Page 164 of Override

I don't know what to do with that. "Then explain it to me."

He nods once. "I needed a way into the system."

My thoughts stumble over one another. "What?"

"The update gave me access to the house."

I stare at him. "Why?"

Something shifts in his expression. It's small enough that I almost miss it, but his eyes move over my face before settling back on mine.

"To keep you safe."

The answer is so simple that I almost get angry all over again. "From what?"

His jaw tightens. "At first? I didn't know."

I fold my arms over my chest, trying to hold myself together. "That doesn't make any sense."

"I know."

"You broke into my security system because you thought I might be in danger, but you didn't know what the danger was?"

"Basically."

I stare at him. He stares back. "That is insane."

"I've been told."

Despite everything, a tiny piece of me recognizes the answer. Not his voice. Not his face. Him.

The ridiculous answers that aren't really answers. The strange logic. The way he somehow manages to make perfect sense while making no sense at all.

My anger doesn't disappear. Neither does my fear. But something inside me loosens enough that I can finally take a full breath.

He watches me for another moment before glancing toward the living room. "Can I show you something?"

Every part of me should say no. I'm standing in an unfamiliar house with a man whose real name I don't know. No one knows where I am. I have no phone, no car, and no idea how far we've driven.

My father would lose his mind. Logically, this should make the decision easy.

Instead, I look at the man standing in front of me and remember a cup of coffee waiting in my car. French vanilla creamer appearing in the refrigerator. Music filling a silent room. A camera nodding at me.

Please don't cry.

I trust my gut. "Okay."

He doesn't smile or look relieved. He simply turns and walks toward the living room, slowing enough that I can follow without feeling like I'm being herded.

I stop in the doorway. "What are you doing?"

He doesn't answer immediately. He walks to the corner of the room, reaches behind a small camera I hadn't even noticed, and pulls the cord from the wall.

The tiny red light disappears. I stare.

He crosses to another camera mounted near the opening to the kitchen and does the same thing. Then another. And another.

I slowly lower myself onto the edge of the couch. I hadn't noticed them. How hadn't I noticed them?