“Oh! I think it’s better now,” I said, pulling out the phone and quickly ending the call. “I thought it was spoiled, but you’re probably right. It’s waterproof,” I said, looking at the phone as though examining it.
“I called my father earlier, but he missed it. It could be him calling back,” I said to Ethan, getting to my feet. “He doesn’t know I’m with you,” I whispered, moving away from Ethan before calling Wayne back.
“Hey, Dad, it’s Emily. I’m sure you saw my missed call,” I said out loud, just to make sure Ethan could hear me before I took more distance from him.
“You’re with Ethan?” Wayne asked.
“Yes,” I replied.
“Don’t say anything. I’m sure he can read lips,” Wayne warned.
“Okay, Dad,” I said, turning to see Ethan staring at me with furrowed brows.
“I’m at the park. Where should I keep the drive?” Wayne asked. I looked around the park, having no idea.
“I’m just having ice cream,” just in case. “I’m enjoying the ice cream, but I don’t like the flavor I chose. Maybe I’ll throw it in the trash can close to the ice cream truck and get another one,” I said hoping Wayne understood what I was trying to convey.
“The trash can close to the ice cream truck?” Wayne asked, and I nodded.
“Yes, Dad, that’s fine,” I affirmed.
“Are you sure his server room is on that ship?” Wayne asked. To be honest, I wasn’t sure, but the security on that ship was just too tight. It made me suspect.
“I don’t know, but I’ll try to find out,” I promised.
“Fine. If you do, make sure to connect the drive directly to the motherboard. Leave it there for just a minute and pull it out,” Wayne instructed, and I nodded as if he could see me.
“Okay,” I said, and he paused for a while. “Listen, Emily, Ethan is a very dangerous man. He isn’t forgiving. If he catches you, he will kill you. Make sure you don’t get caught,” Wayne cautioned, his voice laced with concern, making my heart skip a beat.
“Okay,” I sighed, and he ended the call. As soon as the call ended, I walked back to Ethan.
“Is everything okay with your father?” Ethan asked, and I nodded.
“You know he still doesn’t like you,” I said to Ethan, who nodded.
“And I understand his concerns,” Ethan replied. “If I had a beautiful daughter like you and some old geezer was trying to take her, I wouldn’t like him either,” Ethan teased, getting up from the mat and walking up to me.
“You look nothing like an old geezer,” I complimented, letting him take my hands before he wrapped his arms around my waist. Ethan looked nothing like his age, and I was sure if my father met him without meeting Jake, he wouldn’t even know he was that old.
Ethan smiled, staring into my eyes, but as I looked into his, a million thoughts filled my head. How was I going to confirm the server room was on that ship? How was I going to get access to the motherboard? And would Ethan really kill me if he found out?
“Is the tracker back on?” I asked Ethan.
“No, I think it’s faulty,” Ethan said, and I smiled.
“Can I ask you a question?” I wondered to Ethan, who still held my gaze. “Did you track my phone? How did you know I was on a date and smiling?” I asked, a sheepish smile appearing on his face as he moved one hand from my waist to his hair.
“I got access to all the cameras around you,” Ethan explained, his eyes filled with guilt.
“What do you mean, all the cameras around me?” I exclaimed, opening my eyes wide.
“Staying away was difficult for me. I just needed to see you and make sure everything was okay,” Ethan explained. Under normal circumstances, I would have found it extremely sweet, crazy but sweet.
“So you’ve been watching me?” I wondered, and he nodded.
“You saw me at my worst, didn’t you?” My voice cracked as I thought about all the moments I’d felt so alone. Ethan nodded cautiously, his eyes filled with a mix of guilt and concern. I took a deep breath, trying to process my emotions.
“And yet you never showed up,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “You watched me hurt and never showed up.” My anger and hurt boiled over, and my voice rose.
“I thought I was protecting you,” Ethan gave a silly excuse, and I sighed. I couldn’t let myself get carried away by my emotions at the moment; I had something far more important to do.
“How did you do that?” I asked, focusing on my plan.
“What?” Ethan wondered, raising an eyebrow.
“Track me?” He asked, and I nodded.
“I…” Ethan stuttered. “I have an AI that can do anything,” he confessed. I tried to hide my smile as he played right into the conversation I wanted him to.
“Oh!” I exclaimed. “And you use it to spy on people?” I said, trying to sound natural. “Is that what you also use to hurt people?” I wondered, and he shook his head.
“No, it’s not like that,” he tried to defend when I cut him off.
“Don’t forget I know what you do, Ethan, and you just so happen to have an AI you can use to stalk people. What else does your AI do?” I said, my voice raising above its pitch as I hoped the plan in my head would work.
“No, it doesn’t harm people. It’s virtual,” Ethan exclaimed, and I pretended not to understand.
“What do you use it for? Why do you have it? Why is it so easy for you to stalk me? How many people have you stalked with it?” I bombarded him with questions, not letting him catch his breath.
“How many people have you killed with it?” I asked, and Ethan shook his head.
“Alpha is not like that. I only made it to protect me. It just helps me get access to places,” Ethan explained, and I raised an eyebrow at him in disbelief.
“I am serious, Emily. You have to trust me,” Ethan pleaded.
“How can I trust you when you have proved to me so many times that you are dangerous?” I began to yell, stepping back from his grip.
“I have tried to be with you despite all I know, but it’s so hard,” I said, hoping my manipulation tactics would work.
Ethan stared at me, sighing. “This is not a path I chose for myself. I just have to do it,” Ethan explained, making me bite my lip as I noticed the conversation moving away from Alpha.
“And you didn’t choose to build a machine of mass destruction?” I said, and Ethan shook his head.
“Alpha is not a machine of mass destruction,” Ethan protested, and I yelled, “Prove it! Show me Alpha like you showed me William and Ian!” I stared into his eyes, noticing a hint of disapproval in his eyes. There was a momentary pause before he nodded.
“I will show you Alpha. I will show you the codes I used. There is no attack code in it,” Ethan said.
Did that really work, that easily? I wondered, staring into his eyes. “Oh, please, you know I don’t understand codes. You really think I’m a fool, Ethan?” I said, pretending I wasn’t interested.
“I will teach you. Trust me, Emily, I would never design a weapon for mass destruction. I am not that kind of monster,” Ethan explained. I tried hard to hide my smile. I couldn’t believe this was working so easily.