Her Perfect Game (10 page)

Jonah stood staring at the spot where Charlie had stood. He couldn't have heard her right. Why would she have dropped out of school?

From down the hall, he saw Carl stick his head out the door of the conference room, looking for him. Jonah looked over his shoulder where Charlie had taken off and then back to Carl. He had a job to do, and as much as he wanted to go after Charlie, he needed to see this through.

“Is she gone?” Carl asked.

Jonah nodded.

“Well, what do you think we should do?”

“Let Override keep the points accrued and work alone.”

Carl patted Jonah's shoulder. “I explained that as a separate entity, I created the challenges and you had no access. She could've stayed.”

Jonah shook his head. “No, she had a point. No matter what we said, the other players would always have their doubts.”

They went back in to restart the game. Jonah was kicking himself for the entire episode. While he wouldn't have given up a moment of the time he'd spent with Charlie this week, he could've been more discreet, which is what she'd suggested in the first place. He hadn't thought it was a big deal because he couldn't have helped her win even if he'd wanted to. He should've thought more about how hard it was for her, as a woman, to just be there.

He'd make it up to her after she calmed down. He'd already e-mailed Kyle about hiring her, and although she wouldn't be getting a degree, it shouldn't stop Charlie from getting a job. Plenty of places hired people without degrees. She had the skills.

Which was what she was proving by participating in the hackfest. She hadn't been an active part of the hacking culture in a while, not that he'd seen anyway, but she was reentering, hoping to use it as a gateway for a career.

Why the hell hadn't she told him?

That question nagged him for the remaining hours of the hackfest. Of course, Poison had won, but Override had been able to hold on to second place, much to the dismay of Cracker, the girl who accused Charlie. As soon as players started packing up their computers, Jonah edged out of the room.

He needed to see Charlie, to talk to her and tell her about the job he hoped to offer her. At her room, he knocked, but she didn't answer. He knocked harder. “Come on, Charlie, I know you're pissed, but let me in.”

She still didn't answer, so he went back to his room. He picked up the phone and called her room, hoping she'd answer, but she didn't. He tried the bar where he'd met her the first night of the con and even asked her friend Derek if he'd seen her.

Derek delivered the news that she'd stopped briefly in the bar over an hour ago to say good-bye. She'd checked out of the hotel.

Jonah didn't even have her cell number to call her. He'd thought he had time for that later. They had one more night together. At least that was the plan. He'd thought they would celebrate and maybe make plans to continue seeing each other. With the school year almost over, he figured he could fly in to see her a couple of times or she could come to him. Of course, the school year didn't matter now since she wasn't enrolled.

As he walked back to his room, his phone jangled letting him know that someone was engaging Win. Charlie. He never came clean about his online persona either. He logged in to the game and tried to plan what to say. If he revealed himself now, she'd hate him. It was something that needed to be done face-to-face.

 

 

 

 

 

What do you mean? What could you have possibly said?
Jonah's brain scrambled trying to figure out what he'd done to make her think she couldn't trust him.

Let's just say I disappointed him. Again. I have a habit of not living up to my potential.
Laura grabbed Win's arm.
Let's go start a fight and steal some loot. I think I'm ready to finish the missions here and move on to a new game.

What? It was bad enough that she left him in real life, but now he was supposed to let go of her in the game too? No, he'd find a way to extend their relationship here until he figured out how to fix things.

Charlie ignored the e-mails she received from Jonah. She should've reported him for hacking but since he worked for the software company that made
Resskaar,
he probably didn't have to hack. His words were kind enough. He apologized for not listening to her when she said that being seen together might cause problems for the competition.

Nowhere in the three e-mails did he mention their relationship or what he thought might happen. It was a pretty clear message that he no longer wanted to be with her since she was a failure. But the fourth e-mail, weeks after the con had ended, finally prompted an answer from her.

She knew she needed to respond, but she didn't know what to say. The prospect of a real job was great, but she didn't want Jonah pulling some strings out of pity, like she couldn't do this on her own. Just like he thought she couldn't win the hackfest. She also wasn't sure that she could work in the same company as Jonah. It would be weird.

She sighed, fingers poised over the keyboard. But she could use this as leverage. No one had to know how she came about getting the interview. She typed back quickly that although she hadn't accepted any offers yet, she was keeping her options open. She asked for details about applying and what kinds of openings they had. The entire e-mail was very professional, even though her stomach flipped at the thought of sending it to Jonah. Within minutes of hitting send, she had a reply.

Then he closed with links to the application forms she'd need to fill out.

Charlie stared at the words. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to call Felicity or Layla and ask them, but she still hadn't told them about dropping out of school. She made a resolution to come clean about everything as soon as they came home after graduation. They would start their new lives as adults with a clean slate.

In the meantime, she couldn't call Jonah. She didn't know what to say. Time away would be better. That way when they ran into each other at the company, maybe it wouldn't be so awkward. He'd move on and so would she.

From then on, every time she logged in to
Resskaar
, all she could think about was what she could add to the game to improve it. She knew the position she was applying for was security, but being that she knew the game after playing it from the beginning, she was certain that Jonah and his team would listen to her ideas.

Security would always be her first love, but part of her wanted to make the gaming experience better, especially for girl gamers. The stuff that Kraven pulled never should've happened, not that she blamed Jonah, but it was crap like that that made women shy away from gaming.

She began logging in many hours on forums talking to other women, understanding their experiences, and finding out what they wanted. She also continued to build her hacking skills, taking part in weekend events all over the city. Of course that meant that she often went into work on no sleep, but her customers didn't seem to notice.

The one person who had been cheering her on from the beginning was Win. They still met up for late-night battles and great conversations. He'd even convinced her to play the new beta version of the
Resskaar
sequel. She hadn't wanted to, simply because it made her think of Jonah, and she'd been trying to avoid that, but she could never say no to Win.

Kind of like she couldn't refuse Jonah.

The thought occurred quickly as she logged in for their nightly meeting. Jonah and Win were a lot alike. It certainly explained why she got along with Win so well. The game booted up, and she replayed conversations she'd had with Win over the months. They'd been in the same guild for over a year. He'd never done anything to make her think he was Jonah.

Surely, Jonah would've said something, right? They'd talked about the game. Before she had time to type anything, though, Win was already talking.

Her heart sank. She wanted to go more than anything, but she knew she wouldn't have the money to afford it. But his offer set her mind at ease. Jonah wouldn't invite her as Win.
Sorry, I can't afford it.

 

 

 

 

Let me see how much it'll cost to get there
. A bus would probably be cheap but would take forever. She thought of Felicity. Felicity had offered to pay for her to get to Texas for spring break. Maybe she'd ask Felicity for a loan. One plane ticket couldn't be that expensive. She hated borrowing from Felicity though. It was never a loan; Felicity wouldn't take money from her.

Charlie weighed her options. Def Con was in just a couple of weeks. She really wanted that experience. She'd be able to network with thousands of people. She huffed out a breath and called Felicity.

“Hey, Charlie. What's up?”

“Hi, Felicity. I have a huge favor to ask.”

“Shoot.”

“Can you lend me money for a plane ticket to Vegas? I have a friend who is going to Def Con—you know, the hacker conference—and although I wasn't planning on going, he invited me to join him and share his room.” Charlie toyed with her mouse and the lone pen on her desk.

“When is this conference thing?”

“The end of June.”

“Excellent!”

Charlie held the phone away from her ear. Felicity wasn't usually much of a screamer, but when the girl let loose, she could shatter things. “Why is this excellent?”

“Because Layla's going to Vegas for a pool tournament. She wasn't going to tell anyone, but I pried it out of her. You both need to be in Vegas at the same time. I say we all go and get our vacation together since spring break was a flop.”

“It might've flopped for me and Layla, but you had all our good luck.” And it was about time Felicity had something good going. Everyone believed that since she came from a wealthy family, she led a charmed life. Charlie knew better.

“Shoot me an e-mail with the details of your conference so I can compare it to Layla's info. You guys can do your thing, and we can all meet up together after for an extended vacation. I can't wait.”

Felicity disconnected, leaving Charlie feeling like she'd been struck by lightning. She knew Felicity had a great spring break and fell in love with a great guy, but she was uncharacteristically bubbly. Charlie didn't believe for a second that it was a girls' weekend in Vegas causing that kind of excitement.

Charlie sent the info to Felicity and e-mailed Layla to see what she thought about Felicity's weird excitement.

Then she went back to the game to let Win know she would see him in Vegas.

 

J
onah stood in the hotel lobby, trying to ignore the people rushing off to the casino to lose their money. Def Con was already in full swing and Charlie's plane had landed. He made sure Win let her know that he wouldn't be in until late tonight, but that a key would be available at the front desk. He'd stowed his stuff in Kyle's room until he talked to Charlie. Jonah planned to tell her everything, but he also knew he had some stuff to make up for.

He wasn't disappointed in Charlie. He wasn't sure where she'd gotten that idea, but he knew they wouldn't be able to get past it until he convinced her that he'd fallen for her every bit as much as she'd fallen for him. His plan would work despite the fact that it was a little manipulative. Standing like a freaking idiot in the lobby waiting to accidentally bump into Charlie hadn't really been part of his plan.

He checked his watch again just as she rushed by him. She hadn't even noticed him. Or if she did, she'd gotten better at faking it. He waited until she got her room key and was headed to the elevator.

“Hey—” He had to stop himself from calling her gorgeous like he had in Chicago. “Charlie. You made it.”

She spun, her eyes wide with surprise. So she hadn't been faking not noticing him.

“What are you doing here?”

“Work. And play. After the hackfest in Chicago, I realized how much I missed the fun of hacking. I came with my boss. He's still scouting new talent.” He paused for effect, as though the thought just occurred to him. “You know, since you're here, let me introduce you to him. We can get drinks later.”

The elevator dinged, but she didn't move to get on. Her mouth opened like she planned to speak, but nothing came out.

“I wish you would've called me,” he said quietly. “Can I walk you upstairs and maybe talk to you for a couple of minutes?”

“I'm meeting someone.”

“Now?”

“No, I mean, I'm here with someone, sharing a room.”

He smiled and shook his head. “As much as I love the idea of getting you naked, that won't be happening until we clear some things up.”

She snorted at him. “What makes you think that would be happening at all?”

He shrugged. “I didn't say it would, just that it wouldn't until we talked. That's all I want to do. Talk. I think you owe me that much, since you ran out of the hotel in Chicago without a word.”

“Not a good feeling, is it?” Her stance relaxed and she tilted her head, assessing him. He knew he couldn't push talking to her alone. She was still too wary.

“How about this? There's a CTF attack and defense starting in thirty minutes. I could use a partner. Meet me and let's play a game.”

Her eyes narrowed and he caught a hint of her anger. “Maybe you should find someone more like Poison. I wouldn't want you to have to carry me.”

Shit. That's what set her off? “I don't want to work with Poison or anyone like him. You're an excellent hacker—”

“But not quite good enough, right?”

“Where are you getting this? I never said you weren't good enough, just that you couldn't beat him. No one had a shot at knocking him out. He had a ton more experience than you. From what I could tell, all the dude does is competitions.”

She said nothing and just stared at him.

“I'm sorry if I made you feel like you weren't good enough. I spoke the truth, and maybe I should've thought about how it sounded, but I never had to censor myself around you before.” He stepped closer, hoping his apology softened her a little. “How could you possibly believe that I don't think you're good enough? I taught you everything you know.”

That caused a laugh, a real one. “Don't give yourself too much credit.”

“Come on. Be my partner. Afterward, we'll go for a drink and talk and I'll find my boss. After that, if you don't want to see me for the rest of the weekend, I can make myself disappear in the crowds.”

Her laugh faded to a crooked smile, like she wanted to fight it off. “You know, Best, I wish I could believe that. I'll meet you in twenty minutes after I drop off my stuff.”

He grabbed her hand and wrote the room number for the CTF. She looked at it before stepping on the elevator. “You know I'll kick your ass if I show up and it's not really a competition.”

“I would expect no less. See you soon.”

The doors closed and Jonah breathed deeply. Step one, accomplished.

Of all the things he thought made her leave in Chicago, him thinking she wasn't good enough never crossed his mind. He thought she was pissed that their relationship might've bruised her reputation. He knew she was upset at the thought of him leaving town again without her. But how could she ever think she wasn't good enough? She'd proven herself repeatedly.

He went and bought a coffee for himself and Charlie and went to the CTF room and waited. He really hoped Charlie wouldn't blow him off. Five minutes of standing in yet another hallway for her and he got antsy. He should've followed her to the room and made sure she came back.

Charlie rode the elevator back down and stared at the number inked on her palm. What the hell was she doing? She was supposed to be here to meet Win and network, not waste more time with Jonah.

But when he suggested a round of CTF as his partner, part of her couldn't refuse, as always. He said he believed she was good, but she wanted, maybe even needed, to show him. She wasn't the same girl he first taught how to hack. She'd honed those skills and learned plenty of others.

Plus, Win had left a message that he wouldn't be arriving until tonight.

The elevator doors opened, and she wandered down the hall to find the right room. In front of the door, Jonah stood holding two cups of coffee. She took a minute and just stared at him. Her heart lurched and the pain of missing him returned. She'd grieved that loss for three years, but losing him in Chicago the second time had hurt much worse.

He suddenly lifted his head and his eyes locked on hers. His smile brightened his face as he walked over, and she really liked the sight of him coming toward her.

“Hey, I was beginning to think I'd have to hunt you down.”

“I'm not even late. Don't trust me?”

“You seemed really pissed.”

“Pissed isn't quite right.”

“What is then?”

She took the coffee from him. “No talking now. Time to strategize.”

In truth she couldn't deal with the emotional crap when she wanted to focus on winning. One challenge at a time. They entered the room together and checked in. Jonah let her choose their seats and she chose the darkest corner she could find.

“Still hiding?” he asked.

“I don't consider it hiding as much as disguise. They can't judge what they don't see.”

“I personally like to see.”

She felt his gaze roam over her entire body, and her skin warmed, but she said, “Kind of like a boring old rerun.”

He leaned over, his breath brushing the shell of her ear. “Babe, there's not a damn thing boring about you.”

In that moment, Charlie knew she was in the middle of a losing battle that she hadn't signed up for. The Def Con people called through the room and laid out the rules for the CTF competition.

Jonah leaned over again. “You want to attack and I'll defend?”

“I'm not sure. Kraven got past your defense on
Resskaar
a couple of months ago.” His jaw dropped and she winked. “Just kidding, Best. Learn to take a joke.”

The shot was meant to give her distance from him, but she hadn't wanted it to really bother him. She just needed him to stop flirting so she could think. She knew he wasn't at fault for what had happened with Kraven. Start was called and the competition began.

The amazing thing was that as soon as they were in their zone, Charlie felt like she had three years ago when Jonah had taught her how to play and hack and have fun with it. They worked seamlessly, barely needing to speak. They knew each other's moves before the keystrokes were entered.

One by one, they knocked out each team. Two hours after starting, Charlie allowed the sounds of the room to filter back into her consciousness. She blinked and looked up from her computer screen. It took another minute for her to realize that they'd won. They beat every other team.

Jonah was already standing when she jumped out of her chair and into his arms. “Woo-hoo! We did it.”

He caught her and held her off the ground as her arms wrapped around his neck. Other players came forward to offer congratulations, and she suddenly realized where she was. The display of affection in itself didn't bother her as much as the fact of who she was clinging to.

She loved having Jonah's hands on her, but she shoved the thought aside with a helping of aggravation and guilt. In the elevator, she'd promised herself that she would be Jonah's partner for this one competition and nothing else. She was here to meet Win. Win was a guy she could count on. He wouldn't leave her feeling inadequate.

Charlie knew this because he already knew almost all of her secrets.

She pushed away from Jonah to accept handshakes from other players, but he wouldn't let her get far. He held tight to her hand, interlacing their fingers. The room cleared out and Jonah pulled her along through the crowd.

Out in the hall, he still didn't release her hand. “That was fucking amazing. You're even better than I thought.”

“You're not so bad yourself.” She tugged her hand. “You can let go now.”

“Nope. You promised me a drink and conversation. And I like holding you.”

She sighed. “I'm not going anywhere. You want to talk, we'll talk. Not that I think there's much to say. But you don't need to hold my hand.”

“I know I don't need to. I want to.” He smirked at her. “Do I make you nervous?”

Hell yeah. “Of course not. I can handle you.”

He led her to the nearest bar and wove through the crowd like a man on a mission. He pulled out a chair for her. When she sat, he asked, “Beer?”

“Sure.”

Another man joined them and Jonah introduced him. “Charlie Castle, this is my boss, Kyle Zimmerman.”

Oh shit. She wasn't ready for an interview right at this moment. She'd been sure that Jonah had used the conversation with his boss as a ploy to get her to the bar for a drink. She forced her hand out in front of her to shake. “Hi.”

Kyle put his drink down on the table as he accepted her hand. “Nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you.”

She immediately turned to glare at Jonah, who had already disappeared to get drinks. She tried to loosen her tight smile. “I hope you only heard the good stuff.”

He nodded and eased onto the chair across from her. “Jonah had plenty to say about you. So much, in fact, that I began to believe you were a figment of his imagination.”

“He does have a good imagination, but I can assure you that I'm real.” And really in need of a decent job.

“So I see. I was in the room while you and Jonah played Capture the Flag. You showed remarkable skill.”

She blushed at the compliment. “Thank you. It was a lot of fun.”

“You and Jonah made an excellent team.”

She nodded. What could she say? They'd always made an excellent team. She glanced over her shoulder again. Where the hell was Jonah with her beer?

“Here's the thing, Ms. Castle—”

“Charlie, please.”

“Charlie, I have quite a few applicants who are more qualified than you and who have experience through various internships. And they come with a completed college degree.”

Charlie's stomach plummeted. She shouldn't have agreed to this meeting right now. She wasn't prepared for rejection. Not yet. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep the pain from showing on her face. “I understand.”

“However, Jonah believes you have something his team needs.”

Huh?
Focus, Charlie, something is happening here.
She gripped her hands together in her lap under the table. “Excuse me?”

“I've allowed Jonah to handpick his team because it works for him. As long as he continues to produce and I like the results, I don't care how he gets them. He's not an easy team leader, but I'm sure you already know that.” He lifted his glass and sipped the amber liquid.

What she wouldn't give for a shot of something, anything at this moment.

“Are you offering me a job?”

“I am. Jonah can give you the specifics because you'll be working directly beneath him. Now that I've witnessed your work, I can understand what he sees in you. You'll need some training, but you have skills.”