For The Win (Gamer Girls, #6) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,162

the only way to get ahead. The rules are a shackle. They're made to keep the masses in line, but the elite don't obey them. It should reward risks, penalize playing it safe, and convince people to ask why they accept the things they do. Why is Robin Hood good but theft is bad? Why can men sleep around but women get called sluts? Why do we think the way we do, and what happens if we dare to challenge that?"

"That's it," Chance breathed.

Dez just pointed at the door. "Braden, make her put it on the board. Tell the team we just found it. Silk Underground: Operation Rebellion. Let's convince people that it's time to rise up."

"I told you she's amazing," he said.

Chance chuckled. "And you didn't even come close to explaining how impressive. Welcome to the team, Rhaven. Once that's on the board, you two go home and be cute or something?"

Chapter 53

That night, Rhaven went home and set up her new laptops. Braden moved around the furniture in his office so she could hook up her desktop as well. The strange thing was that it was kinda nice. There was something about how he just made space for her in his bachelor pad that felt wonderfully permanent. And this place was definitely the home of a formerly single man.

Then there was Dammit, his cat. The grey tabby was a pest, but in the best way. First off, he had an obsession with the bathroom. If anyone walked into one, he had to run to beat them there. Clearly, the cat believed that toilet time was petting time. He also loved keyboards. Braden had a broken one on the counter just to keep his cat from lying where he was trying to work - but the man adored his pet.

The moment they got home, Braden called his cat, picked him up, and loved on him. Anytime he walked past Dammit, Braden paused to give him a rub. Something about that suited this man in a way Rhaven hadn't expected. Even better, the cat didn't hate her. Granted, he wasn't completely convinced that she was ok, but if she headed to the bathroom, he was willing to race there too. It only caused her to trip the first time, thankfully.

While they worked, they talked. Not just about the job, but everything. Favorite pizza, how to fit another dresser in the master bedroom, whether or not he should redecorate now that he had a girlfriend - which she stopped quickly - and more. There was something so easy about being around him. Something that felt almost natural.

The next day, they headed in to work together, and she worked by his side, slowly but surely picking up what she needed to know. In the process, she found far too many things that she didn't know how to do. Coding a complete video game was nothing at all like making a mod. At first, the process seemed overwhelming, but as the days went on, she began to get it.

On her third day at Deviant, Braden had her work with Jeff to see how the objects in the game were made. He walked her through the sculpting process, then the transfer of that code into the game, and how to make the world see it where he wanted. In the afternoon, she headed over to help Sam with character attire, which included clothing, weapons, and armor. And the next day she kept going.

Every time, Dez showed up at the end of the day. Sometimes, Chance was there early, but his schedule seemed to be completely random. When Friday finally rolled around, Rhaven felt like she actually had a clue as to what she was supposed to be doing. But the development team didn't get weekends like most people, so her week wasn't quite over.

But when Rhaven showed up on Saturday, the warehouse was scrambling. Beside her, Braden paused to watch for one second, then snagged the first person he could: Amy.

"What's going on?" he asked.

She looked over at Rhaven. "It's KoG. They've got everything about you. I'd say you've been doxxed, but - " Rhaven's phone rang, making her pause, but then she kept going. "It's all old news. Your address in Montana, your deadname, and so on. There are pictures, though, Rhaven. You at a gas station, a grocery store, just normal things, but too many of them, and it's not on our forums."

"Where?" Braden demanded.

"Twitter, mostly," Amy said. "Reddit's got it too,