Page 75 of Free
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Jeremy glanced at the time on his phone, then looked around the coffee shop again. He was supposed to be meeting with a guy he happened to notice on the dark web trolling the pedophiles. It had looked like some bored kid at the time, but the more Jeremy had watched him, the more interesting he found him. After hacking the guy's account, he found that Marshall was a computer genius that had dropped out of college after being hazed by one of the fraternities on campus. The hazing had been pretty bad, and Jeremy didn't blame the guy for dropping out. After digging deeper, he found the guy had been there on a scholarship. Both his parents were dead and he'd been raised by his aunt who had also died two months before he started college.
It looked like the guy was alone, with no family, and from what Jeremy could tell, no real friends. That should have been a warning sign maybe, but then again, after the hazing, he could understand why Marshall would withdraw and close everyone out.
After talking it over with D, Rani, and Jessica, he decided to try and talk the guy into meeting with him. Once he got a feel for the guy, he'd decide if he would talk to him about a job. If Marshall was interested, they'd set up another meeting somewhere for the rest of the team to meet him as well. It was risky, but they really needed a second person working the computers, especially if Jeremy wanted to ever have some downtime and relax.
He'd emailed Marshall, explaining he worked with a group of people looking for someone with his computer skills. He didn't say anything about what the job would be doing other than it was an underground group, hoping to better society. When Marshall had tried to back-hack his information to find out more and had hit a brick wall, he'd emailed Jeremy back and said he was very interested in meeting someone with the skills to block him out of a system. They'd decided to meet at a small coffee shop in the city and talk.
D had wanted to come with him, but his face was still floating around some news reports from time to time. It was best to not have him sitting in one location for long. If anything went wrong, it was best there only be one of them there.
Jeremy glanced up as Marshall walked in. He knew him by sight from the pictures he'd found doing his background check, but Marshall had also said he'd be wearing a Colorado Avalanche jersey, which made him stand out since it wasn't hockey season yet. In return, Jeremy had worn a Metallica t-shirt so Marshall would know it was him.
Marshall glanced around, smiling when he saw Jeremy. He held up a finger as he went to the counter and placed an order.
Jeremy watched the way Marshall stepped back as he waited, then casually glanced around the coffee shop as if looking to see who was around. It wasn't paranoia, but more just an awareness of where he was and who was around him. Once he had his drink, he slowly made his way over to Jeremy, taking a seat before offering his hand. "I assume you're Jeremy?"
"I am. It's a pleasure to meet you, Marshall. Thanks for taking the time." Jeremy shook his hand, then sat back.
"So, is this supposed to be like an official job interview?" Marshall asked.
Jeremy laughed. "Not really. It's just a chance for us to feel each other out and discuss a few things and see if you're interested. I'm afraid I can't give away a lot of details, but I can let you know enough to hopefully decide if you're interested."
Marshall nodded. "So it's not legal?"
"No, it's not." There was no reason not to be honest with him.
"How much time would I serve if I got caught?" Marshall asked.
Jeremy smiled, glad that he hadn't instantly said no. "That would depend. Probably a few years for your part in things, but I can't be sure. I can tell you that the team would be there and if you were willing to relocate after, we could have you out in a week or two probably."
Marshall narrowed his eyes. "Interesting. So, what exactly is this job? I assume computers?"
"Right, you'd be going onto the dark web and searching for pedophiles and hacking into their systems to collect evidence," Jeremy told him.
"That's not very hard. If you've done your research, you know I'm already there fucking with them." Marshall took a sip of his coffee.
"I'm aware you're trolling them, but this would be different. You would act like one of them. Work to get into their inner circles, dig deeper than you've already been. Find the ones who are there doing more than searching for images to jerk off to. It's not an easy job. You'll see things that you can't unsee. Yet you tolerate it, act as if you are part of it so that you can earn their trust. We are talking about sex trafficking, child porn, and an array of other atrocities that will turn your stomach." Jeremy watched Marshall closely.
Marshall paled and sat back. "And what's done with the information I find?"
"It's given to the other half of our team to handle." Jeremy wasn't sure how much information to share. He needed to get a better read on Marshall before going into details.
Marshall's eyes widened. "I saw something on the news. It was a guy in California—"
Jeremy smiled. "Keep your voice low," he warned. "I know of the news you're talking about."
"Is that what this is?" Marshall swallowed hard.
"Would you work with something like that?" Jeremy asked.
"Fuck yeah. Those fucking pedos should be killed. Anyone who would hurt an animal or child deserves to die." Marshall didn't even hesitate in his answer.
Jeremy nodded. "While I agree, if I remember right, he didn't kill them, he castrated them and left them for the police."
"Dude, if someone cut your cock off, wouldn't it be the same as being killed? I mean, I know I'd want to die. Life would be over if I never could get laid again." He cringed. "Seriously, just kill me if I can't function down there." He gestured to his crotch.
Jeremy laughed. "Yeah, I'd feel the same way. Anyway, back on topic. If that was what this was about, would you want a part in it? Would you be willing to take the risk and keep the secrets that you'd have to?"
