The screen glowed in the dim light of the garage, the cryptic message still displayed.
"See you soon."
Kian leaned back slowly. "Okay. Time to stop dancing around it—who is this guy?"
Vale hesitated. Her fingers hovered above the keyboard, but her mind was somewhere far behind—three years back, to be exact.
She had been just fifteen. Smart, bored, and too curious for her own good. Back then, coding wasn't just a hobby—it was her escape. She used to sneak onto underground forums, play around with puzzle-like security systems, trying to break through for the thrill of it.
That's when she met someone.
A username: ZeroedOut.
At first, it was just a playful rivalry. He cracked systems, she outsmarted him. They traded firewalls like challenges. But then he pushed too far—hacked into a corporate security vault and tried to rope her in.
When she refused, he turned on her.
She reported him anonymously, made sure the system logged his ID.
He disappeared.
Until now.
"Kian," she said quietly, "the guy messaging us—ZeroedOut—I think I turned him in years ago. He was dangerous even then."
Kian looked at her. "And he's back for revenge?"
She nodded. "He must've figured out it was me. And now he's coming after Lila to get to me."
Kian's brows furrowed. "So what do we do?"
Vale took a breath. "I get ahead of him. I trap him in his own game."
"But that's risky."
"I know," she said. "But I've got a firewall stronger than before. I've been prepping, just in case."
He watched her closely. "You've lived a whole double life, haven't you?"
Vale gave a half-smile. "Guess the painting girl wasn't the biggest surprise, huh?"
"No," he said. "But every piece I see just makes the puzzle more worth solving."
Something warm bloomed in her chest. He didn't flinch. He didn't walk away. He was still here.
She turned back to the screen, hands moving quickly. "I'm going to build a honeypot system. Fake data, fake files, but just enough to pull him in. Once he's in, I can trace his real location."
"And then?"
"Then I call in someone I know. Someone who owes me."