The ops room was buzzing with a kind of organized chaos. Aylin's fingers flew over the keyboard, code lighting up three screens. "I'm in their outer network. The firewalls are better, thanks to William, but they're still not enough."
She cracked the second layer in forty-seven seconds. Leo let out a low whistle from the weapons rack.
"Damn, girl. In front of you, my whole crew looks slow."
Aylin's teasing toned down, replaced by a razor-bright focus. "Your crew needs some coffee and way better firewalls."
Zayden stood behind her, his hands bracing the back of her chair, pride and something hotter in his steel-blue gaze. He leaned in, his voice low and flirty just for her. "Keep this up, hacker girl," he murmured, "I'll reward you later. Private suite. No clothes. No interruptions."
Aylin's cheeks went red, but she didn't miss a beat. "Focus, mafia king. Or I'll make your ringtone 'Baby Shark' on loop."
