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“Hey – I said I know you wouldn't do something like that. Are you sure you don’t mind sacrificing your evening?”
“I’m sure,” I tell him. “I want to help. I can search a chunk of the code. Just get me some coffee and I’m good to go.”
Luke leads me to a conference room in the hotel that his team has taken over. Everybody has their laptops open, lots of people with headphones on, as they comb the code and search for the culprit. I’m able to slip right in, put my headphones on, listen to some Delilah Sky – hearing her in the store has reinvigorated my love for the singer – and do my part.
It's not mindless work, exactly, but it’s mindless enough that my thoughts can wander from time to time. My thoughts return to the changing room, the fierceness in his eyes as he watched me like I was the most attractive woman he’d ever laid eyes on.
He sits on the other side of the large conference table. Every so often, he looks up, catches my eye, and we share a private smile. After two hours of screen-staring, I stand. “Coffee, anyone?”
Everyone says they’re good, so I leave the room and head down the hall to the coffee machine. I put in some coins and make my selection, waiting as it loads.
A bald man – Steve, I believe his name is – approaches. Luke introduced us when I first arrived, but with so many names, it's difficult to be sure. I know he's the co-lead designer, though.
He offers a tight smile that looks strained, as though he'd rather be grimacing. "So, you work for TechGuard."
I nod.
"You've seen some of this code before, then."
"Not the part I've been given," I tell him. "That's new to me. As I understand it, TechGuard was just a small part of the project."
He runs a hand over his bald head. "A cynical man might say that having a coder from TechGuard working on this project post-sabotage is tactically unwise. Luckily, I'm not a cynical man."
"Why do I get the sense you're insinuating something?"
He holds his hands up. "If I've given you that impression, all I can do is apologize. It wasn't my intention."
"My boss, Graham, is the husband of the woman who saved my life. He's a kind, selfless man. One of the best I've ever met.He would go above and beyond to do what's right, both for his business and the world. He genuinely cares about AI, and right now, he's dealing with far too much to think aboutsabotage."
I grab my coffee and return to the conference room, ignoring the shocked look on his face. When I sit down, my cell phone buzzes. It's Luke.
Luke: Are you okay?
Sera: I'm fine.
I reply “fine”... but that isn't exactly true.
Chapter Eight
Luke
I do my best to focus on my work, but I can't stop myself from glancing across the table at Sera from time to time. When I do, my assistant, Andy, and my co-lead, Steve, both look at me... with wildly different expressions.
Andy is excited for me. He's often pestered me about finding a woman. Steve lookspissed, probably because he knows Sera works for TechGuard.
There's no way for me to explain in a way he'll understand... She would never betray me. It’s a feeling I get in my gut when I look at her. She might technically be a stranger, but she doesn't feel like one. Even considering her as a stranger seems like a betrayal.
It's midnight when I text her again.
Luke: Are you sure you're okay? Has something happened?
Ever since returning from her coffee break, she's had this... aura. Before Sera, I never would've used words likeaura, but it's no surprise that she's changed me.
Sera: I'm just trying to focus on the task at hand.
Luke: Did Steve say something to you when you went to get coffee? I saw him follow you.
Sera: It's fine.