Firewall

by Sierra Riley

  With a moan, the horde backed away. Calder climbed into the front passenger side of the limo and quickly closed the door behind him. “Evening, Joe,” he greeted the driver. He had seen the man around enough now, since he was Mr. Leman’s regular driver.

  “Evening, Calder,” Joe greeted. “Are we good to go?”

  “Yep, go ahead.”

  Joe pulled away from the curb and rejoined the traffic on the street. It was only then that Calder was able to breathe a little.

  Mere moments after Calder was settled, he received a text message from his best friend, Justin.

  Calder smiled as he glanced to the text, which simply read:

  Another day done.

  Calder responded:

  Mine’s done tomorrow

  He put his phone away, not wanting to be distracted by texting on the job.

  He loved getting texts from Justin, even if he couldn’t always answer them. With his job being so time-consuming, he didn’t get much chance to socialize outside of working with and for his clients. Even then, the acquaintances he had in the city were tiring. A lot of other security guys were full of themselves and led lavish lifestyles. While Calder was making decent money too, he preferred to store most of it away for a rainy day. That made him an outlier, especially in this city.

  Calder knew how to handle fame. Justin was a hotshot, too, as far as the tech world went. He came off as cocky sometimes but Calder knew it was because of his Asperger’s. As a kid, Justin was always picked on because of that and his general social awkwardness. Even Calder had thought Justin to be weird until he really got to know him.

  Calder remained focused on the job for the rest of the drive back to Mr. and Mrs. Leman’s luxurious home. As soon as they were in the drive, with the gates sliding closed behind them, Calder relaxed a little. Once they were parked, he stepped out of the limo and glanced around, making sure the coast was clear. The Lemans’ property was large but fairly open, so it was easy for Calder to keep an eye out for suspicious activity.

  When he was satisfied, Calder opened the door for the couple and led them out. Now that the Lemans were away from the spotlight, the laughter and smiles had died down. No, now they were back to being a couple where it seemed like all the love was lost.

  Mrs. Leman definitely knew her husband was being unfaithful. Calder wished that such a situation was unusual but he saw the ugly side of a lot of his clients. That made him lose some faith in humanity.

  He guided the Lemans inside.

  “We’re in for the night now, so that will be all,” Mr. Leman stated as he and his wife removed their outer clothes in the foyer.

  “All right, sir.” Calder nodded, and left to go to the surveillance office. As soon as he was in the office, he blew out a breath while stealing a moment for himself. He brushed his hands back through his hair, loosened his shirt collar, then sat at his desk. Before him, several screens were set up that showed him various views of the property via cameras. Everything was quiet at the moment and the night had gone well.

  Calder busied himself next with filling out some paperwork. He actually didn’t mind doing the paperwork since it was calming.

  When he was finally done the paperwork and could relax a little, Calder removed the phone from his pocket. There was another message from Justin.

  I miss you. We should get together sometime soon.

  As soon as Calder read this message, his heart tightened. It had been eight years now since they’d seen each other, as they had grown absorbed in their futures. There had never seemed to be time for it. Still, they were every bit as much best friends as when they’d met on the first day of third grade. Phone calls, texts, emails, and social media were enough to keep in touch these days.

  I might be able to get some time off soon.

  Calder responded.

  It’d be nice to see Justin after all these years. Calder felt guilty that they had let so much time pass between them. There was really no need for it, but life was like that sometimes.

  There was more to it than that as well—a certain attraction to Justin that he couldn’t deny.

  No, no. Now wasn’t the time to think of Justin like that. Was there even a right time to think about it? Calder had thought about Justin over the years but had tried not to dwell on it. He’d never been interested in men in general.

  But Justin was different.

  Calder had always tried to dismiss his attraction as just being lonely for his best friend’s company. Honestly, Justin was the most important person in his life. He was always eager to hear about his day and share his own—as much as he could without broaching any privacy clauses.

  :) Oh, and I’m actually being sociable today. Some guys from work invited me out.

  Good for you!

  Calder was pleased to learn this. Justin stuck to himself a lot, and the last thing Calder wanted was for Justin to be lonely.

  What are you doing?

  They invited me to a board game café.

  Calder had to smile at the text. It didn’t surprise him at all that Justin’s coworkers were interested in geeky things, too.

  Have fun. Don’t get into too much trouble.

  LOL. I won’t. I’ll catch you later.

  Calder pocketed his phone and leaned back in his chair, staring at the still screens before him. With Justin getting out there and socializing, Calder was reminded of how much he needed to make some changes in his life as well.

  Perhaps a trip to Portland to spend time with Justin was just the thing he needed.

  3

  Justin

  At seven, Justin arrived outside The Dragon’s Den. He was a little nervous about spending time with his coworkers outside work. He had only done so now and again when he felt particularly brave—today being one of those days.

  He stepped inside the café and spotted his coworkers in a booth at the back. They already had a war strategy game out with the pieces all sorted. Wallace was chatting it up with a guy named Kyle, while another guy named Elliot was checking over the rules.

  “Hey, look who’s made it!” Wallace grinned as Justin approached the table.

  “I didn’t believe Wallace when he said that you actually agreed to come,” Kyle teased.

  “I have my moments,” Justin lamely responded. Already, the anxiousness was creeping in. It made him more self-conscious than ever but he tried to hold it together.

  “Take a seat. We’re just about ready to begin,” Wallace said, patting the seat next to him.

  Now Justin was put on the spot again. He didn’t want to sit next to Wallace but he was obviously inviting him and it’d be rude to deny him, right?

  Justin swallowed and sat down next to Wallace, although he sat as close to the edge of the seat as possible. He was thankful that they’d be playing the game soon since it was much easier for him to focus on that. He loved games of all kinds.

  “I’ll get us a round of drinks,” Wallace announced as he raised his hand to get the waitress’s attention.

  Justin didn’t care much for drinking, especially since he was such a lightweight, but the pressure to be sociable was there. He had to be in it to win it, right? It wasn’t every day that he went out with these guys, so he had to make it count.

  But Justin hated beer. When he did drink, he preferred lighter, fruitier drinks.

  Still, when the waitress returned with beers, Justin accepted his without complaint. He only intended to have the one.

  Wallace, Elliot, and Kyle chatted up a storm as the game began. Justin listened intently to them talking about the latest superhero movies coming out. While Justin was also interested in superheroes, he wasn’t sure when to speak up and join the conversation. He mostly stayed quiet and tried to look attentive.

  As the game went on, and the others had more drinks, the conversations veered away from movies and toward work. Work was definitely something Justin could talk about but he bit his tongue. He was damn good at his job and knew it, but everyone else knew that, to
o.

  You can’t go on a rant about yourself. Let everyone else talk. Ask questions, he told himself, going through the motions that exhausted him for nearly every conversation.

  “I kind of want to try something new,” Kyle said as he made his move on the board.

  “I know what you mean,” Elliot groaned. “I mean, I love working for Sybil’s but I kind of want something new.”

  “It’s interesting that you say that because I’m thinking of starting work elsewhere,” Wallace spoke up. His posture was more slouched and relaxed now, clearly having drunk enough. It seemed like none of the guys there could hold their alcohol well.

  “Oh, yeah?” Elliot prompted.

  “Yeah. Mr. Huang’s interested in working with me.”

  Justin’s eyes flickered as he furrowed his brow. Mr. Huang was a Chinese businessman that ran his own tech giant that specialized mostly in app development. There had been clashes between his company and Sybil Industries in the past. The fact that Wallace had mentioned working with Mr. Huang felt off to Justin. Sure, it wasn’t uncommon for pentesters to take freelance work wherever they could but this felt different.

  “That would be a big change!” Elliot exclaimed, his own eyes wide. Kyle was also leaning forward and looking very interested in the sudden turn of events.

  “Wouldn’t it? Maybe I can get you guys in on it, too. Justin, are you interested?”

  Justin shook his head so sharply his neck cracked. “No, thanks.” He had no intention of working with a competitor as big as Mr. Huang. It didn’t feel right to him. Besides, he had it good at Sybil Industries and he had no desire to move on anytime soon.

  Wallace seemed almost relieved when Justin declined his offer. What had that been about? Justin tried not to think too hard about it as he focused on taking his next turn. Now, though, the conversation about the new possible job abruptly ended, which made Justin all the more curious.

  He tried not to think about it too much. He wanted to have fun that night and get some socializing out of the way.

  The group continued playing for another hour or so, the conversation gradually returning to more casual topics. Finally, it was time to head home. When everyone else toddled outside, Justin followed after them. A taxi was already waiting outside for them.

  “Wanna ride with us?” Wallace asked as they approached the car with Kyle and Elliot climbing in first.

  “No, I’ll walk home,” Justin responded.

  “Look, about earlier, you don’t need to tell anyone else about that,” Wallace murmured lowly. It seemed like he was trying to be casual about it but Wallace’s eyes were too hard for that. Justin was sure he wasn’t misreading the wariness there.

  “Have you already been working with him?” Justin asked with a frown. “It sounds like it.”

  Wallace shifted, rolling his head from side to side. It was clear that Wallace was drunker than he thought he was. “There’s no harm in keeping your options open.”

  “It just doesn’t feel right.”

  Wallace laughed sharply and clapped Justin solidly on the shoulder. “So loyal. There’s nothing to worry about!” Even as Wallace said that, though, his grip on Justin’s shoulder tightened. It made Justin’s skin crawl.

  “Just don’t put Sybil Industries at risk. We all work too hard keeping it safe.”

  “Now you’re concerned about others?” Wallace smirked. “For once it’s not all about you?”

  Justin’s cheeks burned as he tried to pull away. Wallace’s fingers dug into his shoulder, holding him in place for a second too long. Alarm bells rang in Justin’s head as he jerked out of Wallace’s grip and eyed him. What the hell was this guy playing at?

  Wallace looked offended but then shrugged it off as he headed for the taxi. “See you tomorrow.”

  Justin didn’t say a word as Wallace stepped into the taxi. Within moments, the taxi had pulled out onto the street and disappeared into the night.

  As Justin headed home, his mind was wild with thoughts. It seemed like there was a possibility that Wallace might ‘have been selling out Sybil Industries. Should he talk to Pat about it? No, without evidence it’d be a huge risk.

  Perhaps it’d be time to do some snooping around. After all, if Wallace did pose a risk to Sybil Industries, then it was Justin’s job to catch him.

  4

  Justin

  The next morning, Justin prepared to head into work. He still wasn’t entirely sure how he was going to deal with what he had learned the night before. That alone was enough to make him anxious, although thoughts of Calder were on his mind as well.

  He’d thrown out an invitation for Calder to visit after all these years, and Calder seemed like he was up for it. The last time they had seen each other was at Justin’s sister’s wedding. Since Calder was a childhood friend, he had been on the guest list.

  As casually as he’d invited Calder, the truth was that Justin’s heart pounded at the thought of seeing Calder again. Ever since they were kids, Justin had crushed on him. He’d tried to pass it off as admiration, but it ran deeper than that.

  Although Calder was a jock, and a popular kid in school, he had chosen to spend his time with Justin. Justin had asked him a couple of times over the years why that was and Calder had responded that he couldn’t stand the dickheads he was supposed to associate with.

  If dating didn’t sound so weird and confusing, he might even have dated Calder. The problem was that although dating him sounded perfect because they’d known each other for so long, that also made it weird.

  Justin had been asked out throughout the years by different guys, but his social awkwardness had not made for very many great dates. He tried, he really did, but somehow things never worked out. Guys had commented that he was cute, and seemed to really believe it. But Justin found it hard to give in to their advances. Any time it came to physical touch, Justin was out of there.

  But that was fine with Justin. When he really needed sex, he used Grindr like everyone else. It only happened once in a blue moon, though. Afterward, he never felt as fulfilled as he’d hoped. The whole thing was even more unpleasant to deal with.

  It was hard for him to get sexual with anyone without an emotional connection. And it was hard to form an emotional connection when his social skills were terrible.

  But when it came to Calder...

  Justin liked him. Not just as his best friend but as something more. That was when things got really confusing for Justin because he wasn’t sure how to separate platonic feelings from romantic ones.

  Still, now and again, on particularly lonely nights when the messages between them were quiet because Calder was working, Justin’s mind wandered. What would it be like to lose himself in Calder’s embrace? He was a tough man who was built like a tank, the complete opposite of Justin.

  Where was all of the sudden sentimentalism coming from? He had other things to concern himself with at the moment, such as whether or not he should tell his boss about the conversation with Wallace.

  Justin grabbed his car keys and headed out through the door.

  “You’re firing me?” It was half an hour later, but only five minutes since he’d walked into a disgruntled Pat’s office.

  Pat’s eyes were hard, his fingers steepled as he rested his elbows on the desk. “We had a security breach last night. We know sensitive information was leaked.”

  “Why do you think it was me?”

  “We had other testers check the breach this morning. It was reported back to us that it was you.”

  Justin didn’t even know where to begin with that response. Justin wasn’t even late but some other testers had already been investigating? Pat had seen all the security reports that Justin had ever sent in. Justin had painstakingly taken him through every issue he’d found and how to fix each one. He’d never sold a detail to anyone else, never even hinted at proprietary information to anyone, even Calder.

  “We love your work but it may have gotten over your head,” Pat continued.
“And we’ve had others come to us saying that you’re not a team player.”

  Justin’s mouth was still open, his mind running a blank. He knew he needed to defend himself but the words wouldn’t form.

  “We thank you for your work with us but it’s time to move on.”

  Justin numbly rose from the seat and nodded, staring at Pat a few moments longer before letting himself out.

  The moment he stepped out of Pat’s office, he was flanked by two security personnel and escorted through the building. He knew it was completely standard procedure, so it didn’t sting. As he made his way down to the lobby, another hacker who worked for Sybil Industries, Elliot, glanced over his way.

  Was it Justin’s imagination or did the guy have a guilty look about him? It was hard for Justin to tell. It could have been sympathy, too. Either way, Elliot knew something had gone down, because he wasn’t surprised or alarmed.

  Justin wanted to stop and question Elliot about what had happened, but the two dudes flanking him were pretty intimidating, so he didn’t risk it. They didn’t let up, following him all the way to his car.

  How could the company throw him out like this? He definitely knew that he hadn’t done anything wrong, so someone was pinning something on him. “The others,” Pat had said. Did that mean multiple people all ganged up to betray him?

  Had he really been that hard to work with?

  Justin stumbled into his car in disbelief, still shaking from nerves. It wasn’t the best idea to drive in such a state, but there was no way he wanted to come back to this goddamn company one more time—even to pick up his car.