“Tell me what youthinkis going on.”
He looks at me strangely.
“Will you tell me the truth?”
I nod. “As much as I can,” I say.
“You’ve already proven your hacker skills. Do you work for the government, or are you a private contractor?”
His face screws up at the latter. He always was ethical.
I smile.
“Iworkedfor the government,” I admit. “I retired, although I probably now owe them a huge favour or three.”
Elijah sucks in a breath, and I smile.
“Don’t worry, that’s on me. Personally, what we uncovered may win me brownie points with the powers that be. If the threat is as large as I think it is, the damage we’ve preventedis exponential. This would have left businesses vulnerable and affected the stock market. They may be owing me.”
Elijah crosses his arms over his enormous chest and scowls.
“I’m being serious.”
“So am I.” I sigh. “I’ve worked for the government for the past fourteen years. Give or take a few months. Fifteen if you count the training they sent me on.”
Elijah’s eyes widen as he takes in my words.
“I don’t?—”
I offer him a small smile.
“No, I don’t suppose you would.” I get up and put some distance between us before turning to face him. “I got myself into a bit of bother in our final year. Wasn’t as careful as I should have been.”
A wrinkle appears between his eyebrows.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m a hacker.” I fold my arms over my chest, mirroring his stance. “Always was, or at least I was, from the moment I began coding.”
His frown deepens, and I laugh.
“Why do you think I was so good at writing the code for Frazer Dawson Cyber Security, uncovering loopholes?”
Understanding crosses his face.
“When I hit eighteen, I decided to use my skills to build a life for myself and Mum. University was me cleaning up my act, learning to use my skills, shall we say, more productively?”
I stop.
“If you cleaned up your act, what changed?”
Shit!I can’t sayit was you breaking my heart that caused me to relapse.
I have no one other than myself to blame for my carelessness.
I sigh.
“I hacked into places forshits and giggles. The challenge,” I say, skirting around his question. “I’d tag wherever I went, leave a calling card. I never took anything or did any damage. It was the thrill of the experience.”
