Adull ache pulsed behind Jade’s eyes. The thin mattress beneath her, not much better than lying on the floor. The wall pressed cold against her back. Her eyelids fluttered open. A single bulb glowed overhead. Well, she wasn’t dead. But not rescued either. She swallowed and grimaced at the sandpaper inhabiting her throat. Her mind whirled, attempting to piece together what had happened. Charlie team, Liam, the explosion. A small whimper escaped.Please let the guys be okay.
Jade pushed upright, the cot creaking under her. Her body protested the movement, but not as much as her head. Stomach churning, she willed it not to revolt. Once she got the nausea under control, she scanned the room. A twelve-by-twelve space made of concrete blocks, with the two cots and bathroom she’d noticed when she arrived—more like thrown, into her new prison.
“Welcome back.”
Her head snapped toward the voice. A man sat in the shadows on the floor, but visible, his back against the wall. A bruise marred his jaw, and he had a black eye.
“They said you wouldn’t wake for another few hours.”
Her stomach twisted. “Evan?”
“In the flesh.” His laugh turned into a cough, and he clutched his ribs. “Or what’s left of it.”
She scanned the room again. “Where are we?”
“I’m not sure.” He shifted and winced. “They brought me here a couple of weeks ago. Said if I helped, they wouldn’t touch you.”
A zip of guilt traveled through her. The man had tried to protect her and had gotten hurt in the process. “Help with what?”
He dropped his gaze to the floor. “I didn’t want to do it, but they gave me no choice. Then they took you anyway.”
The lock clanked, and the door opened, flooding the room with light from the hall. Two silhouettes stood in the entrance.
One of the men placed two trays of food on the floor and slid them inside. “Boss said to eat. If you don’t cooperate, we start in on him again.”
The door slammed, and Evan flinched.
Jade’s pulse thundered. “Evan, what are they talking about?”
“They want you to create a program. An autonomous cyber-weapon system that can infiltrate military networks, monitor their comms system, and rewrite commands in real time without detection.”
Her breath caught. “They want me to put our troops in danger? Sell this technology on the black market or to some extremist network? For what purpose?”
His gaze met hers. “Why do you think?”
Jade’s shoulders drooped. “Money. It’s always about money.”
Evan nodded.
What rabbit hole had she fallen into? “Why me?”
“Because you are one of the few, if not the only one, that can create it.”
“I’m sure there are others. Those who are smarter than I am. Again, why me?”
“Jade, let’s not play games. Your intelligence is through the roof. You are one of the few people with the background and know-how to do this. Your mind creates things on a level that is unreal.”
Jade had never told anyone about her high IQ, which led to her adeptness at seeing patterns and map systems multiple steps ahead at an astonishing rate. She’d found out in high school, but had never let anyone know. Her teachers had commented on her quickness at picking up new concepts, but Jade was good at downplaying it. Only the counselor who’d tested her knew of her intelligence level and her uncanny abilities that came with it. Jade had requested that she not share the results. How had these people found out? How did Evan know?
Determination and a bit of attitude settled in. She lifted her chin. “Then they’ll be disappointed.”
He shook his head. “You can’t fight them. They won’t hurt you. They’ll hurt the people you care about.”
A question nagged at her. “Now that they have me, why are you still alive?”
“Because they think I can convince you to build this program. Once I’ve outlived my usefulness, I’m a liability.”
That, she believed.
