Bytes of Passion

Chapter 25

Garrox' men had led him at gunpoint to Skylar's former suite of all places. Clearly, they didn't worry about him escaping, not since Garrox had taken Skylar elsewhere with a warning that any transgression on Teegan's part would not end well for her. He knew it was a bluff, or at least he hoped it was, but he couldn't take a chance, not with Skylar's life.

With every minute that passed, he became more agitated, more fearful for her. He'd never felt that type of fear before, that something would happen to a person he loved, and he was powerless to prevent it. With Sid, there had been no warning. One minute he was alive, the next he wasn't. He could only mourn him at that point.

When Teegan was on an op with his men, there was always a fear that any one of them could be hurt or killed, but it was a fear they'd learned to shove to the background. Risk went with the job, and they always had a plan, back up plans, and a genetic bent towards running into the firefight in those no-win situations. His team was well trained, and knew what they stepped into each and every op, but Skylar didn't have their training, or even someone to watch over her at the moment. He'd failed her. Again.

Teegan's fear for her was distracting, gnawing at him like a vulture that had found a fresh kill. His heart was racing, his focus was shot, and he was ready to jump out of his skin. Yet he had to restrain himself, play Garrox' game, wait, learn, be patient – all without knowing what was happening to Skylar.

Between the metal fixtures and circuitry to the shower, lights and other amenities in the suite, he had more than enough raw materials to fashion any number of crude weapons, but he held off. This was not the time to escape, not until he found out what else was going on. He lay down on Skylar's bed and worked on focusing, so he'd be ready for whatever came next.

As he stared at the abstract paintings on the walls and glass art throughout the suite, he wondered what it had been like for her here. Nothing here spoke of her. It was as if this was a luxury suite at a resort and she was only passing through. She'd considered this home though she'd known in her heart she didn't belong here.... just as she believed she didn't belong with him.

He should have answered her in the tunnel, to let her know he wanted to make a life together with her. Yet he'd held back, all because she didn't know the full truth yet.

"Don't tell me you've fled," Garrox yelled out from the common area.

Teegan sprang to his feet and headed out of the bedroom. Garrox stood there, confident as ever. Three guards stood at his back.

"Glad to see you're still with us," Garrox added, the diamond in his brow sparkling in the room's bright light.

"You know I'm not leaving here without her."

"Recognizing your attachment to her was my failure when we first met. But then again, I was eager to recover her. It never occurred to me you'd develop feelings for her so quickly."

"She's an easy person to care about. Maybe you should try it some time."

"Oh, I care about her. That's why I went to such lengths to retrieve her. It's a hard balance to maintain, giving your greatest asset the means to hack so she can keep up her skills while at the same time keeping her from hacking her way to freedom."

Garrox pointed to the white glass ceiling tiles with the whimsical black swirls running through them. "Hidden cameras recorded her every keystroke while sitting at the computer. We have another hacker, one we thought fairly decent, reviewing the recordings. But Skylar still managed to arrange her own kidnapping. You stole her before he could figure out what she'd done. That's partly what makes her so good at what she does. She doesn't just hack, she's aware of her environment and how to use it to her advantage. And the reason I need her alive and well. You, on the other hand, I don't need."