Alex: Are you serious? How long did that take you? Months?
Kat: Yes. Cypherus has had this contest for almost six months now. Hack in successfully, and they’ll give you one hundred grand.
Alex: Are you actually going to get that money? You’re only fifteen.
Kat: Age doesn’t matter. I’m going to work on submitting my information, but it’s mine. Can you imagine?
Alex: Looks like college is paid for! Go you!
Kat: Yeah. As long as I can figure out how to get it past my father.
It was at that point that Kat started getting worried. She was frantically submitting her log files to the Cypherus server as she had been talking to Alex. Kat needed to get all of that submitted in order for Cypherus to honor their agreement.
Many companies offered money for hackers if anyone could get into a company’s system. It was a bit of a competition. Sometimes, no one was ever able to get in. Other times, it was easy money.
In this case, it had been hard. Kat had spent months running scripts to try and get in. She had figured that it would be practice for other things. She hadn’t expected for herself to actually get into Cypherus’s program. This was huge for her career.
Even though Kat was only fifteen, it had been her dream to be a “good guy” hacker—or a “white hat” hacker as most called it. She loved the challenge, and she spent every waking hour that she could practicing and researching. It was her life. Sure, there were occasional video games, but for the most part, she was dedicated to her aspiring career.
Kat finished up the last submission steps for her hack and sat back, blowing a sigh of relief. It was almost seven o’clock in the evening. She could have a few more hours of peace, or her father could come home at any moment. Then, it would be chaos.
She was just glad that she could get everything to Cypherus in time. The money was one thing, but the recognition was just as important. Winning this contest would put her name out there. Various groups would see that, including companies. She could get an amazing job right out of high school or even while she was still waiting to graduate. Big tech companies noticed too. It would be awesome to work in Silicon Valley.
Another instant message popped up on the screen.
Alex: Is your dad home yet?
Kat nervously peaked out the window but still did not see his car.
Kat: No. Not yet. Thank God.
Alex: Do you think that he’ll be okay tonight?
Kat: I don’t know. He wasn’t too bad yesterday. Just passed out on the couch. I kept quiet and had a peaceful night.
Alex: You shouldn’t have to go through this.
Kat: Why do you think I’m trying to get out of here as quickly as possible?
Alex: Where’s your mother tonight?
Kat: Keeping dinner ready in case he decides to come home.
Alex: Sorry, Kat. Keep me posted?
Kat: Sure.
She sighed as she saved all her work on her external hard drive and turned off her computer. The external drive was then placed in the inside of a heating and cooling air vent. She replaced the vent’s cover after it was secured. It was sad that she had to do that, but it was the only way to safely protect her work. She didn’t have the income right now to do online backup.
Her father, Thomas Langely, was a raging alcoholic—with an emphasis on “rage.” When he got drunk, which was frequently, he got mean. Sometimes, it was only verbal, but there were times when things started flying, including furniture and fists. He had never actually hit Kat or her mother, but he had put a bunch of holes in the walls. Kat knew that it was only a matter of time before that changed.
Kat wasn’t sure why her mother, Susan, put up with her father. Perhaps it was some sort of misguided loyalty? He was a terrible provider and an unpleasant person to be around, even when he wasn’t drinking. They had to walk on eggshells when he was around.
Needless to say, Kat’s homelife was a disaster, which was why she spent most of her time either away from home or locked in her room. If she stayed out of sight, sometimes her father forgot about her and left her alone.
Sometimes.
Other times, he’d come in her room and start in on her. Mostly it was verbal stuff, but other times he had done quite a bit of damage to her things. The most catastrophic thing to happen was when he had destroyed her last computer by taking a hammer to it. She had lost so much data that day, which was why she had the hidden external hard drive.
After that time, she had been able to scrounge for some money to buy a new PC by being tech support for a few neighbors and parents of friends. Of course, her father wouldn’t pay for a new one. He barely even acknowledged that it had happened, let alone offering to pay for a new one. Kat was hoping that she could keep this one safe. However, living with her father was unpredictable.
She looked at the time and wondered if she could go to bed early and not be bothered. That didn’t necessarily mean anything. Her father would wake up the whole house if he wanted to. Still, she preferred sleeping as it took away a lot of the anxiety of living with her father.
Kat heard a car pull up in the driveway, and a wave of dread spread through her. He was home.
Let the fun begin, she thought bitterly.
There was the possibility that he’d just crash on the couch and make her mother fetch him vodka in stupid plastic cups (it was less work if he spilled, which he did a lot). He could also put on headphones and sing at the top of his lungs for a few hours before passing out. Those were two of the best options. The other ones were not so great.
Kat heard the front door open and some mumbling from the living room. There was no yelling. That was a good start, right?
She worked on packing up her backpack for tomorrow and then changed into pajamas. It was early, even for a school night, but she couldn’t stand it when her father was home. Sometimes it was just best to call it a night and hope for the best.
Kat could hear more conversation from the living room. There was still no yelling, which was a good thing, right?
After a few minutes later, the talking escalated into shouting.
Uh-oh, Kat thought. Here we go again.
She sat on her bed and listened to her parents arguing from a few rooms over in their ranch-style house. Kat couldn’t quite make out what the fight was about. It didn’t matter. Her father would pick fights about anything. His dinner might not be to his liking for all she knew.
More arguing continued. Then, there was the breaking of what sounded like a dish. Kat sighed and pulled the covers back from her bed, hoping that her father would forget about her.
As for her mother, Kat didn’t know what to think. Susan Langely could have left her husband multiple times. She had the opportunity, but she stayed. Kat didn’t care either way. If they wanted to stay together on a sinking ship, that was their choice. Kat just didn’t want to be there when they drowned. And she certainly didn’t want to be there when they tried to pull her under.
There was no love lost between her and her mother. Her mother had done the absolute minimum in caring for Kat. Even worse, Kat had no protection from her father.
The argument stopped abruptly from the other side of the house, and Kat thought that maybe her father had decided to call it a night and pass out somewhere. That would be the best outcome. Unfortunately, it didn’t last.
Her father’s footsteps could be heard thumping throughout the house. Then, she heard them thumping down to the bedroom area. Then, the doorknob on her door turned.
Oh no, Kat thought. Not tonight. Not after I accomplished so much. Don’t let him ruin everything.
Her father barged in the room, stumbling a bit. She wondered briefly how he was able to get his car home. It seemed impossible with the way he was acting, but she knew he had years of practice.
Thomas Langely peered into Kat’s room, looking at her for a moment like she wasn’t there. Then, his focused cleared, and he snorted in disgust.
“Well, what the hell have
you been doing today?” He sneered. “What time is it? You’re already in bed? You’re a loser. Did you know that?”
Kat just stared at him in response. She knew when to keep her mouth shut.
Her father’s gaze raked over her room, and he shook his head in disgust.
“You spend all of your damned time in here,” he said.
Because of you, Kat thought bitterly.
“I didn’t think my only child would be such a nerd. I wish that you had been a boy.”
And you would have treated him like shit too.
Kat flinched when she saw him turn toward her computer and desk, but thankfully, his gaze ran past it and back to where she was on the bed.
“You sit around here like the lazy ass that you are,” he continued. “I’m surprised you haven’t flunked out of school yet. I know you’re not college material. You’ll flunk out of that too if you make it that far.”
I have straight A’s, you dumbass, and you barely made it through college yourself. You were always drinking. You said so yourself.
Her father rarely knew what was going on in her life, and when he did, he certainly didn’t understand her passions. Neither her mother nor father seemed to want to be involved in anything that Kat wanted. There was no interest in Kat’s hobbies. If they did have a nice evening or weekend, it was always doing something that her parents wanted to do.
Kat stared down at the comforter on her bed. Eye contact was a sure way for him to get violent. She just hoped that he would go away, and she could have some peace and quiet. That, unfortunately, didn’t happen.
He grunted and pointed at her.
“And look at you. Hair a mess. Bad clothes. And you’re starting to get thunder thighs. You need to go on a diet or start working out. Or both.”
Kat glanced down at him. She wanted to yell back at him that she was in PJs and getting ready for bed because of his violent outbursts. However, the thunder thighs caught her off-guard.
She looked down at herself. Wasn’t she thin? Did she have “thunder thighs?” She suddenly felt very insecure.
Please go away, she thought, hoping that he was done with his tirade.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
“I can’t believe that I have such an ugly daughter. You must have gotten it from your mom.”
Kat shrank back on her bed, feeling rattled. Why did he have to say things like that? She thought that she looked okay, but what if she was wrong? It’s not like there were boys banging down her door like they were for Alex.
“You think you’re such hot stuff with that computer shit you do,” he continued, seemingly bouncing around from topic to topic.
He must have had a lot to drink tonight. His words were starting to slur as well.
Please don’t get violent, Kat thought.
“You do know who I am? I just got an award for my work. I’m a big deal in my field.”
Kat wanted to groan, but she kept silent. One of her father’s favorite things to do while he was drunk was to brag about how important he was at his company. Kat just wanted to know how he was able to keep a job.
She also wondered where all the money went from his high-end job. Her parents were always fighting about bills. It couldn’t have all gone to alcohol, could it? Kat had a sinking suspicion that he liked to “treat” everyone at the bar by paying for drinks. He had talked about it on occasion.
Her father—thankfully—waved his hand at her and walked out the door, slamming it shut. Luckily, he didn’t come back to her room that night. She spent the rest of the night clutching her stuffed bear, Mr. Snuggles. At least she got a bit of sleep.
Two weeks later, she got confirmation from Cypherus that she had indeed won the challenge. They had told her that a fix for the gap was being implemented, and the cash was hers.
Or so she thought.
Kat couldn’t hide the fact that she had earned so much money. She had to pay the taxes on it, and file it with the IRS. She was still a dependent, technically. Instead of prolonging it, she told her parents right away. Of course, there was no praise.
Her father even said, “At least all that time and money you waste with computers brought some money back to the household.”
Back to the household.
What her father really meant was he kept it all and blew most of it on whatever. Though they had a joint account, he wouldn’t let her access it. She could have gotten to it, of course. However, she didn’t want to face the wrath of her father.
The only good thing that came of it was the fact that her hack had gotten her recognition in the right circles. She was able to procure some lucrative jobs and moved away as soon as she finished high school.
Kat never looked back after that and never spoke to either parent again.
Chapter 16
Present
Kat crawled back from a restless sleep. She hated when she had dreams about her father, but unfortunately, they happened time and time again. It had put quite a damper in the new life that she had created for herself.
She shifted uncomfortably and sat up, looking at Jack. Kat had slept with her head on his lap, and though it had been sweet of him to offer, it was still not the most pleasant sleep. She had given Jack a few hours of rest before he returned the favor. Although it had been better than nothing, she still felt extremely tired. She couldn’t imagine how Jack was feeling with his shoulder injured.
He was staring off into the darkness, but when she sat up, he stirred, studying her.
“How are you doing?” He asked softly.
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” She asked.
“Nah. I’m still alive, and like I told you, I’m used to this shit.”
“You still got shot,” she pointed out.
“That’s true, and I’ll have to say that it hurts like hell. However, you’re the one who’s not used to this. Hell, I didn’t want you on this mission in the first place. I just had a feeling that you wouldn’t be safe. I guess that I was right.”
Kat crinkled her nose.
“I initially thought that you didn’t like me, that you didn’t find me attractive enough for me to be your girlfriend.”
“I’m going to stop you right there. I don’t know where you got these ridiculous ideas from, but I can tell you right now that you are absolutely beautiful.”
Kat stared at him. He expression told her that he was dead serious.
“Okay,” she said quietly. “It’s just that—never mind. I don’t want to get into it right now.”
“I’m in no hurry to be anywhere,” he said and grinned.
Jack was usually spot-on about shaving, but even in the darkness Kat could see a five o’clock shadow growing. It gave his facial profile a different look, and she kind of liked it.
“Oh, where do I even start?” She said with a sigh.
“The beginning works just fine, but if there are any juicy parts, you can skip to those.”
He winked.
Kat smiled. It felt good to see Jack being his usual self, even if it was just for a moment. The situation was tense, and it frankly scared the crap out of her.
“Well,” she began, “my childhood kind of sucked. My father was an abusive drunk, and my mother could care less about me. Between them, they made my life awful.”
“Damn. I’m sorry, Kat. That’s terrible.”
She nodded.
“My dad in particular was pretty violent both verbally and physically.”
Jack stared at her, his expression darkening.
“That bastard didn’t hit you, did he?”
Kat shook her head and said, “No, but he threw a lot of dishes and put a lot of holes in the wall. It was the verbal abuse that I couldn’t stand. He targeted me on my looks, my weight, my intellect. I think it was his way of bolstering himself up, even though he knew he was a loser.”
Jack nodded.
“That’s fucking ridiculous. You are the most intelligent and beautiful woman I’ve ever met, and I have
no fricking clue what he’s talking about with the weight thing. You have a damned sexy body.”
She smiled, and said, “Thank you for saying that. I don’t know why I needed to hear that, but I did.”
Then he looked down at his lap and tapped his thumbs together. He looked sad, which was an emotion she’d never seen on him before.
“What’s wrong?” She asked.
“You said that your dad was a drunk. Does it bother you that I’ve had substance abuse issues in the past? When I mentioned them to you earlier, I could see there was some sort of problem there, but I didn’t press it.”
Kat sighed.
There hadn’t been a lot of time to think about it, though it had been lingering in the back of her mind. Jack obviously wasn’t her father. He was nowhere even close. Although Jack was a pain in the ass sometimes, she had found that he was kind of sweet and sensitive. She had honestly not known that Jack had a troubled past. He seemed so put together.
“Maybe a little,” she said truthfully.
Jack nodded.
“Thanks for being honest. Would it help to know that I haven’t touched a drop in six years?”
Kat smiled and said, “That’s amazing, Jack. Congratulations.”
Jack shrugged and told her, “There’s nothing to congratulate me about. I’m just doing the shit that I was supposed to do in the first place.”
“Still,” she said. “Some people never come out of that. You did.”
“I’m not sure that I’m ready to tell you my life story, but I will say that I screwed up my career with the Army Special Forces. I was lucky that they gave me an honorable discharge. I probably didn’t deserve it.”
“I spiraled out of control pretty quickly after that. I drank around the clock, ashamed of what I had become. If it hadn’t been for Bryant, I’d probably be dead.”
“How did he help you?” Kat asked, puzzled.
“He gave me a job with a lot of responsibility. I got to call the shots on missions and choose what I wanted to pursue. I wasn’t ordered anywhere I didn’t want to go, and I understood the importance of the missions. It was totally different from my time in the military, not to say that I didn’t appreciate everything the Army gave me. It just wasn’t a long-term solution for me.”
Troubled Paradise (Gray Tower Book 2) Page 14