Jane's a teenage weirdo. She's awkward, plain, anxious, and above it all, a hacking prodigy.
Ryder's the quintessential high school hero, or so it seems. Dark secrets that threaten their lives are uncovered when Jane decides to snoop into Ryder's...
"Yeah, well, turns out the 'mole' is Victoria's dad. She's been lying to me all this time," Jane's voice cracked a bit at the end.
"How did I never see it before?" Ryder smoothed his hair back, thinking. "It makes sense. The police department fired a lot of cops after my dad pulled funding. Watson Allyson was one of them. Nobody's seen him in years."
"Wait," Jane's mind was dulled from the drink, but one thing still stood out to her, "He was fired?"
Ryder nodded, opening a bag of crisps. "Yeah. We all thought he and his family left town, after that. Victoria must've just been a kid when that happened. Everyone lost track of her."
Jane drew her knees up against her chest, resting her chin on them. She wasn't surprised. She'd gotten used to being lied to. In all likelihood, taking down Jackson was probably part of some scheme of Watson's to get back on the police force.
Thunder roared from somewhere overhead. Jane was too tired to be startled. Her eyelids weighed heavy, burdened by the excitement of the day. Narrowly escaping capture and committing petty theft had taken their toll on Jane.
"Ryder?" her voice was soft, slurred somewhat by the drink.
"Hmm?" he intoned, mouth full of greasy potato.
"Can I sleep next to you?" Jane asked.
She didn't want to hear the gunshot in her dreams anymore.
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"Jane, wake up," Ryder hissed, his voice tight and urgent.
The rain had weakened to a drizzle, leaving only a damp cold in the air. Jane raised herself from the floor, wiping drool from her mouth. "What? What is it?"
The sun had evidently set as she slept, and only a thin sliver of the road was visible through the glass of the van.
"Stay low," Ryder whispered, "they found us."
Keeping on all fours, Jane crawled to Ryder's side of the van, peeking out the same window he was.
A familiar shock of greasy hair was striding towards them. Ice gripped Jane's heart.
"Ryder!" Grease-ball shouted. The pistol in his hands was freshly oiled, and shined under the streetlights. "Come out! We know you're in there, and the boss-man's lookin' for ya'!"
Ryder cursed under his breath. They had found them sooner than he'd thought. The situation was entirely out of control.
A knock resounded from the driver side window. Jane yelped in surprise as another thug peeked through the glass, the tip of a gun pressed against it. They were surrounded at all angles, boxed in with no way out.
Ryder's hand turned Jane by the shoulder. Before she could react, his lips met hers, fierce and hungry.
The kiss was over as quickly as it had started. The lines of Ryder's face, intensified by exhaustion and hunger, were all the more pronounced as he clenched his jaw.
