A Rose By Any Other Name

by Rosko, Mandy

  “Of course. No humans ever. That’s the rule.”

  “He looked pretty normal to me when I first saw him. Aside from the, uh, extras.”

  Talking about this in public was too difficult. It only got worse when more people came into the station to pay for their snacks and gas.

  “Extras?” Gerri said, and a sad note pulled at her voice.

  Rita rubbed the back of her neck, thinking about his arm, his face, and skull. Part of his abdomen, even his lower left leg. “I don’t think I can get into that here. There are too many people around.”

  “Get home quickly, dear. Give me all the details when you’re done.”

  “Done? Done what? Don’t you want me to bring him to you?”

  “Of course not. Like you said, I keep no humans on my list. He’s not my client. You are.”

  “Wait. What? Do you mean -”

  “Details later, sweetie, bye!”

  The phone went dead before Rita could get another word in. She stared at the receiver, wondering what the fuck had happened. She had no answers, only more questions.

  “D’you need anything else?” asked the kid behind the counter. He really didn’t give a shit, his tone suggested.

  “Uh, no.” She hung the receiver in the cradle. “Thanks for the change.”

  Rita glanced outside. Dallas was still there, standing at a distance, off in the shade of a tree. She could see him, but no one who glanced his way would notice there was something off about his face or his exposed hand.

  Gerri had sent her to collect him… because he was the one Gerri wanted to match her with?

  Really?

  Gerri hadn’t sent her on a heist. It hadn’t been a barter for services. It had all been a ploy to get Rita with her match. The knowledge rattled around in her head but failed to attach itself to reality or sense.

  Rita knew it was possible for shifters to mate with humans. Of course, she didn’t know if Dallas could still be called human now that Lilly had done the whole Robocop thing to him. But Rita did know that she’d had strange feelings since the moment she laid eyes on Dallas. It was common knowledge that shifters would know it the moment they saw their mate. Would it be possible for shifters to not recognize the feeling?

  She wished Gerri would have just spelled it out for her. Love and mating were complicated, and Rita wasn’t sure how she was going to explain any of it to Dallas.

  “Do you need anything?” The kid asked again, clearly getting impatient.

  Rita jumped. “Yeah, sorry.”

  She grabbed some waters and beef jerky for her and Dallas, then went outside to wait for the cab with her match.

  Chapter Six

  They were quiet in the cab, not wanting the driver to overhear any strange conversation. Dallas wanted to ask what day it was, or what year, for that matter, but he held his questions for later.

  He was surprised that Rita took him to her apartment. She’d been apprehensive about him before, so he’d figured she would have taken him to whoever Gerri was.

  “We’re going to your place? Not the hospital?”

  “I need to get my car,” Rita answered him, barely sparing him a glance as she paid the driver and headed into the building.

  In her apartment, Dallas stood in the doorway, watching her scuttle around, plugging her phone into a charging hub, and then running to her room to change. “I’ll just be a minute.”

  The place was cluttered, and a bit messy, in an “I didn’t expect to have company” way combined with an “I’m a little bit of a packrat” way. He wasn’t turned off by it, though. It showed character, giving him a clear glimpse of who Rita was.

  In fact, spying the lacy red bra thrown over a chair, Dallas couldn't help but be a bit turned on. He smirked, wondering if he should pick it up and ask her about it, but then remembered that she was injured. They needed to get her patched up first, and then they could see about picking up where they left off. He looked at the bathroom door, imagining her naked behind it, and his cock stood at attention.

  Good to know things are still in working order.

  His thoughts were stamped out when she came out of the bathroom, her face dark.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m good,” Rita said, grabbing her fur backpack and tossing some things into it, including some clothes, the phone, and its charging hub.

  “You look kind of pale. Let’s get you to the hospital.”

  “I’m good. It’s just embarrassing to have you in my disgusting apartment.”

  He didn’t pretend to fall for the lie.

  “It’s something else. What happened? You barely spoke a word to me since we got in the cab.”

  “A lot’s happened. There’s a lot to think about,” which was true, but he still had the feeling there was something she wasn’t telling him.

  They headed back downstairs. Rita’s apartment was on the third floor, and the elevator wasn’t working. He’d wanted to carry her up the stairs, but she’d refused. At least going down would be easier.

  That’s what she said… Dallas was glad that his sense of humor hadn’t been surgically removed by Lilly’s experimenting.

  “Is there somewhere I can drop you off?”

  “What?”

  She looked back at him. “You must live somewhere, right?”

  “Nowhere safe. Lilly probably ransacked my place to make it look like I left town. Besides, I’m not going anywhere till I see you patched up.”

  She rubbed her head like she was getting a headache. “Why the hell do you have to be a Prince Charming?”

  He cocked his head. “You’re clearly not a damsel, so if you think I’m doing this because I’m trying to take care of you, then you’re wrong.”

  “Then why are you doing it? You don’t know me. You don’t have to escort me to the hospital.”

  “It’s not an escort. They saw your face. You broke me out of there, and I owe you. I won’t walk away and let myself wonder if you were caught and taken hostage, or killed by a damned infection. So let’s go. You can get rid of me later.”

  "Fine. But don't think this means anything."

  “I know it won't. I'm the one who owes you here. Let's go.”

  When they made it to the hospital, Dallas could tell that Rita was in more pain than before. They both ignored the odd looks from patients and nurses, and we're glad that no one said anything.

  When it was Rita’s turn to been seen by the doctor, Dallas caught the "thank God" and the groan that escaped her as she stood to follow the nurse. She almost fell, and Dallas caught her.

  “Is it okay if I come too?” He asked, worried the nurse would say it was family only.

  “Of course,” the nurse said instead, and Rita seemed too weak to protest.

  Dallas helped her follow the nurse, worried at how little strength she seemed to have. The nurse looked worried as she took Rita’s vitals and assured them the doctor would be there shortly.

  Twenty-five minutes later, the doctor still hadn’t shown up.

  “Jesus Christ. They should just put me out of my misery already.”

  Thankfully, the doctor finally came in. She had a clipboard in her hands and looked at Rita with a sorry smile on her face, as though this happened all the time. When she greeted Dallas, her eyes only grazed over him, showing no sign that she thought anything was strange about his appearance.

  “Sorry for the wait. I understand you have a potentially infected puncture wound on your shoulder?"

  "Yeah,” Rita said, “Camping, a little bit of alcohol, and an accident with a barbeque skewer. Thought I could sleep it off.”

  Dallas wondered if the doctor actually bought the story.

  “And your boyfriend didn’t tell you to get in here right away?” Dallas knew the doctor had to be wondering what his role was in the accident. Surely she didn’t think he’d done that to Rita?

  "No, Dallas is just a friend. He brought me here because he was worried about me. We're not together."


  The doctor looked at her in a way that suggested she was debating whether or not to believe her. She must've decided it was all right to let it pass because then she shrugged and didn’t ask for follow-up questions. Her face was grim when she peeled back the leaf compress. “I’m going to clean this up a bit so I can get a better idea of what’s going on, okay?”

  Dallas noticed Rita’s breathing becoming more shallow when the doctor started prodding the wound. “Is she going to be okay?” He asked, making his way to the opposite side of the table and taking Rita’s good hand.

  “Of course, she’s here now, and we’re going to treat her. You should lay back, Rita. Are you light-headed?”

  Rita nodded and laid back, her eyes closed but her grip still tight on Dallas’ hand.

  He stood by her side while she recoiled at the spraying of water on her wound. He sat in a chair and hovered over her, allowing her to bury her face in his neck when they gave her two needles and a couple of stitches. Then he pulled up a game on her phone for them to play for the thirty minutes she had to sit with an antibiotic IV drip.

  By that point, Rita was looking a bit healthier. At least healthy enough to beat him in Risk and gloat about it.With a prescription for painkillers and a follow-up appointment, they left the hospital approximately three hours after they’d arrived.

  Rita smiled and inhaled a deep breath when they exited the hospital. “Free at last.” Right after the words left her lips, she faltered, looking guiltily at him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean, well, to compare the hospital to what you went through.”

  “It’s okay. You don’t have to change how you speak now that you’re in the company of a man you broke out of a vault."

  “Shhh!” She raised a finger to her lips. “Rescue or no, I don't think folks will take kindly to knowing there’s a thief in their midst.”

  She looked so scared when she said it, Dallas thought she might actually feel like she’d committed a crime in rescuing him. “I think when they find out that you were stealing a person out of there, then they might be a little forgiving."

  She sighed, seeming relieved, and they headed to her car. "You're going to follow me home, aren't you?"

  "I’m going to drive you home if that’s what you mean. I won't come inside if you don't want me to, but I’d really like to see you settled and with a real meal in your belly."

  Dallas walked her to the building door, opening it for her, standing behind her while she walked up the stairs to make sure she didn't fall."What are you going to do? Now that you're out?" Rita asked as they made it to her floor.

  "I'm going to pay Lilly a visit and put a stake through her heart.”

  "You say that like she’s a vampire or something—" When Rita saw his face she realized the truth of it. “Oh, I guess that explains why you all didn’t have a better chance at escaping her.”

  Something drew his attention to Rita’s apartment door. "Wait," he said, touching Rita’s good shoulder and guiding her to pause before touching her door.

  "What?"

  Dallas leaned in close, so close to her ear that he could feel the heat of her body. "Can't you hear them? You're a shifter."

  In response, she stilled, cocked her head to the side, and closed her eyes. “Shit, yeah, I wasn’t paying attention. Someone’s in there.”

  "You waiting for someone?" Dallas asked, still keeping his voice so low that only Rita would hear him.

  Rita shook her head. "No."

  "Let's go then."

  Dallas pulled her back towards the door to the stairs.They didn't make it a step before her door burst open, three men in familiar black suits came rushing out.

  Chapter Seven

  Rita had just started to feel the effects of the drugs. She felt a little less pain, and her head felt clearer. She was even getting around to making the decision to tell Dallas the truth. Explaining to him that Gerri was setting them up and that she was a thief who’d been tricked into freeing him.

  The trip home had been a challenge. She’d already been awkward enough around him when they were trying to escape together. Despite all those metal implants, he was still unbearably attractive.

  He was a sexy cyborg who had saved her when she’d been down and out for the count, as helpless as could be. Rita had a thing for guys like that.

  She didn’t like admitting it, not even to herself.There was something nice about a man who wanted to pound his chest and care for someone who needed it. And, to top it all off, Gerri had matched them.

  It was all made better because Dallas didn’t want to care for her because he saw her as a tiny, helpless woman or whatever. No. He wanted to help her because he felt indebted to her. He was honorable and wouldn’t walk away, even if she was only a little injured.

  That was the sort of person she liked best.

  In her line of work, Rita had come across too many people who were only out for themselves. People who pretended to work with her, just to turn around and stab her in the back at the first sign of trouble. She hated people like that.

  No one had felt loyalty toward anyone anymore. Sometimes Rita worried that she was falling into that same pit. That her chosen career would lead her to think only of herself.

  She had almost fallen into that trap when escaping with Dallas in the mansion. She could have left Dallas in the horrible place and jumped out of the window to safety. She had been shot before making up her mind. This irked her. Now here Dallas was, insisting on following her and making sure she was all right when he didn't even know her.

  None of that mattered though, because they never got to enter her apartment where they could have discussed their interactions and expectations. and have that dreaded conversation.

  Dallas grabbed Rita's arm and yanked her so hard behind him that it jerked her already throbbing shoulder. She shouted from that pain, stumbled and fell to her knees, but Dallas didn't seem to notice.

  She looked up, and he was already on the three men, picking one of them up, and with a hard shout, throwing him at the other two.

  They all went down perfectly, and Dallas turned back to get to her.

  Rita, not wanting to look like she couldn't handle herself, shot to her feet quickly before he could reach her. That didn't stop him from grabbing her hand and pulling her into the stairwell just as they heard popping noises behind them.

  "Holy shit. They're shooting at us," she breathed, though it didn't exactly surprise her.

  She had been shot at before after stealing someone's property.

  But Dallas wasn’t property. He was a person, no matter how much metal he'd been replaced with. He was no one's property, and Rita was going to get back at those fuckers for shooting at them.

  "We need to get out of here," she said.

  The door behind them eventually opened up, but only after they made it to the first floor. More popping noises sounded, the noise amplified by the stairway. Metallic pings rang off when the bullets hit the stairs or the railing instead of their intended target.

  "Holy shit!" Rita shrieked.

  Dallas punched the door open. It looked almost as though he broke the hinges and the knob, but it was difficult to tell when they were running for their lives.

  "Where are we going?" Rita asked.

  "You need to shift and head into the trees. I'll draw them away."

  "What?"

  He shoved her ahead of him, directing her to make her break for the edge of the parking lot where the brush started up.

  There were no heavy woods or anything like that near her building, but there were enough trees and shrubs and lawns and houses everywhere that it would be easy enough for a raccoon to disappear.

  "Go!"

  She couldn't go. Rita clutched at her shoulder, but she didn't feel the pain anymore as she watched him turn back to face the glass doors of her building. The three men in suits came out running. Even with their agent style sunglasses on, they were clearly pissed off from being thrown around.

  "Don't make us do this,
Dallas," one of them said.

  "Keep away from me and I won't, Bryce," Dallas said back.

  With a shock, it occurred to her that these were probably Dallas' friends. These were the people he'd worked with before this had been done to him. He'd probably eaten lunches with them at work and maybe even met their families.

  The threat of not being able to work again, for anyone, even for a shitty pay, is just as detrimental as the worry about having food on the table for your kids.

  She could still remember those words coming out of his mouth and thinking to herself that it was no excuse to do what they were doing to him. That they were all monsters.

  But they weren't. Dallas talked to them as if he knew them, and he talked about them as if he didn't blame them.

  Which made this so much worse than she'd thought.

  Friends fought each other because Lilly had all of them in her pocket.

  Somehow, she felt sorry for them, but that didn't make them any less dangerous.

  They'd still hand her over to that vampire woman, and Dallas, too.

  "Come on, man. This can go one of two ways. You know we don't want to hurt you."

  "I don't want to hurt you either," Dallas said. "But I will if I have to. You want to go back to Marge with your nose inside out?"

  Bryce's mouth thinned into a line. "And what about her? I like you, Dallas, but if you think for one second we can be nice to her for your sake, then you're out of your mind."

  "You shut the fuck up and don't even look at her! You got me!"

  It almost sounded like a growl came out of him. Something so animalistic shouldn't belong to a man with so many metal parts.

  And Rita responded to it. She didn't want to mess with it.

  The guys in black didn't seem to pick up on whatever it was.

  That was normal with humans. They were often so blind to anything to do with nature, and these ones couldn't sniff out the danger even though it was right in front of them with its fists clenched.

  Bryce didn't have a weapon in his hands, but when Rita really looked, she could see the two men behind him did have their guns out.