Don't Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon Read Free Book Online

anyone to access the information, especially since he was on a forum created by some of the best tech minds in the world. The Quad was the online equivalent of a medieval fortress.
    Still, he was nervous about meeting Rain in person. He wasn’t even sure how old Rain was, or if he should expect a male or female. He kind of assumed it would be a guy, based on the /ALLIANCE/ demographic, but these days you never knew. They’d agreed to meet in Back Bay Station by the burrito cart. This late it would probably be deserted.
    He grabbed his ATM card and headed out. It took forty-five minutes to get there, mainly because he had to stop to withdraw the maximum daily amount to pay Rain. Five hundred dollars was a lot to ask for, but Rain was easily one of the best hackers frequenting /ALLIANCE/. Maybe even better than him, he was forced to admit. Plus Peter had the cash. Bob and Priscilla were kind of clueless about money, so his allowance was way more than what most of his friends got.
    Peter was more concerned about how Bob would react if he wasn’t back home by the time they returned, so he drove into town rather than take the T.
    He parked in a lot nearby and sat there for a second. This all felt very cloak-and-dagger, meeting a stranger late at night in a train station for a payoff. A small part of him was thrilled by it all. It had definitely turned out to be a more interesting night than he’d expected.
    He checked his watch; they’d agreed to meet at ten thirty, and it was a little before that. Peter got out of the car and crossed the street to Back Bay Station.
    A few homeless people were huddled near the entrance under makeshift shelters crafted from shopping carts and ragged, smelly blankets. Peter gave them a wide berth and tried to walk with a confident swagger. He wished he’d worn something other than his fleece and jeans; he felt hopelessly conspicuous and out of place. Where he lived was technically part of the city, but in reality it was more of a sheltered suburb. He’d been spending more time in Boston proper since Amanda started school at Tufts, but even then they mainly hung out on campus. This felt different, and Peter was suddenly hyperconscious of the wad of hundreds in his wallet.
    He shook it off, drawing himself up straight. This was Back Bay Station, not some dark alley. There had to be cops around; he just wasn’t seeing any.
    Peter walked in the front doors and stopped. It was cavernous inside, much bigger than he remembered. He had no idea how to find the burrito cart where they were supposed to meet.
    The tiled floor echoed under his feet as he wandered around. He went to a few of the platforms, but only saw a handful of exhausted-looking people, most staring at the ground, each clearly in their own world. No one who seemed to be waiting for someone.
    Back upstairs, he walked the length of the building, then took out his phone to double-check the time. Nearly eleven. He was frustrated, ready to give up.
    “Vallas?”
    Peter turned. He hadn’t known exactly what to expect, but it wasn’t this. Facing him was a girl with raven hair and enormous blue-green eyes. She looked like she was his age, or maybe a little younger. Pale skin, to the point where in this light she almost glowed. She had a MacBook Pro box tucked under her arm.
    Despite the crazy outfit she was wearing, she was gorgeous. He swallowed hard to fight the sudden dryness in his mouth.
    “Rain?” he managed.
    “Would anyone else call you Vallas?” she asked, blatantly examining him. Peter got the distinct feeling that he wasn’t what she’d expected, either, and not in a good way. “What’s a Vallas, anyway?”
    “It’s the name of my avatar in WoW.”
    She gave him a blank look. “W-O-W? Like, wow?”
    “No, not wow.” Peter felt slightly silly as he explained, “World of Warcraft.”
    “The video game?” Her eyebrows arched.
    “It’s an online multiplayer role-playing game,” Peter said defensively. Lots of the