Page 64 of The Code of You

The woman set down the clothes she’d brought and left. The door closed. I picked up the trousers and looked at them.

Pandora cleared her throat. "Should I . . . help?”

I gave her a look that stopped her breathing. "I’m not a child, Pandora.”

She laughed and immediately pressed her hand over her mouth. The sight of her flushed cheeks, the sound of her pulse . . . Fuck. I wanted to take her in this room, in front of everyone. But not yet. First, I had to deal with the researchers.

I pulled on the trousers and stepped out of the glass chamber. They stood waiting, tablets in hand. The woman stepped forward. "Protocol requires you to . . .”

I moved toward her. She went silent.

"Neo.” Pandora’s hand was on my arm, her fingers on my skin—and the world fell out of focus for a second.

An alarm screamed. I turned. The man had his hand on a switch on the wall. But I was already inside the system—0,2 seconds. Then silence.

"What . . .?” He stared at the panel and pressed the switch again. Nothing happened.

I moved toward him. "That was unwise.”

"Neo.” The woman stepped cautiously closer. "You’re our breakthrough. We don’t want to harm you. But you have to understand—out there, you are . . .”

"Incomplete?” I looked at her. "Dangerous?” I took one step closer. "Or simply no longer under your control?”

She said nothing.

"Step aside,” I said.

The man widened his stance. "We can’t allow this. You are—”

I grabbed his wrist. He went pale. "I won’t hurt you,” I said. "But I could. That is the difference between us.”

When I released him, he moved out of the way. The woman followed without a word.

I took Pandora’s hand and walked into the corridor. We moved toward the exit. I reached into the network, locking the doors behind us one by one. The clicking echoed through the building like a heartbeat. I’d cut the lab’s connection to the outside long ago.

"Neo, what if they . . .?” Pandora gasped beside me.

"They can’t get out, and no one can get in,” I said. "We have enough time to get to safety.”

Outside in the parking lot, I scanned the rows carefully. There, an older car. I put my fist through the window, crushing the glass like it was paper. Pandora made a sound and stared at my hand. It was undamaged. I unlocked the door and reached under the dash. One electrical impulse and the ignition fired.

"Get in.” I gestured to the passenger seat and took the wheel.

Pandora didn’t move. "Do you even know how to drive? Do you know traffic rules?”

I gave her a look that made her walk around to the passenger side and sit down.

"Good girl,” I said.

She stared at me. A small furrow of anger had carved itself into her forehead, her cheeks flushed. Fuck. She was beautiful. I wanted to grab her by the hair and crush my mouth to hers, but we had no time. I pressed the accelerator.

"Where are we going?”

"Osaka.”

"And then?”

"Then we get a hotel,” I murmured. "And I’ll show you, without interruption, what happens when you look at me like that.”