Hacker For Hire (Ted Higuera Series Book 2) by Pendelton Wallace Read Free Book Online Page B

reviews, penetration tests;
we could sell them our anti-virus software for their network. We might even be
able to convince Alison to put DigiGuard AntiVirus on every computer they sell.
This one client could be worth millions.” She appealed to his sense of greed. “You
know that boat you want? This could be it.”
    The thing that she
didn’t tell Bill, but that he knew anyway, was that she was addicted to the
thrill. She craved the adrenaline rush she got from sneaking in the wire taps,
the listening devices, tapping into the video surveillance systems, hacking
networks. This was more fun than sex, which was probably why Bill resented it
so much. Not only was she outsmarting her opponents, she was physically
invading their premises. And making a nice penny in the process, thank you.
    “What about Julie?
No one would suspect her.”
    “That’s because Jules
couldn’t tap a video surveillance system to save her life. I’m sorry, Bill, it
has to be me. They would question it now if I sent someone else. Can you make
it okay with Billy for me?”
    “What do you want
me to tell him, double-oh-seven? That his mom’s letting him down again?”
    “Tell him I’ll
take him shopping for that X-box this weekend. Tell him that I’ll make it up to
him. We can eat lunch at Red Robin.”
    “Don’t you think
that buying your kids off is getting a little old? D, they need their mom to be
there for them.”
    “Bill, make it
right for me. I’ve gotta go. Bye.”
    She let out a deep
breath and hung up the phone. Bill could be so temperamental sometimes. He
could be harder to deal with than a woman.
    Her eyes fell on
the plaque on the wall, awarded at the 2002 Computer World Expo. DigiGuard was
the first anti-virus software to meet the Armageddon Virus threat. A grateful
technical community honored her for sharing the inoculation with her
competitors so that their customers would be safe.
    She smiled. The
Armageddon Virus brought Internet commerce to a halt. The first truly global multi-attack
virus, it invaded corporate systems world-wide. Hard drives filled up, servers
crashed. Zombies went wild. Traffic on the Internet was so great that e-commerce
sites went off-line. When Kay-Bee Toys crashed on the eve of the Christmas
rush, the technical community knew they had a full-fledged crisis on their
hands.
    Electronic commerce
virtually stopped for forty-eight hours while the world’s anti-virus vendors
struggled to solve the riddle. Most corporations shut off their Internet access
to protect their networks. Business ground to a halt. It had cost billions of
dollars.
    It was her finest
hour. She was first to offer a solution.
    The fact that she
and Bill had written the Armageddon Virus helped. They had an
inoculation ready and waiting when the virus was unleashed. They waited a
decent period of time, then announced that DigiGuard AntiVirus would combat the
invader. Fortune 500 companies lined up to buy her software.
    When the other
vendors didn’t come up with a solution in the next couple of days, Donna
magnanimously announced that DigiGuard would share their secret in the interest
of protecting the whole community. She was perceived as a selfless hero, a
champion of open source code.
    Now, with the new
malware she and Bill were preparing, she would be thrust back into the
spotlight. If only her family could see her as a hero. If only they could see
how important her work was.
    ****
    Sarah had just
left for class. Chris hobbled to the kitchen and grabbed a Henry’s out of the
fridge. Damn, it hurt. Just moving around was painful. He picked up the
bottle of Percocet off the counter, re-read the label, then put it down. It
wasn’t time to take another pill yet.
    He looked at the
bottle of beer in his hand. What the hell. He twisted open the top.
    The trip to the
kitchen, the DVD player and back to his chair winded him. Fuck. He had
no stamina.
    Picking up the
remote control, he turned on the TV. Today would be a Lonesome Dove