I'd had enough to drink and didn't want to get drunk while I was with Holly. I could actually feel embarrassed in front of her. Shouldn't I be able to do anything in front of her and not be embarrassed, just like a pet? I mean, she wasn't real, so why did I feel this way?

We'd been roaming the resort, trying out different attractions, but by nightfall, I'd had enough. Holly was actually fun to hang out with and I'd grown comfortable with her quickly. A connection with her, though, was a connection with something that didn't exist. It was too much for me to handle right now.

I headed back to my room, relieving her for the night. I hadn't swum nor drunk enough to sufficiently drown myself or my memories, so I decided instead to drown them in the darkness of sleep.

The elevator doors opened and I still couldn't find any of my security detail. Blending a little too well again, I supposed. They'd be up here soon if they weren't already. And there was no telling where Holly was. What did AI unit security officers do when you dismissed them for the night--stalk around outside the room, hang from the balcony, waiting to pounce on unsuspecting threats? It was too weird to think about at the moment.

I opened the door, dropped the key card on the table, and lumbered out to the balcony. Crashing waves sounded from the shore below as a soft breeze drifted by. The view was amazing. Without Anna, though, I just couldn't appreciate it.

Would the view be enjoyable with Holly? I tried to shake off the thought—maybe I was a little drunk.

I sauntered back inside like a lazy, hobbling John Wayne through the living room, not really wanting to put the effort into my steps.

I froze near the bedroom door. It was open slightly less than I'd left it. It was subtle, but noticeable. Nothing else in the room seemed off. I took a deep breath, assuming it was just room service earlier in the day and I was being paranoid again. When I let out the breath, I felt better, but still slightly on edge.

As I crossed the threshold of the bedroom, something moved just to my right. I pulled back just in time to hear a whispered shot that must have barely missed my shoulder.

Something slammed into my side, hard. Spikes of pain spread through my ribs like lightning with muffled cracks of thunder. The punch was inhumanly strong. AI strong. It knocked me onto the bed. I rolled over it, making the pain worse for a second, but managed to land on my feet.

Across the room was the Russian. The real Russian. Had he been AI all along or had they turned him into a cyborg?

My heart took off its gloves and started pounding my sternum, begging me to destroy the guy. It'd set my Biometric off for sure and trigger my security detail. Heat flooded my face. Adrenaline coursed through my veins. I had nothing to lose. If I couldn't kill him, my security team would.

I rounded the bed to rush him. He pulled the slide lock on the odd-looking silver gun a second too late and I managed to throw my shoulder into his stomach. I lifted him off the ground then slammed him down on the small table, shattering it. The gun broke free from his hand and slid across the floor. He gritted his teeth, reared back with his legs, then let loose. I wasn't quick enough. His shoes caught me in the chest, throwing me across the room into the dresser.

My only advantage was that he wanted me alive. He wanted what only I could give his country—the code-breaker algorithm.

He scrambled to his gun, snatched it from the ground, and took aim.

I dove through the doorway into the living room. Where was my security detail? How'd he gotten past them in the first place?

The man came through the other doorway and fired a round just past my arm. The bullet stuck into the wall. It was a tranq dart.

I slipped behind the dining room wall.

Footsteps plodded toward me.

Swinging around to my left, I came at him from the side I'd assumed he wouldn't go for. I was wrong. I crashed right into him and the gun went off. A sharp sting exploded in my chest.

The Russian slammed into me. I deflected him, spinning around, throwing him across the table. When I looked at my chest, the dart wasn't there but its numbing effects were.

No, no, no, no!

The Russian backed away from me, giving the dart time to take effect. I lunged for him, starbursts surrounding my vision. He kicked me in the stomach, then caught my left eye with a right cross. I spun and hit the ground, fading fast.

A loud thud sounded across the room. "Dekker!" It sounded like Anna for some reason. The tranq must've really been working on me.

Something shot past me, crashing into the man.

I couldn't believe what I saw. Holly was...taking the man apart. Moving past his defenses, pounding him in precise points that seemed to cause him to malfunction in some way. He didn't appear to feel pain, though. That part of him had probably been disabled so he could do his job more effectively.

A second later, I sank into a dark abyss.

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