Page 102 of Until the End

“When did they contact you?” Castle asked, not intending to waste a single second.

Henry shrugged, but his face said he knew exactly when. “Mid-September.”

“Why didn’t you take the job? Two million is a lot to walk away from.” Kit was independently wealthy and he still found it hard to believe that she hadn’t been tempted even a little.

“I’ve been in this game a long time,” Henry said. “It didn’t feel right. Couple that with their test and it just wasn’t worth it. They asked us to crack a secure government server.”

“Which server?” Kit stepped closer to him but stayed out of arm’s reach.

“I don’t know for certain, but it was a gold-standard block cipher. Type 1 encryption.”

“What does that mean?” Castle looked between them for an answer.

“The server held top secret U.S. material,” Kit said. “Could’ve been anything from the NSA to the White House.”

“Thirty seconds, Kit. Tick tock.” Henry tapped his watch. His finely manicured nail clinked against the glass of the facepiece. “Then you have to leave.”

“You’ve hacked secure satellites,” Castle said. “Why not this?” There couldn’t be that much difference in degree of difficulty.

“We may or may not have hacked three satellites from three different countries.” Henry flashed a smug smile. “But even if we did, it wasn’t because we were asked to. Perhaps someone had a problem and left it up to us to decide how to handle it. No one got hurt, and those aircraft carriers were in friendly waters when they were disabled. Or so I’ve heard. Whoever is responsible”—he pursed his lips and batted his long lashes—“did the government a fucking favor by exposing that sad-ass vulnerability. Now they’ll have upgraded ships with HIRF shielding. Something that should’ve happened a decade ago.”

“You expect us to believe you hacked secure government satellites and targeted three aircraft carriers with high-intensity radio frequency weapons out of the goodness of your heart?” Castle asked.

“What can I say? With great power comes great responsibility.”

Did he just quote Uncle Ben from Spider-Man?

“Bottom line,” Henry added, “I don’t take clients who dictate. We work on our own terms. I wasn’t going to touch the bait Bravo dangled with a ten-foot pole.”

“Besides the Outliers,” Castle said, “can you think of any other hacker groups who might’ve been approached?”

“Shortly after we turned Bravo down, I heard the Goliath Coders became ghosts. Less than two weeks later, the Lair burned down with the Outliers inside. Now you’re here, bringing this shit full circle to my front door. That’s all I know. Time’s up. You both need to leave.”

“Thank you, Henry,” Kit said.

“The only thanks I need is the Pwnie and for you never to contact me again. Although I’m open to having a drink next year at Black Hat if you’re still breathing. On your way out, Nim will give you a PO box address to send my Pwnie to, insured. Toodles.”

36

Rosslyn, Virginia

9:50 p.m. EDT

“I want to see you,” Sanborn said. Watching Doc undress for him was more enjoyable than divesting her of clothing himself.

Her bra slipped to the floor, revealing those lovely ivory breasts. After she wiggled out of her skirt and peeled down her panties, leaving on her heels, she strode toward him, where he stood by the window. The top floor of his high-rise offered panoramic views of Washington and the Potomac River.

Slowly, she crossed the living room, giving him time to appreciate the long line of her body and her sensual curves. His groin filled with a sudden heat.

A blues–jazz mix played low from the surround sound system, “Ain’t No Sunshine” the perfect background noise. The only light in the room came from the twinkling cityscape and full moon. He treaded with care in matters of the heart—an occupational hazard not to—but in that moment, his mind veered off the rails away from mistakes and repercussions. Focused solely on her.

She glided up to him like she knew how arousing he found her and twined her arms around his neck. He held her close, his fingers threading through her hair, so soft, so fragrant.

He cupped her breast and kissed her full on the mouth, passionate and devouring. She tasted of chocolate from dessert and wine and a pure goodness he didn’t deserve. He indulged in the flavor, steeped himself in it.

This spectacular creature was his, a dream he feared he’d wake from.

As she unbuckled his pants, the rasp of her lowering his zipper a whisper in his ear, desire flooded him, hot and insistent. She stripped his shirt from him, her heated gaze traveling over his chest.