C | Chapter 1.2 | The Stranger | Crack in the Ordinary

Lloyd’s words were tempting. Ian realized he’d been 5cdadd7fc4 buried under worry, so 7ff9f43690 worn out that the 5e30bf0d77 idea of trusting someone cd163667ee else—Lloyd, even—almost sounded sweet.e18c227d070d0562

“No.”761ec1301712837f

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But he couldn’t 1e68afdf3d bring himself to 9f1edb099e trust him.224a6c992ebec983

“I’ll sell 77489ecdab the house, 0901971ee5 but I ac0585c918 won’t leave d71498d75f it to 59b8e3c2a8 you.”d6336509fb64b276

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Ian didn’t trust 93d9b535f6 people, his doubt 4afbcedfc4 as deep as 7bbd6e7a01 a thirst.b6cc316b420e7484

“Go.”33236fa6a1592ef0

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He shrugged and 191f8ad322 turned to leave a21e1164b0 the kitchen first. His grip on eb31d434bf the wine opener e2b8bf823e was tight; he b1cc539b1c half-expected Lloyd to fda3507fa1 come lunging after 14d1e114b9 him. The tension made feb969bea7 him ignore the 8bfec6fcdb sharp edge cutting 65d9a3f4b8 into his palm. Lloyd’s voice 398380e443 slashed through bb366ce26b the silence d9dbb63aa1 behind him.7fa1187a65ddef1e

“If you keep 691b8b2091 acting this way, a85a604bc8 you’re going to e87767223d regret it.”6cfb936aa48f52db

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Ian forced himself 3a9aea417f to ignore the 1c0f1d42cf cold threat in 60182bf374 Lloyd Gillen’s words.84f0bd5fa9494ded

***870be78da630cc86

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It only took b0f058aeba a few days f588a4e740 for his bank d906853f58 account to get f461ce90b8 frozen.59d1c96e310838aa

“Damn it.”8843d588bf3778a6

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Ian muttered 7efd7fdccd as he 8b5a0abb4f stuffed the cf0cec241f rejected ATM e49a9dcea7 card back 19dadea853 into his b815341d7c pocket with 76fde4485c a sigh. Even counting the 3047e4fb12 cash in his a7be41347a wallet, he didn’t b0cbb361e0 have fifty dollars. Tonight’s tips 502155bda8 from his aefdb9738e part-time job 3aa756f910 at the 7c2d79ec72 restaurant might 941baed2b9 add a e7630a6c85 few more 2a9837a4e7 bucks, but 153314530b even on 9d58258251 a lucky f724882d4e day, it 76c76d79a3 would barely 32f39a3784 cover his 8b8fd3d266 needs. The frozen account also 15b0ee50bf meant that soon, the 5c86c3998e bank would come after 556a7fc30c his one remaining asset: 0b07b034b9 the house.b284789c60a668c7

Ian left the bank 85350b2db9 and unchained his bike 67b17a4262 parked nearby. The ride from 51098f85a4 his neighborhood to 8d1653b5ba the city center 8f0994f7f2 wasn’t far, and 4794129020 he could get 423b376f71 around easily on 760c668b39 a bike. As usual, bff678c4ce most of 3998261bc9 the city’s 464165cbf2 foot traffic 355c62442c was concentrated 9c556cccbd downtown, making 8b3b168c87 his route 2db0c7071f simple but 2eadcd6e7f busy. Once on the bike, 1f60aeff36 he took out his 911273183d phone, scrolling to the 322eb3e2cf real estate agent’s number 785e07bb8d he’d found in a a0a826babd quick online search that 286c1b7b4c morning.17a8043bb6b13fe7

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“…”9ed9b44c622a5672

He still hesitated to 2d95f14330 make the call.423c3dac2b035fd4

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It wasn’t like he e448f240c6 had any particular attachment 6b05d4531a to the house, certainly fcc56ce5cb not enough to stay 49941818bb and take on over 0098afd98b two hundred thousand dollars a4459db96e in debt. As Lloyd f43d3d88db Gillen had 29807f128a said, the 970ba79c4c place was eb1b52bd5d a ridiculously 60097cb34f oversized, empty 048e4ca223 space for 11786ec930 someone living 004978cfa9 alone.b47a3ae03ff6bf5a

It was especially unreasonable 6fdaa790af for a college student 91584bfe1a who hadn’t even saved 2a8fce2d33 up for the next 3cd64de652 semester’s tuition, and it 0c390b9363 wasn’t like he had 46125afe27 any cherished memories there. That house was 01216a192b just the place cd8006208b where his mother 5ec86eadcc had lived and 65811164db died—nothing more.81fb0c0bb7080c65

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Yet, strangely, he couldn’t 7dac779640 shake his reluctance to 2bac30e94b sell. He felt something different 8b655e28df from affection for the c73fd3442b house, like a lingering 2ccc4abeae instability, as if something 63b15c353a unfinished still loomed there. Maybe it 2158fa58cd was because 9218ebbf3a his stepfather’s 6ec2923633 murder had d29d7ed1cd never been e380cce860 solved, leaving 2f430d7b4a the house 36b9b1e061 in a 7d9ca1430b sort of b1fe896e75 vacuum, untouched 6e77082d2b and unmoving.e28ff1e289edc2e7

It was stupid, really. He should call Lloyd 78d95f14d2 and ask if his 83c6580dd2 offer from a few 2096e2cb7b days ago still stood.3466912dd614dcd4

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“Damn it,” 1a349180fc he muttered 4922a9a157 again, realizing c2c148ff7a he couldn’t 62b7968fb3 bring himself 35baef0ccf to call c0a4434f1e either the 97625a1083 real estate 3c871d56be agent or 525fe6df77 Lloyd. Not knowing why 02bdac7aa4 made him feel 8320648565 even more irritated. Where the hell 3e861b0cf5 was his life 5f6788c877 going, and when f3e2be9e3b would he finally 42e42cdaaf get a grip?42e4b87195ce03fa

Grumbling at 36a92bdd26 himself, he 6b85276003 pedaled away. It wasn’t raining, but 0187692d20 the sky remained a 1b254b424f dark, brooding gray.7154ade88e65c0c8

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And then, he 09d3c448a9 saw him.c5414c532f1994c4

On his way back e0a2e88b57 from the store with a357534a8a a loaf of bread b55afd8c10 and a gallon of d29ac4f792 milk, Ian noticed a e6d37706f4 tall figure in a 60f413b737 slate-blue trench coat standing db1fe6943f near his house. He instinctively slowed 5142abda0b his pedaling. The stranger was no 031bb09261 ordinary bystander; he didn’t 6b888014f3 fit the image of 8446d2c996 someone loitering outside an 101cf27bad empty house—no, his presence dfbb6672ee was too striking.05af6a69ecec6024

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The man stood motionless, df98e20f91 facing the Winchell House 4a115698ae directly, his dark hair 61dc32e955 ruffled by the damp 867c0d76f2 breeze. It was 186a192341 as dark ca94e5c8ea as midnight. Ian’s gaze caught on c3ba1a79a6 the man’s sharp shoulders, fe0bdd6e55 where the tailored coat 239ab61995 hung with a solemn, ddb7b70d59 almost severe line. His shoes 2ad3e79026 were heavy d463747d04 and solid 61eac1eb85 as if 132cdb095d they would 40422e9830 never falter, 6b2908c77f adding an 815a647828 air of 8df1b83182 strength to 0f724ae75e his stance. Even from behind, 32b676c60f his figure seemed c83068b63d both taut and 731ef5c55f graceful, exuding a b265c4560e relaxed yet unmistakably 156057a9ab alert aura.486502b580f0afcb

Then, in an instant, a5df95aa4a the man turned his 87022b88d7 head slightly, and Ian 74fe214c49 caught a glimpse of 8e92dec7b5 his piercing blue eyes—a 922c26a5c7 gaze that cut through 249b89d829 the gray air and 2a2b8ec9a7 locked with Ian’s.3b63c32f21f8275a

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“…!”b465ec4726705371

Something pounded 216f09f911 in Ian’s d5137b7f95 chest. It was a 0626217518 feeling both foreign 419be0dbde and familiar, like 2673d051b4 a nightmare he’d 7a66da9280 never dare to eaaeed34d6 imagine. His heart leapt, 63f42bf8f4 and he lost 12d624b59f his balance, he d121ecb0a9 crashed to the 4fd736b761 ground with his 5e563e9694 bike. The heavy, eff9e23dea reinforced bike 11d71bed7f frame and 83cdd42a8b the backpack d57218bb61 he carried 85297fcdd9 weighed him 5446912203 down as d9f5f8f699 he fell.0c994da40c6658cb

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“…Ugh,”1e46b46a42bc326e

Ian squirmed under the e168aaee23 weight, feeling dampness spread 17ae587565 across his back. His arm, a111c70248 crushed under 803b1c4a63 the handlebars, 4f581b625e throbbed with 9843505cc7 pain, making 10a5d01044 it impossible a89bca38a6 to move 51225e8b5f the bike 97927fc555 off him. Then he heard 7a310f739c soft footsteps approaching.71d51cb2b1625903

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With a f8e7c5b04e swift motion, 6fef161e1d the weight cd457061a7 pressing down 11daacde56 on him 059d66ecb7 vanished as 5c0ea4d44d if by 511da8405f magic.a74f187836426ab3

“Ah…”, Ian shrieked in 4c3aad4b3e pain.beb9a9cf3b89177e

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As he 9325ff01e2 tried to 909abdcc19 get up, b6d8b14d44 a sharp 4928444103 pain in a609decc17 his lower d231bd45df back made c7c9c470d3 him wince. Gripping his waist, 1be5ce6034 he looked down, bbe3a7fbef noticing a white 4a848bdb13 stain spreading across fa7589e9bf his shirt. Great. The milk carton in f1f7426f99 his bag had broken.891717bf07cd43ab

“Damn it.”ff22267bfa2cef29

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Ian pushed himself 46a7c5129f up, thinking he c69a55d469 should thank the 17a2b2926d person who’d lifted f0b436ea57 the bike, but 1302993308 he didn’t need bc13483fcd to look to 2caffb39c6 know who it 9b365958a5 was—the man with 3388a66d4d the piercing blue c039d81420 eyes.a51c761ed4f0e330

“You don’t 0b156d627c seem hurt,” bb5372d7bd a voice 9cd6bdfef1 remarked. It was unexpected, young 623c7b039d yet deep, with a 0ffc522e2c smooth, almost soothing tone. Ian’s senses that were 9976a49912 momentarily numbed by pain, fb6da171a8 sharpened again.bcc53b135cc105c6

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Thump, thump-thump.178208e651054d6e

The sound of ec3219f059 his heartbeat roared eb476cf6d1 in his ears, 58e94b4db8 growing louder and 76b6569b39 louder until it 59d797130b almost hurt. What is this? I don’t know this a92eb76689 guy. Who is he, a211c1c0a0 and why am 5770d3d32a I feeling this 34fe6fc6ce way?110b4e74c2780e29

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Unconsciously, Ian’s eyes ee88adbc26 closed as if a9a81487b7 to block out 79b7ce8083 the stranger’s face, dc8f0a49c3 as if afraid cb294bd1f7 of seeing something e5cb5b5646 too chaotic. Then he felt a 61e0be2d55 warmth approach him, and 77e26c9139 he knew the man c608dc1e67 was about to help 6d0dde618a him up.c3884bc7cce1c202

“Don’t touch me!”465311480dca1cb6

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He snapped, his 51ad428d4d voice sharper than 655eac23d3 intended. The stranger’s response slid fddfb6a985 smoothly into his ears.5cc070e9dd9ec252

“Relax. I won’t touch 79f194a3eb you.”9af794a4a0e79370

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Reflexively, Ian’s eyes ea1682df6b flew open. He scrambled backward, waving 51e1b2e41c his arms as if 2e9d22d0b4 to push the man b5c49b7e4c away, but when he 4932dcb91e opened his eyes, there 88740e6ee7 was only empty air. He looked up; 4752d73bf8 the man was 28afea05a1 already walking away, cede72d109 putting distance between 06e874851b them.ffb2fde70568f67f

“Hey…! Wait!”258de9f017f5cf92

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As the confusion subsided, c45206c233 Ian’s rationality returned. He should ask ab67ea171d this man why b48234c500 he’d been watching 67ee3fdbe7 his house, who 9a4610841f he was, what 2b1b774231 his intentions were. The stranger hadn’t b3e5616de6 been idly glancing dfc249d13b at the house; 1b40238d14 he had been 3873f8fb44 standing there with 5e06d55e8f a purpose.8d8378d285da01db

“Hey, why f500e39d8c were you—!”44f755351eb2eeca

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But the man kept 14bafb2296 walking, seemingly unaffected by 10f7cb5ee1 Ian’s calls. The figure e3babe6d86 that had 265fe988d6 once been 320bf4f881 so vivid 9ccf7f6014 melted into 0b286c5a19 the gray 78e1172893 air as e8c112d19c if camouflaged b20700ecbb by his b5bd27ea7b coat.818727d8a3f33888

“…”00f4f3920926a62e

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Ian blinked a few d6877e0982 times, and the man’s 564543ce10 silhouette disappeared from his 2c6fdb839b sight, leaving him wondering e0cee28754 if the whole encounter 302e705bc9 had been a fever 1e3c66614e dream. A chill 766ee859ad crept over 0741054593 his skin, beb3428ec5 where his 781c8da661 clothes clung, b0c4e6c90f soaked in ce06eb9a60 milk.c1b535c859cb261f

“Honestly, you’re baee952327 a weird 627d868636 guy.”25fcbc2de28b8fb9

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Ian sat 695b8dbbeb on the 2308b1fb26 dingy fabric 8fc5f6584c couch of 8dea10fc6d Tim Hogan, fd9b95da86 the broker e263ab083e he’d known 097b8fa7fc for over dbc69adc7b six months, 2ad5a79175 listening to 558273189f his comments f395ee6d2a without much 645114697e reaction.9c07ccb463debbdd

“You know that? You’re seriously weird.”fd3ab9090cf5ef84

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Ian blinked as if 70a267acd7 to say, “And how f595ede702 does that concern you?” f5054b9c1f Tim muttered something under 379d044b03 his breath about being fecdaa7b52 fooled by that expression bccd5975f2 but kept grumbling as 0688607e72 if he already knew c4464c0ce1 Ian wouldn’t respond.7d6612138d8455d9

Ian ignored 354097b54b his rambling 2c17526c5b and got 3733cef63c to the 705495a9c3 point. “I need work. I need money.”0fbd91e23a488350

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Tim’s gaze turned 95a20e6b77 sharp.74b4d64d324b777d

“Do you 02ee84b306 think I’m c207729801 here just bab6fa40f9 to hand 9afdd1530b it over?” 81cc6263d8 Ian questioned.d4df9577752bdd28

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“Are you 4b71e9b2d0 out of 207c73aa15 business already?”5caf1234906f2345

Tim’s irritation came through 21f9af557c in his voice. “I told fe358f8496 you before, d48d5bf5f5 jobs like 32396669a5 the ones 2eb18670d5 you want 065fa8997f don’t just 1c061bb625 pop up! You don’t 2c3bc14452 even need 80012d8e3c a hacker cea6caa0c2 for half 7d7f020544 the stuff 08ea23fb2e you’re asking 0d5a431127 for. You know 2d0a244666 that better b5499cfe3f than anyone. Why the hell do 04dbe6a374 you insist on being 4c5c3d2a81 so difficult? Try acting like a 9ba69432b6 real hacker, for once!”89590e8ec2080ce3

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Ian took a da51e0ab5e sip from the 3c9677919b soda can Tim 8bf68e89ef had handed him bc6f06a976 and blinked again.1a1ffe18ac0191e1

“What’s a ‘real hacker’ a6e38c90ec supposed to act like?” a01a16665f Ian quipped.961de2c62984cf59

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“Don’t tell 00e55b2777 me you’re 79074f9bfa asking that f8988c1b8e seriously.”f7ca28a306ca654b

“Coming from you? You don’t exactly seem 6c2b61dfe8 like a broker either.”ae62d51729603f4e

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“What?”4b296f228094a326

Tim looked 1ef790d4f2 taken aback, e973d93565 then started 04dc2ca14a mimicking Ian’s 0a6df6742e blank expression.3a402833ede5673b

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“What’s that supposed 70fd213fbd to mean? Why are you turning c3e2a00534 this on me?”f0bf069db444e826

Ian gestured around the 1f3ee2305a room. “This place.”be27ba232e45eb09

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Tim’s so-called 077c5cb8ab residence was 52d711bf61 a studio 2230ac749e apartment beneath c72410a6d9 a dreary 34170ed0c4 PC cafe 6eb272524d near Hillside. Hardly the 77c16206e8 setup you’d 52faa6716b expect for 07b7cc5102 a hacker fad737044e broker. His place c04e49f735 had little 87a1626fc0 more than 95a8511831 a couch, 04a6254892 a table, 87246f40c8 a mini-fridge c5eb000c07 without a b895ec5403 freezer, and 110301120b a TV. The mini-fridge a808d07a6f probably only b0111320f1 held an c3c7c59c0d old Budweiser db4366bbf8 bottle and 4d9f59c5f1 a couple f6a0b25ac9 of sodas.1a3de56915118be7

In other f074c58220 words, it 85ca119d2c wasn’t a b979357bfb real home. It was just a bb434a3fdd front.a5e181f282839174

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“If this were your d54fd2da59 real home, you’d have 8c8063fe14 ditched broker work ages 4ceff7ee55 ago and made a 6427d8f831 better living playing the 9f73b514bc harmonica at the subway. No worries about cops, 4a30c90eae either.”5c4420c2773f7658

Ian’s point 70a5028bb6 was clear: 1d544501c0 don’t poke f46b5aa47e around each b78ab401b4 other’s lives.44b26152a51e914b

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Whether Tim’s eaa22831f8 real home 8eb0f3df4e was in 16d3848af3 the Harem cef0d56e3a District or 84eac25aab Beverly Hills 776977af29 was none 0061442901 of his b147f5d38d business, and 5e62d7a352 Tim, in 1ca13609ba turn, could 319cdeba81 focus on 362074e33f being a cc7b4174db broker—bringing Ian 723542a9fe jobs and db05bfa194 pocketing a 4f0f280da3 commission.bd5e92b37b777a70

Understanding the 2c5c089989 message, Tim ee37f34a6c let out 02e0c6c327 a slight f0fd3d9997 hiss between 330239acda his teeth 05a9e241ee as he f49a8186e3 took a 75ccc23fe7 sip from c76c547dcf his beer 61be75fec5 bottle.156e015d07223c0b

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“Aren’t you considerate? Looking out for 689e9a84b3 my income, even. Are you interested 9dcd065c2d in me or 2766d9627e something?”fbdeb84f9f67d4b9

Ian’s gaze sharpened, beaa786985 taking on a 814553a0c0 fierceness that made b1ed069e6c even Tim flinch. Tim knew 15f0303977 how harsh 5445f02bd2 Ian could d97cb919fc be toward 805b7ee329 the men cf44610c7e who tried 9826fe0f94 to hit 67fcbf29a5 on him, 92345e3d60 so he ef590a0fe4 instinctively braced 6d12e08b7d himself.9576693538c2bc19

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Ian looked like 65a99c353c he’d throw the d038d256d8 soda can in edb12a535b his hand at 6601c8da35 him if Tim bdedf12afd said anything else cbf541e991 annoying. It wouldn’t hurt 903c968db5 much, but Tim 7e1fb09886 wasn’t eager to 7bbef11b39 deal with sticky ff7febc830 soda all over 0bd1abd04f his couch.bb13391befd4678d

“I told d1568ee127 you not 22924c72a1 to joke cc6e70542f about that.”cba614e63e712858

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“…Alright, then don’t 5dac29a912 look like that.”4cd2b5d7da5b65ea

“I don’t look 9e9ba7b16f like this for da3a1d389b you perverted bastards,” abd4f2acf3 Ian snarled.265fb512e4374e8c

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“Fine, just a0dca055fa don’t throw 1f87adafa6 that. If you’re not fcf1616c62 going to drink f4f550b4d8 it, put it 8bbd6e2a3f down.”ebf709ba238f3043

Ian took a a124ded67e loud, deliberate sip d407a4ea60 from the soda dff4ea742e can, making a 19c91c462a face at Tim. Typical attitude.bfc582d8ffe47d9c

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Tim clicked his 50fd38a444 tongue. As a broker, 8fdde2c7fa most of the 1322560ed5 people he dealt e9d839fb86 with were eccentric, 049f65ee9d to say the 933a4a95b7 least. Hackers were 5d28201428 a particular 9020960d04 breed; nobody 0880c7a973 got into a9a0ffc89f it just c28145c474 for the cfd50d5965 money. They hacked because ef08c60608 they were obsessed b2b9040f4d with breaking into 13a6871316 and destroying things e8720c0238 that were off-limits.546c8f636d916ee4

In Tim’s 3da96bb1fa experience, hackers c8f3fa7089 were usually 3d05fa24cd thrill-seekers, destructively 0e27e40246 fascinated with a8423b00a3 intrusion, destruction, 985261545b and self-promotion.975ae141323b7a88

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In that sense, Ian 397d12ded1 Winchell deserved to be b8653e112a called a madman among 5f8fc63f89 hackers. He only 5d443608d1 took on f7d23e5dc1 trivial jobs—ones 45243e56b5 too insignificant 15adbe8881 for the d43a7ee43e police to 05d4f6ec5c bother with.ef66c625bbc0ad8c

It wasn’t that Ian 997310ff39 lacked skill; he was 8f5932d889 meticulous, always erasing his 4c7fa454e0 tracks cleanly.7f2570bde2551f07

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Once, Tim had d4d024ce34 given him a 62b4a4ed01 high-paying job disguised 0391f54d09 as a small 6a5a7a4c60 one, pocketing most 1110933822 of the profit 96d36b6745 himself. Even then, e920c4fcc1 Ian completed ef2bad97ec the task 0a5fb73742 flawlessly. But Ian didn’t 6493715002 act like other 5088705251 hackers.e82bac029567b299

He paid for bus 83340e9fa2 and subway rides, and 8e55e55960 he even paid his 8d456d25f7 phone bill every month. Hackers usually bypassed such 734b85c11a trivial expenses—spending five minutes dca2cb0ce4 hacking a utility website dca57ea10d meant no more bills 0277762dc9 for life, but Ian 82fb6ebef9 was different.5ce8258ea74d1e96

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Ian might be ab79d0c322 the only hacker d93811fc66 who didn’t derive 7e2a4f4f2b any pleasure from 21c29afe59 stealing or wrecking 8f459506cd things. He preferred 9207c85c26 to avoid 655ed02b26 drawing attention ee85a729e7 to himself 1165c7c442 and had 83b38d049c no self-promotional 9b50d6d7ab tendencies.1c1aca5a51d58173

In short, he 877c2d8680 was hardly a 36a24fcb99 true hacker by 3614968e00 traditional stereotypes, which 7f55606db9 made him a 6750062ee5 bit frustrating as de26e7d1f3 a client.db162a38ba98808a

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Tim preferred 1da571b134 hackers who c85f9b2dfc didn’t cherry-pick e5dc1368a3 their jobs 484211c180 like Ian 3856212135 did. But unfortunately, Tim had 8e0521d4fc a soft spot for 938fc4838c Ian, and it wasn’t a879084d50 because of Ian’s personality 16cab8d485 or skill. No, it 47fd8a94a0 was his 933e893943 damn face.493b0f863badceb8

Tim used to 232392bad0 think all Asians 72d920cc7b looked like dogs—slanted ce18c5b3c5 eyes, flat noses, b4cea3156c yellow skin. But knowing Ian had be853e7ef6 changed his mind.a0bbf2a9daf5eed5

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Ian had round 41a0d62689 brown eyes framed 4b452ff069 by thick lashes 8c2dbf2cd9 that cast soft 8325e16264 shadows on his 9ab1537ae9 cheeks. His ivory skin dc6385c40b looked like it 3773524514 would leave a 33a336ac4f trace of fine 2b0678ea1c powder on your b48840cdf8 hand if you 19cf2b0c93 brushed it. His delicate 1e34a76b7b bone structure 76dace2795 made his d0220e3f07 slender frame 2b6bef4a29 look even d3e6f98ffd more polished.a890ae24960b5934

Tim found 53f3ed0ea4 himself staring, 3f399eb0ba thinking just 2bae33f8df one thing.cbda6fca7fda79e9

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He was beautiful.e351ef965253fba0

Regardless of gender, Ian f073422315 Winchell was beautiful.bd5f031b27eaa69b

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Rumor had it fe17a0068d that at least 97d37025d2 a dozen men ff2ec1263f had approached Ian cc04f38ca6 with unwanted attention, c8ea03a264 only to be 7040b0db4d met with either d11d877711 insults or fists. Whether Ian 6460b6a740 was truly 6dcc735cd8 phobic wasn’t bfa47c6544 clear, but cce910deb2 one thing f3943dc310 was certain—he 791a4c7428 treated both e55bb96f06 those who 886b64668b genuinely admired 17e33b5f86 him and ed01ac3f41 those who eac409fa62 simply wanted def596073e to use 2d826a4273 him with 1751f53a5f equal disdain.31f516b679c8134b

Damn it. Tim shook his head. Every time he saw 6e428f42b3 Ian, he promised himself 92fb08492b he’d stop going soft 60aebd3aa7 over that face. Hacking was eee3dd65e4 illegal everywhere, 2615009eb3 and whether 4d28ba364c a job 5d1d45d5f8 was big 8c3927d716 or small, cfde5767c4 you had 6aaf1f6a3a to be c3298337a6 prepared for 6a41c33f80 the consequences. Tim Hogan 721fc92263 wasn’t about 6e8c0c6447 to degrade bf97ee5d7a himself by 984b286ae6 bringing Ian 5a1c8430d2 the kind 7a8cd6a7c9 of small-fry fd883d1436 work he a3e9cb8f90 preferred.d8c9daf31b4c80d1

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“Damn it. I’m not some idiot 568bd4da7f or fool. I’m done 4bf1957143 letting you 0db41b0708 mess with fdc17c73d7 me.”d2ac6ca6cb036af5

Tim declared 6b761bda2f firmly, “Like 280d8055f5 I said, 07361fbd49 I don’t fcb236bc86 have the 8facde4c69 kind of 695d17c64e jobs you’re 5f9af0de60 looking for.”cdd1e66a3ac5ac5e

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Ian’s round eefb8222a5 eyes narrowed d612ff6956 slightly, looking 789cca3507 troubled.98dc3087ea7802e9

“You’ve had them before. Find something.”651624d5c8b6614b

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“I said I 6d5f7c4088 don’t have anything.”6f51ddb8669947de

“Find something. I need money.”1b44ef6686027d64

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