Page 4 of Protecting Bianca

Exhausted and nearly defeated, I hung up the phone and dropped my head onto my desk.

Crisis averted.

I could go back to not thinking of Jager Payne ever again.

2

Jager

Just a few more clicks and one more password and the entire National Bank of Washington was in my hands. All five billion dollars would be mine in three…two…one…

I pressed one final key, and my laptop lit up. Hundreds of thousands of bank accounts scrolled across my screen, ready for the taking. Billions of dollars and a million ways to spend it.

I leaned back and smiled.

“Ah, fuck,” the voice on the other end of the line said. “And it only took you twenty minutes to do it.”

Roger Church was the CEO of the National Bank of Washington, and he rarely swore.

“If it makes you feel better, I was able to hack into CityLife Bank last week in only ten minutes.”

There was a pause and then Roger said, “Yes. Yes, that does make me feel a little better, Jager. So, what do we do to ensure this doesn’t actually happen to my bank?”

“I’ll send you my recommendations in the morning. It won’t take long to implement them. And in the meantime, I’ll set up a firewall for you. It should hold for a few days.”

“Thank you. And I’ll be sure to thank Senator Davis when I see him, since he was the one who recommended you.”

I would forever be in Senator Davis’s debt. Not for this recommendation, but for saving my life. “My pleasure, sir. Have a good night.”

I ended the call and keyed in the firewall I’d promised to Church. When that was done, I shut down my laptop and walked over to the mini bar at the back of my dining room. My apartment was much too big. I had a study, but I preferred to use the dining room to work. It felt more open, and I hated small spaces.

As I poured myself a finger of scotch, I thought about the fateful night I met Senator Davis. I’d been upset that day, and I released my frustration the best way I knew how—through hacking. Except, I aimed a little too high that night and broke into the U.S. Department of Defense. It started as a joke. I only wanted to enlist a fake person into the army, but unfortunately, one thing led to another, and I managed to open some pretty important documents and national defense plans. By daybreak, my entire family was awoken by the S.W.A.T. team, and I found myself staring at the other end of a barrel between my eyes.

I cooperated, of course, and after I explained what I’d done, I thought they would lock me up and that would be it for me and my future. Instead, Senator Davis offered me a job. Working for the Department of Defense.

Setting the glass on the other side of the dining room table, I booted up my desktop. Despite my 31 years of age, and countless hours in therapy, my favorite way to unwind was still loading a video game and fighting a death-stricken mummy.

I’d just reached the next level when my phone rang. “Hey, River. How are you, man?” I asked as I left my desktop in search of a late-night snack.

“Good. Good. How about you?”

“Oh, I can’t complain.” Well, I could, but that’s the sort of shit people said when they wanted to keep the conversation flowing.

I pulled out a loaf of sliced bread, then some cheese, tomato, lettuce, and turkey.

I was spreading some mayo on one of the slices when I heard a female voice in the background. “Go on. Ask him.”

River cleared his throat.

It didn’t take a therapist to realize that River was having a hard time spitting something out. “What is it? Do you need a favor or something? You don’t have to hesitate to ask.”

“It’s not really a favor. It’s more like a job opportunity. For you.”

“Ok.” I didn’t understand River’s hesitation. If he was recommending a job to me, why would he be uncomfortable about it? “What does the job entail?”

“There was a security breach at the offices of the new social media platform, Grapevine. The CEO is looking for around-the-clock detail until the police can figure out what’s going on.”

That didn’t sound too complicated. “Sure. I can look into that. When does he want to start?”

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