Chastity Flame by K. A. Laity Read Free Book Online Page A

half English," Chastity
prompted. "Our readers are really excited to hear what you have to
say. We've already got lots of hits on our site just with the mench
of it. Everyone pelted me with questions to ask you."
    "Well, all right," he said, sighing.
"Let's sit. Who's this?"
    "Amélie. I've been an admirer of your
work for a long time." Chastity marveled at the way she gushed
believably, reaching for his reluctant hand. Appealing to his ego
seemed to be a predictably safe route. "When Pauline was looking
for a subject for her piece, I suggested you
immediately."
    "I'm really not that savvy about the
inside information," Chastity added. "I'd love to know how you
choose your projects. You must have to say no to a lot of
people."
    The hacker grinned. "You wouldn't
believe how many. People are really gutted when I tell them I can't
help them with their problems. I'm only one person, I can only do
so much," he said, with falsely mocking modesty.
    But she had a job to do. "So how do
you choose? Do you just get a feeling for the particular person or
do you invest in their ideology?"
    "Ideology?" he laughed. "No, I don't
believe in anything. People are all deluded. I just go with the
highest bidder."
    Ah, the mercenary, Chastity thought.
Simple to deal with after all. "Do you ever get concerned about the
impact your work has on other people? I mean, if you're just going
with the highest bidder, what if they're terrorists or, I don't
know, investment bankers? Do you feel any
responsibility?"
    He shrugged, looking a little
irritated. "Not my problem. They're going to hire somebody, so it's
going to happen, it’s a done deal. If it weren't me, it would be
someone else. Whatever."
    What a prince. "How did you
get into hacking?" Chastity asked, struggling for another line of
questioning to pursue. Was there going to be a way to get him to
open up and betray something more substantial than his laissez-faire morality?
    Just as she was beginning to feel a
bit impatient, he finally drawled, "Oh, that's a long story. Maybe
we should talk about it over drinks." He had his phone out, texting
something to someone before she even agreed to it.
    "You don't mind if Amélie comes too?"
Predictably, he shrugged.
    "There's a great little café not too
far from here," Amélie said, falling into step beside Chastity as
they walked down the exit hall. "The food is quite
sensational."
    "Do they have English food? I don't
like foreign food," the hacker said, sniffling a little and still
texting furiously as they went out the glass doors.
    Amélie looked nonplussed. "They have
hamburgers, I think."
    "What do I call you, by the way?"
Chastity interrupted, wondering if things were about to roll off
track. "I can't just call you 'madcap' can I?"
    He looked up at her, eyebrows drawn
together. "Why not?"
    "All right, madcap." Chastity shrugged
too. "Do you travel a lot?"
    "Hey, what the fuck?!" He had stopped
in the middle of the pavement, staring at his phone
intently.
    "What is it?" Chastity tried to peek
at the tiny screen.
    He looked up at Chastity with a frown.
"Who are you really?"
    "What do you mean?"
    "You're not a civ. You're some kind of
law enforcement or something."
    Chastity feigned disbelief. "I don't
know what you're talking about."
    "Your phone. They scanned it. My guys.
It's got more security than ours and we made ours ourselves. Fuck
off! I'm not telling you anything." He turned on his heel and
started to stalk back toward the hotel. Amélie exchanged a glance
with Chastity, suggesting they follow him, but Chastity gave a
quick head shake. Thinking fast, she summoned up a look of
irritation of her own.
    "What the hell are you talking about?
I bought this phone at the airport because I found out my phone
doesn't work here. I don't even know what it is!" He waved her off,
ignoring her pleading words, but she wasn't willing to give up yet.
"My editor is going to kill me if I don't come back with a story on
you."
    He stopped and looked over