WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR YOU.
I couldn't say a word when Hugo sat up, tossing the sheet aside.
I swallowed hard while my eyes betrayed me and went straight to his bare torso.
He was a fucking sculpture.
Every muscle sharply defined.
Smooth, golden skin.
The kind that made you want to bite and scratch.
He looked at me in silence.
Waiting.
After a moment I managed to find my voice.
"You scared the hell out of me," I said.
And my voice sounded like thick drops falling.
"I wasn't exactly scared," he replied, his eyes darkening even more. "You're crossing every line… Isabella."
"I didn't know you'd come."
"Was that an apology?"
"Something like that."
He smiled and leaned forward.
His muscles tensed even more.
Bathed in the golden light of dawn slipping through the curtains.
"Still, Isabella. This is my bedroom. You've been overstepping for a while now."
"I've only been here two days."
He reclined against the headboard.
Studying me.
And for the first time, I had no words.
"Why didn't you throw me out?" I asked then, my voice small.
"You were sleeping deeply."
I started twisting a piece of the sheet between my fingers.
"Sue… she…"
"She'll be fine," he cut me off.
The silence that followed buzzed in my ears.
"What are you going to do?" he asked afterward.
I looked at him, questioning.
"What do you mean?"
He shrugged.
"You have to go to work. Take care of your department. Feed your cat…"
I jumped.
"How do you know I have a cat?"
His twisted, cynical smile was my answer.
Of course.
He had done his homework.
I had forgotten he knew more than I thought.
I ran my tongue over my dry lips.
"I'm afraid that if I leave here the game will end," I confessed. "I waited so long for you to see me… that now that I'm inside, I don't want to leave."
"And what if I throw you out?"
"You won't. You're the one who started this."
He laughed, but without joy.
He wasn't angry either.
"You're wrong about that," he said hoarsely, "but I'm not going to argue. You still have to work."
One of his hands slid toward my fingers tangled in the sheet.
He didn't even touch me.
"The cut is almost healed," he observed.
"Do you have a pair of gloves you can lend me?"
This time his gaze was too sharp.
"They'd be huge on you. And they'd probably end up destroyed."
"Of course not," I growled.
"Of course yes. You break everything, Isabella."
His tone was a caress with thorns.
"You don't know me," I protested. "Maybe you watched me a little when you decided to play with me, but you don't know who I am."
I fell silent when his expression fell on me like a slab.
"Are you sure?"
"Sure," I dared to answer.
Without conviction.
I felt uneasy.
He looked at me a little longer and stood up.
I looked away.
I swear I wanted to throw myself at him.
But I feared his reaction.
Because I had no idea if he wanted the same.
And I didn't want to get ahead of anything, no matter how much I desired it.
"I'm going to shower," he announced, walking toward the bathroom. "You do the same and call Roger. He's probably missing his best hacker."
I stood there stunned.
Roger was my boss.
He ran the "Logistical Resources for Programming and Analysis" department at the Company.
Yes, it was a ridiculously long and convoluted name.
But vitally important.
Just six operators surrounded by computers and coffee, analyzing graphs, data flows, and anomaly detection. Day and night.
Ten floors below the CEO's office.
Roger had three men above him in the chain of command before he could reach Hugo.
I was a logistical programming analyst.
And very good at decoding files, detecting errors, and planting viruses in algorithms.
A useful tool.
That Hugo called me a hacker was supposed to be a compliment.
That he knew so much about me… was too.
I got out of bed intending to leave.
But first I approached the bathroom door.
I pressed my ear against it.
I could hear the water falling.
I stayed there for a few minutes.
Debating whether I should show him the note.
If I did, I might score points in my favor.
But I would lose ground.
I would become easy prey.
Predictable.
I decided not to tell him yet.
First I planned to find out who was after him.
Before, I had made dangerous files disappear from the web for him.
For him I would do anything.
Even kill.
Sue crossed my mind.
So did "Her."
"You're not the only one."
The water stopped.
And I ran out of there.
DID SUE SAY MY NAME?
An hour later we met again in the kitchen.
His expensive scent mixed with the smell of fresh coffee and frying bacon.
I had made breakfast myself.
The woman from the day before didn't show up.
When Hugo walked in, he was the only thing I could see.
Impeccably dressed in one of his many thousand-dollar suits.
He looked luxurious.
As always.
Extremely tall.
Freshly shaved.
And talking on the phone.
His phone.
The one that had been in my possession before.
How?
"It smells good," his voice captured all my attention.
"I know how to cook," I said and poured him coffee.
I glanced sideways at the cell phone on the table.
It was definitely the same one.
I served the rest and sat across from him.
"Are you going to the office?"
"Did you call Roger?"
Typical.
Answering with another question.
"I asked for vacation," I lied.
He knew I was lying.
But he said nothing and finished his coffee.
He stood up, and I did too.
"You haven't touched your breakfast. I assure you it's delicious."
"I don't doubt it," he said, adjusting his tie. "I have deals to close. Life doesn't stop because of you."
The phrase, loaded with sarcasm, made me frown.
"As you say, but I'll stay here."
"Of course, you're at home," he murmured mockingly.
He gave me one last sideways glance.
"Will you be late?"
"Don't wait up for me."
He walked away laughing.
I clenched my fists and followed him.
"Are you going to see… your fiancée?"
He didn't answer right away.
Only when he reached the door.
Then he looked at me directly.
"Is there something you need to tell me?"
That question surprised me.
Because yes, there was something.
But I couldn't decide.
"Does it seem that way to you?"
He stepped closer, inches away, and his scent intoxicated me.
"It does," he answered in a very low voice. "Please, tidy up my office."
"Sure."
I smiled.
He pulled away, smoothing his perfect hair.
I had already noticed that gesture.
"I hope you don't make any mistakes, Isabella."
I didn't know what to say.
"Do you trust me?" I bit my tongue right after asking.
I had been impulsive and thought he wouldn't answer.
But he did.
"You know what they say: keep your friends close. But your enemies even closer."
He winked at me and opened the door.
"I'm not your enemy," I almost shouted. "You know exactly what I want."
He stopped on the worn stone steps.
"That's what you think," a pause. "Soon you'll discover how wrong you are."
"But…"
The annoying buzz of the phone made me shut up.
Hugo took it in his hands, looking at the screen with a somber expression.
He answered in monosyllables.
His face tensed more with every word.
I waited.
I knew he was talking to the hospital.
When he hung up, I was going to ask him.
It wasn't necessary.
He fixed me with a perplexed look.
As if I weren't what he thought.
"Sue woke up," his cavernous voice made my teeth grind.
I stepped closer.
I felt my skin turn cold.
"And?"
He clearly hesitated.
I saw it.
But I waited.
Again the hand in his hair.
And he looked at me again.
Darker.
Unfathomable.
"She said one single word."
I felt something icy rising from inside me.
A metallic taste assaulted my mouth.
"Which one?"
Silence.
Brief.
Dangerous.
"Your name."