Glitch (Next Level Book 1)

I was so happy. For a whole three days, I was the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. And now comes karma’s painful balance.

I stare at the message again. “If you don’t come back to me, I’ll make sure everyone knows what a disgusting slut you are.”

Jason could post this on porn sites. He could send it to anyone I might try to do business with.

I don’t care about my body being on display. I paint myself naked all the time. And porn is porn, but that’s not what bothers me. It’s that he’s violated my privacy. Stole private moments to use against me. It could cost me everything I hold dear.

It could cost me Glitch.

He has no reason to believe me when I say I didn’t know Jason recorded all this. And I can’t even figure out how he did it. But the angle of each video is almost the exact same, and that’s when it clicks. My blood runs cold. “Take me home.”

Glitch hasn’t said a word. He strangles the steering wheel while he drives, and I’m scared I’ve already lost him. I’m a mess. No one wants a drama-infested dumpster fire for a girlfriend. It’s too much.

I’m too much.

When Glitch leaves me, I won’t blame him.

I squeeze my eyes shut. Breathe, Ara. Hold it together.

We’re at my apartment in less than five minutes. I can’t believe I live so close to his sister. I’m not sure what to say or how to act or what to do, so I go with, “I’m sorry.”

“Stop. Apologizing.” His voice is intense. Dark. Strained. Glitch hasn’t looked over at me since we got back in the car.

“I…” Stop apologizing. He’s right. I didn’t do this. I did nothing wrong. And I’m not saying sorry on behalf of a bastard who I hate and who’s actions I have no control of. I just need to figure out how to make it not get worse. “Will you come up with me?”

Glitch fumbles with the door handle, his gaze still deadlocked straight ahead. I think he’s glitching, and it makes me feel worse. He hates this as much as I do.

His gait eats up the asphalt as we head to my apartment. Glitch swings the lobby door open for me and takes the steps fast, leaving me several paces behind. I only half expect Jason to be waiting at my door, a smug smirk on his stupid face because he thinks he can best me. Maybe Glitch expects him too, with how fast he makes it to my door.

But Jason’s not there.

“Open the door, Ara.” Glitch’s voice is still strained. He still won’t look at me.

Why won’t he just look at me?

I shove my key in the lock and my hands shake too much to make it work right. He places his hand over mine and whispers, “Relax. Breathe.”

I’m not even sure if he’s saying it to me or to himself. Probably both. I let out a long exhale and turn the key. The door opens. My home is quiet.

Empty.

Glitch storms into my bedroom and rips the laptop off my desk. Holding it under his arm, he heads back out and I panic. “Where are you going?”

“Get in the car.”

“But where are you—”

He stops short. “I’m going to find out how he did this. Then I’m going to ruin him.”

He’s not even joking.

We head to Glitch’s in dead silence. I’m scared he’s going to end this with me. I’m scared my reputation will be destroyed somehow. I’m scared for things I’m not even sure I understand. My head won’t stop overthinking. I’m angry and tired and fed up.

Glitch gets out of the car and storms over to my side. I barely get the door open when he swings it the rest of the way. I climb out. His grip on my laptop is so strong, I swear he’s going to crack the case. Before I can take one step, he kisses me. Hard. Fierce.

It resets my brain. Reassures me that we can handle this nightmare.

If he kisses me, it means he’s not going to run, right?

“Come on,” he growls, but his tone isn’t nearly as deadly anymore. It brings me a little relief. We enter his house, and I follow him into the living room like a lost puppy. He storms through it and takes the steps up to a spare bedroom where three massive monitors are lined across a desk. He boots up all the machines and plugs in my laptop.

There’s so much going on, I’m not sure if he’s booting up a laptop or a launching goddamn space shuttle.

Glitch opens another sleeker laptop and does something else with that one. Suddenly all this code shows up on the screens.

“Will you take me to his house?” He asks while clicking away. Five screens are now going at once, all with different codes and shit. I can’t make sense of any of it.

“I don’t know where he lives anymore.” That’s the truth. “He was supposed to relocate to Alabama for his job, but I’m not sure what happened. He’s still around, but… not at his old place anymore. I saw a for sale sign on it a while back saying it was sold.”

“Okay.”

That’s all he says. Okay. Like it’s no big deal. Not a problem. Totally fine.

His fingers fly across two keyboards at once. Jason’s photo shows up on the far-right screen. It’s from his work badge. Oh my God, did Glitch just hack into Jason’s company’s database? All these other thumbnails start to pop up on another, but I don’t look at them.

I hug myself and turn away. I can’t stomach seeing that asshole’s face, even in a photo.

“Jesus.” Glitch shoots up from his seat so fast, he knocks his chair over. His fingers fly faster across the keyboards. It sounds frantic and chaotic.

And methodical.

I keep my back turned. My palms are so sweaty. I don’t know what he’s found, but it’s set him off. I can feel the tension roll off Glitch, but I don’t make a peep. And I’m too scared to look.

More clicking.

“He put a program on your laptop,” Glitch says calmly. “It records even when the screen is off.” He clicks more buttons. Types more things. Cusses a lot more.

“He gave me that laptop,” I explain. “After he kicked my gaming computer and broke it, he gave me the laptop as an ‘I’m sorry’ present.”

Glitch’s shoulders tense, but he doesn’t stop typing. I can’t bring myself to look at the monitors, so I focus on Glitch. His eyes dart from one screen to the next, his face glowing from the different screens flashing.

It’s scary and hot seeing him work like this. I suddenly don’t care what he’s doing, I just don’t want him to get caught. Because I’m not going a day without this man, mark my motherfucking words.

He shoves back from the desk and slams my laptop closed. The monitors all turn off. “Let’s go.”

I follow him. “You found where he lives?”

“Yup.”

“And we’re going to go there?”

“Yeah.” Glitch stops. “Unless you don’t want to come with me? But until I get a security system on your doors and windows and in your studio, I really don’t want you at either place alone.”

This can’t be happening. Cool night air hits my face as we step outside. Glitch hadn’t parked in his garage. He parked in the driveway this time. I’m almost to the car when my phone rings. I pull it out of my back pocket as dread coils in my gut. Unknown number.

Glitch’s deep voice shoots confidence down my spine. “Answer it.”

I refuse to give Jason my fear. Or my pain. I refuse to give that jackass one more ounce of my energy. I hit the answer button and say, “Go fuck yourself, Jason.”

“Ara, listen to me, baby. I won’t post the video, I swear. I just sent it to you so you’d answer your phone and talk to me. I miss you so much, I’m dying inside.”

“You’re sick. You’re a sick, twisted—”

“Jason,” Glitch says after taking the phone from me. “It’s nice to finally talk to the man who ruined his chances with my Ara.”

My heart’s in my throat. I’m dizzy and frazzled.

“Thank you for the video compilation. My girl’s fire, isn’t she? She’s fucking hot when she touches herself.”

I hear a door slam on the street. Next thing I know, Jason’s storming across the cul-de-sac, cell phone still up to his ear.

Oh my God, he must have put a tracking program on my laptop too!

I’m going to be sick.

Glitch hangs up my phone. The smile he’s wearing is nothing short of feral. He’s not at all shocked to see Jason here. 

“Ara,” Jason barks, looking half-crazed. Dressed in a suit, his tie loose around his neck, shirt untucked, he stalks closer. “I need you, baby.”

I step back. “Jason, you need to leave me alone.”

His face contorts with anger. “You need to do as you’re told and get the fuck over here.”

Glitch steps between us. “Come near her,” he warns, “and I’ll tear your goddamn face off.”

Jason’s got this awful, smug, shit-eating grin on his face as he strides over to us, raises his fist, and swings at Glitch.

I’m so stunned, I can’t move.

Glitch doesn’t block the hit. Doesn’t duck. Doesn’t even rock back when Jason clocks him in the face. “She’s mine.” Jason barrels into him, roaring like a maniac, driving Glitch backwards. He swings out again, only this time Glitch doesn’t give him another freebie. He blocks the punch with one hand, and cold cocks Jason in the jaw with a hard left hook.

Jason drops instantly. His head hits the ground, skull smacking on the cement.

“Holy shit!” I hope he’s not dead. Glitch can’t go to jail for murder. I don’t know what to do! Bending down for a better look, fear spikes my bloodstream when I see blood.

“Don’t touch him, Ara.” Glitch pulls his phone out and calmly holds it up to his ear. “I’d like to report an assault.” He gives the location and steps back a few paces. I can tell he’s furious and ready to snap. He hangs up after answering several questions, and then the flashing lights appear minutes later.

Cops arrive and take our statements.

“We were on our way out when Ara’s ex came out of nowhere and attacked us.”

One cop asks, “Do you want to press charges?”

Glitch looks over at me, giving me all control. I know he’ll respect whatever I decide. My stomach clenches. I can’t believe this just happened. “Yes.”

I absolutely want to press charges. And when I see the red mark on Glitch’s face start to swell, I wish I could murder Jason for hurting him. For all the shock, anger, and nausea rolling through me, having Glitch stand strong at my side, remaining calm with the cops and being a rock for me, gives me strength.

Glitch holds the laptop under his arm as he laces his freehand with mine. His squeeze reassures me.

“I have video of the attack if you want it.” Glitch points at the surveillance cameras he has set up that I never even noticed.

“Yeah. That’ll be a help.” One of the police officers hands him a card. “Email me the clip. We’ll be in touch.”

They take Jason away in an ambulance.

And that fast, my ex is gone, and the cops drive away.

They don’t know about the stalking. They don’t know about the video clips Jason made of me. They don’t know about anything except Jason showing up and attacking Glitch. There’s a reason Glitch didn’t say anything more to those cops. And I let him take the lead on this because I’m not sure what to do and I have no clue what else Glitch saw when he’d hacked into Jason’s stuff to find him. All I know is Glitch is protecting me. From what, I’m not even sure anymore.

Fucking Jason.

I look at the laptop under Glitch’s arm. Rage consumes me and I rip it away from him. Holding it over my head, I smash the fucking thing against the curb, over and over and over. I bust it to pieces until it’s scattered over the sidewalk. Then I stomp on it. Scream at it.

It doesn’t help make this awfulness go away.

“Ara.”

I feel sick. “What did you see?”

Glitch doesn’t answer at first.

“What else did he do?” I scream.

“He had underage porn on his computers,” Glitch says cautiously. “Both at home and his office.”

Glitch’s reaction upstairs now makes more sense. All those thumbnails…were they pics of what Glitch is talking about? I fear so.

Staring at the pieces of computer all over the ground, I spit on it and stumble back. I need a shower. I feel disgusting. “What are we going to do?” We have to report it. But if we report it, we’d have to admit that we hacked into Jason’s stuff. I don’t want Glitch in trouble.

I also don’t want Jason to get away with what he’s done.

This is a nightmare and a half.

Glitch stands stiff as a board. “I’ve locked his computers both at home and office so he can’t get into them. I’m going to anonymously report him to the Cyber Tipline and give them the new password to his computers. They’ll have to investigate it and see for themselves and take it from there. I can also follow up with the Chief, just to make sure Jason doesn’t slip through the cracks and get away with anything.”

“You won’t get in trouble for hacking?”

“I’ll make sure I don’t. Since his kid comes to my shop every day after school, we’re friendly and he respects me. The Chief’s not going to bust me for this if I’m helping him put a monster like Jason behind bars, but I’ll be cautious about my report to him just in case. First, let the Cyber Tipline do their job. It might be all that’s needed to put Jason away for a good long while.”

I shake my head because I no longer trust myself to speak.

While Glitch makes the call and reports it, my heart lurches in my throat. I’m shaking and numb.

I dry heave on the curb.

“Shit.” Glitch is on me in an instant. “I’ve got you.” He holds me tight and eventually we make our way back inside his house. I just want this horror erased from my brain. At least Jason is going to jail. I hope he’s never acted on his…

I run into the bathroom and dry heave again.

Glitch barely makes a sound as he holds my hair back for me while I retch in the toilet. Once I think I’m able to stand, I splash cold water on my face while he rubs small circles on my back. “What about the video of me?” It feels stupid to ask in the grand scheme of things.

“Taken care of.”

“How?”

“Erased.”

I whole-heartedly believe him. Glitch wouldn’t lie and he wouldn’t leave any loose ends. I brush my teeth and splash water on my face again. How did this go from the best day to the worst night ever? “I’m sorry everything went sideways.”

What am I even doing?

“Ara.”

I squeeze my eyes shut. The way he says my name breaks my heart. I’d do anything to re-write the past hour.

“Ara.” He spins me around and I feel like I’m shriveling. “Heyyyy,” he says in this deep, wonderful tone. Glitch dips his head down so he can capture my gaze.

My fists clench his shirt and I jerk him forward until our mouths collide.