Read Online The Haunting of Secrets by Shelley R. Pickens - Free Book Online

has
cemented them to their chairs. Leah sighs heavily; she’s had about
enough caring for one day.
    “You guys gonna sit there and stare at me all
night? Because I have work to do and I need to get back to it.”
    Logan gives her a quizzical look as he leans
in closer to her, their arms almost touching. “Work huh? What kind
of work is so important that you forget to live? I’d sure be
interested in that. Wouldn’t you, Tyler?” Logan asks as he glances
at his companion sitting next to him.
    “Yep, super interested actually. So what has
you so enthralled on that computer, Leah?” Tyler asks moving his
chair closer to her.
    Exasperated, Leah folds her arms over the
computer, hoping that the boys would just leave. “Well, it’s none
of your damn business so you two can just forget about what I’m
working on and leave.” If only it were that easy.
    “Oh come on! Tell us. Is it another program
like you created for Daniel to help when he played HALO? That was a
sweet setup.”
    Appeased by his words, Leah relaxes a little
since her programming abilities are something she’s actually
willing to discuss. “That was nothing really, just a simple gateway
to go around the programming and help him win. It made him happy so
that is...was all that mattered.”
    “Don’t sell yourself short, Leah, that was an
amazing program you gave him,” Logan interjects steering the
conversation away from Daniel. “Are you working on another one? Can
I see it?” he asks, moving his hands towards Leah’s computer to
lift up the screen.
    Leah stops him before he has a chance to peek
at what she’s been working on. “Just gathering some information on
people at our school, nothing cool. But if I do another program
like that, I promise to send it along to you, ok? For now though, I
need to get back to work.”
    “Okay. But in the meantime, remember that
we’re all here for you if you need anything,” says Logan.
    “You don’t have to go through any of this
alone,” Tyler assures her.
    “I know and thanks for offering, boys, but
I’m going to be fine.”
    “Well, we’ll leave you to it then. We’re glad
to see you doing better,” Tyler says as he pushes himself out of
the chair and moves to give Leah a hug.
    Leah allows this, grateful to share some of
her unspoken grief with him. She puts her arms around Tyler and
holds on tightly, absorbing as much of his strength as she can
before she once again has to do it on her own. Tyler doesn’t move
to end the hug until she’s ready. After a bit, Leah breaks away,
sits back down into her seat and opens up her computer, effectively
dismissing them both from her thoughts.
    Leah clandestinely watches as Logan and Tyler
make their way out of Starbucks and get into a car parked just out
front. Why the sudden interest in her and the work she does? When
Daniel was alive, they never cared that much. Huh. Maybe her grief
is making her see things that aren’t really there. Leah turns her
attention back to her screen, the strange conversation with Logan
and Tyler all but forgotten. Refocused, she continues her work on
finding out who killed Daniel. Revenge is all she has time for now.
And revenge she will have. It’s never a good idea to piss off a
hacker. Especially not one that’s hacked into secret documents
housed in the Pentagon—twice.
     

 
    Chapter
Twelve
    ~ The Battle Within ~
     
    I wake up in darkness. I’m sweating and have
no idea where I am. A loud scream comes from across the room. It’s
close. The sound excites me. I slowly rise from my perch in the
corner and make my way across the room. The floor is wet and cold
on my bare feet, but it only exhilarates me, makes me feel more
alive. I look down and see the knife in my hand, turning it over
and over again, the cold steel calming me. Up ahead a soft light
comes into view. Moving closer, I see her lying in the middle of
the bed. Her arms and legs are tied up and all she has on is her
underwear. She’s whimpering in