"Ok, here we go. I am sorry in advance, I am going to go slowly and push the needle in as far as it can go and then press the plunger."
I nodded and clasped my arms tightly across my belly, freaked out and excited. He parted my hair and touched the injection site. I heard him take a deep breath and then I felt the quivering needle against my skin.
Slowly, so fucking painfully slowly the needle entered the bruised section of my neck. I wanted to cry out but didn't; he would freak out and do something that would hurt even worse. It felt like my head was going to explode. I was about to tell him to stop pushing, that it couldn't possibly go any further when I felt a sudden burst of what I had to assume was Shi.
It wasn't bliss, as I knew it. Instead, it was a hard, painful ball of pleasure shoved into me. I cried out, and I knew that I was screaming at the top of my voice, a mix of pain and orgasm. How embarrassing.
Twenty-Five
I ached all over, still alive and grossed out. My head hurt and felt like my brains felt scrambled. Just enough to be sore and know that the needle didn’t go in quite as far as we’d thought.
I was curled in on myself and tried not to move. My suspicion was that moving would hurt even worse than the ache I was now experiencing. Of course, I would have to eventually, maybe in a hundred years or so.
Denny assisted matters when he laid his hand on my back; I nearly fell off the couch the way my spine arched in response.
“Oh, Eliza I am sorry. I did something wrong didn’t I?”
I slowly turned to face him and saw the horror on his face. I suspected mine reflected his. My hands trembled; I looked at them expecting to see my true age revealed.
But they looked the same, maybe a bit paler than usual but otherwise the same they did when I held the syringe and Shi earlier. Denny was still waiting anxiously for a response from me. I cleared my throat and swallowed gradually; there just wasn’t any moisture in my mouth.
“No, I don’t think you did anything wrong Denny. Neither of us knew exactly how deep the needle should have gone in.”
I closed my eyes and attempted to shake off the jitters and the after-effects of the worst orgasm I have ever had. That’s something I would never want to experience ever again. Not only embarrassing but painful? Who the hell needed that?
I retreated into meditation and took a few moments to steady myself and find a calm center. It was tougher than usual, but eventually, I managed.
I smiled at Denny, “Thank you for that.”
He snorted and finally sat back into the couch, “Sure thing, glad to see I didn’t kill you, only hurt you a fuckload.”
“Yeah, it hurt more than I had expected but I am alive. That’s a good thing; it means the Shi got where it was supposed to.”
I kicked off my shoes and curled up on the couch, I needed ten minutes, just ten minutes to gather my thoughts and feel semi-normal. Closing my eyes would be divine but I knew it would end with me sleeping.
“So, next step?” Denny broke my lull.
I sat up and looked at my trembling hands; they seemed the same as always. No sudden age spots were creeping up on me.
“We should probably get going to Sundry Square and check the layout. Make sure there aren't any ambushes.” I sighed and stood up, not even ten minutes of rest. No rest for the wicked after all. Thankfully he didn’t say anything about the damn orgasm.
We packed the Shi plant nestled in its colander into the backseat of another SUV. It looked similar to its cousin from earlier but a slightly older model. I’m not all that fond of them, but they serve a purpose, and the ones I go for are usually all-terrain as well. It helps, sometimes I just don’t know what my task will bring.
“Boring, but reliable,” I explained to Denny when we got in.
“No need to explain to me Eliza, I get it. I love cars, but I wouldn’t waste a good one on what you go through on an average day.”
“Not every day is like this; sometimes I get to finish my task early and just go shopping or end up playing games.”
He laughed and shook his head, “Wouldn’t have guessed it for a second. You don’t look like a gamer to be honest.”
I nodded and concentrated on the road; Sundry Square wasn’t far away but a place in the city I hadn’t been to before. I drove the speed limit; I didn’t want to attract more attention.
Not that police would be hanging around this time of night, but I didn’t need any arm of law enforcement paying attention. We drove into Sundry Square, and I drove around the center a bit. The last movie had already let out, and the mall was quiet. I saw some security guards, but they were huddled together in the front parking lot hut. It was just cold enough to be uncomfortable outside.
And I was sure the mall guards didn’t expect anything to happen and probably spent most of their time together instead of patrolling the grounds. I made sure to make it seem like I was only doing a u-turn in case any of them was paying attention to a single car in the parking lot.
But they didn’t even look up when we drove past, I thought I saw a glow on their faces and assumed they were watching television in their little hut. I drove out of their potential view and found the entrance to the underground parking.
It wasn’t locked up; I assumed A picked it because it stayed open all night. We drove down, keeping an eye open for anything strange. Nothing jumped out at us on the lower level, and I proceeded to a spot where I could monitor comings and goings. And where we could quickly exit if necessary.
It was still relatively early, only 12:30 am, and another thirty minutes to go before meeting A. Denny was fidgeting next to me, I knew the feeling. Waiting for something to happen with nothing to do. Neither of us brought out a smart device to play on; the glow would attract unwanted attention. An SUV with tinted windows suddenly seemed like an excellent addition to my stable of cars.
Finally, it was five minutes to one and still no other car had come joined us. I don’t know what game A was playing, but I knew I needed his or her information. I got out quietly and shut my door softly. I got the Shi plant out of the back - it was looking droopier - and signalled Denny to stay put. I could see he wasn’t happy about that but did as I asked.
I walked to the back of the garage and found row 6 and walked to D. When I got there someone was waiting for me already. How he got past us, I don’t know, for all I knew he’d been there as long as I had. Skulking in some dark corner I hadn’t thought of looking in. It bugged the hell out of me that he managed to get past me unseen.
I stopped at the beginning of the parking bay; he was standing towards the end of it. He would have to come to me, a small and annoying thing to do. But that was the sort of mood I was in.
A moment after I stopped he stepped forward and stopped halfway in the bay. Not too close for me to do something theoretically but close enough to see the Shi clearly. I tried not to notice how bloody gorgeous he was; the noticing annoyed me even more.
“Hello Eliza, thank you for coming.”
I inclined my head; I wasn’t sure I could trust my voice just then. It could have come out in a girly squeak. That would just be too much to bear on an already strained evening.
Instead, the handsome bastard smiled a smile that made my legs go to jelly and traitorous bits of my female anatomy get excited. I gritted my teeth until my jaw ached and forced myself to walk over to him. Not at all to see if he smelled as good as he looked, nope not at all.
“It’s not like I had a choice in the matter.”
“Of course, you did, we always have a choice. You just didn’t like the other option.”
Touché.
Twenty-Six
He came closer and looked at the little plant in my hands. It also let him in close enough that I could smell his aftershave, or was it cologne? It was good enough that my brain was melting in desire. Yeah, I hear you my brain was not involved.
“Tsk, it is miserable. What did you do to it?” He demanded of me.
“It went through a plantat
ion chase and then a car chase. I think it is safe to say it's a bloody miracle it came out at all.”
I was turning into Miss Snippy with him. Who was he to demand anything, standing there looking and smelling all fantastic? I gave myself a mental shake, get it together woman.
He looked up, and I practically swooned, I needed to get the fuck away from him and here as fast as my legs could carry me. Any bloody second now I would pin him on the floor and have my way with him. It was insufferable.
“So, mysterious A, tell me how to keep the little thing alive?” Ugh, now I was flirting? What the hell was happening here?
He smiled that incredible smile again and stood up straight. Shit, I think my hands were trembling so much that I was about to drop the plant. He leaned in ever so slightly; the bastard knew the effect he was having on me.
“I’m not a mystery, not really. But thanks for thinking that.” He winked and leaned in further, back over the little Shi. My heart was beating so fast and hard that I was in danger of going deaf.
He spent a long time looking the poor little thing over thoroughly, and I suddenly wasn’t sure if the trembling was me or if it was, in fact, coming from the Shi. Fear gripped my heart, what if it died now? What then?
“Is there anything we can do to save it?”
And I refused to think too hard on how I just casually allowed myself to consider us a “we.” Focus on the plant Eliza; in my head my voice was hoarse from screaming it over and over again.
He glanced up at me before returning his gaze to the Shi, “Yes, I think we can still save it, but we will have to hurry.”
Carefully he reached out and touched a fingertip to one of the small leaves. For a breathless moment, I had a horrible concern that the leaf would drop off at his touch. But it didn’t and merely swayed a little before settling down again.
“We have lots to discuss, but we need to get somewhere fast to get the little guy sorted. Let’s get to your vehicle and get out of here.”
He straightened up and strode confidently away from Row 6; Bay D. No doubt expecting me to follow immediately. In fact, my dumb feet turned and followed him automatically. I could have wept at the loss of control I had over my body if it weren't for the fact that loss of control was what I wanted with this man.
It was halfway back to my SUV that the shit hit the fan. I was walking next to him, enjoying the delicious smell that was emanating from him when the world got weird. A lot weirder than usual.
The air gave the impression of attempting to be in two places at once. Or trying to fuse one lot of air with another and make them exist in the same space.
“What the fuck is this?” I stopped dead in my tracks and turned angrily to A.
His face freaked me out far more than I thought possible. Fear, undisguised and compelling urgency in me played on his face. He grabbed my arm and brought me in close to his side.
“This is not me, and not you so it can only be one thing. Stay close and protect the Shi. At all costs, protect the plant.”
His grip was painful, but I nodded, and we turned so that our backs were against each other. I held the Shi close to my body with one arm and with the other I took out 9mm I had strapped to my side.
“What is this? What or who is doing this?”
I got no response, so I elbowed him in the back, “And what the hell is your name?”
“Asher and this Eliza is a shit storm of megaton proportions. The Man is here.”
At that moment, I wanted to do nothing more than run as fast and as hard as I could. My mind had started plotting a route of escape, and I had dropped forward to do so.
“Don’t run Eliza, it won’t help and you know it. We have only one option, stand and fight.”
Fuck, he was right. I hated it and wanted to kick and scream that running was the only way to get out of here alive. Ah, shit I knew alive was no longer an option. I stood straight and pressed my back against his, at least, I would die with an extraordinarily handsome man at my back.
We waited an eternity for the air to fuse and settle in one space. When it settled in our area, armed men in black uniforms settled with it. Their faces covered with ski masks and large guns pointed at us.
The truly scary part and this superseded the fact that I saw the air fuse two places together were that I didn’t know what their weapons were. It was by far the most advanced weapon I had ever seen. It looked like it belonged in a distant future where it would be at home with laser beams and such.
The severity of our predicament settled in and chewed my insides to shreds. Death was now and would not be put off any further for me. No distant future included travel, sunny beaches or snow-capped peaks with drinks I couldn’t pronounce. The unfairness of it all was death in itself; I was getting so pissed off that I would gladly take all of these bastards with me.
I raised my gun and aimed at the one right in front of me, who to add insult to injury turned away from me. What the fuck? He moved out of the way of someone walking towards our little huddle.
Someone dressed very smartly in an Armani suit and shoes that shone and would undoubtedly turn out to be Armani as well. His face was still in shadows, but I had my 9mm aimed at where I perceived it to be. When he stepped into view, I nearly dropped my handgun and the Shi. To say that this was the very last person on the planet I had ever expected to see was an understatement.
“Hello Elizabeth, it is lovely to see you again. Could you please point your gun at the floor?”
Richard Taylor, the cheating husband I ran away from stood before me, not a day older than when I had last seen him. With a radiant smile directed at me.
Twenty-Seven
And not only smiling, but also smiling that secret smile a husband reserved for a wife that he adored and loved. I, on the other hand, knew my mouth was hanging open in shock. My mind refused to wrap itself around the reality presented to me.
The 9mm was getting heavy, and I would have to lower the gun or drop it. I don’t think I could deal with a klutzy move in front of Richard just then. Irrationally it mattered to me that he thought well of me.
I suppressed the urge to check my hair, was I even wearing any lipstick? Fuck, what did it matter? Him here meant one thing; he was part of The Man and despite the smile he was here to deal with me as per their instructions.
Death was still happening, only now it would be humiliating instead of quick. Although I hoped for fast; I knew that death from The Man would not be the case.
Luckily at some point, my mouth had decided closed to be a better option. I felt pleased with such a small thing, which just shows you how messed up things were that I claimed that as a small victory.
I met Richard’s gentle eyes and saw the smile fixed in place. Either he had gotten superb at disguising his emotions, or he was genuinely glad to see me. My instinct was that he had practiced long hours to perfect that smile.
“Hello Rick, this is a surprise. Life treating you well?”
I pointed at his suit with my 9mm. In case you were wondering, I hadn’t turned the safety on again. But my finger wasn’t on the trigger anymore, but close, just in case. And I called him by the nickname he hated; just to push his buttons a bit.
He nodded and looked down at his suit and performed a minute adjustment to his immaculate tie.
“Yes, it is, much better than back in our day I think you would agree.” He looked at me with a slight questioning look and a small smile on his lips.
I nodded in agreement, “I do, and life has brought prosperity to both of us.”
“I am so glad that it had worked out so well for you Elizabeth.”
He heaved a long sigh and for a moment, a crack appeared in his well-groomed and rehearsed veneer. Regret and upon reflection later something I could only call fear surfaced. Gone quickly, to be replaced by his loving husband smile and leaving me uncertain that I had seen any change.
“Unfortunately, that is about to change; you have done much during your tenure. And the Manufactu
rers had let a lot of things slide because of your diligence. But when you went to the plantation this morning you contravened the very basic tenets of the Manufacturers.”
He stepped closer to me and held out his hands, “With immediate effect you are disavowed and will no longer have any rights and privileges due to a member of our organization. Thank you for your service.”
He pointed at the Shi plant, “May I please have the rightful property of the Manufacturers back?”
So fucking polite, he handed me a death sentence so horrible that we all lived in fear of it in an even tone. Efficiently delivered.
I wanted to rebel, tell him where he could shove the Shi and The Man’s tenets. I was about to throw the plant into his face in fact when I felt a jab in my back. Asher was still there and apparently knew what I would do.
The jab could only be translated roughly as don’t do anything stupid. Possibly even with a twist of any more stupid than you already have. He was right, damn him. I sighed and put the poor little Shi plant into Richard’s hands.
From his expression, I could tell he had expected something stupid as well. I hated that I was that transparent. To a man that had known me a lifetime ago and one that hadn't even known me for thirty minutes max.
Denny would probably have known my thoughts, which was just how my luck ran currently. Note to self, if we survive this work on being more mysterious.
“Thank you, Elizabeth.” He turned and handed the plant over to one of the uniformed men and turned back to me. He inclined his head slightly and walked around me and stopped in front of Asher.
“Asher of the clan Bain, for your part in contravening the Manufacturers and assisting Elizabeth Beckett Taylor with the theft of the rightful property of the Manufacturers you have are disavowed with immediate effect.”
Shi: A Dark Adventure into Living Forever Page 10