Page 44 of Beneath The Truth
Hacking?“Whatthehell?”
Her gaze darted from side to side and she leaned closer to me.“You can’t tell anyone if you don’t want me to go to jail.Or you know, federal prison.It’s not like I do anything bad.It’s more to make sure my skills stay up to par.It’s like a foreign language—if you don’t use it, you lose it.And, obviously, I like to make sure my conspiracy theories aren’t crazy, but in fact are reality.If peopleonlyknew...”
“You’ve gotta bejoking.”
Her brow furrowed.“No joke.I’ve been doing it for years.Just ask Kim Leander.She’s been on the enhanced screening list since I learned to get intotheTSA.”
“Are you friggingserious?”
“That Kim Leander gets a more-than-friendly pat-down and bag search every month when she travels for work?Yes.Yes,Iam.”
A mental picture of what Ari described filtered into my mind and I couldn’t help but laugh.“You’reruthless.”
She shrugged.“Long memory.No one screws with the people I care about and gets away with it.I can make someone’s life a nightmare.She shouldn’thavelied.”
“I’m not sure whether to be scared orimpressed.”
Another shrug from Ari.“It’s not like it’s hard.Any amateur coulddoit.”
I was sure that wasn’t really the case, but before I could respond, our server arrived at thetable.
“Welcome to Seven Sinners, we’re so happy to have you join us.Can I get you a complimentary taste of any of our whiskeys this evening?We have some fabulous ones availableforyou.”
Clearly wanting to change the subject after her confession, Ari asked, “What would yourecommend?”
“Are you a whiskey drinker, ma’am?”When Ari shook her head, our server smiled.“Then I’d recommend a glass of the Spirit of New Orleans.It’s smooth and warm with a nice kick, but not too hot.You’ll enjoy it, even if you’re not normally a fan of whiskey.It’s my favorite of everything weoffer.”
“I’lltrythat.”
“Excellent.”The server looked to me.“And foryou,sir?”
“I’ll try thesinglemalt.”
“Perfect.I’ll bring those to you along with today’s menu andwater.”
When our server disappeared again, my attention was one hundred percent focused on Ari.“Tell me more about thehacking.”
She shook her head.“I’d rather not.It’s not a big deal.Just something I do when I feel like entertaining myself.The only useful aspect is when I find ways to keep other people out because I’m better thantheyare.”
One thing Ari was never shy about was how smart she was.“Like the hackers the Feds arrest and then later hire to make their systemsimpenetrable?”
“In theory.But nothing is truly hack-proof.There’s always someone out there who can beat it, at leastsofar.”
It was as good a moment as any to find out exactly how much time I had with her.“When are you going back to the land of sun and surf andhacking?”
My question must have surprised her.She didn’t answer right away; instead, her expression fell and she looked out thewindow.
“What’swrong?”
“Dad.I don’t know what to do to get him to agree to go in for testing so we can figure out the nextsteps.”
Heath had talked about it at breakfast.Mr.Sampson was worse off than either of them hadrealized.
“Keep trying, I guess.It seems like that’s all you can do.Assess the situation and make decisions based on what youlearn.”
Her gaze cut back to me.“I spent so many years away and I missed him being himself, and now he’s ...not.I feel like I should’ve been here the whole time.I can’t leave again.It’s like I’d be abandoning my family, which I guess Ialreadydid.”
Her expression was so crestfallen that I wanted to wrap her in a hug.Instead, I reached out and twined my fingerswithhers.
