Finding Mayhem

by Layla Frost

When I reached the office where the security panel was, Danes tapped his foot impatiently. His gaze scanned me, looking for evidence that I’d gone Supermarket Sweep in those extra seconds I’d taken. As if I wanted any of his ugly shit. The silent accusation woulda pissed me off, but I had more important shit to focus on. I kept my emotions in check as I clicked around the control panel screen before taking out my cell and comparing it with the app Glitch had created. Our end showed everything was fine. What the fuck? Glitch is not gonna be happy. Another beep and flash. “Get it to stop doing that,” Danes ordered, his left eye twitching. “Gimme a second.” “Punch in a code or restart it or do something.” “You want fast, you need Glitch. He’s the nerd. But you’ve got me, and I need a minute.” The whole thing was acting odd. Settings toggled. Lights blinked even though nothing was being triggered. Screens changed when I wasn’t doing it. Another beep and another frustrated groan from the man lurking over my shoulder. Or under my shoulder since I had a good six inches on him in height. Probably a fuckuva lot more than that in another area. I wasn’t the one throwing my ego around ’cause I wasn’t the one compensating for something. “This is gonna take some time,” I told him. “Go grab a drink. Sit by the pool. Watch a movie.” Take a long walk off a short cliff. Play in traffic. Run with scissors. “I don’t have time. I’m hosting a party in four hours, and this can’t interrupt the ev...