#daniel sharp

The first time I saw Danny Sharp, he was leaning against a blacked-out van in downtown LA, looking more like he was heading to a business meeting than a bank robbery. Like he was just doing business. Like he was untouchable. Maybe he was. He had that kind of energy. Fast, loud, a storm in human skin.

 “You’re late,” he said when I walked up, laptop case slung over my shoulder.

I hadn’t even opened my mouth yet, and he was already grinning, like he could smell the retort before it left my lips.

 “I’m not late. You’re early,” I shot back.

That grin widened. Dangerous. “Cute excuse.”

Inside the van sat five other guys, none of which I had met before, aside from Will, Danny’s brother. I had worked with Will before. Not on a bank robbery, no. Will used to be in the military, and I used to do some IT work for the military. That’s how I ended up here. Danny gestures towards the other four, one after another, telling me their names. Trent, Castro, Mel Gibson, Randazzo. I arched an eyebrow at Mel Gibson, but didn’t ask, because Mel met my gaze with ice and fire, like he would end me on sight if I as much as breathed wrongly in his direction. Then Danny gestured to the set up I had asked for. Two screens, showing the default computer background, the correct computer, a headset and some other funky things I might need. Might not.

I slumped down on the padded bench, got my laptop from my bag and plugged it in. Did the same to my gaming keypad, though I obviously didn’t use it for gaming. The screens flickered and then filled with schematics of the bank, camera loops, code scrolling faster than most people could read. My playground was getting ready.

Danny slid in beside me, close enough that his knee brushed mine.

 “They tell me you’re the best hacker in the country.”

I finished booting up my rig, fingers moving automatically.

 “They tell me a lot of things about you.”

His laugh was quick, too loud in the small space.

 “Cocky. I like it.” Then he leaned in, voice dropping so low I almost missed it over the hum of the servers.  “Don’t make me regret bringing you into my family business.”

The rest of the crew loaded weapons, checked masks, but Danny’s focus never left me. He’d call out orders to his brother, glance at maps, but somehow his gaze always circled back, sharp blue eyes watching me. He hovered at my shoulder like he had any idea what was happening on the screen. His cologne was sharp enough to sting, but his curiosity was worse.

 “What’s that?” he asked, pointing at a wall of scrolling code.

I didn’t even look up.

 “That’s me doing my job.”

 “Yeah, but like, what does it mean?”

 “It means I just looped every camera in a three-block radius while you sat there squinting like an old man trying to read a menu.”

Danny made a noise in his throat, half laugh, half offended gasp.

 “Old man? Kid, I just turned forty.”

 “Exactly,” I said, tapping another key, “You wouldn’t last five minutes in my world.”

He leaned in closer, lips twitching at the corner like he was trying not to grin.

 “You know, you’ve got a real smart mouth for someone who needed me to drag him out of his basement.”

 “First of all, it’s such a made up thing that hackers operate from basements. Connection it usually shit in basements. I got a loft apartment,” I corrected, finally glancing over at him. “Secondly, you begged. Don’t lie to yourself.”

That broke him. His laugh was so sharp and sudden that Trent actually jumped. He clapped me on the shoulder, still chuckling.

 “Jesus Christ. Alright, you little shit,” Danny said, eyes gleaming. “Fine. You’re the wizard – I’m the idiot. Just don’t get cocky, hm? Cocky’ll get you killed.”