Four months. I have four months to put an end to all this. Maybe less if I can, to save Lex from that place and from himself. From his defense mechanisms that’ll leave nothing behind.
And I know exactly how to do it.
The one thing that can get him out.
The last fucking resort.
Our only chance.
“Can you meet me at the bar where Steven took us the other day?” I ask Oli.
“The one with the Lego wall?”
“Yes. Meet me there in four hours. We need to talk.”
Chapter 09
“You want towhat?!” Oliver blurts out.
“Shh!”
Looking around at the bar’s patrons, I make sure no one’s paying attention. Out of precaution, we left our phones in our respective cars. The place is loud enough to mask whatever we’re saying, but one can never be too cautious.
“I want to do a huge hit. A massive fucking hit in Nammota’s name.”
“You’re crazy.”
“Think about it. If I manage, they’ll have to let Lex go. And if they don’t, his defense has an inarguable proof that they have the wrong guy, since Nammota was active while Lex was in jail.”
He doesn’t answer, dumbfounded. “But you don’t know how to hack. At all.”
“I mean, I worked in cybersecurity before Kelex. I know some things, theoretically.”
“It’s not the same.”
“I know that, and I never said it would be easy. But I have access to Lex’s Nammota computer,” I confess.
“You do?”
“Yeah, I didn’t have the heart to destroy it. There’s a whole protocol in place in case the feds get near it. So I have it all. I won’t start from nothing. I have all his past works, scripts, programs… I’ll learn from the best of the best.”
Oli considers this new information for a moment, his brows twitching as he does. It’s crazy. I know it. But it’s the only sure thing, my only guarantee he’ll get out. I owe it to him. I have to get him out of the mess I put him in.
“I have four months. But I want to do it quicker. As quickly as possible, really.”
“Four months isn’t enough as it is, Andy. Not if you have to learn new skills. Not if you have to come to work and not raise suspicions.”
I grimace. I’ve thought about this during the ride between Sheridan and here. I can’t do it all, no. Like he said, even four months is stretching it. I’d need to work on it eighteen hours a day. Not just to pull off the heist but also to reach Lex’s flawless execution. Nothing can tie the hit back to me, or him, or anyone.
“That’s why I need your help,” I tell Oli. “I need you to teach me a few things, so I don’t waste too much time figuring it out by myself. I’ll do the rest, but I can’t do it all so fast.”
“What about work?”
“I’m close to a burnout as it is, so I don’t think it’d be too hard to get a mental health leave. Plus, we work for Lex’s best friend, so I’m sure Kev would support it.”
Oli takes a sip of his beer and sets it down, pensive.
“I know I’m asking you a lot, Oli, so I’ll understand if you turn me down. I don’t expect you to blindly follow me into this insane enterprise. All I need is a few lessons, hacking 101, you know?”
