Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 128083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
“I’m sure I’m the last person you expected to see,” she said. “And I did hear what you said the other day. I really did. And I was going to accept that. I get it. And I wouldn’t be here except . . . I need some help.”
Huh? “What can I possibly help you with?” It came out slightly more hostile than he’d meant it to, but he felt ambushed by her. At his home, before he’d even had a second cup of morning coffee. And after he’d told her in no uncertain terms that he had nothing to say to her.
She put her hand up as though conceding something, and he noticed that her fingers were trembling. “Believe me, if I had one other person I thought could help me, I wouldn’t bother you. I know you must be thinking that I have some real gall. I can pay you for your time. Your consultation. A fee. If you have a number offhand, just name it. I’m not rich by any means, but I’m willing to pay you for your assistance. And then I promise to go away forever.”
“Cami, spit it out. What’s this about?”
She huffed out a breath and wiped her fingers under her eyes as though she was well aware that she had makeup smeared there. “Please, can I just come inside and explain? You have every right to turn me away again, and I’d understand if you do, just . . . please, if you would hear me out.”
He should tell her to go. Only negativity had resulted from being in the vicinity of Cami, but call him a sucker, he couldn’t help it. She looked desperate, and though he didn’t want to admit it—as it honestly fucked up his ego just a little—he still had a soft spot for her. Of all the things he’d grown out of or overcome, her effect on him apparently wasn’t one of them. He stepped aside and allowed her to enter. She did, walking inside uncertainly, not seeming to know where to stand.
“Here, follow me,” he murmured. He’d cleared a lot of the junk out of the front room, but his bedding was on the couch, and the chairs were being used to hold boxes and other things he hadn’t gone through, and there was nowhere to sit. He led her into the kitchen, the room he’d tackled first, and though it also was far from tidy, it was clean now, and the table was clear. “Go ahead and have a seat,” he murmured. She looked like she could use it.
Cami sat down and laced her fingers on the surface in front of her while he leaned back against the sink and crossed his arms. “You don’t want to sit?” she asked, nodding over to the chair across from her.
“No. I prefer to stand.”
“Okay.” Her gaze darted around the kitchen, and she unlaced her fingers and then laced them again before shoving them under her thighs.
Jesus. He took a few steps to the coffee machine and removed a mug from the cabinet above it and poured a cup, then he set it down in front of her. “I don’t have any cream or sugar, sorry.” But he could not watch her fidget anymore.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.” She wrapped her hands around the warm mug and seemed to relax a little.
“I can’t help if you don’t tell me what you need.”
She nodded. “You work with computers, right? In the military? I thought I heard that you did . . . I can’t remember where. Cyber-related work? Is that right?”
He regarded her, still so beautiful despite looking like she’d pulled an all-nighter. This better not be what he feared. He was starting to wonder if this woman was going to ask him to hack a cheating boyfriend’s credit card statement or something equally selfish that he wouldn’t forgive her for.
Not that there’d be any love lost on his end. He’d spent a long time internally withholding grace. At least that’s what he told himself. He kicked one foot over the other and crossed his arms again. “Yes.”
Cami gave another jerky nod. “Like you hack computers and stuff?”
Here it comes. “Not exactly. But close enough.”
“Oh. Close enough. Okay, well do you know anything about Tor?”
His brow dipped. Oh no. Maybe this was even worse than he thought. “The dark web? Tor is one of the browsers you use to access it.”
“Yes. Exactly. Is it traceable? How does it work?”
He uncrossed his arms and rubbed his jaw. She wanted the basics of how the dark web worked? She probably could have researched that on the internet, so if she was here, he was pretty certain she didn’t only want that. “The Tor browser hides your footprint by routing it through a series of decentralized nodes.”