“Oh, God,” Lindsey swallowed. “Did the worm get all the way back to us? Was the real code still in there? Did they—?”
Zach nodded. “They got it.”
Lindsey’s stomach lurched as she saw the pained look in Zach’s eyes. “We’ll fix it,” she said, reaching out for him. “We’ll turn them in. They should be prosecuted, right? If we sound the alarm they couldn’t possibly get away with actually using the code. Right?” she asked furtively. “Right, Zach?”
A bitter laugh dropped from Zach’s lips. “You know how paranoid I am, baby. I only kept one copy…and now she’s got it. It’s over.”
Chapter 26: Zach
“She lied to us,” Lindsey whispered, curling her long limbs around him.
Zach stroked the back of her neck with the tips of his fingers. “It’s easy to lie to you, Lindsey,” he said softly. “You’re good. It’s hard to lie to me. I’m a cynic.”
“No, you’re not,” she said, placing the palm of her hand flat over his heart. “You’re brilliant. Everything will all work out in the end. You’ll see.”
A baffled smile wandered across his lips as he lay in her arms. How did she do it? Lindsey remained positive even when he felt like a building had fallen right on top of him.
“I don’t think so, Lindz. God only knows who has our code and what they’ll do with it. There’s no way to fight it. If we turn them in, the dean will just deny it, and we have no proof. So, we’re stuck, and the world as I knew it is over.”
Lindsey sat up, her pale shoulders and breasts luminous against the sun-kissed warmth of his own skin. “Well, then, I guess we’ll just have to create a new world for you.”
“Like what?” Zach laughed.
“Dunno,” she answered, her lips curving into half a smile. “What did you like to do when you were a kid?”
“Read code.”
“Other than that, silly.”
“Alright.” Zach sat up next to her, pulling her torso close to his. “I really liked eating breakfast on Sunday mornings and watching cartoons.”
“Me too! Bugs Bunny?”
“Bugs was okay, but I was more of a Scooby-doo guy.”
“I could see that.” She nodded. “What was your favorite cereal?”
“I don’t really eat cereal.”
“What? Impossible. How do you feel about Rice Crispies?”
“What? No.”
“Cocoa Puffs?”
He shook his head and squeezed her closer. “Never tried it.”
“Wow, sheltered,” she said kissing his shoulder. “Okay, how about the grand-daddy, best sugary kid cereal of all time: Fruity Pebbles.”
He laughed. “No, baby, I’ve never had Fruity Pebbles, either.”
“Never? That’s criminal,” she said. “At least now I know what to get you for Christmas.”
Zach wrapped his arms around her shoulder and dropped his head into a corner of light that was stabbing through the blinds. “It’s another day,” he said in disbelief.
Lindsey turned to glare at the window, then kissed him gently on the shoulder, sending a tingle along his skin. “You know,” she said, “Kate says there’s nothing a long walk in the sunshine and a tall glass of water won’t fix.”
“Kate’s never really gone through hell, then.”
“Oh, she has,” Lindsey said, “she just always finds a way through…to see the good parts.”
“Okay,” Zach said. “I’ll bite. Like what?”
“Like…if this all hadn’t happened, we never would have met.”
“True, baby,” Zach said, running his hand gently up and down her thigh. “And, when I’m fired, the dean can’t bust me for dating a student.”
“See? There’s the spirit!” Lindsey laughed. “Like she has any room to judge.”
“I know, right? And, if we hadn’t met, I never would have cracked the code. I still feel kind of proud I did that.”
“You should.”
“You should, too. It’s your work that put us over the line. I just figured out how to put the pieces together.”
“Really? Ah, thanks.”
“I told you, Lindsey. You’re amazing. And, at least, you’ll get your degree, right? There is so much more in store for you...after this.”
“After this? I don’t want there to be an after this,” she said, her lips pouty. “I want to stay in this room with you forever.”
“If only that were possible,” he said, tilting her jaw toward his and kissing her tenderly. Her lips lingered against his for a long moment, then she slid her hand over his chest, pushing herself up and over him to straddle his waist. She looked down into his eyes as her hands grazed the smooth skin of his chest and abdomen below her, then she spread her hips wider, leaned in, and kissed him again. The warmth of her body made blood rush to his groin. He slid his hands around her hips and the back of her ass, and was about to drag her onto him fully when she pulled back.
“Wait,” she said. “Oh my God.”
“What?”
Lindsey put her fingers up to her mouth. “That code wouldn’t have been cracked without me?”
Zach frowned. “Right…”
“Am I a hired gun?” she asked, going pale. “Holy crap, I am a hired gun.”
“What are you talking about?” Zach said, gripping her hips so they remained still.
“For the dean!” she said, closing her eyes. “Maybe we didn’t mean to, but if I hadn’t helped, she wouldn’t have the code.” Her eyes shot open. “We have to fix it.”
He gripped her thighs and shook his head. “There is no we.”
Lindsey’s face dropped. “What? What do you mean there’s no we?”
“I mean, it’s my problem,” he said. “I’m responsible. Not you.”
Lindsey grimaced. “You can’t do that to me.”
“Do what to you?”
“I can’t earn my degree for something so awful. We created this problem together,” she said. “We should handle it together.”
He shook his head against the pillow. “Nope. No way. You need to go and do great things after this. I can’t…if I jammed you up I’d never forgive myself.”
“Now you know how I feel,” Lindsey said, crossing her arms over her bare chest. “I don’t want you to be jammed up.” Zach didn’t reply, and as the moment went by, Lindsey’s cheeks went pale. “Do you not trust me?” she whispered. “Still?”
Zach felt his heart clench. “No, I do trust you. I do.”
“Then let me help. We can figure it out,” she said, laying her hands gently against his chest.
Her eyes waited, wide and hopeful as they searched his face. “Alright, Lindsey. But no jeopardizing your future. Deal?”
“Deal!” She grinned. “So, what do we do now? Think...”
Zach ran his hands through his hair then lifted her up and over to the other side of the bed. “Alright, well, I can’t think with you on top of me.” He grinned, lifting her off.
“Fair enough.” She smiled, covering herself with the sheet and crossing her legs. “The sooner we get the code back, the sooner we can lay in bed for days. Do you think Blackburton already has it?”
Zach released a long breath. “Maybe.”
“Then let’s hack Blackburton.”
“We couldn’t do it fast enough. Plus, we don’t even know if they have it or where it’s stored.”
“What if we just talked to the dean? Maybe she doesn’t realize what she’s done.”
“Oh, she does. She’s a predator and we don’t have what she—”
“What?” Lindsey asked, her eyes wide. “What is it?”
His mind spun. “She never takes the first deal. She told me that.” He turned to Lindsey. “Maybe she’s holding it, waiting for the best offer?”
“So, let’s find a new way to hack her and find out!” Lindsey said, curling her limbs beneath her and sitting up.
“No, she’s too smart for that. No way would it be that easy. If you were surrounded by hac
kers, would you leave the file where they could get it? It has to be off network.”
“I see your point,” Lindsey said, slumping back down. “So we have a hacker’s dilemma: what do you do when you need a file that is completely off grid?”
“Keep it local,” Zach said, drumming his hands on the bed at the thought. “So, where would you keep it?”
Lindsey leaned forward and grabbed Zach by both shoulders, her eyes bright. “I have no idea,” she said, a grin spreading across her face. “But we know who might…”
Zach shot upright. “James.”
“Right,” Lindsey said. “And he doesn’t know we’re after him.”
Chapter 27: Lindsey
“You two live on top of each other?” Cedric asked, looking out the window and down to the sidewalk below. “That must be convenient.”
“Oh, the jokes never stop,” Zach said flatly.
“Let me have my fun, it helps me relax,” Cedric turned, revealing a t-shirt that read, ‘I love toxic waste’. ”Is he ever going to get here?”
Lindsey ungripped her phone to glare at the screen again. “Last text said he was on his way. Maybe he won’t show?”
“Oh no, honey,” Cedric said. “Not if he thinks a booty call is going down. He’ll crawl here on his hands and knees if he has to.”
“I guess,” Lindsey shrugged. “Oh! It’s him,” she said as her phone pinged. “He’s parking.”
Zach turned toward Cedric. “You ready?”
“I’ve never been so excited in all my life. But I still don’t know why you wouldn’t let me dress like a cop.”
“I hope that’s a yes,” Zach said, turning toward Lindsey. “You get the door, then leave it to us.”
Lindsey nodded and joined Cedric at the window. Her pulse raced as she saw James round the corner on the sidewalk below the building. He tucked a six pack under his arm and popped up his collar. “I don’t even like beer,” she mumbled.
“I’m sure it’s for him,” Zach said, walking up beside them and looking outside.
“Probably,” Lindsey said, her voice quivering.
Zach turned and looked at her, his eyes steady. “It’s all going to work out,” he said, putting his strong arms around her. Lindsey nodded into his shoulder, taking in the woody clean scent of his skin. As he gave her a final deep squeeze, she could feel the warmth of his skin pulsing through his sweater.
Zach pulled away and jerked his head toward Cedric. As the two walked toward her bedroom, Zach threw Lindsey a wink then ducked inside behind Cedric and closed the door.
Lindsey ran her hands down her jeans and looked at her front door. A knock came, sounding like the top of a bottle was tapping against the wood. With a final glance toward the closed bedroom, Lindsey opened the door.
James leaned against the door jam, a practiced look of boredom playing on his face. “Hey,” he said, jerking his head in an upward nod. “I’m here.”
“Yup,” Lindsey said, pulling the door open. “Lucky me.”
James breezed past her, the stench of booze trailing behind him. “Cute place,” he said, popping open his beer and taking a drink. “Want one?”
Lindsey shook her head. “Nope. Too early for me.”
“What?” he said, his arms wide. “It’s the end of the semester. Party time.”
“Sit down, James,” she said, motioning toward the sofa.
“Ooh, why?” James said, grinning and taking a seat. “Are naughty things going to happen to me here?”
“No,” Zach said, coming out of the bedroom. “But naughty things are going to happen if you don’t listen.”
As Cedric walked out behind Zach, James jerked his head from Cedric to Zach and back to Lindsey. Lindsey gave him a coy smile then locked the bolt on the front door with a decisive pop. James darted off the sofa, beer splashing across his shirt. “What the hell?”
“Sit down, pumpkin,” Cedric said, putting his fists on each hip like a super-hero. “The professor has something to say.”
Zach pulled a chair from Lindsey’s kitchen table and pulled it directly across from James. “Sit down,” he said quietly, glaring at James with unflinching eyes. James sank back into the sofa and tried to lean back, casually crossing his legs. “What’s up?” he asked.
Zach straddled the back of the wooden chair and leaned forward, his light eyes drilling a hole into James. “Are you familiar with U.S.C. 1029, James?” he asked.
James’ mouth dropped open an inch as a tepid laugh sputtered loose. “What is this? Did my frat put you up to this?”
“U.S.C. 1029,” blurted Cedric. “The professor asked you a question, sparky.”
“Screw you, Cedric,” James muttered.
“Lovely,” Cedric said. “I guess that’s that. I told you. He’s too dumb to help himself.”
James whipped his head around toward Lindsey. “What the hell? You invited me here for this bullshit?”
“You’d better listen, James,” she said, almost feeling bad for him. “If you haven’t guessed, you’re in some trouble here.”
Zach continued. “1029 is a federal law against the creation and distribution of codes that give hackers unauthorized access to computer systems. That’s federal, meaning federal prison time.”
Lindsey watched as James’ face faded from red to white. “I didn’t…what?”
“And,” Zach continued, “U.S.C. 1030 is another federal law which forbids access to government computers. I could go on.”
James shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment. “I don’t know what this is, but I haven’t hacked into any government systems.”
“We know that,” Zach said. “But the Feds won’t. They’ll only see the trail of code we’ll upload if you don’t cooperate.”
James turned again toward Lindsey, his face slack. “But I—” He shook his head. “What are they saying?”
“What we’re saying,” Cedric said, “is things are going to get pretty rough if you don’t finally get that self-righteous stick out of your ass.”
“James,” Zach said, holding up a hand, silencing Cedric. “We don’t want to hurt you. Really. But we know what you did with the dean.”
A car honked from the street below as James blinked and assessed his situation. He reached up and ran his hand down his beer stained chest before speaking. “She made me,” he said, curling his arms around his waist. “She was so aggressive. It was totally gross.”
“For God’s sake, not that,” Zach said, wiping his brow roughly. “You installed a worm in her system.”
James blinked rapidly. “Yeah, so?”
Zach pulled his chair closer and leaned in. “So, she back-doored us. She stole the code.”
James looked at him blankly. “So.”
Zach lunged at James, his chair flipping beneath him. “Dammit, James! You know what that code can do!”
Lindsey rushed over and put a calming hand on Zach. As her fingertips ran down the muscles of his back, she could feel his heart pounding. She took her other hand and put it on his forearm, holding him there until his breathing slowed.
After a moment, she picked up the chair with her fingertips and sat down next to James. “You have a plan, right?” she asked, trying to divert his panicked eyes in her direction. “After graduation? I looked at your algorithm,” she said. “It’s good.”
James blinked, then tried to swallow, his adams-apple bobbing in his throat. “Really?”
“Yeah, you can always sell it to someone else.”
“I tried,” he practically sobbed. “Graduation is almost here and no one was interested. The dean promised she had a buyer. I didn’t think…I—”
Cedric stepped forward. “I have a question. Did you at least get paid? Was it worth stabbing us all in the back to sell your silly equation?”
James didn’t need to respond. The sob that bubbled up his throat was response enough.
“Of course, not. Rookie,” Cedric blurted.
Lindsey gave James a calming look. �
��It’s okay,” she said. “What good is a stack of cash if the world goes to hell, anyway, right?”
James shrugged. “Philanthropy. You can’t help people until you have money, Lindsey.”
“Not true,” she said, reaching out for his hand. “You can help right now. It’s not too late.”
A boozy hiccup escaped from James as he looked at Lindsey. “How?”
“You set up her systems, right? Does she keep one at her house?
James nodded. “In the den. But you can’t hack in, it’s offline.”
“Let us handle that,” quipped Zach, his arms crossed near the window.
“What about my algorithm,” he asked, his eyes flooding. “Can you get that back too?”
Lindsey jumped as several knocks hit the door. “They’re here.”
Zach looked at his watch. “Bedroom,” he said, “keep them out of here.”
Lindsey nodded then opened the front door.
“Hey, Lindsey,” Heather said, sweeping into the room carrying several garment bags, followed by Brie and Taylor. “I thought you’d never call us.”
“Sorry, been busy.”
Heather looked over the scene in the living room. “I guess,” she said, her eyes darting from face to face. “Hey, Professor Wheeler,” she smiled.
“Let’s go in the bedroom,” Lindsey said quickly.
“Oh,” Brie said, fluffing her hair. “James is here too. Hey, James.”
James swallowed. “Hey.”
Lindsey walked to her bedroom door and opened it. “In here,” she said. As the three girls followed her inside, she gave Zach a nod, then shut the door.
“Professor Wheeler, huh?” Heather whispered to Lindsey, unzipping the top of a garment bag. “You are a smart bitch.”
“He’s just my professor,” Lindsey said, wishing she could still hear the conversation in the living room.
“Whatevs. Your secret’s safe with us. You are going to love this one,” Heather said, pulling out a white dress. “It’s one of mine.”
“I brought one, too!” Brie said, holding up another garment. “And so did Taylor.”
Loving Lindsey (An American Dream Love Story Book 2) Page 13
