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“I understand more than she thinks I do, but I still don’t know many details. She’s been running test code on a new program that will hack backward but will temporarily make it appear as though it’s working as intended. So, like, if a hacker used a server to hack into a system, they could initiate the program to make it look like it’s functioning, but in reality they are actually taking control of their own servers. I think they are planning on sneaking the program into Maxwell’s servers if they ever get the chance. I read her notes. A lot of it doesn’t make sense to me. I think it only works for a short time before it’s discovered. But that’s just a theory. I don’t even know if something like that would work. I asked her what it was once, and she said it was part of our exit plan.”
Link has been listening in on the conversation from our head office. He’s our tech lead, and he’s one of the best there is—behind our mysterious Zane.
If anyone knows the feasibility of her claims, it will be him. He’s probably already started barking orders at his team to get him a report on the likelihood of Dana’s theory.
I’m agitated now.
I need to get out of this room.
When I meet Logan’s eyes, he nods once to indicate his satisfaction with the interview, and I turn to push open the door.
I need to make up for the ten years I’ve lost, and that starts now.
CHAPTER6
JESSA
I don’t do well in enclosed spaces. As much as I tried to stretch out on the cot with my eyes closed, breathing deeply and trying to imagine myself on a quiet beach, it just didn’t work.
Twenty minutes in, and I was already talking into the camera, asking to be let out, using the excuse that I’d like to take a shower. It was the only thing I could come up with.
A few minutes after, the one they called Hunter was at the door, negotiating the terms under which I could leave.
I was given a large towel, and I had to leave my clothes in the room, so if I wanted to run, I’d be doing it wet and naked.
The shower room was larger than my holding cell, so I took my time under the warm water. Hunter covered the only exit. It was another stipulation, that he be able to see the top of my head over the stall, and I agreed.
Hunter wasn’t as talkative as Jack or his domineering friend, so I gave up on the small talk after the one-sided conversation on our walk to the shower.
Now that I’m standing under the spray, breathing is a little easier. As the hot water washes over my body, my mind wanders to Jack. Ten years is a long time, and he looks just as I remember him. Maybe a little rougher around the edges, but he’s matured.
His presence feels the same as it did a decade earlier. He was my protector, and I was safe when I was with him. I had forgotten how blissful that ignorance was.
“Five minutes.” Hunter’s voice echoes off the tiled walls.
I reach for the soap to finish up. As I rinse my body and hair, I think about Dana. I only hope that Jack is there with her, and she is cooperating.
Jack’s partner is intense. I’m not looking forward to my time with him, but I’ll get through his questions, then I’ll figure a way out for me and Dana both.
I’m confident Maxwell doesn’t know we’ve been captured yet. Jack would have heard from him by now, and I’ll need to come up with a plan for that later.
Twisting the shower handle, I step back to dry myself and wrap the towel around my body to make the walk back to my room and my clothes.
Hunter is quiet once again, so I use the silence to listen for anything I can use to help in our escape later.
As we turn down the last hall before my room, my heart jumps at Jack’s gruff voice as we reach the door to my cell. “I’ve got it from here.”
Hunter startles and takes a cautious step back, relinquishing possession. “Jekyll is wrapping up in interrogation; he could use your help on a couple of things.”
Nodding, Hunter walks down the hall, almost a little too happy to be away from us, and Jack turns to open the door. He steps aside to let me in. As I pass him, I expect to hear the hinges creak shut. Instead, there’s the warmth of his chest on my back as he follows me into the small space and closes the door behind us.
My heart thuds erratically against my ribs as I take a nervous step away and turn to look at him. The lights aren’t on, so seeing small details is difficult, but I don’t miss the white in his eyes. They’re lit by the faint light coming in from the window. The sun is no doubt setting behind the mountain range.
Maybe it’s the dim room, but his eyes look different; he looks sad and angry, and there’s something else, but he doesn’t say a word. He just stares at me. I still only have my towel on, and I shiver from the cold.
“Is Dana okay?” I ask in an attempt to break the growing tension.
“She’s fine.” He offers no more and continues to stare in silence.
