Page 73 of Embrace Me Forever

Isabelle nods understandingly. “Georgia-May, you could head off to Baja, and I’d still be perfectly fine! Go on, take your time,” she encourages with a nudge.

“I owe you big time,” I say, and she just waves me off with a smile.

A short drive later, Blake and I stroll through the department store, the familiar scent of polished floors and perfume in the air. I pick up the moisturizer I came for, but Blake’s gaze drifts elsewhere.

“Seems like a bit of a waste to come all this way just for that,” he prods, his tone persuasive as he lifts a hanger holding a lovely blue dress.

My eyes linger on the dress. He’s always chosen navy blue for me. A navy blue pendant and a navy blue bikini, among other things. Perhaps it’s not just the blue he loves, but the way I look in the color. Does it mean anything?

“Go on, try it on,” Blake encourages with a persuasive smile, stopping my analysis.

“All right, let’s see if it’s as stunning on me as it is on the hanger,” I concede.

As I slip into the changing room, I notice Blake answering a call. His back is turned, and I can’t discern the nature of the conversation. Choosing to ignore it, I focus on the quiet of the weekday store. The fitting area is deserted except for me.

Just as I begin to undress, a sudden grip tightens on the curtain. Before I can react, I’m yanked from the stall. A hooded man clamps his hand over my mouth, stifling my cries. The blue dress falls from my grip as I’m dragged to the stock room. Hekeeps dragging me until we’re hidden behind a stack of boxes. Desperate, I reach up and pull at his hood, revealing his face for the first time.

He seems indifferent now that his face is revealed, and I’m almost certain this isn’t the same hooded figure who had been shadowing me in Denver.

“Mary,” he croaks.

I pause, trying to remember the last time anyone called me that.

“I’m Cristo. Don’t scream.” The British lilt in his voice doesn’t jog my memory, but there’s something oddly familiar about the way he carries himself.

This voice, clear and unaltered, is a far cry from the distorted tones he used in our calls.

His grip loosens gradually, and I take a deep, shaky breath.

“Cristo?” My eyes widen as I stare at him, struck by his youthful appearance. He’s noticeably younger than Sebastian. It’s hard to reconcile this fresh-faced man with the one I knew only as a casual competitor and friend over Saturday night games.

“What the hell are you doing here?” My words spill out, tinged with confusion and a trace of anger. “I thought you wanted nothing to do with me?”

“Indeed,” he admits, his expression unyielding. “But you’re my best mate’s girlfriend, the mother of his daughter. I can’t just stand by while you’re in danger.”

The room feels smaller. “Have you been the one following me in Denver?” I need to be certain.

“No.” He shakes his head emphatically. “Whoever that was, it wasn’t me. Look, just before you left Bertram, Sebastian did something.”

My gut tightens. “What?”

“He planted a program designed to wipe all your work on Project Mock.”

“Really?” Relief washes over me, quickly tainted by sadness.

“But they found a password-protected backup. That’s why those men were—and still are—after you. They want access to that backup.”

“Oh, shit.” So this was why I was attacked at the motel. They were desperate for the password because they’d lost my original codes.

He pauses, his eyes narrowing. “There’s more. Sebastian used another code to subtly corrupt your actuarial program. It was put on a time delay, but that code has been sabotaging Bertram’s live systems. Slowly, methodically, variable by variable, command by command.”

“Oh, Sebastian…” I murmur. He understood the burden of my guilt for creating that program, and we both knew its capabilities.

“A genius, that one,” Cristo continues. “He reduced people’s premiums by mere cents, week by week, and inflated claim payments just as subtly.”

I’m smiling inside. Sebastian’s cunning was nothing short of brilliant, and I wish he were alive. We could have shared this triumph together.

Cristo’s voice lowers. “Now Bertram is catching on. And this is hitting them harder than anything before. They’ve ordered to capture you at any cost. They’ve gone through a load of programmers trying to contain the damage, but they believe only you can fix it.”

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