Page 61 of Deserving Ryleigh
“Okay, it’s ready,” she said, pushing the computer toward him. Once more, Tiny was awed by the trust she showed him.
you bitch!
The two words seemed stark on the screen. Tiny had gotten used to the old-school look of the messages. He was relieved he didn’t have to actually use html to communicate. The amount of other code around the messagesthat came in was jarring at first, but now he barely noticed.
i want my money
And I want you to leave me and my friends alone,Tiny typed as he pretended to be Ryleigh.If I give it back, you have to promise to go away and stop harassing us.
It was a ridiculous request. One that any battle-hardened soldier would never make. But at the moment, that wasn’t who he was. He was pretending to be an exhausted daughter who wanted her dad to leave her alone.
give me my money, all of it, and i’ll leave you alone
Tiny wanted to snort. As if he believed this asshole. But this was the first time in days he’d done anything but scream and curse at them in digital form. Time to put their plan into motion.
Fine. I’ll transfer it and we can be done.
its not that easy, daughter dear. you owe me
I said I’d give the money back.
you owe me years of service. you agree to come with me, work with me like we used to, for say 10 years, then i’ll call us even
Tiny’s jaws were clenched together so hard, it would be a miracle if he didn’t break a tooth. This fucking asshole thought Ryleigh would agree to go with him? To work with him forten years? He was delusional. He took a deep breath to calm himself and typed out a response. Time to make this work in their favor. Clearly she wouldn’t have to “beg” to meet with him. Not if Harold Lodge actually wanted his daughter back.
No way.
you want me to leave that pathetic motel you love so much alone you’ll do it
Five
7
Five or nothing, dad.
fine. you agree to stay with me and work for me for 5 years, i’ll leave your precious friends alone
Tiny’s stomach hurt. The thought of Ryleigh going with this asshole made him want to puke. But he was doing exactly what Ryleigh thought he would. Agreeing to meet in person. Now to finish setting up the trap.
I agree. But if you do one thing against The Refuge, our deal is off. And you know I’ll know, because let’s face it…I’m the better hacker.
you’ve always thought you were so much smarter than you are. theres a green chile festival in los alamos tonight. meet me there and if i see one cop or anyone who looks like they are fbi, the deal is off and i’ll take down the refuge for good
Tiny’s heart was beating out of his chest. This was happening much faster than expected. Her dad had to be close by if he wanted to meet tonight. He could’ve been watching Ryleigh and The Refuge for days…or longer.
Deal.
and leave those special forces assholes home too
I don’t know if I can get away without them wanting to know where I’m going.
figure it out. don’t fuck me, daughter dear. you won’t like the consequences if you do
The screen flickered and their conversation disappeared, just as it had every other time. No record of their messages ever remained.
“Well? What’d he say?” Ryleigh asked impatiently.
Tiny turned to her. He had things to do, details that had to be arranged immediately, but first he needed to make sure Ryleigh was aware of how much she meant tohim. He took her face in his hands and kissed her. Hard. It wasn’t nearly as long as he wanted it to be, because the clock was ticking.
