She’s always loved me unconditionally. It’s made all the difference in my ability to integrate into a somewhat normal life.
“Fine,” I drawl, smiling cheekily. “I’ll stop fussing.” But then I take a deep breath and bellow, “Aaron… come on. We’re late.”
“He can’t hear you,” she says again with a sage look of wisdom. “He’s listening to his music.”
With a sigh of frustration, I toss the apple in his lunch bag and stomp out of the kitchen while grumbling, “Never should have bought a house this size anyway. We only need half this much space. He’d be able to hear me then.”
But as I make my way up the staircase, I know that given the choice to buy this house or a smaller one, I would have gone with this one. I wanted Aaron and my mom to have a nice place to live, especially given the hell I’d put them through. I needed to compensate for being gone for seven long years. When I’d been sentenced to prison, Aaron was three years old. I’ll never know how hard it was for him because I couldn’t bear to consider it. My mother diligently brought him out to visit me in Texas as much as she could, but money was tight so it wasn’t often enough. It was usually managed through the generosity of family members who pooled their funds so my mom and son could make the long drive out there from Ohio. Beyond that, I had to make do with phone calls to try to develop whatever type of relationship I could with my son in that capacity. Once he’d started reading and writing, we’d communicated through letters, but that had been a horrible way to have a mother-son relationship.
I’m lucky though. My son is the most amazing kid in the entire world. He’s bright and wise beyond his years, but he’s empathetic to the terrible situation I’d placed myself in.
Yes, it’d been beyond reprehensible I got involved in black-hat hacking to begin with. I shouldn’t have turned to crime to help make ends meet while struggling as a new mom, a college dropout, while also trying to help take care of a sick mother at the same time.
But then I was in too deep. The things they asked me to do became more complex, which meant the risk was way too great. When I tried to back away, I was reminded all too clearly I was going nowhere. I belonged to them forever. The insurance policy they had to make me stay and be a good little hacker was my son, Aaron. The threat was laid out all nice and clean… I was to do as I was told or Aaron would die.
It was that simple.
The only way I could get myself out of the situation was to get caught. I was tasked with hacking our government’s complex framework to steal nuclear codes. It was the hack of all hacks, and I made myself into a legend while simultaneously dooming my life. I was not about to let our nuclear codes get away from me. I couldn’t—in good conscience—put people’s lives at risk like that. Besides… I love my country.
So, I intentionally got caught. My hope was if I went to prison, I’d at least be out of the clutches of the organization I worked for while Aaron and my mom would be free of my sins.
I should have been destroyed when I was handed a thirty-five-year prison sentence, but I couldn’t be. The relief I’d felt over not having to worry about Aaron’s life being at risk anymore had been too great. It made it easy to do my time with a clean conscience.
Pausing after I make my way to the top of the staircase, I glance over the railing at the living room. I bought new furniture and pretty artwork before we moved in, wanting to make this a real home for Aaron. It’s crazy that just six months ago, I was in prison and receiving a surprise visit from Kynan McGrath.
Oh, the ego he had, striding into that meeting room to offer me a job. I thought he was fucking nuts, but damn if I didn’t walk out of the prison with him that day.
A free woman and an official employee of Jameson Force Security.
The power Kynan commands with the U.S. government is slightly terrifying. I suppose he’s done so much great work for them that he can pretty much name any price. In my instance, he wanted one of the best hackers in the world to work for him, which is how I’m now free and living in a four-hundred-thousand-dollar house I never could have afforded—not even in my wildest dreams—without having met Kynan McGrath.
Needless to say, Jameson pays me extremely well for my talents, which are now white and pure as snow.