Addie planned to bring her child—her child by that bastard—to live with him? For a moment, doubt struck him, but then he looked at the innocent face and those big eyes, so much like Addie’s, and an unexpected surge of satisfaction hit him.
“Why don’t you like it here?”
“I don’t have my bed or my toys. That man wouldn’t let me bring them.”
“I am not ‘that man.’” Mingol’s cold voice interrupted. “I am your father and you will address me as such.”
“Yes, Father.” All of the light died out of the piquant little face.
“I see you’ve met my daughter.” Mingol stepped into his field of view, dropping a hand on the child’s shoulder not in the affectionate manner of a parent, but like a man claiming ownership of a possession.
“Yes.”
“What a shame. I was looking forward to telling you about her myself.” He frowned down at the child. “Why are you here, Kamuela? You know better than to enter my lab.”
“Yes, Father.” She sounded like a mechanical child, not a human being.
“Then leave. And don’t return.”
Mingol’s fingers tightened briefly and Sam saw her wince. Rage roared through him.
“Leave her alone.”
“I hardly think you’re in a position to be telling me how to handle my daughter.” Mingol raised an eyebrow, then released his hand. “Go on, Kamuela.”
She cast a quick glance at Sam, then walked slowly out of the room.
“What the fuck are you playing at, Mingol?” Sam demanded as soon as the door closed behind the child. “You have no authority over me on Mars.”
“But I understand you volunteered. Again. You must enjoy being the subject of my experiments.”
“I volunteered with specific conditions. General Biggs made that quite clear to GenCon.”
“Perhaps. But he isn’t here, is he? And communications get so… scrambled between Earth and Mars.” The cold smile disappeared. “And you had the nerve to demand my wife be the one to do the work.”
“Your ex-wife,” he snarled.
Mingol waved a hand. “It’s true that I decided she wasn’t helping my rise through the company. I need a more… sophisticated wife at my side.” He leaned closer. “But she belongs to me. I’ll never give her to a fucking machine.”
“It’s not your decision.”
“Oh, but it is. And don’t forget I have an ace in the hole. Adelaide will do anything for her daughter. Even set you up to fall into my hands.”
For a moment, pain threatened to overtake him, but then he realized that despite Mingol’s supercilious smile, he was watching him carefully. Waiting for his reaction.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Didn’t she run off with that robot animal of yours? Lead you here?”
Twelve years ago, he would have believed Mingol, but despite the doubt that beleaguered him in his race to the lab, he knew better. He knew Addie and he believed down to the depths of his soul that she hadn’t betrayed him.
“You’re lying. She didn’t know what you were doing. You were the one who planned it, weren’t you?”
Rage flashed over Mingol’s face almost too fast to read, distorting the superior mask he usually wore into a rictus of anger.
“Your speculation doesn’t change the fact that I do have her daughter and henceforth, the winning hand. I’ll leave you to contemplate that.”
With that parting shot, Mingol walked out of the room, pausing on the way to switch off the light and plunge the room into total darkness.
Fucking idiot. Didn’t the man realize how many nights he had spent in the dark on Mars? But mind games aside, he was still chained to a table and at Mingol’s mercy. More importantly, Addie and the child were also at his mercy. He needed to find a way out. Now.
Chapter Seventeen
Addie slowed Blackie’s pace as soon as the GenCon lab complex came into sight. Despite her eagerness to see Kami, she hated the thought of dealing with Derrick again. She brought Blackie to a halt at the entrance to the ill-fated canyon she had explored the day she was reunited with Sam. She had intended to send the horse back, but what if she and Kami needed a way to escape? While she was quite sure that Sam would come after her, she had no idea how much time it would take.
“I hate to do this to you, Blackie, but I want you to wait here for me. Can you do that?”
Silly to expect him to answer but when she slipped awkwardly off his back, he remained in place.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she assured him, giving his neck a last pat. “Thank you for the ride.”
Her steps sped up as she approached the habitat, her need to see her daughter overwhelming her sense of caution. When she entered through the main airlock, there was no one in sight. Of course, there wouldn’t be at this time of day. Everyone would be in their labs working. Where would Derrick be? And more importantly, where would Kami be?
Although she had never been there, she knew there were a few suites set aside for visiting GenCon executives. It seemed a more obvious choice than expecting him to occupy one of the cramped rooms given to scientists. She passed through an impressive set of doors leading to a corridor branching off to the left, a much wider corridor than the one in the general area, passing several conference rooms and a private dining room before reaching the suites. Four of them were clustered around an open space. Pale Martian sunlight filled the room from an overhead skylight and lush green plants were tastefully arranged around a central fountain. So much luxury for a space that had been occupied perhaps one time since her arrival on Mars.
The four doors looked identical so she took a deep breath and knocked on the first one. A moment later, the door panel slid back and her daughter stood there, staring up at her. Tears streamed down her face as she collapsed to her knees, reaching for Kami. But Kami didn’t leap into her arms the way she had envisioned. Instead, she stood there staring at her, a scowl drawing tiny black brows together.
“Kami, don’t you recognize me? It’s Mama.”
Instead of responding, her daughter turned and flounced off. Her dress was too short, Addie noticed as she followed her, and there were several stains marring the fabric.
“What is it, baby? Won’t you come and give me a hug?”
Kami grabbed her battered teddy bear and hugged it instead, still scowling at Addie over his head. “You left me. With that man!”
“I know, Kami, and I’m so, so sorry, but I didn’t have any choice. It was the only way we could be together for always. Remember how I explained it to you?”
“That man said you weren’t coming back.” For the first time, Kami’s defiance faltered and her lip trembled.
That bastard didn’t deserve to live. Couldn’t he see how much he had hurt her daughter?
“But I am back, just like I said. He was wrong, Kami. And now we never have to be apart again.”
“Honest?”
“I promise.”
“Cross your heart and hope to die?”
“Cross my heart.” She drew an X over her heart.
“And hope to die,” Kami insisted.
“And hope to die.” Being separated from her daughter a second time would probably kill her anyway.
“Okay.” For the first time, a smile crossed her daughter’s face. A second later, two skinny arms were choking her as Kami sobbed into her neck. “I missed you so much, Mama.”
“I missed you too, baby.”
The relief of having her daughter back in her arms brought her own tears. She held onto the small body and vowed fiercely that she would never let them be parted again. And surely this time, she wouldn’t be fighting alone. Sam might be shocked at Kami’s existence, possibly even furious about her secrecy, but the man she knew would never let anyone harm an innocent child as part of some kind of sick power play.
When Kami finally pulled back, Addie studied her daughter’s face. Definitely too pale and too thin, not to mention none too clean.
Kami made a face but followed her obediently into the attached bathroom. Even that utilitarian space was larger than Addie’s room. She shook her head and found a cleansing cloth. Her daughter really needed a bath but it would have to wait until after she found Derrick.
“Let’s get you changed too. Where are your clothes?”
She realized now that the dress her daughter was wearing was one she had given Kami before she left. It had fit her perfectly then. Her heart ached as she realized how much her daughter had grown and she had missed it.
Kami played with the hem of the dress. “Don’t have any.”
“What do you mean you don’t have any?”
“That man said I couldn’t bring Rupert. So I put him in my bag.”
“Instead of your clothes?”
“I had to have Rupert, Mama. You know I did.”
“Yes, baby, I know.” The teddy bear had been Kami’s constant companion since she was a baby.
Trying to hide her fury, she gathered her daughter into a reassuring hug. What kind of idiot left a five-year-old to pack her own bag and didn’t check it? One who apparently didn’t even care enough to find Kami any additional clothes. Admittedly, Mars was short on many things, including readymade clothes, but couldn’t he have found something else for her to wear?
“I have some clothes packed away. Maybe there’s something in there that can work,” she said, forcing a smile. Her sewing skills were nothing to brag about, but she would find a way.
“Are we going home now, Mama?”
Addie’s heart ached. Apparently, Derrick hadn’t bothered to tell Kami that it was a one-way trip to Mars. Between the cost of transportation and the physical changes wrought on the settlers by living in an environment with less gravity, none of the new residents would be returning to Earth. She would never have thought to bring Kami to Mars, or to go herself for that matter. But after Derrick used his money and influence to gain custody, he had announced to her that he and Kami would be going. When she begged him not to go, he sprung his trap. If she took the project on Mars—and made it succeed—he would give her permanent custody.
“We’re going with or without you, Adelaide. So, unless you can afford the trip or qualify as a settler, this is the only way you will ever get her back.”
“But why, Derrick? She’s too young. They have no idea what life on Mars will be like for children.”
He had shrugged. “GenCon wants to prove that it’s safe. I told them that Kamuela would be the perfect example. They were very… grateful.”
“My God, she’s your daughter. She isn’t a bargaining chip.”
“Don’t be tiresome, Adelaide. It’s already arranged. If you want to see her again, you’ll take this assignment. The project ship leaves in two weeks.”
She had wanted to slap the superior smirk off his face but he had her over a barrel and she knew it. “I want a legal contract assuring me that I will get custody as soon as you arrive on Mars.”
He had agreed and now here they were, her daughter back with her.
“This is going to be our new home, baby.”
“Here?”
Kami looked around the suite and Addie followed her gaze. It resembled a luxurious hotel suite on Earth. Wide doors opened into an adjoining bedroom while this room had a desk and a comfortable seating area. From the blankets piled on the small couch, it was currently serving as Kami’s bedroom. Everything was tastefully decorated and spoke of quiet luxury, but it was absolutely sterile and completely unsuited for a child.
She would have to ask Sam if they could find or make some child-sized furniture. Sam. Her thoughts wound to an abrupt halt. No matter how happy they had been, would he be willing to take on her child as well? A child who was only too clearly Derrick’s daughter.
I should have told him, she thought. I thought I had more time. But surely he would understand.
“No, I don’t think we’re going to stay here. I hope we can stay with a… friend of mine.”
“A friend? What an interesting way to put it.”
Derrick’s cold voice sounded from behind her and she whirled, instinctively tucking Kami against her side. As usual, he was impeccably dressed in a tailored suit. It didn’t surprise her that he hadn’t skimped on his own outfits even though he was willing to let his child do without.
“It’s no longer your concern, Derrick.”
“Isn’t it? You forget that we have an agreement—and you haven’t completed your side of the bargain yet.”
“I still have time.”
He gave her an icy smile. “And until then Kamuela remains with me.”
“I wanna stay with Mama.”
“It’s not your choice,” he said impatiently.
“Please, Derrick. I’ll keep working on the project.”
“I’m sure you will, especially since you seem to have discovered the secret.”
“What are you talking about?”
“A live cyborg blood transfusion? Quite ingenious. But given your… sympathies for the subject, I think it best that I take over now.”
“You can’t do that. He’ll never let you near him.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I heard he volunteered. Again.”
“Under very specific conditions.”
“I was not informed of those conditions.” He shrugged. “And if he chooses to put himself in my hands again…”
“He would never do that!”
“No?”
He walked over to the desk and brought up a screen. The display showed Sam running towards the lab. Her heart skipped a beat. He looked so strong and powerful but he had no idea that he was running into a trap. She had to warn him. Her instinctive move for the door was brought up short by Kami clutching her hand. Derrick’s eyes sparkled with malicious glee.
“You’re not going anywhere, Adelaide. But if you’re a good girl and don’t make a fuss, I will let Kamuela stay with you.”
“I have no intention of living with you again, Derrick,” she said through clenched teeth.
“Don’t be absurd. I have no desire for you to live with me.” He ran a disparaging eye over her body. “I have my sights on a far superior prize. But you may take Kamuela back to your quarters. And nowhere else.”
“Fine.” As soon as she was out of his sight, she would take Kami to her room, then sneak out of the habitat to warn Sam. Her heart ached at the thought of leaving her baby, even for a short time, but she had to warn him. He was only coming here because of her.
Derrick laughed again, the sound mocking. “Don’t think I’m so easy to fool. You will stay here until your machine is safely in my grasp once more. I’ll leave the monitor up so you can watch.”
Before she could respond, he walked out of the room, closing the doors with an ominous click. She raced over to them, Kami at her side, but they were locked. Damn him.
“What is it, Mama? What’s wrong?”
“I think my friend is in trouble,” she said, moving over to the desk.
Sam was almost at the lab complex now, his face set in harsh lines. She couldn’t let him walk into this trap, but how could she stop him? Her breath caught in her throat as she watched him approach the airlock, rage apparent in every line of his body as he yanked the door open. The camera followed him, moving to an inside view in time for her to see him slam the door and to see a dart appear in his neck. She watched in horror as he collapsed, that big body going still as Derrick leaned over him triumphantly. Sam’s eyes were full of pain and they seemed to look directly into hers before they finally closed and the horrible transmission ceased.
Chapter Eighteen
A short time later, Derrick reappeared. Addie was sitting on the couch, cradling Kami on her lap as she tried desperately to think of a plan, any plan, to help Sam escape.
“My volunteer is all chained up and ready for my experiments,” he said, his cold voice more cheerful than she had ever heard
it. “You can leave now. But don’t even think of going to see him, Adelaide, or I will make sure that you never see Kamuela again.”
“Yes, Derrick.” Her voice sounded dead in her own ears.
“I’m going with Mama,” Kami announced, glaring at Derrick.
“Yes, yes. Go on.” He waved an impatient hand.
“Does she have any belongings?” she forced herself to ask. As much as she hated to be dependent on him for anything, she had no access to supplies for children.
“Whatever she has is in that bag.” He pointed to a small, bedraggled suitcase with a worn cartoon character on the front. “Take it with you.”
She picked it up, her heart aching at how light it was. “You couldn’t even make sure she packed and the court thought you were a better parent?” she hissed at him as she prepared to leave the room.
He laughed. “It was never about who was a better parent. It was about power. It always is. I have it and you don’t. You would do well to remember that, Adelaide.”
Sweeping Kami ahead of her, she left the luxurious executive area, relieved to step through the doors and see the smaller corridors and practical surroundings that she was accustomed to once more.
“Let’s go see our room, baby.”
“What about your friend? Was that him in the picture?”
“Yes, it was.”
“I like him. He looks like the giant in your stories.”
Since Sam often played the role of the hero in the bedtime stories she told Kami, perhaps it wasn’t surprising that she recognized him. “I suspect he does.”
They passed the turnoff for the labs and she gave it a wistful glance. There had to be a way for her to get to him, but right now, she couldn’t take the chance.
“This is my room,” she said, as she opened the door for Kami.
Her daughter didn’t look impressed. “It doesn’t look very fun.”
“It wasn’t fun before because you weren’t here. Now we’ll have to make it fun.”
“Okay, Mama.”
“Why don’t you play with Rupert for a little bit while I take a shower?” She was suddenly desperate to wash away her encounter with Derrick.
A Fistful 0f Cyborg (Cyborgs On Mars Book 2) Page 11