I replied with a fast yes.
I poured another cup of coffee and returned to memory lane.
Maddox Riley was quiet, observant, and somehow scarier than Aiden. His eyes saw everything; right down to the cheap pants I had purchased last night in order to look the part. I had persuaded the woman who ran the rooming house to let me use her iron, and I was at least wrinkle-free, but the shirt and pants I wore probably cost less than Maddox’s socks.
Still, he was professional, kind, and surprisingly nonjudgmental, even though he made me nervous. I relaxed after a few minutes as he went over my resume the way Aiden had done. He rested his chin on his hand.
“Aiden told me of your prison record.”
“Yes. I don’t put it on my resume, but I don’t hide it either.”
He nodded. “Aiden runs intense security checks. Best to be honest.” He sat back. “Why’d you do it?”
I shrugged. “Young, stupid, and arrogant. I thought if they saw the problem with their own eyes, they would be impressed.” I laughed abruptly. “I didn’t consider the fact that they might think I was actually stealing their money. I left a trail so plain even an idiot could’ve followed it. I only wanted their attention.”
“And you got it. But not in the way you hoped.”
I nodded, unsure what to add.
“How did you take courses in jail? I would have thought you’d be banned from computers.”
“I was for the first while. But surprisingly, one of the bankers disagreed with the decision and came to my defense. He helped my lawyer get that removed as part of my rehabilitation. I was able to take courses and use the computer with supervision. He was fascinated by what I had done.”
“Did you have ways to get around the supervision?”
“Yes,” I replied honestly.
“And did you?”
“At times.”
He tapped his cheek as he stared over my shoulder.
“Why aren’t you working for him now?”
I stroked the edge of the table, my voice quiet. “He died of a heart attack.”
“Have you been involved in illegal activities since going to prison?”
“No.”
“Would you if given the opportunity?” Maddox’s gaze was intense.
“Since I highly doubt BAM is involved in illegal shit, the answer is no,” I huffed. “I made a mistake, and I paid for it.” I leaned forward, suddenly pissed off with his question. “I was a kid. I fucked up. I paid the price. All I want is a chance to move on and put all that shit behind me. For one person to believe in me.” I tapped the table with my finger in fast jabs. “If you or Aiden needed me to do something, I would follow orders. If it were for the good of the company, I would do whatever I had to do. Would I do something to benefit myself? No. It was never about that. It was simply a bad decision.”
Our eyes locked. Maddox’s gaze was shrewd, but not unkind.
“What did you do with the money, Reid?” he asked quietly.
“I gave it back.”
One eyebrow rose in disbelief. “You had it for over six months. Fifteen million yields a lot of interest in that time frame.”
“They got it back with interest. The same rate they were making when I ‘borrowed’ it.”
“And you expect me to believe someone as smart as you had it in a safe place making minimal interest?” He ran a finger along his chin. “Especially once you were arrested and were facing jail time?”
I was about to tell him to fuck off. He was a numbers man and smart. He had already figured it out. I knew I had lost my shot at the job, so I had nothing left to lose. I glared at him, furious he had gotten to me. Furious that I had allowed my hopes to grow when I knew better. He would never give me a chance to work at BAM.
Crappy jobs and an equally shitty life were all I had, and all I would ever have because of my past.
“I put it in bitcoin. I paid them back every penny they were due. The rest of the interest I kept and it’s still in either bitcoin, or various long-term plans. Every month, someone receives a donation to help feed their kids. Buy them new clothes. Get out of an abusive relationship—whatever they need it for. They never know where it comes from, and they never will. I got nothing then. I get nothing now. I wanted nothing. But once the fuckers decided to make an example out of me, I made sure someone got something good out of it.” I stood, pushing back my chair, the bitterness almost choking me. “Thanks for your time. I won’t take up any more of it.”
I made it to the elevator, pushing the button repeatedly. I had to get out of there before I broke down. I didn’t even stop to say goodbye to the nice woman, Sandy. I had liked her and looked forward to knowing her more. I had wanted to get to know them all more. I couldn’t believe how badly I had wanted the job. The disappointment was crushing.
“Reid!” Aiden grabbed my arm before I could step into the elevator. “Hold up.”
I shook off his grip. “What?”
He grinned, shaking his head. “A bit of a hothead, aren’t you?”
“What you do want, Mr. Callaghan?”
“For you to come back into the boardroom and finish the interview.”
I ran a weary hand over my face. “I thought I was finished.”
“Nope. We have a couple more questions, and you’ll have to meet with HR and sign some papers.”
I grabbed the side of the elevator, my knees threatening to buckle. “What did you say?”
He pulled me out of the elevator, leading me down the hall. “You’re in, kid. I like you. You’re exactly what I need, and even Maddox likes you, despite your temper. He wants to know more about bitcoin and how you got so smart about investing. Numbers fascinate him. Bentley might be unhappy, but he’ll come around.”
“Are you shitting me?”
He stopped at the boardroom door. “No. You want a chance? I’m gonna give it to you. Maddox and I are putting ourselves on the line for you, Reid. Do you understand?”
“I won’t let you down.”
“I know.”
“Why are you doing this?”
Aiden paused, his hand on the door. “I checked you out, Reid. You’ve had a shit life. I get that.” He tilted his head toward the boardroom. “We both get that. We believe in second chances, because we both got one.” He eyed me sternly. “You are gonna have stipulations and guidelines.”
“I can work within your boundaries.”
“You are gonna work hard.”
“Not an issue.”
“I will be all over you if I suspect anything but your best.”
“Noted.”
“And here’s a tip—all the cursing isn’t the best interview technique. But we’re cool.”
Unabashed, I grinned. “Sorry, my mouth runs faster than my brain sometimes.”
“I can’t wait to see you in action.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “Let’s go, kid.”
I followed him, knowing that my life was about to change.
I loved my job. I threw myself into it wholeheartedly. I worked mostly with Aiden, but Maddox was often part of my meetings, Bentley joining in on rare occasions. I was one of four IT people, all of us answering to Aiden since the head of the department had recently left.