The Program (The Program #1)(52)

“Never.”

“Never?” James repeats, sounding amused. He pulls me down next to him and traps me in his arms. His skin is cold, but hot underneath. “Never?”

I giggle and shake my head.

“And what if I want to get married on the beach?” he asks. “You still say no?” He bites on his lip, leaning closer to me. “You’ll refuse to marry me?”

Tingles race over me, and not just because he’s close but because I’m overwhelmed with how much I love him. How he’s the other half of my heart. “I’ll never refuse you,” I whisper.

James smiles and then kisses me softly, trailing his mouth to my neck before returning to my lips again. “It’s me and you,” he says. “Madly in love until the end.”

And the words echo in my head as I collapse on my side in the hallway, drowning in my pain.

• • •

I feel something next to me, but my body is heavy and I can’t move. I try to turn, but my hands are locked at my side. My eyes fly open. A face looms over me, and I start to scream when his hand covers my mouth.

“Shh . . . Miss Barstow,” Roger whispers. “We wouldn’t want to draw attention to ourselves, would we?”

I twist my hands again and realize he has me in the restraints. I know I’m not completely helpless. I can bite down on his hand, scream out. But then what? They’ll restart me in The Program—making sure I don’t remember anything that I’m not supposed to.

I shake his hand off my mouth. “What do you want?”

He smiles, his eyes gliding over my body under the sheets. “I think you’d be a little too feisty to trust with any of my naked parts now,” he says. “So I’m not offering a trade anymore.”

I furrow my brow. “Then what?”

“I want Michael Realm out of here. But first, I want to watch him squirm.”

The vulnerability of my situation crashes down on me. “What are you going to do?”

Roger shrugs. “Michael is inappropriately fond of you, so I think this scene alone will be enough to push him over the edge, don’t you?” With a sickening smile, Roger leans over me, placing a kiss on my collarbone, smart enough to avoid getting close to my teeth. He runs his tongue along my skin. “It’s too bad,” he murmurs, kissing again. “We could have had a lot of fun.”

“Yeah,” I growl. “I would have enjoyed kneeing you again.”

Roger pulls back, examining my expression. “You think you’re in control?” he asks, his peppermint breath warm on my face. “Do you think you’re beating The Program?” He laughs softly. “Sloane,” he whispers. “You used to love someone. Do you remember?”

His words hit me harder than any slap. There’s a twist in my gut, a pain in my heart. Love? I . . . I did love someone, I think. It was . . .

Roger moves away with a satisfied grin. “I should go,” he says. “Michael should be out of therapy by now.” He starts to walk away, but then turns back. “Forgot.” Roger pulls a needle out his pocket and stabs me in the thigh. He covers my mouth as I cry out, but it’s only minutes before things start to get hazy. He pulls back the blanket to untie the drawstring of my pants and pulls up my shirt to expose my stomach, making it look like I’ve been struggling.

My head falls back against the pillow as he watches me carefully, waiting for me to pass out. I can feel the tears leak from the corner of my eyes and slide across my temples.

“Sorry I had to strap you down, Sloane,” he says. “But you were a danger to yourself.” He pats my shoulder consolingly and walks out.

• • •

There’s a soft slap against my cheek. “Sloane? Sweetness, wake up.” There’s another quick tap, and I open my eyes. “Oh, thank God,” Realm murmurs, moving to undo my restraints. “What happened?” he demands.

“Roger,” I choke out, my voice raspy. “He—”

Realm stops dead and stares at me. “Roger did this to you?” His breathing quickens as he covers me with the blanket, a deep flush on his cheeks.

“He didn’t,” I assure him, knowing he’s thinking the worse. “But he’s baiting you. He wants you gone.” Realm’s jaw is clenched so tight it sets his face in sharp, hard angles. He undoes the other strap and then rubs my wrist where it’s red as he sits on the edge of my bed.

“Sloane,” he begins quietly. “I’m going to be leaving for a few days, but you’ll be safe, okay? I will come back for you.”

I widen my eyes. “Wait, what?”

“I need you to be strong,” he says. “Just be strong until I get back.” He stands up, looking at me like he doesn’t want to leave. Then he says good-bye and walks out the door, shutting it behind him.

I’m still groggy, but I get out of bed anyway. The tile floor is ice-cold under my bare feet. I fumble with the door handle and just as I get it open, I see Realm stalking toward the nurse’s station. Roger’s poised there, laughing with the nurse. I’m about to yell for Realm to stop, but before I can, he cocks back his arm and decks Roger, sending him flying over the desk.

“Michael!” the nurse yells out. But Realm jumps over and grabs Roger by the neck, his fist pulled back to hit him again.