“Guard the car and unload the goods,” Gremlin instructed. To Mack, he said, “You can trust Ryuu and Daemon.”
Mack grabbed the box from the back of his car and closed the trunk with his elbow. He stepped in front of the help and raked Ryuu and Daemon over with a critical eye. Appearing unimpressed, he asked, “Do you know who I am?” Both men nodded their heads.
Good.
He needn’t say more. If they knew who he was, then they knew the consequences for being stupid. Mack felt zero remorse when the underground eliminated the criminals who betrayed the Elite who fed them.
“Lead the way,” he said to Gremlin.
Mack’s boots clomped across the cement and through small water puddles formed from the weeping walls. He snaked his way through dimly lit hallways cluttered with electronics, some with mortuary tags hanging off of parts. Damn, it was even colder inside.
Gremlin’s office resided on the first floor. The computer underground lay several stories beneath them. But Gremlin lived on the street level for intake—human and computer. Many runaways ended up in the underground.
“Make yourself at home,” the scrapper said, gesturing to his office. “Siren, guess who’s here?”
A girl with ratty cotton candy-hued pink and blue hair looked up from the unmade bed pushed against the corner of the room. The sunken eyes, clammy skin, and blue tinge to her cracked lips told Mack everything he needed to know.
“Hey, Mack,” she said in an airy voice. “Long time. Come for fun?”
“Not today. Business,” he said with a wink. Her eyes moved to his utilikilt before she buried her face into the arms circling her knees. “Staying out of trouble?” he asked her.
“No,” Gremlin answered when she didn’t. “Found her huddled up in the alley early this morning, shivering to death. She’s finally speaking coherent sentences.”
Mack shifted his gaze back to hers as his pulse stilled. The chill left him when flaming heat fired through his veins and turned his vision red. Scrapes, drips of dried blood, and bruises lined her shins and knees like she had crawled her way to the alley. “Did that bastard hurt you?” She lifted her shoulder in a weary shrug. “God dammit.”
He deposited the box he was carrying onto a desk covered in widgets and parts. Wary of any post-trauma triggers Siren may have, he eased next to her on the bed at a respectable distance, slow and steady. When she chanced a look at him from her protective position, he spoke again.
“Stay in the safe house, OK? Need me to walk you down later?”
“They don’t have—”
“Yeah, that’s the point. You have vasoconstriction.”
“Shit, drop the harm-reduction speeches. Think I haven’t heard them all by now?” She peeked at him over her arm. “The withdrawals killed me last time.”
“So will dealers. Like him. Your choice.” Mack never took his eyes off her. She picked at a chipped fingernail. Her knuckles were red and swollen, a few scabbed over from fresh blood. “I’d miss you,” he continued. “Others would, too. We had good times, right?” Siren nodded her head and blinked back tears. “Go to the safe house. Get inhibitor shots. Find work with the hackers. You’re brilliant. Don’t let that go to waste.” She opened her mouth and he cut her off. “I’ll cover the cost.”
Siren lifted her head with a dead stare, the look of drug addicts and whores. “I’ll work if off, you know, if—”
“Hell no. I don’t own you.” Disgust wormed around in his gut. “It’s a gift. Take it or leave it.” He paused a beat to let his words sink in. Then, he added, “Break my heart gently,” while batting his eyes.
Siren offered a shaky smile, her eyes darting away from his and then back. “I’d never break your heart.”
“Good girl.” He winked again. “Can you walk?” She nodded and he smiled in relief. “Give me a few minutes with Gremlin and I’ll escort you to Jett. When you’ve cleaned up enough, Kev or Amanda will set you up.” He tossed her his pack of cigarettes. “Keep a smoke or two company.”
She wrapped a blanket around her thin frame and stepped out of the office. Peering out the window, Mack watched her light up before facing Gremlin. Neither of them needed to mention the obvious. She wouldn’t stay in the safe house. Or get clean. It was a given.
Gremlin pointed to the box. “Whatcha want for this?”
“Still have connections inside the King County Youth Remand Center?”
He smiled so that his black-capped teeth showed. “Yeah. I smuggle in messages and small items only. No matter what you heard.”
“Ah yes, the stuff of legends now lies. Going soft, old man?”
Gremlin chuckled—a menacing sound—and lit up a joint. A cloud of skunky smoke hazed around his face. “You want hits? I’ll refer you. They owe me a favor.”
“Depends. What’s their success rate?”
“One hundred percent.” The toothy grin appeared again.
Mack laughed. “Well, shit. That makes for a bad day. Remind me never to piss you off.”
Gremlin lifted a shoulder in a non-committal shrug. “What’s your deal?”
“I need to get a message to Fillion Nichols.”
The middle-aged man considered Mack a moment. “What’s the message?”
Mack peered over his shoulder to Siren, who still puffed on a cigarette near the window. Lowering his voice to a whisper, he said, “File an Inmate Marriage Request Form. Mackenzie Ferguson will appear with a minister for a counseling session when approved.”
Gremlin laughed. A loud, wheezy guffaw. “Deal.”
“Thanks, mate.”
“Circumventing daddy surveillance?” Gremlin asked, opening his office door.
“That hurts.” Mack feigned offense, placing a hand to his heart. “True. Love. Bitches. We’re everybody’s OTP. You’ve read the fan fic? O. M. G. Tell me you’ve read the fan fic?!”
“Yeah, yeah...” Gremlin chuckled again. “Thank your old man for the delivery.”
“Will do.”
“I’ll send a messenger to you when the paperwork pushes through.”
The grin on the man’s face sent crawlers up Mack’s back. He quickly shook the scrapper’s hand and moved toward Siren. “Hop on. I’ll carry you down.”
She rubbed her cigarette out with her shoe, avoiding eye contact. He squatted low and she climbed onto his back. Blue-tipped fingers and scratched arms wrapped around his neck. Her grip was weak. She would crash soon. He was surprised she was functioning as well as she was, actually.
“Ready?” he asked. Siren nodded. “Gremlin, tell Ryuu and Daemon to guard my car longer. I’ll tip them nicely on the way out.”
With that, he marched to the stairway door and descended to the belly of the computer underground. Now to find a licensed minister to coax out of hiding and into the light of day. He knew just the gal. Siren’s salvation would be his, too.
Monday, April 19, 2055
Brown eyes framed in thick, dark lashes followed Mack’s movements in the strobing lights. She was the kind of beautiful that brought men to their knees. And he wanted to kneel. To pray at her altar. Beg for mercy. Anything.
But he was cooler than shit. So he did what any self-respecting man would do. In a slow scan, he appreciated every curve she presented for his viewing pleasure. Then, he delivered his best come-hither look and turned away. If she wanted him, she knew where to find him. He was desperate. But not desperate. Plenty of girls to choose from. Many of whom had already thrown themselves at him since he arrived. Let her feel in control. Made for better adventures.
God, he needed one.
Boredom had driven Mack to The Crypt one hour, four minutes, and fifty-two seconds ago. Pissed off with work and frustrated over no news from Fillion—After. Eleven. Nerve-wracking. Days—he had started drinking back at his apartment. It hadn’t taken much to tip him over the edge once he arrived on the scene.
Now he was fluid. Moving like water as the beat vibrated through his body to hers, the one with brown eyes. G
od, that didn’t take long. Sexy henshin for the win. He almost laughed. Almost. But she emptied his brain of any logical thought before he could fully react.
Fingers slid down his chest to his belt loops as her smile invited his fantasies to frolic and play. Yes ma’am. He’d hate to disappoint.
Titillating smile in place, he grabbed her hips and pulled her body tight against his. A body that seemed heavier than it should be for her size. His smile faded. The momentary confusion fled, however, when she arched her back as he moved to the song’s throbbing pulse. Damn. He was officially done with all others for the evening. Sorry, ladies. And she knew it. Fisting his shirt, she crashed into him until their lips collided in mutual need.
It sounded sexier than it was.
Her movements transitioned from smooth to awkward to smooth again. Hurt a little, too. But he manned up and—oh god. Scratch that. He was melting. Intoxicated with the feel of her body owning his. Water slipping through her fingers and puddling at her feet. A moan escaped his throat as they kissed. She laughed with the pleasure of arousing him to this point. Good. Her lips were eternally soft, unnaturally so. Unlike any lips he’d ever kissed before. He wanted more. She could control the whole night for all he cared. And she did.
Strangely, she never broke a sweat while dancing. Never tired. Or complained of thirst. Damn, she was a goddess. Or maybe the buzzing sensations in his head and the lighting were playing tricks on his mind. His concentration was an elusive thing at the moment, all thoughts focused on a singular goal.
Eventually, between kisses, she said, “Let’s go to your place.”
“Perfect idea, sekushī na josei,” he had meant to say. Instead, it bumbled out as, “Uh, OK.”
She laughed with his unintelligent reply. Between the alcohol and hooking up, he had morphed into a Neanderthal. Mack want woman. Mack like going home. Grunt. Point to exit.
Twenty-three minutes and forty-eight seconds later—according to his Cranium—they stumbled into his apartment, shedding clothes as if they were on fire. He shuffled backwards in the dark toward his bedroom, her lips locked with his. Mack was completely unaware of anything save the way her hands trailed over his skin. Even blind to Lynden, who stared at him in frozen horror from the guest room doorway.
“Mackenzie?” She flipped on a light. “Eww ... Gross!” She finished with gagging sounds.
“Shit!” He jumped away from the brown-eyed-goddess. “What the—”
“Didn’t you get my text messages?”
“Rainbow, please tell me I’m drunk and seeing things and that you’re not really here.”
Lynden raised that damn eyebrow of hers.
“Well, in that case, disappear.” He palmed Lynden’s face and pushed her back into the guest room. A cross between a growl and a scream let loose as she grabbed the hand on her face and yanked. He didn’t budge. “Social cues, woman! Naked people. You’re supposed to be disappearing.” Lynden tried to claw his arm, but he deflected with his free hand.
Mack peered at the brown-eyed-goddess, delivering a look of long suffering and an apologetic sigh to match. “Socializing is hard for some humans. I take her to the park and let her run free, but...” He ended with a shrug. Lynden stopped moving. Steam shot out of her orifices, he was quite sure of it. The alcohol still firing through his system continued speaking, however. “We’re still working on certain commands, like go to bed.”
“Are you in a relationship?” The brown-eyed-goddess asked him.
“NO!” both he and Lynden shouted in response, followed by mutual grimaces of disgust. Their eyes locked and then Rainbow bit his hand.
“Kusogaki!” he growled. Lynden laughed at him. A mocking, satisfied, and overly triumphant sound. Evil. Pure evil. Her gaze then dropped below his waist. She laughed again. Oh. She. Was. Going. Down. “You wanna play, Rainbow Brite?”
“Spare me.” Lynden rolled her eyes and flipped her hair. She pursed her lips to make melodramatic kissing noises and began scratching behind his ear. “You wanna play, Mack? Do ya?” she asked in a syrupy voice. “Here boy! Go fetch your male pride and shove it up your wannabe tough guy ass.”
He took a step toward Lynden, indignant. But the brown-eyed-goddess slithered between them and faced Mack. “I need to speak with you.”
“Speak.” He continued to glare at Lynden over the goddess’ shoulder.
“Alone.”
Mack met her eyes then, but spoke to Lynden. “What did you text me about, Rainbow?” Lynden’s eyes widened a notch with the shift in his tone. Yeah, social cues. He resisted the urge to swear under his breath.
“Fillion’s lawyer contacted me today about some android you hit with your car, named Drew. Says you’re not returning his calls. They want to speak with you personally and not filter messages through your lawyer.”
The brown-eyed-goddess lifted a corner of her mouth in an out-of-sync, humored smile. Warning bells went off in Mack’s head and his brain skidded to a complete stop. Who in the hell did he take home? Trying to act casual, he studied her again while appearing to think over Lynden’s words.
Flawless skin shimmered with a touch of star dust. Like she had used transparent glitter lotion or something. Not uncommon among scene girls.
Playful, dark brown eyes, the kind that were fathomless, invited him closer. They also appeared to laugh at him. Even now.
Sakura blossom pink lips curved upward in a confident smile. A color that contrasted beautifully with her ivory hair, the kind that reflected pastel hues like an opal.
Everything about her was perfection. Too perfect. Was she human? Normally he could spot a sex droid a mile away. But there was something off about her. Not really human. Not really android. But mostly human. He resisted a shudder.
“Lynden, shut the door and stay in the room.”
“Why—”
“Go. Now.”
Fear flickered across her face while examining the girl for the first time. The flash of emotion quickly disappeared behind a blank expression. Still, she twisted the ring on her thumb as she moved to obey his request.
When the door clicked shut, Mack brushed past the girl in question to his clothes which were tossed about the living room. Drew worked for Fillion’s lawyer? The law firm name had totally eluded him. Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Who are you?”
“You didn’t care about names before.”
“Fair enough. I’ll rephrase. What are you?”
“Whatever you want me to be.”
He jerked strands of hair out of his eyes as he buttoned his pants. Well, this was awkward. He walked into the kitchen for a glass of water. Act natural. His mind was sobering quickly.
The girl tracked his movements. Still undressed. Creepy. Was she gathering biometric stats? Recording him? Or was she just a human with a disturbing sense of humor? It didn’t matter at this point. He just needed to keep his cool. Which reminded him, where did he put his extra EMP switch?
“OK,” he began again, and paused to sip on his water. “I want you to be something that makes sense to me right now. Can you perform that trick?”
She laughed. A rolling, taunting sound. “And what makes sense to you?”
He lifted his eyes. “What did you want to talk to me about?” Pretending to busy himself with the few dishes in his sink, he continued, “Speak. You have my undivided attention, josei.”
“I have a message for you.”
“Yeah? Let me guess. You’re the best kisser I’ve ever known? Signed—everyone.”
A flirty smile teased her lips. “I’m sure you’re good at lots of things.”
“Pretty much. But I don’t like to brag.”
“Too bad it didn’t get that far.”
He opened up a drawer filled with odds and ends and flashed her a flirtatious look of his own. “The night’s not over.”
A seductive laugh filled the room as she leaned against the black granite countertop. Still naked. “You lie, Mackenzie Ferguson.”
Every
hair on the back of his neck stood at attention. “True,” he said slowly. “Saying I’m good at lots of things is low-balling. ‘Great’ is the better word choice. Finally. Someone who gets me, and you haven’t even gotten me yet.” He found the EMP switch and curled it into his hand and shut the drawer with his hip. “Sad day for you.”
“You’re in a relationship.” She slinked over to where he stood. Another amused smile flitted across her unnaturally soft lips. Dammit. He had liked those lips. A lot. He kept his gaze fixed to her eyes. “The paperwork was filed and approved,” she continued in velvet tones. “He’s expecting you the week of May third.”
“Who sent you?”
“You know who.”
Mack stilled. “I have no fucking idea what you’re talking about, woman.”
“Too bad it didn’t work out between us.”
“Yeah, my heart is breaking. You should hear it weep. It’s blubbering like a baby right this very second.” He angled past her into the living room. “Need a cab?”
“Your zucchini told me that you’re still a virgin, despite your reputation.” She swept past him to gather her clothing. Zucchini? Mack worked hard to keep his lips from twitching. “He also mentioned that you liked to cuddle and sometimes cried after messing around. Sorry to miss the show.”
Mack laughed out loud. He couldn’t help it. That’s what Fillion told most of the girls Mack hooked up with. Old joke. It didn’t prove anything. Hell, she had clearly profiled him before arriving at The Crypt tonight. Time to return the favor.
Where was his Cranium? Wait. Still on his head. Good. He touched it and launched his scanning software when she bent over to pick up her dress. The screen loaded ... and nothing. He refreshed. Two seconds. Ten seconds. Still nothing. All humans had an electronic heartbeat of some kind. A pulse of activity on the Net. Even hackers. Especially hackers. He snapped his eyes over his privacy screen to her waiting gaze.
An Untraceable.
Transitions: Novella Collection (The Biodome Chronicles series Book 2.5) Page 19