking my line of sight. “My office.”

I don’t move for several seconds, not quite believing who I’m seeing. I stare at them for several more seconds, my eyes narrowed.

“Now,” he grinds out.

I spin around and stomp over to his office, hating that I just danced around like a loon in front of them. This is going to be so much worse now.

“Why are they here?” I grind out.

Ty shuts the door as he steps inside and waves his hand at the sofa, but I shake my head.

“They’re here to help with the Le’Fraine case.”

“What? Why?”

“They’re the best at what they do, Evan. You know that.”

Goddammit! He’s right, but it doesn’t mean that I have to like any of this. As kids, I lived across the road from them and we were all best friends, but as soon as we hit high school, they became the cool kids and I became the nerd. That’s when the name calling started.

They didn’t mind having rides to and from school from my dad, but as soon as we got out of his car, it was as if they didn’t know me, as if we hadn’t grown up together as thick as thieves.

As soon as high school was over, they moved away and haven’t been back since. I know

exactly what they’ve been doing: working for an agency undercover.

“They’re working as con artists, aren’t they?”

“Come and find out,” is all Ty says as he holds the door open and walks through it.

It’s fine, Evan. It’s been a long time since you saw them. Maybe they’ve changed.

I take a deep breath and walk out of the office, over the mats and to the meeting table. West sits in my seat, leaning back with his hands laced behind his head. Tattoos covering every inch of skin that I can see apart from his face. His clear-blue eyes turn to mine as I get closer and he runs his hand over his dark hair that is cut close to his scalp.

“You’re in my seat, West.” I grit my teeth, waiting for him to move.

His eyes widen and a smirk kicks up the corner of his mouth before he chuckles and pushes back his chair.

“Sorry, Nevan.”