Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 51193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
“Call him,” Taylor says. “Or text. What’s the worst that can happen?”
He could tell me to fuck off. Like I did to him.
It feels weird to hang out with the girlfriends of Jamie’s friends, but I enjoy being around them. Jamie respected my wishes, and he hasn’t called or texted in over a month. I know what I said, but a small part of me had hoped he’d at least try.
Bex and Taylor fill me in on everything I missed. I already knew about Jemma being pregnant since I’m her Kappa Delta Big Sister. From the sounds of it, Jamie has a lot going on.
I want to reach out to Jamie.
I miss him so damn much.
But I’m so afraid he’ll hurt me again.
Chapter Nineteen
Jamie
I hear someone shout my name from across the street. Looking over my shoulder, I find Tucker with his arms raised above his head to flag me down.
“I have to get to class,” I call over to him.
He lowers his arms to his sides and shakes his head. “No, get over here.”
“I can’t. I’m gonna be late.”
“It’s important.” Tucker motions for me to meet him in front of Penn Hall.
He looks serious, so I hurry over to the other side of the street. “I can’t be late. What’s up?”
Tucker hands me a crumpled slip of white paper. “I got The Queen’s e-mail address.”
I snatch it from his fingers and stare down at the address in surprise. “How did you get it?”
“Someone who gives her info had it.”
I raise an eyebrow. “And how did you get it?”
He shrugs. “You know me. I have my ways.”
“Are you sure it’s legit?” Tucker nods, and I continue, “It could be complete bullshit.”
“Trust me. This is her e-mail address.” He slaps me on the back. “Now, go find her.”
“This might not be enough,” I admit.
He shoves his hands into the pockets of his track pants and shrugs. “It’s better than nothing, right?”
“Yeah. An e-mail is a start. I’ll see what I can do.”
He tips his head at me. “Get to class. I’ll see you at the house.”
I flash a quick smile. “Thanks, Tuck.”
He spins around, his arm raised in the air to wave. Instead of heading to class, I practically run toward my house. Five minutes later, I’m sitting in front of my desk. The four computer monitors come to life when I hit the mouse. Each screen has different programs and browsers open. I choose the one on my left and type so fast the keys bang.
First, I try an e-mail trace, but as I expected, the IP address leads me nowhere. It’s the same result I get every time. So, I go back to the third monitor on my desk and open the tab for the dark web chat room where I first found my lead.
Before The Queen came into my life, I considered myself more of a Red Hat hacker, a vigilante of the hacker world. I used tactics such as forcing another hacker to upload malicious code to shut down their system. I did it to Cece at the Gamer Nation Con. But lately, I’ve gone over to the dark side. I have become one of them—a Black Hat, the people I try to stop—and she made me do it.
I hate to even ask Maverick for a favor because I know what owing him means. But I have to know the identity of The Queen. My fingers hover above the keys, nerves shooting through my body. I hope this is worth it. Whatever price I have to pay better lead me to her.
The green cursor blinks against the black screen, and bile rises from my stomach, choking me. I met Maverick years ago after he beat one of my dad’s games. He was the first person to do it. My dad was in shock that he whipped through all fifty-seven levels in less than twenty-four hours. I was even more impressed. It had taken me two weeks to accomplish the same feat. Since then, we’ve become friends, mostly online. He helps me when I’m in a jam, but he never works for free.
I considered asking him for help months ago, but I wasn’t ready to pay the price. Now, I have no choice. For my sanity, I need to know the identity of The Queen. I have to look her in the eyes and say Game Over.
* * *
I rush into the bedroom Tucker shares with Trent, bursting through the door. Standing in the entryway, I stare into the dark room, tugging at the ends of my hair.
“Ever heard of knocking?” Tucker growls.
His girlfriend, Sam, pulls the blankets up to her chin, so I must have interrupted something, but I don’t care. I finally found The Queen and all because of Tucker’s tip.
As I enter the room, my eyes adjust to the darkness. “I did it,” I tell him.