00:16 <T0x1cwrath> A few more days. Let’s make it perfect.

I wasn’t sure what Toxicwrath was waiting for. He had been so quick to jump on this one, but now he was putting on the brakes. I was feeling antsy.

I was pleased with the dry-run hashing attack I had performed in the sandbox, the virtual container for testing programs. It had gone according to plan. The SQL injection was some of the best I had ever coded. I was feeling untouchable.

The high I got from an exploit was unlike anything I could describe.

And the sheer magnitude of this one had me almost trembling in anticipation. I didn’t want to wait three days. I was ready to go tonight.

We were using skills and methods I had never attempted before. The hashing attack was sophisticated. The layers involved were totally different from anything I had ever done.

I had never attempted the use of an SQL injection before, but I was confident in its execution.

And it seemed the target deserved to go down.

But I’d follow Toxicwrath’s lead. For now.

I had planned to spend the rest of the evening preparing. Retesting in the sandbox environments. I hadn’t bothered to shower and I was wearing my oldest, most comfortable pair of pajamas.

Then I called Mason, making an excuse about working late.

We ended up making a plan for him to come over later.

How had that happened?

He so easily slipped under my skin without my realizing it.

I found myself excited at the prospect of seeing him.

Now I was scrambling to clean up the house, even if I had told him I wouldn’t. I took a shower and picked out an attractive outfit to wear.

I was finding the process of getting ready enjoyable. I liked dressing up and looking pretty. I wanted to see the heated look in Mason’s eyes when he saw me. I longed for it. Craved it.

I thought about the way he touched me and my body became warm.

Toxicwrath hadn’t asked me why I had chosen the American Cancer Foundation as the recipient of the Virtuant money.

I was glad.

There were times I found myself fantasizing about a future with Mason. One where I didn’t feel the need to lie about trivial things. Even if I could never be completely open, I still thought about it.

The idea was tantalizing.

Maybe I could let him in a little bit at a time. Give him pieces that I had been holding back.

With Mason I could see myself falling.

So, so easily.

I was building a false fairy tale on a bed of lies.

And it was beautiful.

It threatened to tear me apart.

My doorbell rang, startling me as I brushed my hair.

I looked at the time on my phone and saw that it was only four. It couldn’t be Mason. Not yet.

I went to the front door and peered through the peephole, surprised and more than a little annoyed by who I saw there.

Kyle.

What in the hell was he doing here?

I thought about pretending I wasn’t home.

Kyle had never been to my house before. How had he even gotten my address?

Curiosity had me opening the door.

“Wow, you don’t look sick at all,” was the first thing Kyle said.

“What are you talking about?” I asked him, blocking him as he tried to angle his way inside. He was being pushier than usual. He was always a little over the top but today, with my head on other things, I was not in the mood.

“You called in sick. I thought I’d come by and check on you. Make sure everything was all right.”

I frowned. “How do you know I called in sick?”

Kyle grinned. “I read the email Patty at reception sent to Chuck, letting him know you had called in.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “You read the email?” I snorted. “How in the world did you do that? Were you peering over her shoulder?”

“I’ve been a busy boy, Master. Let me tell you all about it.” Kyle gently pushed his way past me and into my home.

“I didn’t invite you in,” I insisted, still holding the door open, watching my coworker warily as he walked into the living room.

“You’re a lousy housekeeper, you know that?” he asked, ignoring my statement completely. He picked up a tech magazine from the end table and flipped through it. “When was the last time you dusted?”

Kyle’s presence felt like an intrusion. He had been acting strangely since coming back to work after his “absence.” He had all but stopped his lame IT tricks. He had stopped bugging me for my hacking help. He had become unusually quiet. More isolated.

We continued to have lunch together and he’d drop by my desk in the morning, but otherwise he kept to himself. I wasn’t sure if I had done something to upset him, but I didn’t really want to ask.

The fewer people I had to worry about the better.

And this didn’t feel like a friendly visit. It felt like something else.

“Kyle, I’m not feeling the greatest. That’s why I called in. I don’t want to get you sick.” I closed the door and followed him as he snooped through my things. His boundaries were always questionable, but this was beyond the pale. I took the magazine from his hand and put it back on the table.

Kyle crossed his arms over his chest almost defensively, his head cocked to the side. “You look really pretty, Hannah.” There was a note of accusation to his voice. “I expected to find you convalescing on the couch if you were so ill.”

“I’m feeling a little better.” Why was I explaining myself to Kyle? I didn’t owe him explanations.

“Maybe you’d be up for going out and getting something to eat,” he offered with a note of challenge. I felt as if I had to tiptoe very carefully. I wasn’t sure why.

Kyle was looking around my house, his eyes flitting over everything. Almost as if he were cataloging. Remembering.

“No, I just need to rest,” I replied sharply, hoping he’d get the point. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but I wasn’t above kicking him out if need be.

“Sure. Yeah, I get that.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He was a ball of nervous energy. Like a cat ready to pounce. It set my teeth on edge. “I guess I should get out of your hair, then.”

“I don’t want you to get what I have,” I explained in relief.

Kyle raised an eyebrow. “You wanna know about the email probe I made to read Patty’s email? I used file protectors to get past the antivirus and everything.”