Leo didn't have a clean image. The tape backup drive had been "temporarily" disconnected last year to plug in a space heater. The offsite backups? Those were the responsibility of the MSP they'd fired for incompetence.

Then he saved the file as README.txt on the desktop. If the machine got encrypted, maybe a forensics guy would find it. Maybe they’d guess the password.

On the other end of the line, a groggy voice answered. "Hello?"

The rogue antivirus window flashed again. This time, it wasn't asking. It was a countdown timer.