Page 57 of Jaeda

“I’m not asking you to be part of it! Just fix my shit so I can handle my business. I’ll pay double your rate. Triple. Whatever you want.”

“It’s not about the money. If I help secure systems that I know or suspect are being used for illegal activity, I could be charged as an accessory. I like my freedom, and I ain’t going to jail for nobody. Plus, there’s a good chance this wasn’t a random hack—could be law enforcement already on your trail.”

At the sound of that, he started pacing again. I watched him, discreetly clicking the button on my watch that gave Titan the signal. As he talked to himself, I calmly packed my belongings.

“Where are you going?” he asked, looking over at me.

“Home.”

“You can’t leave! You have to fix this shit!”

“I already told you what it was.”

He left the room, and I could hear him rummaging for something. Not taking any chances, I retrieved my gun from the leg holster and aimed it just as he walked back in with his own gun in his hand.

“Now, Mr. Williams, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

“Who the fuck are you?”

“Me? I’m just your local cyber security tech. It’s not me you have to worry about.”

There was a knock on the door, causing him to look back.

“I’d answer that before they invite themselves in,” I said.

No sooner did the words leave my mouth did the locks disengage, and in walked Titan, Romero, DaVinci, Silas, Noah, and Booker. Titan held a sinister grin on his face as he always did when he was ready to fuck some shit up.

“Phillip Williams,” he said, advancing toward the man, “I’ve been waiting to meet you, my nigga.”

“Who the fuck are you?” Williams asked, backing up.

“The fucking Grim Reaper for niggas like you. I hear you like fucking with kids.”

Mr. Williams’s eyes widened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You don’t? So I guess you don’t know anything about the thousands of pictures of underaged kids on your computer either then, huh?”

Mr. Williams’s head snapped in my direction. “You set me up? You planted that shit there!”

He charged at me but hit the floor when Titan sent a bullet to the back of his leg. As he howled in pain, Titan and the guys surrounded him.

“Take his shit and wait outside.”

“Bet.”

I grabbed the computer and left the house to wait in my car. Williams lived on the outskirts of town, off by himself. That should have been red flag number one with his ass. I’d been sitting out front for about five minutes when my phone rang. Pulling it out, I saw that it was an unfamiliar number. I frowned as I answered it.

“Hello?”

“This Quaid?”

“Who’s asking?”

“It’s Kerrion.”

“Dillinger?”

“Yeah, nigga. You know any other Kerrion?”

---