Chapter 16 Seth
SETH
There’s a job that came in today that I’m working on for Bronn. I’m finding the vulnerable areas of the grounds of an exclusive country club further up the coast. I’ve got their CCTV cameras up on my screen, looking for dead areas where the cameras don’t see.
Felix is perched on my lap, and every so often, I give him a rub behind the ears, making him purr contently.
He was upset with me when I came home, and I don’t blame him. I’ve been back to feed him every day, but he’s not happy I’ve been spending every night at Kayla’s.
“You need to get used to it, buddy.”
Felix purrs louder and I know I’m forgiven.
The doorbell rings, and Felix stretches lazily.
“Sorry, buddy.” I shuffle him off my lap and pull myself out of the chair.
When I open the door, Kayla’s father is standing there, his substantial frame taking up most of the doorway.
It’s been a week since I resigned from the job, and I haven’t heard anything from him. If he’s come to beg me to keep surveillance on Kayla, then he’s out of luck.
“Sorry, Patrick. I told you I’m off the job.”
He shifts uncomfortably and doesn’t look me in the eye.
“Tell me again how you managed to check up on Kayla.”
It’s an odd question to ask, and I wonder what he’s getting at. Is he still worried about his little girl?
“Look, whatever I did, I’m not doing it anymore. She doesn’t need watching.”
There’s movement behind him, and Patrick steps aside, letting me see there’s someone behind him. Kayla pushes past, her eyes are blazing mad, and her mouth is set in an angry line.
“You were watching me?”
Disbelief and hurt are written all over her face. I glance at her father. His eyes are downcast. He’s obviously the one who told her, which means he’s still been watching her. There’s no point in lying.
“It’s not what you think.”
Kayla looks past me and into the adjacent room, the one with the bank of screens. She pushes past me and into the house.
“Is this why I’ve never been to your place?” She stops in the middle of the control room, her eyes wide in disbelief. “Is this what you do, Seth? Spy on people?”
“No.” I shake my head. “It’s surveillance.” Which sounds lame because they can be one and the same. “It’s security. I work in IT security.”
She glares at me. “What does that even mean?”
“It means I use my skills to keep people safe.”
“And did you use those skills on me?”
She’s angry and hurt and there’s nothing I can say that will make this any better. I look to her father because he’s the one that employed me to do it. But I can’t remind her of that. And besides, I didn’t have to take the job.
I don’t get a chance to answer because realization dawns on her.
“It was you, wasn’t it? In the TV?”
My stomach drops. She knows, and there’s no denying it. I don’t have to say anything because there’s nothing I can say that will make what I did right.
Her father looks up sharply. “You hacked her TV?” He’s as surprised as she is. “I never asked you to do that.”
Which is true. I came up with that bit of handiwork all on my own, like the creepy computer geek that I am.
Kayla’s gaze flicks from me to her father, her head spinning so fast she might get whiplash.
“You asked him to spy on me?”
Her anger is directed at her father now, but that doesn’t make me feel any better.
“After what happened to your sister, sweet pea. There’s a lot of creeps out there. I had to be sure you were safe. I employed Seth to keep an eye on you.”
“Yeah, well, he turned out to be the biggest creep of all.”
Kayla’s voice cracks and tears spring to her eyes. Instinctively I move toward her wanting to comfort her. But she takes a step backwards.
“Stay away from me.”
The words pierce me right through the heart. But I don’t blame her. After what I’ve done, I deserve her wrath.
“I’m sorry, Kayla. But when your father showed me a picture of you, I knew you were meant for me.”
“Do you have any idea how creepy that sounds?”
“Yeah, I do, but it’s also true. You’re funny, smart, caring, and I love you.”
It’s the first time I’ve said it to her although I’ve thought it all week. She barks in mock laughter. “You’re a creep, Seth. You’re a freak. You made me believe you’re something that you’re not.”
She turns to go and then swings back around to face me.
“The seagulls. Was that even genuine?”
I’m the biggest shit that ever walked this earth. I can’t even look her in the eye.
“I watched you on one of the town’s CCTV cameras. That’s how I knew you fed the seagulls.”
When I look up, there’re tears streaming down Kayla’s face.
“I didn’t know how to speak to you, Kayla. I’m not good with people. I didn’t know how to talk to you.”
She shakes her head. The hurt and betrayal in her eyes makes me wince.
“It may have started off all wrong, but once I met you, once I got to know you, I took all the feeds down. I swear. What we have is genuine. Don’t throw that away.”
“What we have is based on a lie. Stay away from me, Seth.”
She storms out the door, and I go to follow her, but her father puts a hand up and I stop.
His gaze meets mine, but he doesn’t look triumphant. In fact, he looks as miserable as I feel.
“I’m sorry, Seth,” he says. “But she had to know.”
I nod. He’s right. I don’t hold it against him. He’s protecting his daughter from weirdos like me. That’s what a father should do. And he’s done a good job.
Kayla is now free of the creepy asshole that tried to make her fall in love with him.