“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.
