Page 67 of The Monster I Am
“Do we know what the dispute was about?”
“No,” I answer. “It wasn’t relevant apparently—just that we were expected to continue to defend Willowbrook’s honor.”
Bexley raises an eyebrow. “We don’t even know why we hate each other. Just that we should?”
“Yep,” I sigh, then chuckle. “And then you came along and shattered the decades-long illusion.”
“Oops?” She offers dryly. “My bad.”
I throw her a smirk, suddenly flipping her onto her back as I cover her body. “Oh, yeah,” I mumble sarcastically, pressing my lips to her neck. “I can tell you’rereallytorn up and feeling guilty about it.”
Chapter twenty-one
Bexley
“Now this little unicorn is the crème de la crème of tracking systems. Even if your phone gets turned off, it will show your last location and record your movements leading up to the shutdown. The system will then automatically estimate your current whereabouts based on prior speed, direction, and nearby landmarks of interest.”
The level of excitement on Tai’s face should be clinically studied. He hands me back the device with a shit-eating grin, clearly proud of himself.
“It sounds good in theory,” I laugh, glancing at the screen. “But if someone is clued onto the fact this exists, they might change the route.”
“True,” he agrees. “But I’ve synced you up to my app. I’ll get a notification the moment your phone turns off. So, don’t forget to charge it. I can’t be held responsible if it dies and I burst into your room in the middle of the night.”
I cock an eyebrow, amused. “Oh, yeah—totally doesn’t seem like an excuse at all for midnight cuddles.”
Tai gasps dramatically, placing a hand on his chest. “Bexley, I’m a gentleman.”
“Bullshit.”
“Anyway,” he says, chuckling. “If you hit the side power button three times in rapid succession, it will also send out an emergency alert. I’ve also programmed codes into the app so that if your route is flagged as unusual activity, I’ll be notified.”
I nod. “Three times—got it. Do I get to follow you in the app too?”
“Aw,” Tai grins, placing his hands on my waist. “Do you want to stalk me, baby?”
Subconsciously, I find myself glancing toward the classroom door, checking for the fifth time that it’s securely closed. Lesson learned.
Tai and I hung back after graphic design so he could set this little tracker up. Ry had taken the liberty of filling the others in on my feelings of paranoia. To my relief, Tai or Hunter didn’t think I was being ridiculous either. That should worry me but I’m just glad these lovable idiots are on my side now if danger is lurking around.
Speaking of the other two, they are on the way to the warehouse to set up for tonight. Both seemed way too excited about it, but I quickly realized when I scanned the fight list that Perkins had been conveniently added to the schedule. I also can’t help but notice that somehow—probably a little birdie named Archer—has paired him with Parker of all people.
Actually… scratch that. I suspect this might have been a team effort. But if I had to guess, the decision extended beyond sole Cedar Heights involvement.
Parker would have definitely offered to take one for the team, but given how open the guys are starting to become with chatting with my people, I wouldn’t put it past them to have done a littlegroup project.
Millie is on the card tonight as well. She’s ecstatic, of course. That’s just what we need… the two siblings fighting on the same night. I bet the energy in their house will be electric later.
“It only seems fair that I get to stalk you too,” I smile smugly. “Add the others as well.”
Tai leans over, tapping my screen to bring up a map. “Already done,” he beams, and my eyes home in on the multiple blue dots. Two are together at Willowbrook while another two hover in the middle of Ridgeview Valley at the warehouse.
To my surprise and appreciation, a few more dots are on the map too, and when I click on them, I realize they are my friends.
“You can also add photos so their heads bobble on the screen for easy recognition,” Tai informs me, showing me the settings.
“Do I have a bobble head on yours?” I ask.
Tai pulls out his phone, opening the app. The map pops up and immediately I get my answer.
