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CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Evangeline

The workspace feels smaller somehow, charged with everything that just passed between us. But he's already pulling away, putting distance between us, like he thinks he can physically separate himself from what just happened.

"I need coffee." He stands abruptly, walking out of the room. "And you need to understand exactly what you're getting into here."

The coffee maker gurgles to life seconds later, its familiar sound at odds with the tension hanging in the air. I walk to the door and watch while he makes drinks.

"The only way to manually override their systems is through direct access." He doesn't turn around. "Which means we need a way past security protocols, key cards, biometric scanners."

"You make it sound impossible."

"Nothing is impossible." He finally faces me, and holds out a mug. "Just dangerous. And expensive."

"How expensive?" My stomach tightens at the word. Even with my savings, I doubt I have enough to help with whatever he needs.

"Information is currency." He takes a long drink, and walks back into his workspace. "We need access to restricted areas, security protocols, the kind of data that doesn't come cheap. And no, we can't just buy it. Money leaves trails."

"Can't you just ... hack it remotely?" The words feel awkward on my tongue.

"Their mainframe is air-gapped."

I frown at the term, trying to make sense of it. I’ve never heard it before. He sighs.

"It means their secure systems aren't connected to any outside networks. We need someone with physical access to them."

“Doesn’t that mean the virus can’t get in?”

“It’ll be delivered some other way. Probably an email attachment. That’ll put it in the network, from there it can spread and find the secure systems.”

"So, what do you have to do? Bribe someone who works there?"

"No." His expression hardens. "We need leverage. We need to find someone with a secret, or in a situation we can use. Something that will make them help us whether they want to or not."

I stare at him in disbelief. " Blackmail ? You want to blackmail someone?"

"I need to find someone with enough pressure points to be useful." He sets down his mug. "Someone whose cooperation we can ensure."

I push away from his desk. "Absolutely not."

"You haven't even heard?—"

"I don't need to hear anything else." My voice rises. The mere thought of forcing someone to do something makes me sick. "You want me to help you manipulate someone. To destroy their life like mine was destroyed. To make them trust us just so we can use them."

"If you have a better suggestion, I'm all ears." Sarcasm drips from every word.

"There has to be another way in." I pace the small space. "Security guards. Cleaning staff. Someone we could pay?—"

"Guards are vetted. Cleaners don't have system access. And money leaves trails that get people killed." His eyes follow my movements, his tone becoming increasingly short. "You think I haven't already considered every angle?"

"What about maintenance workers? Contractors?"

"Background checks. Constant supervision." His patience snaps. "This isn't a movie where we can just throw on some overalls, order pizza, and walk in pretending to be a delivery driver."

"Then we go in at night. Find a way through their physical security?—"

"And trip every sensor they have?" His palm hits the desk. "This isn't a basic office building, Glitch. They have motion sensors, heat detection, pressure plates in the floors?—"

"Then we wait. Watch their procedures. You can find another pattern."

"We don't have time to wait!" His shout echoes through the apartment. "Victor's timeline gives us three days. Maybe four. You want to spend that time hoping I can spot a security flaw that doesn't exist?"

My own temper rises, matching his. "I want to find a way that doesn't involve destroying someone else's life ! Why can't you just call them and explain what’s happening?”

His laugh is razor-sharp. "Sure. I'll get right on that. How would you like me to break it to them that a hacker wants access to their system to stop another hacker from taking over their company?" The humor drains from his face, leaving it cold and stark. "This isn’t a negotiation. This is reality, and the only way to stop that virus is to use someone’s access."

"Don't." I spin to face him. "You don’t want to destroy someone’s life. You're better than that."

" Am I?" He moves closer, looming over me, using his height to crowd my space. "Because you know me so well, don’t you? Or are you mistaking me for the computer program that sent you here in the first place? The charming hacker who'll help you find your brother without getting his hands dirty?"

" Stop it !"

"Why? Because you don't want to admit that sometimes the only options are bad ones?" His eyes lock onto mine. "Because you'd rather pretend there's a clean solution than face reality?"

"Because you're trying to make me take part in something that was done to me!" The words tear from my throat. "You want me to help find someone vulnerable. Someone desperate . Someone who'll trust us just enough to be useful."

"Yes." No apology. No hesitation. "That's exactly what I want. Because right now? It's our only viable option."

"I can't." My voice breaks. "Please don't ask me to do this."

“You said you wanted to be a part of this. Have you changed your mind now you know what you’ll have to do?” His expression shifts, regret flickering briefly before the intensity returns. "If that’s the case, then tell me you're willing to walk away." He keeps his voice steady. "Tell me that finding your brother isn't worth getting your hands dirty. Tell me you can live with whatever happens at Horizon Tech knowing you could have helped prevent it."

"That's not fair."

"None of this is fair." He catches my shoulders, forcing me to face him fully. "But right now? We need access to those systems. We need someone on the inside. Everything else is just you trying to avoid the inevitable."

I try to pull away but his grip tightens, fingers biting into my skin. "Let me go."

"No." The word is blunt, harsh . "Not until you understand exactly what's at stake. Not until you stop looking for a way out that doesn't exist."

"I understand perfectly." My eyes burn, unwanted tears threatening to fall. "You want me to become the monster that manipulated me. To do to someone else what was done to me."

"I want you to help me prevent whatever Victor's warning about." His voice roughens. "I want you to remember why you insisted on being involved in the first place."

The silence stretches between us, heavy with everything neither of us wants to face. With choices that will change lives beyond just ours. With the weight of what he's asking me to become.

Finally, I draw in a shaky breath. "How would we even start?"

"Personnel files. Building access records. Social media." His hands drop from my shoulders. "Everyone has weak spots if you know where to look."

I swallow, bitterness welling up. "Like my late-night library shifts? My isolation?"

"Yes." At least he's honest about it.

I watch him pull up records, his fingers moving quickly over the keys. Faces scroll past. Each one a potential target. Someone whose life we're about to upend. Just like mine was.

"When we find someone ..." I swallow hard. "We have to try not to destroy them completely." I hate the pleading note in my voice.

"I won’t make promises I might not be able to keep." His fingers rest on the keyboard. "But I’ll try to minimize the damage."

The words should reassure me. Instead, they just remind me how far I've already fallen. Two days ago, I would never have considered helping destroy someone's life. Now I'm negotiating terms for it.

I lean forward, forcing myself to study the records with him. To look for weaknesses we can exploit. To become the very thing I've spent days hating.

I just hope I can live with myself afterward.