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I hurled a pillow at him. He caught it against his chest and bounced down next to me on the bed.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” he said.
“Thanks. But how did you get out of your quarters anyway? It’s past curfew.” I couldn’t keep the bitterness out of my voice.
“I never went back to my quarters. I did a little espionage work instead to see if I could get any more info on what’s going on around here.”
“And?” I asked, curious now that my heart was settling a bit.
“It isn’t good.” His fist tightened at his side, squeezing the pillow so hard I was surprised it didn’t start raining feathers. “I saw them come to my mom’s door and escort her out, so I followed.”
“Who escorted her?” I didn’t like the chill crawling up my spine.
“Those damn bots. Two of them.”
I grabbed his arm. He was so tense, it was like holding a rock. “Where did they take her?”
“To Mrs. Bennet. Where else? She had some other people there too.”
Clearly it was difficult for him to talk about, and I didn’t like having to pry the information out of him. But I had to know. “What did they say?”
“That as the head of vital systems she could be a target of the killers. They wanted to put her under twenty-four-hour guard until this is over. But those damn things are the ones I don’t trust.” Travis wiped hard at his nose with his opposite arm.
“I’m so sorry.” I slumped in my seat.
“It isn’t your fault. You didn’t do any of this.” His hand found my chin, and I averted my eyes.
Could it be my fault, though?No, I couldn’t accept that. Still, it was too hard to face him because there was part of me inside that wondered where my missing time went. I’d buried it deep, considering all that had happened, but maybe more because it scared the crap out of me. A sting built behind my eyes, and I dug my nails into my palm so I wouldn’t cry.
“Hey, I’m the one who’s sorry. I shouldn’t have laid this on you. It’s just…there’s no one else here I even remotely trust.”
I did meet his eyes then, and my heart twisted. “I have to tell you something.”
“Go ahead. I can take it.” He grinned, but it was clearly forced.
I contemplated what I was about to share. Travis, I may have killed someone. Oh, and I slept with the guy you hate and shouldn’t have kissed you earlier.
I shifted my weight and decided to go with something less incriminating.
“There’s a saboteur. Someone cut Alyssa’s access and all the Bennets’.” And it was possible it was me.
Travis sucked in a breath. “So someone intentionally put my parents in danger? They told the robot to kill?”
“Looks that way. Or at least removed the fail-safes to let it happen.” I pulled my hair into a ponytail and grabbed a band from my nightstand.
“But that’s good, right? I mean, it could only be a couple of people.” Travis grasped my arms as I finished tugging my hair into place.
“I don’t know, Travis. I mean, there are several brilliant programmers here. It could be any of them, or even one of the Bennets.” I hated to say it, but it was true. They had the access to begin with.
Travis’s face grew ugly with rage, and I stepped away, bumping into the bed. “This is their fault. I should shove them out into the ocean myself. Whoever it is hates them, and I can’t blame him for it.”
My heart pounded, and I raised my palms in an effort to temper his fury. “Whoa there, bud. You’re making yourself look like an insane killer.” I forced a laugh. “I guess that means it’s probably not the Bennets then, if the saboteur hates them that much.”
“It could be Nicole or PC himself.” Travis pounded a fist into his palm, making me jump.
“No, it couldn’t,” I said a little too quickly. “They have a bet going, and the winner is supposed to get Paradise Atlantis. Why would they sabotage their own future?”
“If they thought they’d lose the bet, they’d be capable of anything.” Travis softened, but I remained at a distance.