The Love Hack

Chapter 14

When Lexi's Uber pulled up to the curb in front of her house, her eyes widened. The house was completely dead. She wondered for a moment if she pulled into the correct house before glancing over to the lawn and seeing red plastic Solo cups strewn everywhere. What happened?

She quickly made her way into the house to find a similar mess on the ground, the lights turned out, and the space void of any life. When she got to her room upstairs, she saw Mindy passed out on her bed and Cole was... hunched over her face? "What are you doing?" Lexi asked in a sharp whisper.

Cole jumped and turned his head like a deer caught in headlights. He quickly stood up straight and brushed his shoulder. "Nothing!" he whispered back just as sharply.

"Is Mindy okay? What happened? Where is everyone?" She motioned for her brother to follow her to the hallway so they wouldn't have to keep whispering.

"Yeah, she's fine. She just had a lot to drink. I was making sure she was on her side in case she threw up." Cole crossed his arms. "Where were you? I didn't see you dip out when the police arrived."

Lexi's eyes grew wide. "Police?"

"Yeah, we got a little too wild so they shut us down. Wait. You still didn't answer my question. Where did you go?"

"I went to the computer labs. I got an alert for suspicious activity and went to check it out."

"By yourself?" Cole bellowed.

"Shhh! You're going to wake Mindy up!" Lexi huffed before continuing. "Anyways, there wasn't anyone in there, so it was a bust."

"Lex, why didn't you tell anyone? That could've been so dangerous!"

"I texted Mom and Dad. But apparently, they were too busy working."

"Oh, please. They wanted a little getaway, so they rented a room at the W Hotel downtown for the night."

Grosssss. Lexi cringed and shook her head. "Thanks for taking care of Mindy, Cole."

Cole fidgeted and his voice cracked when he spoke, "Sure." He quickly cleared it before continuing. "Anyways I'm going to bed. I'm still a little drunk. We can clean all this up tomorrow. But seriously, Lex if you ever get an alert like that, you need to bring someone with you."

"Oh, come on. Admit you'd totally be jealous if I caught the guy without you." Lexi laughed but Cole didn't seem like he was in the mood to joke around.

He yawned. "Goodnight Lex. I love you." He went in to hug her and she took a step back.

"What are you doing?"

"Giving you a hug goodnight." He continued his approach and placed his arms around her while she stood there limply.

"Oh my God, you must really be drunk." She lifted an arm to pat his back and smiled when he turned and went to his room.

She brushed her teeth and quickly got into pajamas before tucking herself in next to Mindy.

"Cole?" Mindy asked before nuzzling her face into Lexi's arm.

"Ew. Mindy, no, it's me, Lexi."

"Lexi? Cole, where is Lexi? I need to tell her I found the murderer." Mindy whispered while her eyes remained shut.

Lexi giggled and snuggled into the blankets before turning off the bedside lamp next to her. "Goodnight, Mind. Let's catch up tomorrow. I want to hear all about it, and I have some things to tell you too."

"Night, C."

"See what?" Lexi asked but all she could hear were Mindy's snores. She scooted closer to Mindy and replayed the evening with Tom in her mind. She wondered what would happen if something more were to happen between her and the man she couldn't seem to get any distance from. While she knew she could never be so bold as to step over the line drawn, it was still running through her mind. What if?

While their conversation had gotten intense, she wanted to marinate on it for hours and dissect every clue as to how Tom felt about her. He seemed to be keeping his cards close to his chest, but for whatever reason, it hadn't held her back one bit.

Maybe I'm reading too much into things. He's eight years older than me and probably sees me as some kid. Still. Lexi knew there was evidence stacked against that thought. As with any case she was on, the evidence is what carried greater weight over any personal thought on the matter. His words and the look in his deep blue eyes had to be admissible in this scenario. Right?

Lexi shook the thought from her mind and told herself to stop flirting with him so brazenly. Better yet, don't flirt with him at all. Not only would his job be on the line if a whiff ever got out, but your family's livelihood also would be too!

Yet, that didn't stop her from imagining herself in Tom's classroom and listening to the soothing sound of his voice as she drifted off to sleep.

***

Lexi woke up the next morning to find Mindy still fast asleep next to her. She got up and tiptoed out of the room before making her way downstairs. Cole and her parents were at the dining table already eating breakfast.

"Hey guys," she said and made her way to join them at the table.

"Lexi!"

"There's our beautiful daughter!" Jason beamed as Lexi rubbed her eyes and yawned. She mustered up a small smile.

"How was the W?" she asked.

"It was fabulous! We did some work and then your father and I went to the pool, used the hot tub, and even went dancing! It was some much-needed time off," Scarlett said while plating some food for Lexi.

"What's this we hear about an alert you got last night?" Jason asked while looking over the top of his glasses that were halfway down his nose.

"Uh, yeah, it was nothing though. The signal died before I could even get there."

"You went there?" Jason took his glasses off and set them beside his plate.

"Yeah, Dad. But it's not a big deal. Like I said, I handled it."

"I don't like you going out by yourself. Especially so late at night," Scarlett said.

"Cole goes out late all the time for cases and you guys don't say anything!" Lexi clenched her fists and huffed.

"That's different. Cole knows what he's doing," Jason said before taking a bite of his eggs and putting his glasses back on.

"Are you serious? Well, I'd like to think that I've learned a thing or two and I can do something on my own."

"Of course, you can! We just want you to be safe, that's all," Scarlett said and gave Lexi a warm smile to which Lexi didn't reciprocate. Her mom was about to say something else but stopped when Mindy's voice was heard from the stairs.

"Guys! I'm never drinking again!" She stumbled over to the dining table in Lexi's cupcake print pajamas, likely changing into them before heading down. Her makeup was still smeared across her face.

Lexi giggled at the sight before her. "You okay, Mind?"

"I think my head might fall off my body. Also, can we turn the lights down? It's a little bright here."

Cole brought out a bottle of aspirin and water and set it down in front of her. "Here Mindy, take some meds."

"Our son is such a gentleman!" Jason said and patted Cole on the back.

"Yeah Cole, you're being really weird. What is up with you?" Lexi squinted at her brother who only looked slightly hung over with his hair disheveled and bags under his eyes.

He tucked his hands into his gray sweatshirt's front pocket before taking his seat across from her. "Nothing. I just understand hangovers, that's all." He shrugged and Lexi wasn't buying it. Something weird happened last night.

Everyone jumped as soon as the loud gasp that escaped Mindy's mouth landed on their ears. "Oh, my God!"

Lexi briefly put her hand to her chest to relieve the scare that shot through her. "What? What is it, Mindy?"

"Guys! I know who the ransom person hacker is!"

***

Make sure to turn on the kettle for the next one. Mindy's got some tea to spill! 🍵

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