The Hacker's Mistake

Ethan’s fingers flew across the keyboard, the soft glow of multiple screens illuminating his sharp features. The air in his apartment was thick with tension, every click of the keys bringing him closer to the payday of a lifetime—or a death sentence. He wasn’t sure which yet.

“Come on… just a little more,” he muttered under his breath, eyes scanning lines of encrypted data. He had spent weeks planning this hack, gathering intel, and bypassing layers of security that would have made even government agencies sweat. But this wasn’t just any job—this was Liam Carter’s empire he was digging into.

Liam Carter wasn’t just a businessman. He was the kind of man whose name carried weight in every corner of the underworld. Some whispered he had government officials in his pocket. Others claimed he had made people disappear with nothing more than a nod. Ethan had never cared about rumors—until now.

A green prompt flashed on the screen. Download Complete.

His breath hitched. I did it.

He barely had time to revel in his victory before his system started crashing. One by one, his screens flickered to black, the power in his apartment cutting out entirely. Silence swallowed the room, save for his own ragged breathing.

No… no, no, no!

He yanked out his hard drive, stuffing it into his jacket pocket. His backup escape plan was already in motion—burner phones wiped, laptop set to self-destruct, and a bug-out bag waiting by the door. But as he reached for it, a sharp knock echoed through the darkened room.

Ethan froze.

Another knock. Firmer. More demanding.

His pulse thundered in his ears. They found me. Already?

He moved toward the window, heart pounding, but before he could make a move, the door burst open with a force that rattled the walls.

And there he was.

Liam Carter.

Tall. Impeccably dressed in a dark suit that barely concealed the raw power underneath. His eyes—cold, calculating—fixed on Ethan like a predator locking onto its prey. Behind him stood two men, both armed, both watching him like they were waiting for a reason to shoot.

Ethan swallowed hard. He had imagined meeting Liam Carter under many circumstances—none of them involved him standing in his own ruined apartment with nowhere to run.

Liam took a slow step inside, his polished shoes crunching over the shattered remnants of Ethan’s door lock. “You really should be more careful about whose files you dig into, Ethan.” His voice was smooth, almost amused, but the undercurrent of danger was impossible to miss.

Ethan forced himself to keep his expression neutral, even as his mind scrambled for an escape. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Liam chuckled, shaking his head. “Cute. But let’s not waste time with lies.” He reached into his coat pocket, and Ethan braced himself for a gun.

Instead, Liam pulled out a sleek tablet, tapping the screen a few times before turning it around.

Ethan’s stomach dropped.

It was his hack. His codes, his movements—all being tracked in real-time. He had thought he was the hunter, but Liam had been watching him the entire time.

Panic surged through him, but he forced himself to stay still. “So what now? You kill me?”

Liam smirked. “That depends.” He took a slow step forward, invading Ethan’s space until they were almost chest to chest. “You’re talented. A little reckless, but talented.”

Ethan’s breath hitched as Liam’s fingers ghosted over his chin before tilting it up ever so slightly. His touch was light, teasing, but his grip was firm enough that Ethan knew he wasn’t in control here.

“I could have you killed,” Liam murmured, his voice dropping to something almost intimate. “Or… I could make use of you.”

Ethan swallowed. “What kind of use?”

Liam’s smirk deepened. “You work for me now.”

Ethan should have been relieved. Should have taken the out and agreed. But something in the way Liam looked at him made it clear—he wasn’t just offering a job.

He was offering something far more dangerous.

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