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I neededtime and space to think without distractions. I also needed sleep, and as much as it felt like admitting some form of defeat, I headed back to my room. Jackson helped by giving me a boost so I could rewire the door to remain partially open.

“You sure that’s safe?” he asked.

“Safer than being trapped,” I said and stood on tiptoe to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Go get some sleep yourself.”

Shaking his head, he moved to step over the cube stool we’d used to block the door open. “Nope. Not leaving you. I can sleep on the couch.”

“Whoa.” Hand on his chest, I stopped him in mid-stride with his foot hovering over the cube. “No way. I won’t get any rest. You snore like an elephant.”

“And how would you know what an elephant snores like?”

“Because I grew up with you. Now go. Your room is literally next door. It would take you all of two seconds to get here if you so much as hear me sneeze on my wristcom.”

“At least let me check for intruders,” he said, but I blocked him again. What if there was something incriminating in my room?

“I’ve got this. I promise. I’ll bring a knife to bed with me if it makes you feel better.”

Finally, he gave me a slow nod, turned, and took off, stopping for one last look in my direction. I shooed him away with a smile and slipped inside my quarters. He was right, there was a killer on the loose who hopefully wasn’t me, but it wasn’t like I was a target. I was just the “intern,” as Nicole said earlier.

I was the intern in charge of helping the head of AI find the killer and shut down the computer. Shit.

I searched my rooms for both lurking murderers and any clues that may have helped explain what happened during my blackouts, but came up empty. I wasn’t sure what I expected to find, and I was exhausted.

“Lights,” I said, and the place went dark. I slid into bed. Despite my nerves and wandering mind, I couldn’t help but drift off. I felt like I hadn’t slept in days.

My eyes fluttered open, and I couldn’t understand why at first. Then I heard it, a shuffling sound in the other room. My mouth dried up and my body began to quake. Someone was in my hotel room. I glanced at my wristband. 3:24 a.m. glowed in the dark. I heard the shuffling again, this time closer.

I slipped out of the bed as quietly as possible and crept over beside the door just as it opened. My heart leaped into my throat as the large outline of a man skulked inside.

With a war cry I jumped onto his back, throwing my arms around his neck. He stumbled backward and knocked me into the wall. Tiny bursts of light sparked in my vision, and I fell, stunned as the breath was knocked from me. Then he was on top of me, on the ground, his heavy frame flattening me and his hand over my mouth as I tried to scream.

I writhed beneath him, desperate to find an escape until I heard Travis’s voice call for lights. Then I was blinking up into his eyes, his hand still over my mouth.

He grinned, and I writhed even more, anger flaring.

“If I let go will you promise not to go all ninja on me again?” he asked.

I nodded, picturing all the pain I wanted to inflict on his self-satisfied ass.

He let go but planted his lips over mine. I bit his tongue and he rolled off me with a yelp.

“Asshole,” I said, jumping to my feet. “What the fuck are you doing sneaking into my room in the middle of the night? What is wrong with you?”

“I saw your door open, and I was worried about you. I thought someone broke in.” He stood, patting his mouth with the back of his hand and studying the drop of bright red that came off.

“Someone did break in. You,” I reminded him. To my wristcom I said, “Don’t worry, Jackson. It’s only Travis checking in on me. All is good.” The last thing I wanted was to make this a party.

“I would’ve knocked, but I thought—”

“That you’d play Prince Charming for once, huh? Well all you did was scare the crap out of me.”

He looked at me then, with those intense dark eyes, and I saw it. He was scared.

“Okay, maybe I overreacted. But you didn’t exactly make yourself known.” I relaxed my stance and sat on the bed.

“Sorry. If someone was attacking you, I definitely should have let him know I was coming with a battle cry or something.” His smirk reappeared.