What Now

38| Leniency

I continued to pace back and forth in the small room Caffrey brought me to. When we were in the waiting room at the hospital, I was hoping there would be more time before I had to accept the consequences of what I did.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. While Michael and I had been talking, Caffery and two other agents came into the waiting room and arrested me. Michael and I both begged and pleaded for them to at least say goodbye to Lydia and let her know what was going on before they took me away, but there was no convincing them.

They put me in the back of one of those fancy black SUVs that you see in the movies before driving me to their New York office. Caffrey brought me into this room and here we were. I glanced at my watch and groaned. It's been three hours. Three hours and no answers.

The only thing Caffrey said to me since we got here was that he had tried to put it off as long as he could at the hospital. He said he told Michael to update Lydia and to let her know where I would be. At least Caffrey showed some remorse.

I knew it wasn't anyone's fault other than my own that I was here. I could blame Lydia's father, but I'm the one who made the choice to disregard the FBI and use my facial recognition software. Not to mention giving Lydia my weapon.

At least she was alive and unharmed. That's what mattered. Everything that I did was worth it as long as she and Maria were okay. Thankfully the doctor gave us an update before I got taken away. Maria was okay. As far as Lydia's father, I hope he never wakes up from his coma.

That may be a terrible thing to say, but I meant it. He has done nothing but destroy people's lives. He was a predator and a killer. Someone like that did not deserve any kind of freedom.

The door to the room I was in open and Caffrey walked inside with a solemn look on his face. Well, this didn't look good. I kept trying to reassure myself that no matter what happened, everything was going to work out in the end. Even if the consequences of what I did included jail time.

I believed in what Lydia and I had. I believe that, even if I did have to do sometime, she would be waiting for me when I got out. I would never expect her to put her life on hold for me. So, it would be up to her. If I ended up behind bars, I wasn't going to hold it against her if she moved on with her life. All I've ever wanted was for her to be happy and safe.

"Sit down," Caffrey said as he tossed some papers on the small table. I did as he said. "You understand what you've done, right?"

I frowned at his question. There was something off about his demeanor. "Yes."

"Tell me," he demanded. "I need to know that you actually do know what you've done and why you're sitting here."

I let out a heavy sigh as I crossed my arms over my chest. "I originally signed an agreement with the FBI that I would not use the facial recognition software that I created. By signing that agreement, I accepted the terms of that contract. That means that I knew I was at risk of being fined or jail time if I broke the agreement."

Caffrey's eyes stayed on me. "When have you broken that agreement?"

"I used it when Lydia was kidnapped in Portland. Then I used it again when she was kidnapped for a second time by her sadistic father."

"What did I tell you in Portland, Sean?"

I had to admit, Caffery definitely had this whole bad cop thing down. "You were very generous and gave me a warning. You also made me promise never to use it again. But I used it again."

Caffrey marked something down on one of the papers in front of him. "I think you are leaving one other crime out of that little summary."

Ah, yes. That little chestnut. "I gave Lydia my firearm."