Page 76 of The Restoration Program

Nicole shivered, appalled that they were letting anyone get so close to Alina. At a regular high-profile interview, safety came in the form of metal detectors and pat-downs. Here, a person with bad intentions wouldn’t need so much as a pocket knife to kill her.

“Hey, you’d look great on TV,” Ryan said, making her flinch.

She tossed her hair over her shoulder, one hand clenching into a fist on her lap. “I look great everywhere.”

“Maybe we should take another look at those interview offers the Program approved. The PR Director even sketched out remarks for us and everything.”

Nicole looked back at him, but he was staring at the screen with a dreamy smile on his face as he watched Alina give an overly-bright grin to an enthusiastic fan begging for a selfie.

“Things are starting to change,” he went on, turning his attention to Nicole. “The Program’s becoming more visible. Would it be so bad to be part of that? To tell our story to the world?”

“Just because I got Restored doesn’t mean I need to be a walking advertisement for them.” Nicole tried to smirk playfully. “The whole world doesn’t need to know that I died on my way to lunch. Besides… I’d want to be honest, and I don’t think that would fly. You see how they’re only pushing this sunshine and roses agenda. The Program would silence anything negative I had to say.”

Humming thoughtfully, he ran the back of his finger along her arm. “We can think about it. There’s no rush to give a hard answer.”

“Ryan.” She leaned away and gave him a meaningful look. “My hard answer isno. I’m not changing my mind.”

His fingers pulled into a fist beside her chair. “How bad can it be?” he insisted. His eyebrows hiked up as though he was truly shocked she wasn’t considering it. “I just think you deserve to feel as special as I know you are. I mean, look ather. Alina is happy and comfortable, and she’s got all those people there to support her. Maybe that kind of support would make you feel more comfortable in your own skin.”

“Are you serious? She’s a model, Ry! She already had a following. Plus, it’s her job to control her face and posture. But… but to me, it looks like she wants to get the hell out of there. To run away. But she can’t, can she? She’s trapped up there. No matter how comfortable youthinkshe is, she knows she’s stuck, and it’s a scary fucking feeling.”

Ryan chuckled uncomfortably. He pushed his hand closer and slowly turned her chair to face him. She tucked her legs closer and held her breath.

“You’re on a table,” he said. “Do you feel trapped right now?”

“I’ve got stairs. And if I didn’t, I’d probably have that same fake-ass nervous grin on, too.”

He glanced over her head at the screen. “She really looks happy.”

“Maybe you just see what you want to see,” Nicole muttered.

Ryan stiffened up.

“What?” she demanded at once. Her blood heated. What didhepossibly have to be annoyed about?

He huffed out a sigh and rolled his eyes toward the window. “Nothing.”

“Bullshit.”

Another big sigh. He slid his gaze back to her. “Nicki, I’m sorry, but you’re obviously projecting onto her. Just because you’re miserable doesn’t mean that all NüPrints are.”

“You think I’mmiserable?”

“Maybe a strong choice of words, but how far is it from the truth?”

“I’m not miserable. What about the movie nights we’ve been having? And the dinner with Darlene the other night—I was practically self-sufficient!”

“It was a great night.”

“And what about all the effort I put into things every day? Foreverything.”

“My point is that you think the world is against you, but it’s not. Believe it or not, thingsaregetting better. Or they would, if you opened up.” He ducked down to her eye level, sweet and sympathetic. “I know this is still really hard for you, but isn’t it possible that someone is happy like this?” He touched her slender arm. “Isn’t that what we’re hoping for someday?”

Nicole balled her fists. She shoved Ryan’s hand away. He drew it back, but she shoved at him again with a frustrated growl.

“You don’t get it,” she snapped. “I’m starting to think you never will.”

She expected him to simply resign or try to assuage her nasty temper like he often did. But today, a line had been crossed somewhere. She wished she could recant her last words as Ryan’s stare went icy. His voice dropped, low and frightening.