“So, you don’t tell them about the experiments to save them the pain of remembering the experience.”
She nodded. “The first generation all suffered severe experimentation, but most of them don’t remember a damn thing. It’s probably for the best, but Spalding robbed them of their memories, thanks to your father.” That bitterness was back in her voice.
An invisible knife twisted in his heart. Spalding could make people forget. Iris had no memory. As far as he knew, Spalding hadn’t been in the employment of his father for over a decade. They’d had some sort of fallout about one of their joined projects. Fox hadn’t cared either way, but now he wished he’d paid more attention.
“Besides, when I explain our condition as way of evolution, I’m not lying. The more we breed, the more cat-like we’ll become. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. There are certainly worse things in this world than to be an enhanced human,” she said with a smile.
Rue appeared happy and positive when she spoke, but no one living here would ever be accepted in the upper levels. Even the humans in the slums would shun them. It was why they lived in a shorter building on the outskirts of the city away from the majority of the population. Still, who was he to tell her how to feel, run her colony, or what to tell her people?
He bowed his head in respect. “It’s a very noble thing to do.”
“I want to take care of them. Down here, we don’t have the best homes, but we get by. We were mostly hidden from others and left alone, now our defenses are down.” Rue looked at the closed door.
“You’ve got one of your own to thank for that. He sold you out for a little credit.”
“Snap never belonged here. He’ll have to pay for what he’s done to your mysterious friend as well as us.” A shadow crossed over her face. “I hate to play the bad guy, but order must be kept, and what he did is unacceptable.”
Fox took small steps toward the closed door. He held his ear to it, hoping to hear something, but there was absolutely no noise. None…until a feral cry broke the silence.
He had a feeling it was Iris.
Fox reached for the door handle.
“Don’t do it. If she’s been out there this long and is still alive, she’s tougher than either one of us originally thought.”
As much as the dominant male side of him wanted to tear the door open and go to her rescue, he knew Iris somehow felt this was her fight. He’d seen the intensity in her eyes as she glared at him and listened to whatever spoke to her.
The words she’d said drilled into his mind: The world is dying, and we’re all going to go with it.
“Now, why don’t you tell me what you’re doing down here when your place is up in the safest regions of Nexus?”
Fox nodded, backed away from the door, and met Rue’s gaze.
Chapter Thirteen
Iris found that the bright lights didn’t slow down the speed of her attacks. The drumming of her rage provided the perfect soundtrack as she tore at whatever limbs she could wrap her hands around.
The savagery shocked her, but she couldn’t do a damn thing to stop it. Her strength amazed her, but she didn’t understand where it came from.
The lights overhead shut down completely. Only the dingy, orange glow of the few fluorescent lights located on either end lit the corridor. Blood pooled in several sections, the bodies twisted and torn at different angles.
Her stomach turned. I did this.
“Well, I guess it’s down to you and me.”
Iris nodded. “It looks that way.”
A man stood several feet in front of her. He spread his cracked lips into a sloppy smile, revealing several gaps between his yellowed teeth. His facial hair was so thick, it covered his entire top lip. His legs, which were covered by filthy pants, spread a little, and both his fists were ready for a confrontation.
He lowered one of them and a blade flashed in his right hand. He still had several guns strapped to his waist, shoulders, and thighs. The metal caught the dingy light and shone in her eyes, but it didn’t hurt or disorient her.
Instead, strength filled her limbs as she flexed her hands into fists. She knew only one of them would be walking out of this alive and would do whatever it took to make sure it would be her.
“I have to admit. I’m shocked that you killed all of my guys. You know, since they were my brothers, I’m gonna have to slice you up pretty bad.” The twisted smile disappeared. “Then, I’m going to bathe in your blood and eat some of your flesh. You have to pay for this, bitch.”
“I think the only one paying will be you.” The quick responses and wit surprised her. Iris couldn’t believe she hadn’t blacked out at the first sign of trouble.
Tooth Gap charged her, blade first. It sliced her side, cutting deep and in-between her ribs.
She sucked in a breath when he slid the blade out with a twist. The smile was back on his ugly face.
Iris caught his knife hand and twisted it, forcing him to spin around so she could yank it upward. He screamed. The weapon clanged to the floor, still stained with her blood. She snapped the bones of his arm with hardly any effort.
When she let go of him, Iris kicked him in the small of his back and grabbed him after he hit the wall. His cheek was bloody from the impact, but she smacked him against the bricks one more time.
“Who sent you?” The question made sense and had come out of nowhere. Just who was in control at the moment?
He laughed.
She smacked him, again. This time blood covered his teeth. He spat it out over his shoulder, just narrowly missing her face.
“I asked you a question. Who sent you after me?” Iris pressed her knee into the base of his spine. She somehow knew where to apply pressure for the most discomfort.
“I don’t know.”
“You’re a bounty hunter, right?”
He nodded. “Yeah, bitch. A man’s gotta do somethin’ to survive the slums.”
Just because she could, Iris smashed his face into the wall a third time. His nose exploded in a burst of red.
Satisfaction spread beneath her skin. “So, bounty hunters don’t usually take on jobs unless they know who’s paying them. Otherwise, how do you know you’re not being scammed?”
“You’re a smart one. Still a bitch, but smart.”
“Who paid you to kill me?” she repeated between gritted teeth. This asshole wore down her nerves, but she wanted some answers.
“No one paid us to kill you. We had specific orders to get you somewhere, all safe and sound. Not a hair hurt on that pretty head of yours.” Blood dribbled down his chin.
“Then, why did you shoot me?”
Tooth Gap managed a half-shrug. “It’s fun to shoot. Besides, no one said we couldn’t put a few bullets in ya. You just had to stay alive.”
She grabbed a bunch of his oily hair and wrapped it around her hand. “Who made the order?”
“I don’t know. Some rich guy wants you,” Tooth Gap murmured. “He claims you belong to him, and he wants you back real bad. I don’t know what his name is, and I don’t give a shit, either. We just wanted the credits. We have families—” He stopped, tears running down his cheeks.
So, someone had gone to the trouble of hiring a bunch of lowlifes to grab her, with specific instructions. Am I someone’s property? Only slaves or AI had owners. Was the nagging male voice inside her head this supposed owner?
“This is no way to make a living,” she hissed while tightening her grip on the man’s hair.
“Easy for you to say…”
She opened her mouth to respond but was silenced by a whack to the back of the head. Her grip on Tooth Gap slipped as she fell to her hands and knees. The shock reverberated through her body but also saved her life.
In his haste to get away, Tooth Gap turned sharply and fired his gun. The gunshot rang inside her ears, making her teeth rattle at this proximity.
The bullet hit the person who’d attacked her from behind, right between the eyes. Snap glared at her, h
is weapon sliding from his hand as he stumbled against the opposite side of the corridor, dead.
She couldn’t believe he’d come back for more.
Tooth Gap recovered quickly. He pointed the barrel of the gun at her head. When he fired, a flash of white raced in front of her, taking her with him.
They both rolled down the corridor and stopped only when they hit one of the doors. She held on tightly to White. A smile curved her lips, and she kissed his whiskered cheek.
“You must be my guardian,” she whispered into his furry ear.
He nodded.
Tooth Gap advanced, gun blazing. The blade he’d dropped when she broke his other arm lay only a few centimeters away. She reached for it, stretching the wound at her side. It hurt like hell, but she ignored it long enough to wrap her fingers around the knife. She threw it. The blade hit him in the side of the neck.
Perfect shot!
He stumbled back a few steps, straightened, then collapsed to his knees. The stab wound wouldn’t be enough to kill him.
The realization hit her too late. White was already on his feet, holding out a hand to help her up, when the bullet hit him in the back. His eyes met hers in surprise.
For the longest time, the world seemed to pause.
Tooth Gap sat back on his feet, the gun weighing down on his one functioning arm. White stood still, facing her. Iris sat and watched the scene, horrified.
“No!” she yelled, when sound returned to her ears.
White fell forward. The bullet wound on his back had already made a bloody mess of his fur.
Not again!
She would save him just as she’d done before.
Iris dragged him onto her lap and touched her open palm to his back. Blood spilled in a blotch of red that grew too quickly. She placed the other hand over the wound too, hoping to work the same miracle she’d already used on him only hours ago.
Nothing happened.
Take me under, if that’s what it takes. Take me into darkness, and let the other side of me save him. Please!
She remained conscious, and the wound continued to bleed.
White’s heart slowed down dramatically. She wanted to hold him tightly and cry for him. She hoped it would be enough to save his life, but movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Tooth Gap wasn’t going to give up without a fight.
His arm was extended, this time ready to shoot her.
Iris pushed White off her lap in one swift move.
She stood above Tooth Gap, looking down at him with rage burning inside her gut. When had she moved? She glared at him, and everything turned black.
Bits and pieces flashed through her mind. The only thing she could grasp was the blood that had spilled all over her body.
When she came to herself, she sat in the middle of a horrid mess. The stench of death, blood, and sickness stirred nausea inside her. She leaned over and threw up. Her throat burned, aching at the exertion.
Tooth Gap lay in a heap of ruined flesh at her feet.
The corridor spun on its side, and dizziness flooded her mind. She couldn’t deny it this time. She’d done this, but how?
In spite of the horror, she pushed up to her feet and stumbled from one side of the corridor to the other, wanting to reach White before it was too late. His eyes were closed, but his chest still rose and fell. She collapsed in a defeated heap, gathered him up into her arms once again, and held him close.
Tears slid silently down her face, because there was nothing she could do for him.
She couldn’t do anything to stop his death this time.
Helplessness engulfed her.
Chapter Fourteen
A light knock on the door interrupted Fox’s train of thought. At first, he thought it might be his imagination but then heard it a second time.
“Iris.” He pressed his palm against the rugged surface of the door. He could’ve sworn he heard her say his name. “Iris, is that you?”
She grunted, but he knew it was her. “Open the door.”
He turned to face Rue, motioning her over.
The woman hesitated, meeting his gaze with a hard look. He’d played her game and stayed out of the fight long enough. Maybe he’d told Rue a little too much about his bizarre situation, but he didn’t regret a word he’d exchanged with her. There was something about this woman that kept his words coming.
She hadn’t said anything either way, as she listened to him—just stood still with arms crossed over her stomach. She’d nod or shake her head when she felt it appropriate.
Now, she looked at him with hard eyes.
“Open the door, Rue. Now.” He didn’t need to raise his voice.
She didn’t respond, just yanked the door open.
He stepped outside.
The first thing to catch his attention was the slaughter. With every one of his rapid breaths, the metallic tang of blood filled his thoughts. He tasted it in the back of his mouth. It was everywhere. This scene was a copy of what he’d walked into downstairs, inside the basement.
His breath caught for a second. What the hell?
Iris stared at him, and as she held White in her arms, she collapsed to the floor. The hybrid’s eyes were closed, and the rise and fall of his chest seemed sluggish. She was covered in blood. A hole in the fabric near her ribs revealed what appeared to be her only injury.
“White!” Rue rushed past Fox and collapsed to her knees beside the large cat.
“I can’t save him.” Iris sobbed. “I tried to save him, but it didn’t work this time.”
“It’s not your fault.” Rue placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “White has used up his nine lives. There’s nothing any of us can do for him.”
“He died because of me.”
“He died, because he interrupted something he should’ve stayed out of.” Rue glared at Fox for a second. “I told all of them to stay out of this, just as I did to you. I locked them in their rooms. He wasn’t supposed to be out here.”
“He saved me. Again.”
Fox broke eye contact with Iris. “Did you unlock the other doors, yet?”
“No,” Rue replied. “I can’t let them out until I know we’re secure.”
“Oh, I think we’re secure.” Fox grabbed the gun at his thigh. The cool weight of it made him connect to reality, amongst the vision of this nightmare. Something deep down inside shattered. The initial excitement and relief he’d felt when Iris had come to the door faded. The scene made him sick, and his heart felt heavy.
She’d caused this slaughter. Bits of bodies were strewn everywhere. White and Snap were the only ones left intact. Snap with a bullet between his eyes, White with one in his back. In spite of the others around them, he was pretty sure Iris hadn’t killed Snap and White. The others all resembled the scene inside the basement.
“How did White get out?” he asked, avoiding her eyes.
Rue shrugged. Her face was flushed, worry etching her features. “I’m not sure. No one knows their way around here like White does. He’s known how to get from one place to another since he was a kid.”
“He died, because he wanted to help me. I got him killed.”
“No, Iris. You didn’t kill him…but what happened to these other men?” Fox threw caution to the wind to see what she’d say. His mouth felt dry, and nerves coiled into a tight knot, but he had to confront her about this.
It would answer a few of his questions.
She looked away, focused on the corridor ahead of them. Tears streaked her face. He fought the urge to run to her. His hands and arms wanted to hold her close, help her forget she’d had to do this.
He couldn’t.
She was a killer.
“I didn’t blackout this time.” Her voice was a mere whisper, scratchy and sad. Her arms tightened around White, and she stroked his head absently. “I couldn’t control the urge to hurt them. They wanted to hurt me, to hurt all of you.” The shine of her green eyes made him look away. “I couldn’t let the
m do that.”
“Did you find out why they were chasing you?”
“Not really. All I could get out of him was that some rich guy hired them, someone who apparently owns me. They were hired to capture and deliver me unharmed.” A sob broke her words, and she cried uncontrollably against White’s motionless body.
Rue looked at Fox. She was probably thinking the same thing he was. What other rich guy would tear this city apart in order to get his hands on a woman who could rip grown men into pieces? It had to be his father, but why did he claim to own her? She wasn’t an AI, and Fox had never seen her. She could be a secret project of some sort—maybe an assassin who’d gone rogue for whatever reason or one of his many funded experiments.
Fox was betting it was a bit of both.
Unharmed…the same order his team had been given for the capture of the supposed thief. Fox had been witness to the way his father handled thieves before—gunned down on sight. It was why he needed to use Iris as leverage to sort out his own stolen credits situation.
Now that he knew her worth, Fox needed to complete this impossible mission. No matter what his personal feelings were evolving into.
“I’m so sorry, Iris.” Rue dropped her hand from Iris’s shoulder. “Listen, there’s nothing more you can do for dear White. I’ll take care of him from here, okay? What I need you to do is to get cleaned up and get some sleep. Your first attempt didn’t work out. I’m so sorry.”
Fox stared at Rue, who continued to talk to Iris. She absently pressed a button on the thick wristband she wore. One of the doors clicked open behind them.
“Tathia,” she called. A tall woman, with sparkling blue cat eyes but the face of a woman, approached from one of the doors. “Take Iris to the washroom. Get her some clean clothes, and make sure she gets some sleep. I want you to stand guard outside her door. You’re not to move under any circumstances, do you understand me?”
Tathia nodded, trying very hard to keep her eyes averted from the carnage around them. She strolled over to Iris and helped her stand up by taking her hand. Iris’s small frame slumped forward. She looked defeated. Dark circles shadowed her wide eyes, and her skin was crimson-stained worse than before.
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