The Cyborg Bounty Hunter: In the Stars Romance

by Miranda Martin

  “Let me go!” I shout. “Kid! Come here! Get this Neanderthal’s hands off me.”

  If the kid hears me, he doesn’t let on. The man holding me remains mirthless and unresponsive to my protests.

  “Miss,” he cajoles. “It’ll all be fine. Please calm down or we’ll need to sedate you.”

  “You have to save him,” I whimper. “You have to save him.”

  28 Lily

  There is a special place in hell for those who withhold information from people who desperately plead for it. I’m going out of my mind with grief and worry. Despite my best efforts to stay positive, I can’t help but reach for catastrophic and fatal endings when I wonder what’s happening with Cole. I have begged for scraps, for even the vaguest updates, for any kind of light to shine on what’s going on with the medics.

  Nevertheless, the patrol tells me nothing. Their dispassionate stares and curt replies drive me to the outer edges of my sanity. I’m worn out, merely a shell of myself at this point, but there is literally nowhere I can turn. I’m stuck in this chair until the powers that be announce I’m free to leave. With the way things are shaping up, I don’t expect that to happen anytime soon.

  “We need to debrief you before we can release you,” the patrol chief repeats for the millionth time.

  I huff in reply and cross my arms. The bags under my eyes are salient and very much their own entities by now, foreign bodies that have disfigured my face.

  “Will you be of assistance, Miss, or do we need to obtain alternate avenues of intelligence?” The chief cocks an eyebrow up, but that’s as far as he’s willing to go to show any kind of humanity. “The teenage boy has been very forthcoming. We can wrap this up in no time at all if you’ll be so kind as to comply with our requests.”

  “I just need to know if the bounty hunter who was with me is okay.”

  I’m holding firm on this point. I’ve seen enough of these debriefings to know that whoever starts talking or makes the first concession automatically has an inferior position. I am willing to sing like a damn canary if it’ll garner me a fleeting morsel of information on Cole, but given how obstinate they’re being, I am not waiting with bated breath.

  “Your friend is just fine,” the chief says. I stare at him, sizing him up with my laser-like gaze.

  This is not a man I can reasonably expect to intimidate. Exhausted as I am, there is little hope for me to leverage my way into the upper hand without tipping them off about the unique little factoids that surround my existence. The patrol chief’s salt-and-pepper hair gives him an air of normality that may fool anyone who doesn’t bother to look into his eyes. The brazen certainty and unwavering sense of duty his spectacled face conveys stands in sharp contrast to his otherwise friendly demeanor.

  “That’s good to hear, but I need something a little more specific.” If this guy is half as good as he seems to think he is, he’ll sense I’m an inch away from breaking. “Please.”

  “First you give me what I asked for, and then we’ll talk about your friend. How does that sound?”

  Like a shitty fucking deal.

  I shut up and dig my heels in, so to speak. Eventually, he’ll have to cave to my demands. Won’t he?

  “Your teenage friend had a lot of interesting things to say,” the chief says, his eyes sparkling like those belonging to someone who’s in the know. Shit. That’s generally what one can expect to come from a good deed.

  I didn’t tell him anything.

  I startle in my seat and look around, my heart pounding against my chest. “Did you hear that?”

  “Hear what?” This seems to get his attention: he leans forward in his seat and studies me for a long beat. “What did you hear, Lily?”

  Well, that answers that. The old man didn’t hear a thing. Does that mean... Wait, is the telepathic teen lurking around?

  I didn’t tell him anything. Consider the debt paid.

  Relief washes over me. It is the oversized rug rat. I want to ask him more questions but as quickly as he came, so too do I feel his absence. He’s in the wind.

  Which means that I’m home free. I grin despite myself and then remember where I am and how sullen I’m supposed to be.

  “Is something amusing you, Lily?” the chief asks, suddenly annoyed. “I don’t have all day.”

  “Well, that’s too bad, because I sure as hell do.” I tilt my chair back and balance my weight on the rear legs. “Now, about the bounty hunter. Please give me something concrete—something that I can go on—or I fear we’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other.”

  It’s the patrol’s chief’s turn to sigh and huff. He rises and gives me one last, inquisitive look before storming out of the room. The metal door slides shut behind him, sealing me into this shoebox interrogation chamber. I take a couple of deep breaths and try to angle myself so that I can tap into the system here at the patrol station without raising any alarms.

  No. It’s too dangerous for me to try to do something so underhanded with so many lawmen standing as witnesses. If any of them catch even the faintest whiff of something going astray or want to hold me for observation until whenever-the-fuck, I am supremely screwed. With the threat of the teen blowing my cover now moot, and the absolute faith that even if they withhold treatment from Cole, he will never, ever betray my confidence, I can rest easy.

  Well, except for the fact that I want to know what’s the matter with Cole and whether he’ll pull through.

  What if the reason they’re not saying anything is that there is no good news to report? What if they’re keeping mum because they know as well as I do that the moment they relay any unfavorable updates, I’ll shut down, and they’ll never be able to pry a confession or a tell-all exposé from me, no matter what they try to tempt me with?

  It’s a sobering—and horrifying—prospect. I shiver endlessly in my seat as I wait for the patrol chief to come back. I mean, he does have to come back at some time, doesn’t he? And soon, too. I don’t know how much more I can take of this stonewalling from them. It feels like fire, ice, and smoke have swirled around my senses, and I’m blocked from being able to focus on one thing at a time.

  The image of Donner’s face bubbles up in my mind. Ha. Asshole. It’s surprising that this is the first I’m thinking about him, considering I just ripped him a new, twice-telepathic asshole, but there are bigger things at play. Still, I take the moment to enjoy the triumph. I fucking earned it. That nimrod will never, ever be an issue again. It’s so immensely satisfying to know I won’t have to look over my shoulder anymore. That I won’t need to think of every angle that he could make use of to reach me.

  The door grinds open again. I look up, not sure what to expect, and meet the chief’s blazing gaze.

  “What are we going to do about you?” He’s quick to take his seat again. “I cannot abide your colossal wasting of our time. Tell us what we need to know.”

  “You know my terms,” I spit back.

  “The cyborg is fine.” Every word is pointed and poised to attack. “You will be able to see and know more when you have given us what we want. Consider it a show of good faith that you need to demonstrate before we’re ready to oblige any of your demands.”

  I sigh. It’s a slight improvement, I suppose, but still not what I have in mind. Aside from my own pride, though, what’s it going to hurt for me to just give the man what he wants? It’s not like it’ll make that much of a difference either way. With the telepath’s bid of farewell informing me that they know nothing they shouldn’t, I’m safe. Every base covered.

  That’s ultimately what I wanted, right?

  Going on auto-pilot, I answer every single one of their questions with unflinching honesty. Well, what passes as honesty anyway. What they don’t need to know won’t hurt them, and telling them most certainly would hurt me. And Cole.

  Cole, whose gorgeous jade eyes can mesmerize a crowd. Cole, whose gallant heroics saved my life. A noble bounty hunter if there ever were any, and he’s fought his w
ay into my heart, too. I never thought that it was possible for a man to get that far under my skin without giving me the ultimate, everlasting creeps, and then he comes along and shows me that, indeed, it’s possible.

  I need more of him. I need him to be okay. It’s with that in mind that I spill every single thing I can think of, slowly enough for the chief and another uniformed patrolman who comes in to jot down all the details. The chief treats me like a stereo, fast forwarding when I spend too much time in the parts he deems unnecessary and pausing when they need to collect more information. I have no idea what use any of this is, but if it nails the last screws to Donner, all the better.

  To hell with all of that, I want to yell.

  I want to see Cole. The man who saved my life, who stared straight into the abyss, and who fought like hell to keep me safe. More than once, even.

  The man who loves me.

  In my core, I’m starting to admit that I love him, too. And he needs to hear it from my own lips.

  29 Cole

  I nod as the pain spreads. My teeth clench together, and my lips pull back.

  “Sorry,” the medical tech says as she turns off the laser. “Almost finished. I got the bullet dissolved, and we’ll be able to drain it now.”

  “It’s fine.” I breathe a sigh of relief as the agony dissipates.

  “And what happened next?” The patrol agent asks. He stands by my medical cot with a tablet in his hand, taking down my story.

  “I got shot,” I say plainly.

  “And you’re sure that you have no idea why Donner captured…” His fingers scrolls across the screen. “Lily?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. Do I think he was planning to use her somehow in his heist? Of course, but I haven’t worked out how yet,” I lie. She doesn’t need the galactic government knowing she’s a neurapath. The longer she’s able to keep that secret to herself the better.

  A small trickle sounds as blood, pus, and medical nanites drip from my side and into a medical pan below. “Pretty neat, huh?” The medical technician asks.

  “That’s not exactly how I would describe it,” I reply.

  The tech shrugs. “I’m switching the frequencies to the dermalaser,” she says as her gloved finger selects an option on her work console. “We’ll have you all patched up in a second. This one shouldn’t hurt.”

  That’s a relief. “Thank you.”

  “Well, if you haven’t been able to figure out why he wanted her, I doubt we will,” the officer says as he tucks his tablet beneath his arm. “Rest up, and I hope you feel better. We need someone like you back on the force immediately.”

  “Thanks, and don’t be afraid to contact me if you have any more questions.” I prefer them badgering me than Lily. I know how to deal with them, and I’m not trying to hide a huge secret.

  The laser’s beam makes contact with my flesh as the patrol agent leaves the room. The sensation warms my skin, but it doesn’t hurt. She goes over the wound twice before retracting the laser’s arm.

  “All done,” she says, pulling up her protective eyewear. “You can put your clothes back on now.”

  “Thank you.” I climb out of the cot and take a few careful steps to the nearby counter where my clothes are. Lily brought me an extra set while I was out cold.

  “You’ve got a really great girlfriend, you know,” the tech says as she disposes of her gloves. “I got to chat with her for a bit in the lobby. She’s really kind—a bit timid, but I don’t blame her after what she just went through. She seems like a good catch.”

  I strap my pants on, and without looking at her say, “She’s not my girlfriend.” It pains me to admit this. And to be honest, it didn’t feel like she was my girlfriend.

  It felt like more. Way more.

  “Sorry,” the tech mumbles.

  “It’s okay.” I pull my shirt down over my head. “It’s an easy mistake to make.”

  The tech offers me a polite smile. “Make sure to come and see us if your side starts giving you trouble.”

  “Will do.”

  “Have a good day.” She pats me shoulder a few times before exiting the cube.

  I collect the rest my things and head into the lobby. There’s only person I’m desperate to see, and my heart grows three sizes when I lay eyes on her.

  The smile on my face practically touches my ears when she meets my gaze. With a small whimper she sprints to me and wraps her arms around me. “I am so fucking happy to see you.”

  My body inflates with all her joy and happiness and love. If she wasn’t holding onto me, I’m certain I would float away. The emotions make me feel lighter than air.

  I pull her lips to mine. “Are you ready to get out of this place?”

  “You have no idea.” She sighs.

  We traverse the station hand in hand as she recounts everything that’s happened from the time the bullet struck my side up until I met her in the lobby. I am put through a rollercoaster of emotions as she feels it all once again.

  We enter the rig, and I pull her to me. “You know, it’s funny. Since I met you I’ve been trying to protect you from Donner, but it was me that the needed the protection in the end.”

  “You’re going soft on me.” She grins, and a glorious shade of lust paints her face. “Why don’t you let me give you hand with that?”

  I cough, choking on my own breath. I want to take her up on her offer, but after lying in a cot for days, I smell like shit. Luckily, there’s a way to fix this.

  Grabbing her hand, I tug Lily across the rig and into the metal shower. We peel off our clothes in a rush, and I crank on the warm water. I press her against the cold, hard wall and kiss her while she’s still stripping off her bra.

  Our kisses are ferocious and all-encompassing as I grind myself against her. The tip of my cock nestles between her legs. Her wetness coats my shaft as I slide along the seam of her pussy.

  “You’re so wet already,” I growl against her neck.

  “Maybe I wouldn’t be if someone hadn’t taken so long getting out of medical.” Her voice comes out as a shuddering, panting mess. My teeth skim over her neck and shoulder. The running water from the shower fills my ears.

  Keeping her eyes on mine, she slowly drops to her knees and wraps her hand around my cock. With a smirk on her face, she sticks out her tongue and laps at the bead of precum on my head. A shiver shoots down my spine, and I sink my fingers into her hair, piling it up on top of her head.

  It was an embarrassingly quick blow job. I think I must have been in her mouth for less than two minutes before I pull her off me.

  “You’re pretty good at that.” My ribs hurt—my heart is racing so fast.

  She chuckles as I back her into the shower stall. The steam from the water fills the shower. The spray from the multiple heads covers us in a fine mist.

  Tugging her to me, I kiss Lily and plunge my tongue into her mouth as she grinds herself against me. It feels so good that I can’t wait a moment longer.

  I turn her around and press her against the slick, wet wall right in front of one of the multidirectional showerheads. Dragging her hips against my cock, I clench my jaw. The pleasure racing through me rides me hard and makes my head spin.

  She props her elbows on the wall as I lean back, lining myself up with her drenched pussy. I sink into her hot, silky-smooth tightness with one painfully slow thrust.

  Her head flies back, and her hips squirm. But I hold on, controlling the pace and our movement. The clenching of her core nearly sends me over the edge, but I hold back, biting my own lip so hard that I taste blood. Her moans punctuate every wet slap of our bodies together.

  “Give me more.”

  “I’ll give you everything you want.” I pull her close, her silky back against my front, and reach down to rub her clit. Her fingers claw at the smooth, slick wall, and she cries out my name. Music to my ears. She tightens around me, and I throw my head back. My shouts echo off the shower walls. Our bodies shudder in time together. I pick her up and s
it on the bench in the stall, our bodies still joined together.

  I run my lips along her wet shoulder as her head lolled back against me. Her fingers dance around my bare skin. It’s the most peaceful I’ve ever felt in my life.

  When I’m with Lily, all the background noise draws to a silence, and she fills me with bliss. What my ancestors had been telling me all along was true—Lily and I are fated to be together. She’s my soulmate.

  “Stay here with me,” I whisper as the water continues to rain around us. “Make this home.”

  Her head tilts upward, and her eyes meet mine. Tears build at the base of her eyelids. “Are you serious?”

  “Absolutely.”

  She draws me into a kiss, and when her lips press to mine, I feel it. Complete warmth, tenderness, and acceptance. It’s all the things she had always promised she would never share… until she met me.

  30 Lily

  It takes a little bit of time before we’re able to literally put Temis in the rearview mirror. Finally, though, we have, and with a handy little blueprint of what the next months should look like for us. For the first time, I’m excited about my future. I know it’s going to be fine. I know it’s going to be glorious, actually.

  Cole lets go of one of the control modules and takes my hand, squeezing it tight. The smile he gives me is intimacy itself. My heart warms. It should be illegal to be this happy. Isn’t excess supposed to be a sin of some sort? I can see why. It feels like gluttony, except it’s the very thing I will never, ever, let go of.

  Cole is too. I will hold onto him—and us—until the end of time itself. We don’t even have to be orbiting this plane for me to tether myself to him. My spirit will always be there, entwined with his.