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Somehow, I could hear her high-pitched chuckle. How was it possible that a sound that I'd never given a second thought to was suddenly all I could hear?
"Lucas?" Jessie snapped his fingers in front of my face, and I blinked, slamming back into reality.
"Sorry." The swirl of the oregano filled the air as I picked up my fork, poking at my pasta even though I was far from hungry.
"Are you here with us?" Jessie asked.
I nodded, clearing my mind. "I'm here." Jessie's bodyguard, a balding man who went by the nickname Fish, took a sip of his water.
"Good, because we need you focused and present with us on this, Lucas," Jessie said.
Scratching the stubble of my beard, I set down my fork. "I'm just not sure what you want me to say...the way my system works, you're still safe."
Senator Carter slapped the edge of the table. "Bullshit. Someone hacked into Jessie's computer, breachingyoursecurity system. And your response is what? That it's impossible."
"Michael," Jessie snapped, glancing around the room and twisting on a charming smile."Cool it."
Carter glared at him. Dark circles pressed under his eyes, and his gaze looked harried. "You're the one who wanted to have this meeting in public," Carter snapped.
"So we can look like everything is fine," Jessie hissed through the clenched teeth of his smile. "If that video is actually stolen, then there's a chance the public has seen it, and we need to make it clear that we're not going to hide from it."
I twisted my napkin in my lap, trying to stifle my growing annoyance. "My security system has three unique features. The first you need to know is that, yes, clearly someone copied the folders. My system notified me of that, as it's supposed to do. But the most important thing you need to know is that these files are zipped with the heaviest protection possible. And trust me when I say this, I've tested those zipped files against the top hackers in the industry. Even if they copied the files, no one is breaking into those folders."
Carter laughed. "You sound awfully confident about that, Lucas."
I really didn't like Carter, but he was only here because he'd co-signed the security contract that allowed me to put the protection on Jessie's computer. Which meant one thing: that he was definitely on whatever video they were so worried about being released to the public.
Questioning what was on the video was besides the point. In fact, I preferred it that way. It was most likely there was illegal activity on this video, but it was also equally likely it was completely legal and just something that could be used against the men.
Either way, it was that fifty fifty uncertainty that allowed me to do my job without judgment. My business was about securing people's privacy, not about protecting illegal activity. It was a subtle line, but one I was comfortable with as long as I stayed in the dark.
I dropped my fork in my untouched pasta, my appetite gone. "I'm good at my job, Carter. I know what I'm talking about."
Fish leaned forward. "You tested your security against trained hackers?"
"Yes."
A smile spread across Fish's face, his double chin bobbing up and down. "Has it ever occurred to you that the best hackers are the ones who don't take jobs in the industry?'"
I matched his smile. "Fish, do you know the third factor of my security system?"
His lip curled back in a scowl. He knew it all right, but I no longer gave a fuck. If he was going to put me on the spot, then I planned to do the same.
"My system has an automatic video function that turns on the camera on the computer when someone attempts to hack into the password."
Carter paused half way through biting his thumbnail. "Wait—so we have a video of who did it?"
I cocked my head. "No. Which means that someone must have stepped away from the computer without locking it and the hacker didn't need to figure out a password to get in."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Carter hissed. "Jessie, how could you not lock your computer?"
Jessie pressed his lips together and eyed Fish. He already knew about this, of course. "Fish left the laptop unattended the night of the party."
"For like five minutes," Fish snapped. "There is no way someone got in there that fast."
Carter's elbows slammed against the table as his head fell forward into his hands. "Oh my God. This is a nightmare."
"Keep it together," Jessie hissed.
