Seb dropped his fork on the plate. “Considering what you just told me, and that you’re not law enforcement, and when I put the timeline together in my head…”
Declan narrowed his eyes, then took a big bite of bacon. He chewed while Seb stared at him and tried to figure out what the hell he was supposed to say to all of that, his secrets laid out on the counter like breakfast.
Smart fucking kid, he realized all over again.
Declan finally swallowed. “Yeah,” he answered. “That’s about right.”
Seb stood up and grabbed their plates. “I was going to say I’m surprised that my dad hired you, but I guess he wasn’t really involved in picking the person, huh?”
Declan chuckled. “No, not really.” He was surprised the kid was taking the information so easily. He knew he looked like a biker, so his story shouldn’t exactly come as a surprise, but Seb had been so nervous and jittery when they first met. Declan would have guessed those walls were never coming down.
Seb deposited the plates in the washer, then looked up to Declan. “You’re white hat,” he said. “That’s cool.”
“White hat?” Declan had heard the term, but he wasn’t exactly sure what it meant.
“It’s a term for computer hackers who do legal things, like making sure a school’s electronic records are secure instead of trying to break into someone’s email account.”
Declan leaned back on the counter. “White hat,” he said. “How about that.” He didn’t know a damn thing about hacking and thought time spent sitting at a computer was a wasted day. But if the kid wanted to see him as some kind of a good guy, he wasn’t going to complain. Hell, he wished he could see himself that way, too.
Too bad the truth was a little different. Declan had quit working for mob bosses, sure, but sitting at his ranch, drinking beer, and watching television was hardly white hat work.
They chatted a bit more, and eventually, Seb went back into his lab. Even with all signs indicating the danger had passed, Declan prepared to spend the day close by.
Just as soon as he got in that shower and took care of the business Seb had interrupted before breakfast.
