Chapter 21 Michael spent the entire workday pretending his mind wasn't preoccupied with Kate's evening plans. But it was no good. He wrote very little code, and any bugs he fixed came back worse. Every ordinary thing felt suddenly suspicious—emails, IMs, even calendar reminders seemed to have an underlying meaning. Kate had gone out, probably to shop for an outfit for her date with Victor. He pictured her going from store...

Chapter 18 Kate slept upstairs while Michael tiptoed through the kitchen. It was dark except for the harsh glow of the microwave clock, which read 3:12. He cracked open the refrigerator door and squinted into the white light. He wasn't hungry, not really. He just couldn't sleep and was tired of lying in bed trying to force himself. Michael couldn't shake the image of Kate's body tensing in the dark, the way her breath had...

Chapter 17 The next morning at Echelon, Victor wasted no time with greetings. He took out the black measuring tape and knelt beside Kate. He cupped his hands around her ankle and then slowly slid his hands upward. He dragged his fingers along the lines of her calf, then over her knee. He flattened his hands as they passed over her thigh and settled the inner edge of his hand along the crease where her thigh met the seam o...