AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I dunno. But I know you were up late with the boss the other night.” Tom’s tone didn’t waver, but he was suddenly strangely fixated on the contents of his coffee cup. “Perhaps he’s told you something? Something he doesn’t want the public to know?”
“I just wanna do a good job.”
“Pretty sure the only one that could get through this security system is you.”
Jesse gave him a wan smile. “Let’s hope.”
“You really look like you need a break,” Tom said gently.
Jesse hesitated. “If you’re serious, I do have some other stuff to get on with.”
“That doesn’t sound like taking a break, Jesse.”
“It’s a break from this,” Jesse said, waving at the scrolling numbers on his monitor.
Tom shook his head with a smile. “I guess you’re right. Go on. Get outta here. But if you’re up past midnight again, I’m putting you to bed myself.”
Jesse managed a smile, trying not to examine the unasked question in Tom’s eyes. He thanked him and returned to his room.
The blueprints and security maps for the mayor’s house were saved in several encrypted files on his hard drive. He already had them memorized, but he hadn’t been able to stop checking and-rechecking them, as well as going over his photoshopped overlay marking the locations of daylight floods and security cameras.
He was reviewing the mayor’s staff schedules that he’d hacked from their network when he registered that night had fallen. His eyes were aching, but his heart was unsettled in his chest. He ran the computer simulation of his infiltration again so he wouldn’t have to think about whether any of this was okay.
He jumped when someone knocked on the door. He checked the time. Eleven fifty-five. Tom was coming to make good on his promise. Jesse hurriedly shut down the programs and went to the door.
Emory stood on the threshold. He almost filled the doorway.
“Emory,” Jesse breathed, his body suddenly on fire. “I… What are you doing here?”
“You are working too hard,” he said softly.
“Can you blame me?” Jesse said in a furious whisper. “You’ve asked me to break the law…again.”
“Technically, I haven’t.”
“There’s no lawyer in the world good enough to make that ‘stealing-back-what-was-stolen-from-me’ shit stick, Emory.”
“I told you you would face no consequences.”
“I’d still like to try to make sure consequences won’t be a thing from the get-go.”
Emory was silent. Jesse could hear him breathing, low and deep like a slumbering monster in a deep, dark cave. Jesse’s skin fizzed with an excitement he couldn’t control, but he held the door tight and didn’t move.
“If you really don’t want to do this, Jesse, I won’t make you.”
“If I refuse, then I’m the arsehole who left the little girl with the evil stepmother.”
“Aunt.”
“Whatever.”
“You’re scared.”
“I’m not.”
“I can smell it, Jesse. You’re scared. I understand. If you want me to, I’ll withdraw the request. Kelly will find another way, eventually—just not in time for Dimity to have Christmas with her father.”
“For fuck’s sake, man,” Jesse said, covering his face in his hands. “Right in the Christmas. Cheers…”
