Brian had told her everything the night before. Every detail. What Andy had done. The hacking job for money. The reckless assumption he could dip into something dangerous and walk away clean. She’d lain awake beside him, replaying it all until exhaustion finally dragged her under.
“You did something foolish,” she said quietly. “You got involved with gang members and thought you could handle it.”
His shoulders hunched even more.
“I didn’t think it would go that far,” he muttered.
“That’s the point.” Her voice stayed calm, even though a part of her wanted to shake him. Yelling would only make him shut down. “You thought you could control it. You thought you could make a little money, prove you weren’t some kid they could push around?—”
“I wasn’t—” He stopped, jaw tightening. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Brian told me about the first job,” she said evenly. “The cash. How easy it was.”
His silence confirmed it.
“You took the money,” she continued. “And when nothing bad happened, you convinced yourself it wasn’t a big deal.”
He scrubbed both hands over his face. “I don’t know. I just—he said it was nothing. Just information. Just a small thing.”
“But it wasn’t nothing, Andy. What you did was illegal.”
“No, it isn’t,” he snapped, then winced as if he hated himself for raising his voice. “Even Brian said it’s a gray area that I wouldn’t get in trouble for. Nobody gets arrested for rerouting an IP address. And Diego made it sound like he was just messing with someone. I didn’t think he’d come back and want me to do anything serious—something that really was illegal.”
“That’s how they draw people in,” she said quietly. “They find what you’re good at. They make it sound small. Harmless. Technical. Like a puzzle—something fun.”
He stared at the floor.
“I didn’t think he’d—” His voice cracked. “I didn’t think he’d come after you.”
“There it is.” She swallowed past the tightness in her throat. “You didn’t think.”
He flinched.
“You got involved with someone dangerous and assumed the danger would stay contained,” she continued, steady but firm. “That it wouldn’t spill over. That it wouldn’t touch me.”
His breathing hitched.
“I never meant for you to get hurt,” he said, barely audible. “I swear, Tess. I would never?—”
“I know you wouldn’t.” Her voice softened, but she didn’t back down. “But intent doesn’t erase consequences.”
He finally looked at her fully then, and the guilt in his eyes nearly broke her heart.
“I could’ve gotten you killed,” he whispered.
They both knew how close it had come, so she didn’t deny it. “Yes. You could have.”
The truth hung there between them—heavy, unavoidable.
“And that’s why we’re talking about it. You’re not evil. And you’re not a criminal mastermind. You made a reckless choice—one that had serious consequences.”
Not wanting to beat a dead horse, she took a breath and let it out slowly. “You’re grounded from the computer for a month.”
He didn’t argue. Not even a hint of protest. “Okay.”
“You’re not allowed to carry this alone either. I’m going to see a therapist to deal with what happened, and I want you to go too—with and without me. We’ll get through this together, just like we did when Mom and Dad died.”
His lips pressed together, and he swiped away tears that rolled down his cheeks. His depression weighed heavily on her. She hated seeing him like that. It would take a while, but they’d get through it.
