Jade dragged herself to the computer and sat. Coding wasn’t the hard part. Anybody with a knack for programming could follow the architecture. It was her ability to mentally see and understand how every piece would behave once the system came alive. That’s why they needed her. Her gaze examined the room.
“I know what you’re thinking, but don’t. She has cameras everywhere. It’s not worth the risk.”
Tears pricked her eyes. She hadn’t given up hope, but it sure had dwindled. “Tell me what you’ve laid out.”
“I have the framework done. But it’s the intricate details that I’m not capable of. Especially rewriting while fooling cryptography, monitoring, and let’s not forget the human factor. I can’t hold all the dependencies in my head at once. I’ve seen you work. I knowyoucan. I suggest you use that big brain of yours to give the boss that sample she requires. Then we’ll tackle the entire program.”
“Right, because even the sample will be easy.” She rolled her eyes. But Evan was right. A quick down and dirty to show the usefulness of the program.
One hour bled into another and then another. Her headache had returned, and the hum of the air conditioner grated on her nerves. But she continued writing code and adding to the bones of the autonomous cyber-weapon system Breana had demanded while Evan reviewed her work. But something bothered her, and she couldn’t figure out what.
Evan’s pen rolled off the table, and he bent to pick it up.
Jade stared at him. His movements were fluid and not pained. Hadn’t they hurt his ribs when they’d beaten him? And why didn’t he look anxious?
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Evan asked.
“Sorry. I zoned out for a minute.” Her instincts screamed at her to trust no one. She glanced at the clock. “We’ve been at this for hours. My brain is mush.”
He pointed to the table across the room. “The guards brought in a few snacks and drinks. Help yourself.”
She spun and spotted the offerings. Wow, when did that happen? “Thanks.” Buying herself time to think, she grabbed a bag of nuts and a bottle of water. Ideas swirled in her mind as she chewed. Her best bet was to drop in code that Rafe would pick up on and pray he ran scans of the dark web. A risk? Yes. But she had to come up with a plan before it was too late. Once she wrote the initial program, any computer expert could finish it off. Assuming she could figure out that final piece.
Plan in place, she threw the snack bag away, dusted off her hands, and took her water to her computer. Now, to place the breadcrumbs without anyone noticing.
Code flew onto the screen, but beneath it, she hid a string of her own. Fragments buried. A digital trail she prayed Rafe would find and inform Liam of.
Evan hovered over her shoulder. “You’re making good progress.”
“Yeah, well, this part’s not hard, just time-consuming.” She brushed off his compliment, hoping he’d leave her alone.
After Evan settled back at his workstation, she added another clue.
God, please let them notice.
Hours passed. Her eyes grew heavy, and her fingers hurt from all the work. She turned and raised an eyebrow at the guard. “Can we stop and get some sleep?”
The man radioed her request, and a few minutes later, she was back in the underground room by herself. She washed up in the tiny bathroom and collapsed onto her cot.
Sleep didn’t come right away. Every sound had her jumping.
A whisper through the vent above her grabbed her attention. “How is she progressing?” Breana’s voice spiked her anger. How could Jade not have seen it? All those conversations. The trust she’d placed in the woman—shattered beyond repair.
“She’s working faster than I anticipated,” a man responded.
Jade strained to make out the male voice.
“I told you she’s a genius. Keep playing your part.”
“Anything for you, my love.” The small bit of accent laced his final word.
Jade’s chest constricted. Evan and Breana together in this insanity? He called her his love?
“Once she completes this program, we’ll transfer her to the secondary site and sell her brains.”
“And if she can’t develop the program?” Evan asked.
“We’ll lose a fortune, but her brains will bring a nice, hefty amount.”
