“How much do you know about me?”
“Enough.”
Behind me, Hannah grips the back of my shirt tighter.
Wu notices.
Of course he does.
“She trusts you already,” he murmurs.
“Don’t sound surprised.”
“I’m not.” Wu’s gaze sharpens slightly. “You fit her conditioning profile.”
That makes every nerve in my body go cold.
Russ hears it too.
“What conditioning?”
Wu looks almost amused now.
“Hannah was trained from childhood to attach most strongly to protectors displaying extreme loyalty responses.”
Oh hell no.
I feel Hannah go rigid behind me.
Like she’s horrified by the implication.
“You’re a lying bastard,” she whispers.
Wu’s expression softens again.
“No, Hannah.”
His eyes settle on me.
“You chose him exactly as designed.”
The words hit her like a physical blow.
She lets go of my shirt instantly.
Steps backward.
Like touching me suddenly burns.
No.
Absolutely not.
“Hannah.”
Her eyes snap to mine.
Panicked.
