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Paper files? Notes written on napkins?"
What did he think she was, an idiot? She knew better than to leave anything that valuable lying around where anyone with half a brain could find it And use it Her parents--boht her well She had a responsibility to make sure no one could use her work to do harrant rauys in the Computer Science Department The files weren't just deleted, they were destroyed There aren't even any remnants of them left on the hard drive to be recovered I didn't want to be terant when the university fired oing to be fired?"
She watched another bead of water slip off the glass and licked her dry lips "The university couldn't afford et cuts, so without that grant, I was outta there co to be fired if you didn't take the grantto do the work?"
"Yes I refuse to do anything in support of violence-- even violence condoned by the US governenuinely baffled
"Because I was raised by people who knohat it's like to have their work twisted into so violent They never wanted that to happen to my sister or me, so they made sure we understood that we have to be careful of e create and e trust It was a lesson I learned before I was able to walk"
David regarded her for adown on the bed beside her The firht, but her body was too heavy with drugs to adjust to the ainst his Having devoted herself to her education even before she hit puberty, Noelle wasn't used to the feel of a ainst her own Especially not a man asmanly as David No-Last-Name
Her one and only boyfriend, Stanley, was an unienerally preferred his PlayStation to sex with Noelle After a couple of rompt in bed with him, she preferred the PlayStation as well
David made Stanley look like a child by comparison, which ht be like Probably a lot better than any video gaht There had to be a reason so h this, she was going to devote so her theory
David slid his arm behind her and propped her up in the V between his arm and body He held the cup for her to drink, but a little spilled out the side of her mouth and ran down her chin and neck
The cold water e David grabbed a tissue from the bedside table and followed the trail of water until it disappeared under the collar of her T-shirt
She shivered as long, strong fingers slid just beneath the edge of her clothing
"Cold?" he asked, aze to the far wall "Depressants can sometimes do that Not to mention shock"
Noelle looked away from his hand to his face and tried to concentrate on his words rather than just hisIt looked firm and mobile and she wondered if he kne to kiss as well as he could kill
What the hell rong with her? This was not the ti hor to do with the drugs she'd been given or er Whatever it was, it was da at the way his tanned fingers tapered to short, clean fingernails
He lifted an a attacked in your house and shot at is enough to shock you?'
Even as he talked, he removed Noelle's shoes and folded the covers down on the far side of the bed Without warning her, he lifted her, placed her in the downturned bedding and covered her up to her chin with the cheap, white sheet and thin blanket
The weightless feeling of being lifted so easily made her head swim, not to mention the fact that she felt every bunch and shift of his th was irl's brain
Noelle watched hiave ahat he was thinking For all she knew, this was the kind of thing he did every day She'd been around h to know that they weren'tyou what's on their ive short, simple answers that preferably ended in the word "sir"
"Better?" he asked, his gaze shielded with coal black lashes She could tell his eyes were a pale color, but beyond that, she saw little in the yellow
"I don't know You tell ?"
This tiray chips swio back ho" He pressed a wide pal "You can't ever go hoain"
It took a mogled to breathe through the thick bar?of shock that gripped her chest Never go hoed to say
David pressed his lips together in a grim line and nodded "I'm sorry, but that's the way it has to be It's best you start getting used to the idea now"
"Why?"
David stared at her for a long le of her face "You really don't get it, do you?"
Fear, confusion, isolation swirled together within her, creating a cold, achy spot in the pit of her stoo hoifted civilian cryptologist in the country--possibly in the world"
Noelle nearly scoffed at the ludicrous statey I just tried it for kicks and enjoyed the challenge There are at least two e, experience and brains in that area than I do"