Kyle was looking around my house, his eyes flitting over everything. Almost as if he were cataloging. Remembering.
“No, I just need to rest,” I replied sharply, hoping he’d get the point. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but I wasn’t above kicking him out if need be.
“Sure. Yeah, I get that.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He was a ball of nervous energy. Like a cat ready to pounce. It set my teeth on edge. “I guess I should get out of your hair, then.”
“I don’t want you to get what I have,” I explained in relief.
Kyle raised an eyebrow. “You wanna know about the email probe I made to read Patty’s email? I used file protectors to get past the antivirus and everything.”
I widened my eyes in surprise. “That sounds pretty complex. How’d you figure out all that?”
Kyle shrugged. “It was easy. Holt’s security really is shit. Todd should be fired.”
I smiled grimly. “I won’t argue with you there.” I had a sinking feeling in my gut. “You need to be careful poking around the system right now. Particularly with everything going on with the hacker—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” He waved away my concern. “It’s crazy the things people send emails about on their work account. There are some really stupid people in our office.”
His attitude was bothering me. “Reading people’s emails will get you fired, Kyle.”
Kyle rolled his eyes. “Hey, you were the one who showed me how to script a phishing campaign.”
“I didn’t expect you to use it on our coworkers,” I argued. “Don’t make me throttle your bandwidth usage.”
“Yeah, well, because I was monitoring the emails I got a front-row seat as Chuck freaked the fuck out over the latest network hack.”
I sat up straight. Kyle had my attention. “What?”
“Yeah, he’s pissed. And Todd is freaking out,” Kyle said with amusement.
“When did this happen?” I demanded.
“Last night. Like you said, it was just poking around. Nothing major. But it’s obvious Todd’s job is on the line because he can’t seem to keep this person out.” Kyle laughed, clearly enjoying it.
To him it was exciting.
To me it was further proof of violation.
I felt the target on my back. The noose tightening.
“They want you to know they’re watching,” Kyle remarked offhandedly. His words chilled me.
“What do you mean by that?” My voice was high-pitched. A little shrieky.
“I meant they want all of us to know they’re watching. Not you specifically. Chill out, Hannah.” Kyle gave me a strange look. “Why would anyone be watching you anyway? Do you have something to hide?” He grinned, his eyes narrowed. “I bet I can figure it out,” he taunted. He took a step toward me. Kyle stood close, our feet touching, toe to toe. Kyle wasn’t that tall but I had to look up at him, which I didn’t like. “I can figure you out. It wouldn’t be that hard. You try to hide, but there’s no point with me. I can always find you.”
My innate paranoia had me scrambling. Did my low-tech work buddy know something? Rose had said my name was being thrown around in open forums. Had Kyle stumbled onto something?
Shit.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” My throat felt tight. I didn’t like how close he was. He was in my personal space. Kyle loomed over me.
“I think you do, Hannah.” His eyes drifted down to my mouth, his lips parting. He leaned in even closer, his cheeks flushed.
Was Kyle going to kiss me?
What was going on?
I stepped backward so quickly I tripped over my feet, almost falling over. Kyle’s cheeks flamed bright red, his eyes flashing at my obvious rejection. The vibe between Kyle and me had changed and it now teetered on horribly awkward.
“Uh, Kyle, I think you should go.” I didn’t mean to sound rude, but Kyle had just tried to kiss me. I didn’t know what to do with that.
Kyle had always acted like a slightly obnoxious younger brother. I had never gotten the impression he wanted more than friendship from me.
But now, in my home, out of our usual comfort zone, things felt very different.
And my friend Kyle wasn’t acting like himself at all.
“I’m sorry. I guess I should have called before showing up unannounced,” he stated stiffly. He was clearly upset. But he also seemed angry. And it was the anger that worried me.
I needed him to leave. I didn’t want to hurt him, but I also couldn’t deal with any of this right now. Not with Mason coming over. Not with the exploit looming.
Kyle and his unrequited feelings couldn’t be a factor in anything.
“About that…I don’t remember giving you my address.”
“You didn’t. I hacked into the HR system and found it.” He was so blasé. As if he cracked security systems every day.
Kyle had always been amateur at best. When had he acquired the knowledge needed to hack the HR system without my help?
“Since when can you do something like that?” I sounded belligerent. I didn’t care.
“You’re not the only one with secrets, Hannah,” Kyle snapped.
“I don’t have secrets. Why are you acting like this? It’s weird, Kyle.”
“I’m not acting like anything. Maybe you’re the one who’s being weird. Did you ever think about that? Ever since you got with this guy you’re with—”
“We’re friends, Kyle. That’s all we’ll ever be. You get that, right?” I didn’t mean to be hateful, but I wanted him to understand that very important point.
“Yeah. We’re friends,” he said darkly.
“And hacking the HR system to look up my address sounds a lot like stalking. So stop doing stuff like that, or I’ll have to bust some kneecaps.” I tried to smile. To lighten my tone. I failed.
Kyle and I stared at each other for a moment before Kyle winced, seeming contrite. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have done that. Please don’t bust my kneecaps.”
“Ask the next time you want some information. I may give it to you.” I put my hand on his arm and began to steer him toward the hallway. Then I pulled away. I didn’t want him to get any ideas. I would have to be very careful about not leading him on. The last thing I needed was for Kyle to think he had a shot.
“Maybe when you’re feeling better we could hang out. I could show you some stuff I’ve learned.” Kyle seemed so eager. But after his almost kiss, I was pretty sure I didn’t want to spend any alone time with him.
“I’ll be back at work tomorrow. You can show me then.” I opened the door, a blast of chilly April air hitting me in the face.
“Oh, okay. Sure.” Kyle hesitated before walking outside. “Sorry for showing up like this. I just wanted to see you…to make sure you were all right.”
I patted his shoulder. “I’m fine, Kyle. I appreciate the thought. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Kyle continued to stand on my front stoop as if there was more he wanted to say. I didn’t particularly want to hear it.
“Bye,” I said brightly, all but shooing him away.
“Bye, Hannah.” I ignored the way he lingered on my name.
I was relieved when he turned to walk down the path toward his car. I quickly closed the door, tempted to lock it behind me.
My email pinged a few minutes later. The encrypted account.
From: [email protected]
Subject: Ready
Date: April 05, 2016 16:23
To: [email protected]
Friday night.
Toxicwrath was almost ready.
I would be too.
Chapter 19
Hannah
Mason was right on time.
I had heard his car pull up five minutes ago but he hadn’t gotten out yet.
I peeked out from behind the curtain to see him sitting in the driver’s seat.
What was he doing?
I thought about going out
to greet him but decided against it.
I’d wait.
I was good at that.
After Kyle’s strange visit I had spent the remaining hours until Mason arrived prepping the hash script. Testing and retesting in the sandbox. Finalizing the SQL injection, making sure it was perfect.
I felt prepared.
Kyle and his attempted kiss wouldn’t mess with my head.
I was good at blocking out most external distractions.
But Mason was coming over.
And he had made focusing difficult.
I had tried texting him earlier. Nothing much, just a simple Can’t wait to see you.
He had never responded.
That was unlike him. He usually texted me back, even if it was hours later.
And now here he was, sitting in his car outside my house, not making any move to come to the door.
Finally, after another couple of minutes, he got out. I backed away from the window, the curtain falling back into place. I checked my reflection in the hallway mirror as I waited for the doorbell. My hair was smooth. My makeup subtle.
I looked good, if a little on the tired side, which could easily be explained by my “hectic work schedule.”
It felt like an eternity until Mason rang the doorbell. He didn’t seem to be in a hurry tonight.
I felt a pang of alarm, which I immediately quashed.
Wearing my brightest, happiest smile, I opened the door.
It instantly fell away.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Mason wasn’t smiling. His eyes were dark and hooded, his mouth unyielding. He didn’t seem glad to see me at all.
“Hi,” I said softly, moving to the side to let him in.
After a brief hesitation, Mason entered the foyer. He handed me a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
“Oh my goodness, Mason, they’re gorgeous!” I exclaimed, unable to curb the unabashed girly glee at receiving them.
“Thank you!” I enthused, putting an arm around his neck and tugging him down to my lips. He kissed me but it was lukewarm.
He stood there, not moving. “Are you going to take off your coat?” I asked, but he didn’t respond. What was wrong with him?
He had brought me flowers, after all. That usually meant something, right?
Affection.
A pleasant regard.
Why, then, was he refusing to look at me?
“What’s wrong, Mason?” I asked, clutching the flowers to my chest like a shield.
“I bought you flowers. Not roses, because you don’t seem like a woman who would like roses. You’d want something special. Unique,” he said, still not looking at me.
“That’s true. I don’t like roses. See how well you’re getting to know me?” I took his hand; his fingers were limp in mine.
“Am I?” he asked, his words hard, clipped.
“Are you what?” I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t like it. Mason’s energy was wild. Angry.
I didn’t understand.
It worried me.
It excited me.
“You don’t work at Western Railways.” His eyes finally met mine. They burned straight into my soul.
I swallowed thickly. “What are you talking about?” I had covered my tracks carefully. I had the emails to prove my fake employment. I had added myself to the company website. If he looked, he should have found me.
“I called, wanting to send those to you at work, since you had to stay late.” He indicated the now-smooshed blooms. “I spoke with a very lovely lady at reception. Tamara was her name. She thought it was sweet that I wanted to send flowers to my overworked girlfriend.” I couldn’t breathe. The more air I sucked into my lungs, the more light-headed I became. I felt as if I were watching a car wreck in slow motion. I was the car and Mason was the brick wall I was about to slam into.
“She said that there was no Hannah Whelan who worked for Western Railways. And definitely not for the CEO.” Mason hurled his words like knives. Now I understood his anger. I had lied to him. He felt betrayed.
Which was understandable, because I had betrayed him. I had lied to him.
Now he knew it.
I had planned for every possible scenario in order to maintain my cover as the beleaguered assistant to a CEO. Except for the human one. Mostly because I had been overly confident. Arrogant. I had thought I had him outsmarted.
I hadn’t thought a bouquet of flowers would bring my story tumbling to the ground.
“Mason—” I reached out to touch him. I had to think up an excuse, and quick.
I felt him retreating.
He was protecting himself. His heart.
From me.
I felt panicky.
Mason held up his hands, warding me off. “Don’t, Hannah. Just don’t. I should have listened to my instincts. I knew there was something off about you. About this.” He waved his hand between us.
His instincts?
I had thought I was being so careful. What reason had I given for him to doubt me? I started to second-guess myself. It was a slippery slope to total destruction.
“Please, let me explain,” I pleaded, reaching for him again.
He was backing toward the door. He wanted to leave. To run away. I couldn’t let him do that.
“This job has taught me not to trust people. And this is why. They always disappoint you. The ones you think are the good guys can be the bad ones all along.” He shook his head. “I didn’t want to be disappointed by you, Hannah.”
This was going badly.
I had to salvage it.
Quickly.
“I was fired, Mason,” I blurted out.
Mason looked at me, disbelief clear on his face. “You were fired?”
I nodded. “Just after we met. I was embarrassed because it took me awhile to find work and I didn’t want you to see me as an unemployed schlub.”
Would he buy it? Did I sound genuine enough to fool him?
The pang of guilt was back.
Lying to Mason was harder than ever.
For a brief moment I thought about telling him the truth.
Maybe not all of it. Not the parts where I was a wanted hacktivist whom he was trying to bust, but the bits about where I worked. What I did for a living.
The real details about Charlotte.
“So you have a job now?”
Truth or new lie?
At this point the truth would be easier to keep track of. I was starting to lose all the threads.
“Yes. I got a job awhile ago at Holt IT Solutions. Nothing fancy.”
Mason shook his head. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
I could tell he wasn’t entirely buying my story.
But he wanted to.
“Tell you what? That I was fired by my asshole boss? That it took me weeks to find something else? Why would I tell the incredibly sexy”—I took a step toward him—“successful”—one more step forward—“amazing man I had just met something like that?” I craned my neck to look up at him, appreciating his height. His strong shoulders. The chiseled curve of his jawline.
I wanted to touch him. The fire in my belly was burning hot. I reacted to him in such a physical way. It was overwhelming.
“I wanted to impress you.” I licked my lips. His eyes followed the movement. His cheeks were flushed and I knew that, in spite of his better judgment, in spite of that voice that told him not to trust me, he was caving.
He was affected by me.
He couldn’t help himself.
That’s what I had always counted on.
Yet I felt bad about it now. About using his feelings for me to ensure his pliability.
I wished that I hadn’t used machinations to make him so vulnerable to me.
I longed for something real.
It’s too late for that now. I’ve come too far to go back.
“You do impress me, Hannah. I don’t care about what you do for a living. I care about the person you
are.”
I lowered my lashes and bit my bottom lip. “I was scared you’d walk away before I ever had a chance to know you.”
“Hannah,” he breathed. He gripped my upper arms in his hands. “You need to be honest with me. Always. This won’t work unless you are. You don’t need to hide things.”
“I’m so sorry.” I wrapped my hands around his. Holding him while he held me.
“Where were you today, then? If you weren’t working late, why did you cancel our plans?” The accusation was out of his tone. Now he just sounded worried. Perplexed.
Inquisitive.
I scrambled for a reason that would make sense. Something that wouldn’t lead to a dozen more questions, a hundred more lies to remember and keep straight.
“I planned to go see Charlotte,” I said quickly, saying the first thing that came to mind.
“You could have just said so. I would have understood,” Mason admonished. There was still a defensiveness there. I knew he was struggling with how much to believe. I had chipped away at his trust. I had to mend the rift. I couldn’t risk the chasm growing.
“I know. But I don’t always like talking about my sister. Especially since your brother…” I let my words trail off, their meaning clear.
He understood. His hands squeezed me. I felt the tension of his fingers under my hands.
“Come with me to see her,” I said without thinking. “Not tonight. But sometime soon.”
Mason gripped my chin and tilted my head up. He held me firmly. His eyes heated.
I saw the last of his doubts fall away.
“You want me to come meet your sister?” His blue eyes softened. He wasn’t angry. Not anymore. And while there was still a wall as a result of my deceit, I knew in time I could dismantle it again.
“Yes, I do. I think she’d like you.” I smiled, knowing it was true. Mason was just the sort of man Charlotte would adore. He was handsome. And kind. And smart.
“Hannah, I’m honored you’d want me to meet her.”
I touched his cheek. “I’m sorry I lied to you, Mason. It was wrong. And silly. My pride made me make a stupid decision. I hope you forgive me.”
Mason closed his eyes briefly and when he opened them again, he looked troubled. My stomach lurched. “I have to be able to trust you, Hannah. It’s the most important thing to me. With what I do for a living, I’m trained to be suspicious of everyone and everything. I’m always looking for ulterior motives. I can’t be looking for them in my girlfriend.” He dropped his hands from my arms and took a step back. “I need this to be safe. You and me. You get that, right?”
Exploited (Zero Day #1) Page 23
