Ari and Zac

Chapter 17: The Voice

Chapter 17: The Voice

"It's been a week, Zac. We're running out of time."

Grandfather squatted down in front of the wicker sofa where Zac sat. Zac pretended to study one of the couch cushions, tracing the faded blue and white stripes with his thumb. He knew his grandfather had a point. The SirenSong IPO was less than a month away. If Dominick Torrent succeeded in taking his company public, he'd be unstoppable. The capital infusion from the IPO would be the final nail in the coffin, and there would be nothing anyone could do to bring real music back from the grave.

The Disruption needed to act. Now. They needed a game-changer—and they needed it fast.

"I know," Zac responded, meeting his grandfather's steely grey eyes. "I'm making progress. I know I'm on the right track."

A groan sounded from the house's front doorway. Zac swiveled his head to see Cyrus, flushed and disheveled.

"Cy? What happened?" Grandfather asked. "Counter-disruption?"

Cyrus nodded. He panted, placing his hands on his hips as he struggled for breath. "Spotted at least five or six of them. They're multiplying."

Grandfather cursed under his breath.

"Did they follow you?" Zac sat up straighter on the couch. "Did you lead them back here?"

"No!" Cyrus strode across the living room and sat down heavily beside Zac on the couch. "I shook them for now, but it's only a matter of time. They know we're based in Seabreeze Point. We need to get out of this town!"

"And go where?" Zac protested. His heart thrummed uncomfortably at his cousin's words. He knew it was more than the mission, filling him with dread at the mere mention of leaving town.

It was her. Ari. He couldn't leave here. Not just yet. Not when he was so close.

Zac had seen her every night this week, and he couldn't stop thinking about her during the daylight hours either. What was it about that girl? There was something so mysterious about her. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he'd never known another girl quite like her.

She had this hard outer shell. It came across as standoffishness at first, but Zac recognized it for what it was: a defensive wall, carefully constructed to protect herself from intruders. He had yet to penetrate the barrier completely, but he could sense the soft vulnerability beneath. He'd seen flashes of it, more and more each night they spent in each other's company. He just needed to keep pressing, gentle but firm, a little further every time they were together...until she gave him what he wanted.

Everything he wanted.

Zac turned his head to hide the flood of color to his face. He didn't want his cousin to suspect his train of thought. He had no business feeling half the things he felt for Ari. His job was to capture a recording of her voice. Period. Anything beyond that was a means to an end, and nothing more.

"I still say we gave up too soon on Atlantic City," Cyrus mumbled.

"Are you kidding me?" Zac struggled to keep his voice calm. "We've already been down that road, Cy. You know it's a dead end!"

"Maybe we didn't look hard enough. Maybe Mae's still there."

Grandfather paced the room, lost in thought as Zac and Cyrus bickered. Zac could tell from the look on his face that he was strategizing—weighing all their options. If their hunt in Seabreeze Point turned out to be a bust, there was only one other fallback plan: an aging Korean K-Pop star by the name of Mae Song Yee.