HOPE YOU REMEMBERED TO BACK UP!
One after the other, the same message. That fucking virus had got back into his system and cleaned him out! Everything was gone!
He started kicking at the computer tower on the floor, but stopped himself after two strikes.
Wait. All was not lost. His files were gone, but the cows didn't know that. They'd already seen what he had… he could still string them along, keep squeezing them till they ran out of juice.
But still, this was a fucking catastrophe.
Feeling sicker than before, he flopped back into his seat. The phone started ringing but he couldn't bring himself to answer it. All that work, all that risk… gone. He still couldn't believe it.
Eddy popped back in then with the coffee and picked up the phone. A few seconds later she stuck her head through the doorway.
"It's the guy from Computer Doctor. Want to speak to him?"
"Do I? Do I?" He snatched up the receiver. "Yeah?"
"Oh, Mr. Cordova," said a prissy male voice he didn't recognize. "This is Ned from Computer Doctor. We just wanted to call and check on how satisfied you are with our service."
Richie wanted to kill him. In fact, he might just go down there now and tear his whole staff into little pieces.
"Satisfied? I'm NOT satisfied! Listen, asshole! The virus you were supposed to kill off is still there! And it wiped out all my files again!"
"Well, sir, if you want to I'll be glad to come up and recheck the hard drive. I'll even restore all the files from your backup."
"Don't bother."
"Really, sir, it will be no trouble at all. And while I'm there—"
Richie knew if he got within ten feet of this geek he'd rearrange his face. Things were bad enough at the moment; he didn't need an assault and battery charge added to the pile of shit his life had become.
"Just forget about it, okay? You've fucked things up enough already."
"Really, sir, I hate the thought of a dissatisfied customer. Just get out your backup disk and I'll—"
This asshole just wouldn't take no for an answer.
"I don't have a backup, you little shit! It was stolen last night! Now what are you going to do?"
"No backup?" the voice said. "Oh, well, then. Never mind."
And then the fucker hung up. He… just… hung… up!