The Hacker

"Is it wrong of me to try and help the man I love?" (30)

"What do you mean?" Brynne asked as she wondered how he knew about meeting Jordan.

"You know what I mean," he said while getting up. "Whatever it is that you're doing, leave it alone Brynne. I'm innocent and the investigation will prove that,"

She shook her head. "I can't wait around for them to plant even more evidence against you. I can't sit around and do nothing,"

"You also have a life. You have exams to focus on. I won't allow you to fuck up your future because you're trying to prove my innocence." He stepped away from her.

Brynne looked at him for a while before it came together in her mind. "My father spoke to you, didn't he?"

His silence was her confirmation and she couldn't believe the nerve he had. She scoffed and looked away.

"I can't say he's wrong, Brynne. You tend to get a little obsessive about things when you want to. Last time you almost got yourself killed for launching an investigation into something that didn't affect you. I don't want to think about what could happen this time around,"

"Is it wrong of me to try and help the man I love?"

"Of course not but it can't become your life. You had one friend and since she moved away, you haven't tried to contact her or even make friends at school."

Brynne was starting to feel like she was backed into a corner. "Carla is busy with her job and no one at school would even begin to understand my life,"

"That's because you don't let them in," Micah sighed. "I can't be your only friend. That wouldn't be a healthy relationship, Brynne."

"You're one to talk! I don't see you with any friends, either!" She pushed herself off the desk and started to walk away from him.

"This isn't about me, Brynne!" he called after her. "Until the investigation is complete, I think we should be apart."

That stopped her right in her tracks. "What?"

"Brynne, you have to look at it from my perspective. This is a serious case and I don't want you anywhere near it. When the truth comes out then everything will be fine. For now, I need you to focus on your studies," he was genuinely worried for her and she didn't even know it. She was too blinded by anger to notice.

"If you were in my shoes, you'd do the same, Micah. So, don't tell me to just sit by and watch someone frame you for something you didn't even do," she firmly told him before walking away and leaving the house altogether.

She was so furious that she didn't even know what to do next. If she went home, her father would definitely give her a lecture on Micah.

She shook her head. A hotel would have to do for tonight.

__________________________

Marcus paced around the room while the others chit-chatted about possible leads. Kai was in the other room, resting and Marcus desperately wanted to ask him about this case. He could tell Kai was competent and more observant than most people— but he had to respect his space and let him recover.

Alexander was off the radar for ten years and it made Marcus furious that someone could do this much damage over something trivial. Alexander was dismissed because he had made an under-the-table deal with some arms dealers from Russia but because of his relationship with the National Security Advisor, they secretly sent him away with his family to Italy... or so they thought.

"What's on your mind?" Archie asked him.

"I don't get how we didn't know about any of this. All these years of service and we're clueless."