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CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Evangeline

The lights snap on, startling me awake. I blink, throwing an arm across my eyes to protect them from the sudden change from dark to bright. A shape forms in the doorway, slowly coming into focus until I recognize it as Knight. The expression on his face makes my heart stop. My eyes immediately go to his hand, checking for signs of his gun, but there’s nothing there.

“Get up. Now.” His voice is sharp.

I give zero thought to arguing, and scramble out of bed, nearly falling when the blanket tangles around my legs. “What? What’s happening? I didn’t do anything.”

“Main room. Move.”

He herds me down the hallway, so close behind me I can feel his breath against the back of my neck. Something is different about the living room when I enter. There’s a strange humming noise coming from behind the door he disappeared through earlier. The air feels warmer, like someone has cranked up the heat.

“Sit.” He points to the couch. “And don’t move.”

“What’s going on?”

“Your completely innocent shop-bought phone triggered a cascade failure in my security systems.” He waits, clearly expecting a reaction, then sighs at my blank look. “Someone just used you to compromise everything I’ve built.” His attention shifts back to the door.

“But I didn’t?—”

“Know?” His laugh is sharp enough to cut glass. “That’s what he was counting on. Please, tell me more about how you didn’t mean to carry a digital bomb into my home. I’m sure that will fix everything.”

A weird electronic shriek pieces the air, and I jump. Knight tenses at the sound, face paling.

“What is that? Is something wrong with your computer?”

“No, it’s throwing a party.” His words drop like acid. “Those are clearly noises of celebration.”

The room is getting warmer. More strange noises emerge from behind the door. Whining, grinding, and noises that sound like expensive things breaking. Knight paces between me and the door, and I get the distinct impression he can’t decide where the biggest threat is.

“Why is it so hot in here?”

“Because my systems are under attack, and everything is overheating. Would you like me to adjust the thermostat? Maybe put on some music. Hell, let’s make margaritas. I’d hate for you to be uncomfortable.” The words are delivered through gritted teeth.

Another crash makes both of us flinch. He takes two steps toward the door, then stops, looking back at me.

I can almost see him calculating the risks of what he should do.

“Can’t you just unplug everything?”

The look he gives me should kill me where I stand.

“What a fucking brilliant idea. Why didn’t I think of that? Would you like to explain that strategy to the three backup systems and offsite servers, or should I? Maybe we could write them a strongly worded email, asking them to please stop being compromised.”

There are more crashes, more electronic sounds. The temperature keeps rising until sweat runs down my back. Knight’s expression turns darker with each new noise, and I’m hit by the realization that I’m seeing something that very few people see. This man is losing control of his world.

“How can a phone do this? It’s just a phone .” I try to keep my voice steady, but it shakes anyway.

“It’s not the phone, it’s what he put on the phone.”

“He? Who?”

“The person who trained me.” A muscle ticks in his jaw. “Someone who’s supposed to be dead.”

“Have you tried?—”

“If you suggest turning if off and on again, I swear to fucking god, I will gag you.” His voice carries a sharp edge.

There’s the sound of something else breaking behind the door.

“Who is he ?” I don’t even know why I ask. Maybe because knowledge feels like armor, even if I don’t know what it means. And keeping him talking seems like a good idea.

“Victor Nash.” The name comes out like a curse. “And apparently, he thought it’d be a great idea to announce his resurrection by destroying everything I’ve built. But please, keep asking questions. I’m sure it will help immensely.”

There are more crashing sounds, more weird electronic noises I don’t understand. Knight’s fingers clench and unclench at his sides, the only sign that he’s not as calm as he sounds.

“What happens now?”

“Now?” His attention splits between me and whatever crisis is unfolding behind that door. “Now I have to figure out what kind of game he’s playing. And you get to watch, since I can’t risk letting you out of my sight until I know what role you play in his plan.” He lets out a breath. “Although, watching you try to understand what’s happening might actually be more painful than losing my systems.”

“I didn’t play any role in whatever is happening.”

“The phone you brought here says otherwise.” His smile is all teeth and no humor. “But please tell me again how you’re just an innocent bystander. I find your complete ignorance of the situation fucking fascinating.”

Fear crawls up my spine at the bite in his tone. A little over twenty-four hours ago, I thought I was meeting someone who could help me find my brother. Now, I’m trapped in an apartment that’s making sounds like it’s tearing itself apart, with a man who seems to be slowly losing his grip on his world and maybe his sanity.

The sounds beyond the door change, sounding like the time an old laptop I owned died—a terrible, grinding noise right before the screen went black forever. Knight actually flinches at that one.

“Get up.” The look on his face tells me not to argue. “You’re coming with me.”

“In there?” I look at the door. “I thought?—”

“Yes, because I absolutely want you in my workspace right now. This is definitely how I planned to spend my evening. Babysitting someone who thinks ctrl-alt-delete is advanced programming while my systems are under attack.” His hand wraps around the top of my arm.

I try to pull away. “I don’t want?—”

“What you want stopped being relevant the second you carried his message into my home.” He drags me toward the door. “Right now, you’re either part of his plan, or you’re going to help me figure out what that plan is. I know, please try to contain your enthusiasm.”

“How can I possibly help you? I don’t know anything about computers or the person you’re talking about.”

“Thank you for that stunning revelation. I never would have guessed from your suggestion to unplug everything.” His grip tightens. “But you know something about being manipulated by Victor Nash, even if you didn’t know that’s who was pulling your strings. And right now? That’s worth more to me than your clearly extensive technical expertise.”

The door opens to reveal a room that looks like NASA mission control had a baby with a Best Buy. There are screens everywhere, lights flashing, things beeping and whirring and making noises I’ve never heard before. Knight shoves me toward a chair, with way more force than I feel is necessary, and I fall into it.

“Try not to touch anything, I’d hate for you to accidentally launch any missiles.”

“That’s not funny.”

“I’m not joking. Now sit there, shut the fuck up, and try very hard not to make things worse than they already are. Though, I’m not really sure how you could, short of suggesting we try unplugging things again.”

“I was just trying to help!”

“Don’t.”