by Remy Richard
He concentrated on the sound of her breathing next to him in the dark and closed his eyes, hoping to be lulled into the sleep he desperately needed. The blank spots in his work were never far from his mind. Unless he was touching Sabrina anyway. Then there was no room for anything but how he felt about her.
Now that she wasn’t distracting him though, the pieces of the puzzle that wouldn’t snap into place were back to plaguing him. He had gone over and over the problem in his mind, and on paper and on the computer screen, and he couldn’t get it to work anywhere.
He blew out a long breath and tried to force himself to concentrate on emptying his mind. Despite the fact that every second he wasn’t working on his program felt like a second wasted—a second longer that the people he loved were in danger—he knew that sleep was the best thing he could do for himself. Recharging the batteries and taking some time off might give him a fresh perspective on what he had been staring at for more than a month now.
It was strange to think that he’d been working on this problem for longer than he’d known Sabrina. Already she seemed like a vital part of his life. Someone he needed the way that he needed Lila and Conner and Dylan. Necessary to happiness. He just wasn’t sure where she stood with regards to returning his feelings. Every time he tried to voice what he was feeling, she shut him down.
It was frustrating to be up against two problems when the answer seemed so close for both. With Sabrina, he was always just on the verge of understanding her. Always on the edge of something vast and infinite. With the algorithm, it was as if his vision was obscured by smoke. He knew what direction he needed to go in, the path was just hidden from his view. So trial and error was the only way to make his way forward. Only there were almost an infinite number of trials and he’d already made more errors than ever before.
Finally Holden opened his eyes and admitted the truth: there was no way he was getting any sleep that night. Slowly, he disengaged himself from Sabrina’s hold, moving her so that she snuggled into a pillow rather than into his chest, and eased himself to the side of the bed. He spent several minutes gazing down at her while she slept. He hadn’t even realized how tense she had been until he saw her face unlined as she slept. Somehow she looked even younger than usual without the guardedness that perpetually shadowed her face.
He sighed as he wished that she would let him take better care of her. Her independence, grit and determination were attractive qualities to him. Things that had propelled him to his own successes despite the obstacles in his way. But he hadn’t made it alone. There had been friends and mentors along his path who had helped him. He wanted to do the same for Sabrina. Independent of whatever relationship they would have when everything was over and they were safe again, he wanted her to have a chance at doing something that she really wanted. Rather than something that she had to do to keep her life together.
He doubted that she would accept that kind of assistance though. A place to hide out, sure. Hot, passionate sex that left both of them exhausted, absolutely. His friendship, possibly. But not his help. At least not without some plan in place for her to repay him. Which he didn’t want under any circumstance. So he was left with trying to trick her into accepting his assistance. Unfortunately, he already had too many schemes and problems rolling around in his head to focus on another one. Besides, it would be difficult to con a con artist.
Holden froze and tilted his head to the side as he tried to pull his last thought back. Conning a con artist. Hmmm.
Still considering, he moved toward the desk and pulled out a piece of scratch paper. The only sound in the room for hours was the sound of him working and the whir of the air conditioner. Holden didn’t notice the rising of the sun or the chirping of the birds outside. He was lost in solving one of his many problems.
***
Sabrina awoke breathing hard and trapped in the last vestiges of a nightmare. She sent a hand out to search the sheets around her and realized that she was alone. Before she opened her eyes, she could hear the tapping of Holden’s keyboard and knew he was working again. The only question was how long had he been going?
Part of her was thrilled that this ordeal could soon be finished. She hadn’t had nightmares in years and even she couldn’t deny that the current situation was most likely the catalyst for their resurgence. Mike’s misfortunes hung heavily on her, as did her upcoming betrayal. She tried to comfort herself with the thought that there was a really solid chance that Holden would never discover that she had stolen the program. But for the first time in a long time, she had the feeling that she might be lying to herself.
That had always been one of her greatest strengths. Other people could ignore the truth and tell themselves that everything would be all right, but Sabrina always faced up to what was in front of her. The sooner she recognized a problem, the sooner she could get to fixing it. It was the only way she had survived over the years. The gut knows when there’s a problem, and she always listened to her gut.
Except for now. Everything in her told her to stay away from Mike. He was a grown man and he continually made the same mistakes over and over again. Even if she could get the program for him, there was a really good chance that he would be in debt to the same people again in a year. Maybe even six months. Of course, the reality of turning her back on the man who had taken her in was a lot different. A lot more difficult.
Disgusted with herself and the inability to commit to a plan, Sabrina sat up and pushed her hair out of her face. Unerringly, she locked eyes with Holden and was surprised to see his lit with happiness. He looked exhausted, sure, but also exhilarated. Her heart sank even before he spoke.
“I figured it out,” he said.
She tried to smile as her lungs constricted and her heart beat sped up. “You did? That’s amazing.”
Holden grinned and struck a few more keys before saving the document. “And I have you to thank.”
“Me?” Sabrina pulled her sheet up and pushed her hair behind her eyes, striving for a normal tone. She should be happy for him. This could be the achievement of a lifetime. If only she didn’t have to take it from him.
“Yes, you. Last night I was trying to fall asleep when I realized that all of my problems were the same: I have to figure out a way to make a con artist trust me.” He smiled at her as he moved toward the bed. He sat down and managed to get part of the sheet under him, trapping her even as she subtly tried to get away. “Because that’s all the algorithm is at its core, a con. The problem I was having was with the purpose of the algorithm. I was working on it so that with training and some technical and biological know-how a medical professional could operate the bio-printer. That means creating an algorithm that can account for every range of possibilities within the cells, almost impossible. But if I can trick it into recognizing that the cells are already there then it can be programmed to fill in the gaps. Luckily for us, the gaps in this case can be creating an entire kidney from a small sample of cells.”
Sabrina smiled at him and tried to follow along. It was a useless effort though. “I’m sorry, but I really have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Holden laughed and slid a hand up her arm to rest behind her neck, pulling her in for a warm kiss. “Let’s just say that I found a new place for the algorithm to start its printing. Rather than starting from scratch, the algorithm will take the inputs the user gives it and proceed as if the form for the matter it’s printing is there already. The beauty part of it is that once the cells are in the general vicinity, Nature takes over and does the rest.”
She laughed and threw her arms around him, holding him close and feeling so proud of him she could burst. “I’m still not sure what you’re talking about, but I don’t think there will be a test so I should be fine.”
He pulled back and gave her another quick peck. “We’re all going to be fine now. I’ve only got another couple of hours of work just to clean everything up and then I’ll turn it over to Organotech. Then we can be on our way.”
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She just nodded as he bounded up and began digging through his duffle bag. “I’m starving. I think I’m going to take a quick shower and then maybe we can order some room service.”
Sabrina made a face that caused him to laugh. “I’m tired of it too, but this should be one of our last meals here. “ He shook out a polo shirt and a pair of khakis while he spoke to her. “Things are really moving along now. I can’t believe it took me so long to see the solution. Now that I know what I need to do, it’s a lot easier to see what doesn’t belong, if that makes any sense.”
“It’s the only thing you’ve said this morning that does make sense to me,” she said, laughing.
On his way to the shower he stopped by the bed one last time and kissed her deeply. As he pulled away, Sabrina marveled at how much lighter he looked. She hadn’t realized how much strain he had been under. She couldn’t stop herself from calling out to him as he started to close the bathroom door. “Holden.” He poked his head out and looked at her. “I just wanted to say…thank you.”
“For what?” he asked, his face and voice soft.
“For…working so hard on this. For working to keep us all safe. I didn’t realize…” Her words slowed as she considered what she wanted to say next. Really, she wanted to apologize but that would never do. So she settled on, “Just, thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.” He stared at her for a few more seconds before she tightened her grip on the sheet, pulling it up higher, hiding from the warm look in his eyes. She didn’t feel worthy of it just then.
“I’m going to get dressed and then go check on Lila while you shower. She wasn’t feeling well last night so it might take a little while, but if she’s up to it I’ll bring her back down here for breakfast,” she said, trying to keep her voice breezy.
“Sounds good.” Holden looked at her for one last second before shutting the door to the bathroom behind him.
Sabrina wasted no time hopping out of bed and yanking on a pair of jeans and the silk shirt she had worn the day before. It had clearly seen better days, worse for the wear as it was from being on the floor, but she didn’t have time to worry about fashion.
She stayed still until she heard the shower start and then she quickly moved to the desk area. A fast search of his computer bag netted her a flash drive and she plugged it into the computer with shaking hands.
On the screen in front of her, the lines of code looked like nothing more than jibberish. Strange to think that something so important was secreted in the slashes and numbers and symbols. Well, it wasn’t on her to give the stuff meaning. All she had to do was copy it and be done.
With trembling hands, she highlighted the code, copied and pasted it into a clean document. A few mouse clicks later and it was saved to the flash drive. She took a few precious seconds to cover her tracks. If her heart hadn’t been breaking, it would have been the easiest job she’d ever pulled.
Taking time she didn’t have, Sabrina stared at the copied code. Everything felt wrong. She wanted to save Mike, yes, of course, but not at the expense of her future with Holden. She shook her head to get rid of the thought and the doubt. Mike had no doubt already told Stiles and the others that she was giving him the program. She couldn’t back out now. The consequences, both for Mike and herself, could be deadly.
Before removing the flash drive, Sabrina did make a few key changes to the code though. It still looked credible and a half decent coder could probably eventually find the changes, but she hoped it would be enough to slow them down. She pulled the drive out and slipped it into a hotel envelope she quickly scrawled Mike’s name on.
In the sitting room, she located her shoes and pulled them on before leaving the suite. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute as she headed for Lila’s room. She would wake the other woman and get her into the shower. She would take the alone time to slip down to the lobby and leave the envelope containing the flash drive at the front desk for Mike. A quick text and she wouldn’t even have to see him. No muss, no fuss and she would be done with that life. She could leave with Holden and try to put her betrayal behind her.
She knocked on Lila’s door and waited nervously for an answer. From down the hall, the sound of a fire door opening sounded. Some sense of foreboding slid up Sabrina’s spine as she pressed herself against the wall and peered down the hall.
Mike’s eyes, meaner than she’d ever seen them, met hers.
His face was impassive as he moved down the hall toward her. Sabrina heard footsteps from inside Lila’s room heading toward the door. She put out a hand to hold the knob of the door, preventing Lila from opening it.
“Don’t even think about it, Bree,” Mike said, in a hard voice.
Keeping a tight grip on the doorknob, she pulled back as much as she could without giving away her movements as Mike moved closer. She raised her voice, hoping that Lila would hear her through the door and heed her words. “Okay, Mike, I’m not going in. What are you doing here?”
She hid a sigh of relief as Lila stopped trying to turn the handle. She couldn’t expect the other woman to stay silent for long. Lila had a good heart and as soon as she figured out what was going on, she would be right smack dab in the middle of it. Sabrina had to get Mike, and the danger he posed, as far away as possible.
He sneered at her. “You know exactly what I’m doing here. I’m out of time. I need the program.”
She gestured toward her back pocket. “I have it. Right here. I was just about to call you.”
“Yeah, right. How convenient.”
“Mike,” she protested and tried to put her hand in her pocket to pull out the envelope when he leveled a revolver at her.
“Keep your hands where I can see them, Bree.”
She gaped at him in surprise. “Are you serious right now? A gun?”
“Not only am I completely serious, I’m not stupid. I know that you’re on their side now.” He shrugged negligently. “I don’t even blame you. The view from over here isn’t bad. Nice hotel, nice house, nice life. And all you have to do is con the dork into falling in love with you. It’s the job of a lifetime. I’d be happy to let you do this and then give me a cut later, but unfortunately, I’m out of time.”
He gestured with the gun and Sabrina flinched in reaction. “Take me to Holden’s room.”
Sabrina shook her head before she could think it through. The last thing she wanted to do was bring an out-of-control, gun-wielding Mike to Holden’s door. He shook the gun and narrowed his eyes at her. She recognized in an instant that whatever familial feeling she’d thought existed between them was gone. He thought she was a traitor, out for a better score, and nothing she could say would change his mind.
Slowly, she turned toward Holden’s suite and walked down the hall, her mind twisting and turning, desperately trying to find a way out of the situation. Hopefully Holden would still be in the shower. If she could just get Mike to take the flash drive and leave, no one would get hurt. The first thing she had to do was get him talking, keep him distracted and not looking for Holden.
“How did you find us?”
“It wasn’t that hard. I followed you here days ago. Obviously I couldn’t camp out in the lobby for a few days until you came out. So I got the information from the front desk worker. You know exactly what a sad story and a charming face can accomplish, Sabrina,” he explained, sounding almost cheerful.
“I do. You taught me,” she said, trying to appease him.
“I did. I taught you everything I know and you’re trying to screw me.”
Sabrina thought of trying to show him the envelope with the flash drive again, but she was suddenly afraid for more than just Lila and Holden. She was afraid for herself. Mike sounded like a man possessed, like someone who had nothing left to lose. She had always known that he could be ruthless, she just hadn’t thought that he could turn against her. Of course, he thought she had flipped on him first so he was just meting out rough justice as far as he was concerned. She was in big tro
uble.
She stopped in front of the suite door and turned to face the man who had once been like a father to her. The man who had a gun trained on her heart. “Just let me go in and get the program. I’ll bring it right back out and no one has to get hurt.”
“Just open the door, Bree,” he said.
Slowly she pulled the key card out of her front pocket and let them both into the suite. She could hear Holden moving around in the other room and her heart sank. Mike pushed the gun between her shoulder blades and forced her to move toward his room. She cleared the doorway and saw Holden standing in front of his desk, clearly working again. His dark hair was glistening with water droplets and his eyes warmed with greeting as she stepped into the room.
His smile quickly fell as he saw Mike walk in behind her. “What’s going on here?”
“No one talks unless I ask a question, got it?” Mike didn’t wait for an answer. “I’m here for the program.”
Not taking his eyes off of the gun, Holden lied smoothly. “It’s not finished yet.”
Mike’s response was to cock the hammer on the gun, the sound violent in the quiet room. Sabrina closed her eyes and tried to put some distance between herself and Mike. He noticed the movement and grabbed her elbow to haul her roughly against him. She felt the cold press of metal against her ribs through her thin shirt.
“Now that’s not what I heard. Sabrina told me that it was finished.”
Holden shook his head to try to clear it. His eyes darted back and forth between Sabrina and her captor, clearly confused. Sabrina’s throat ached with the need to tell him that it wasn’t true, but the words stuck in her throat. The best thing she could do for Holden now was to get Mike out of the room.
“It’s true, Mike. He just told me he finished it this morning. He’s lying,” she said, every word breaking her heart.