Part 11 (2/2)

At her movement, small as it was, he roused and turned onto his side to face her. ”Mornin',” he said, the tone of his voice low and slightly raspy.

There was a smile on his lips as she kissed him. ”Good morning.”

He slipped his hand onto her waist and eased over until their bodies came into full contact. At that touch, every nerve ending in her body flared to life. Although she hadn't thought it possible, desire rose to the forefront once again.

Sebastian didn't want to rush. Every minute with her might be his last. Whatever was happening between them...Even with her in his arms, he feared so much. Most of all, failing her.

And so because of that, and mindful of how they had pa.s.sed the night, his actions were gentle and oh-so-languorous. The pa.s.sion that came because of it reached deep, brought them to a level more intense than before.

He stroked her with his hands, mindful of what she liked. He needed her hands on him, stroking and caressing. Urging him on until he rolled her beneath him and gently entered her.

As he cradled her in his arms afterward, both their bodies shaking and unsteady, he realized he didn't know what he'd do without her in his life, and swore he'd do what he could to keep her there.

He just hoped it would be enough.

Melissa sat at her desk going through her typical routine. She sorted through all her mail, tossing aside the junk, putting magazines to the side and grouping everything that needed attention. As she did so, she shot a quick glance at Sebastian. A too-quick glance.

She didn't want to tip off whoever was watching to the fact that she was aware of their surveillance.

Sebastian was typing away on his laptop. He'd explained that wireless devices had a limited number of frequencies and that he could tap into the signal, even if someone had taken the time to activate encryption of the transmission. With a grin, he'd said it would only take a little bit longer if it was encrypted.

He loved the challenge of it, she realized. Even with only an occasional peek, it was obvious he was totally absorbed in what he was doing. With a wave of his hand and an even broader grin, he motioned that he had picked up a signal. His concern that she was being spied upon hadn't been off the mark.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed her number. Her phone rang and rang, but she didn't pick it up.

Once he hung up, he said out loud, ”It's only a video signal. No audio.”

Melissa rose from her desk and grabbed one of the magazines, trying to make it appear as if she was just going somewhere else to read. But once next to Sebastian on the sofa, she glanced at the screen on the laptop. There was her desk in grainy black and white. Inspecting the rest of the room, she wondered aloud, ”Could there be other cameras?”

Sebastian quickly looked around. ”Possibly, only the more there are, the greater the risk of discovery. And if he-or she, for that matter-only wanted to monitor you, the one in the frame was probably enough.”

”And if there's more?”

Sebastian shrugged. ”Then they'll know we're on to them and maybe do something more drastic. Something that will draw them into the open.”

”You're sounding very law enforcement-like,” she teased.

Sebastian chuckled and paused in his typing. ”One of the hazards of being related to too many cops.”

No sooner had Sebastian said that, then he was back to his typing.

”What are you doing now?” Window after window was popping up on his laptop. Too fast for her to follow.

”I've jacked into the hospital network. Whoever is spying needs to send that signal somehow. The most likely way is through the network.” His fingers flew over the keys.

He paused for only a moment as he said, ”I'm in.”

He resumed his typing and she watched as he began scrolling through a list. Melissa craned her neck to see.

Users. Files open. As he moved downward, she immediately saw her user name with an entry. She'd logged in that morning to look at her mail and access some patient information. Farther down the screen, she noticed a familiar user name. Gesturing to the entry, she said, ”That's Sara.”

”How do you know?” he began, then held up his hand. ”Wait, don't tell me. You and Sara know each other's info in case of-”

”An emergency,” she finished.

”At least you don't have your pa.s.sword on a Post-it note on your monitor, right? Please tell me that.”

”No, I don't.” She had it neatly written in her daily planner, which she kept in her top desk drawer where anyone could see it whenever she wasn't in her office.

Returning her attention to Sebastian, she saw that he'd s.h.i.+fted to another set of entries, apparently to confirm Sara's user name.

”How did you do that?”

”Used a back door. System sees me as the administrator. That means I can see whoever is on, what files they're using. Sara's in the same network files you are.”

With a few key strokes, Sebastian moved down the list. The user names were a combination of portions of the users' names and random numbers. That made it easy to locate Sloan's user name, but according to the system, Sloan had no files open.

Turning to Melissa, he asked, ”Is Sloan in the hospital right now?”

”He should be,” Melissa answered quickly. ”Why?”

Sebastian turned his laptop so she could see it more clearly. ”You and Sara have similar files open.”

”Probably the mail system and patient records.”

Nodding, Sebastian continued. ”If Sloan is in, he's not logged on to the system. Or he is and is hiding it somehow.”

Melissa shook her head. ”People Sloan's age aren't usually computer-savvy.”

”NSA, remember? Sloan's not what he seems.” He powered down the laptop and closed its case. ”We won't get any more info here, Melissa. What about the journals?”

With a tired sigh, Melissa relaxed into the cus.h.i.+ons of the sofa. ”I'm starting the last one. The one before didn't give me much to work with. Just the kind of stuff I keep track of-anything unusual with Ryder that day. What I did to help him.”

Sebastian sensed there was something else. Something she wasn't telling him. He cupped her cheek and applied gentle pressure until her gaze met his. ”What else, Melissa?”

She looked away and in barely a whisper said, ”Comments about my mother. Treatments that had been working before were no longer effective. She was dying.”

Sebastian embraced her. She was a little stiff at first, but then she relaxed and grabbed hold of him. Definitely progress. And possibly even more rewarding than s.e.x.

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