The horse subsided but maneuvered into a position where he could watch Tom.
“I think it would be best if I rode him. I can match his speed if I have to, but it would help me conserve energy in case I need it.”
Two men looked at each other and Wyatt knew he didn’t need to elaborate.
“If you’re riding, that means I can come,” Cherry said eagerly.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, darlin’. I’m not sure what I’ll run into.”
She put her hand on his arm, blue eyes pleading from behind her mask. “Please. I can’t stand to see you walk away again.”
He had the uneasy feeling that she was referring to something other than the previous day’s events, but he couldn’t resist the entreaty in her eyes. Honestly, he would feel better knowing where she was as well.
“All right,” he agreed just as the first ray of sunlight crossed the horizon. “But we need to leave now.”
“I’m ready.”
“Here.” Esme came hurrying out of the habitat and pressed a container into Cherry’s hands. “Some breakfast to eat on the way. For both of you to eat,” she said sternly.
Cherry laughed and hugged her. “Yes, ma’am. And you’ll both be right behind us, won’t you? We don’t know how long it will take for those men to work themselves free—or what will happen when they do.”
Tom scowled but nodded. “It goes against my grain to run away from trouble, but I think we need to know what we’re dealing with before we go into battle. And I won’t take any chances with Esme’s safety.”
“You’re a good man, Tom,” Cherry said softly.
Wyatt managed to restrain himself—barely—from growling when she hugged the big man but he tugged her back against his side as soon as she released him.
“Time to go.” He lifted her onto Maverick’s back then turned back and extended a hand to Tom. “Thank you, my friend. Take care of yourself until we meet again.”
The man gripped his hand solemnly. “You too.”
To his surprise, Esme rose up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
“You take care of her, Wyatt.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a grin and vaulted into the saddle behind Cherry.
A moment later, they were on their way. He kept Maverick to a slow trot at first, making sure that the horse was functioning properly. His gait was a little off but he never hesitated, and he was obviously impatient to increase his speed.
They took advantage of the slower pace to devour the breakfast Esme had given them. He grunted in appreciation at the real egg fried and served between two slices of homemade bread.
“This is so good.”
“It certainly is. I never expected Esme to take up cooking.” Cherry sighed. “I was sure she was making a mistake marrying Tom and moving all the way out here. I was wrong. I’ve never seen her so happy.”
“Have you known her for a long time?”
“Since we were back on Earth. I met her at another one of those parties. She was the mistress of a very rich—and very cruel—man. I helped her get away from him. And when she found out what I had planned here, she insisted on coming. I’m so glad it worked out.”
“If she keeps cooking like this, I’m sure they will have a long and happy marriage.”
“You know I can’t cook,” she reminded him.
“But you’d make a wonderful wife.”
The words hung between them. It wasn’t quite a proposal, but he knew she could hear his intentions. Her body stiffened, but then she sighed and relaxed back against him. It was enough for now.
They made their way back down the side of the valley to the pass, and he scanned the horizon as the rising sun bathed the area in light. It looked as peaceful as it had the day before and just as desolate. No signs of life disturbed the quiet morning. The rock formation that concealed the city looked like nothing more than a harmless tower of rock.
“It looks so peaceful,” Cherry said softly, echoing his thoughts.
“I think that’s the idea. To keep everything hidden until it’s time.”
“Time for what?”
“I wish I knew.” He thought for a moment, turning over options. “I think instead of heading for Clint and Jo’s place, we should go see the Judge. It’s not too much further, and I think he might be in a better position to help us figure out what’s going on. He knows the GenCon director pretty well.”
“You mean Serena?” Cherry’s voice cooled noticeably. “You seem to think a lot of her.”
“I think she’s got a lot of balls. But more importantly, I suspect she knows the truth about what’s going on.”
“Maybe you’d rather be making this trip with her?” she suggested, her tone sweet enough to set off all his alarms.
“You know I wouldn’t, darlin’. Why would you even think that?”
She sighed and put her hands over his where they rested around her waist.
“I never thought I’d be the jealous type, but I don’t like hearing how much you admire her.”
“I admire you a lot more,” he said firmly. “And I never thought I would be the jealous type either, but I wanted to punch Tom when you hugged him.”
She laughed. “Aren’t we a pair?”
“No one has ever made me feel like you do, Cherry.”
Her hands tightened over his. “I feel the same way.”
As they reached the broad track that led to the pass, the anxiety that was riding him could no longer be suppressed. They needed to find out what was going on and warn the other cyborgs.
“Lean over and hang on to Maverick’s mane,” he ordered. “I’m going to give him his head and see how quickly we can make it back.”
She nodded and bent forward obediently as he leaned over, tightening his arms around her.
“Go, Maverick. Full speed.”
The words were barely out of his mouth before the horse took off. He didn’t have quite his usual speed but the rocks still blurred around them as he surged ahead. Cherry gasped.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let you fall,” he whispered in her ear.
“I’m not worried. This is amazing! I feel like I’m flying.”
She bent down closer to the horse, the soft curves of her ass pressing back against his shaft. Already partially erect from having her nestled in front of him, he stiffened into a full, aching erection as she rubbed against him with each stride.
She threw a teasing glance over her shoulder.
“Does everything make you hard?”
“Only you, darlin’.” He reached under her shirt and cupped a full breast, gently tweaking her nipple and delighting in her immediate response. “You’re pretty responsive yourself.”
“Only for you, Wyatt,” she echoed.
It was the wrong time, the wrong place, and he knew there was trouble ahead, but happiness filled him. He had the woman he loved in his arms and she loved him.
“I love you, darlin’.”
“I love you too.” She threw him another smile and deliberately rubbed against his aching erection. “And I intend to prove it as soon as I can.”
He increased the pressure on her nipple until she gasped with pleasure. “And I’m going to hold you to that.”
Chapter Eighteen
They came flying out of the pass and into the larger desert, and Cherry laughed with delight. She had never realized that riding would feel so freeing. There was only the horse and the man and the wind rushing past her face as Maverick flew across the desert. The sun had risen high enough to show the myriad variations of color in the sand and rocks. It was still barren, still severe, but she found herself appreciating the beauty of her surroundings in a brand-new way.
Wyatt suddenly stiffened behind her and brought Maverick back down to a trot, guiding him over to a nearby rock outcropping as he slowed.
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s a vehicle coming towards us. I don’t recognize it but it’s traveling much faster than any of
the standard machines.”
“I don’t see it.”
“It’s a long way off. If it’s our mysterious adversary, I hope he doesn’t have cyborg vision.”
They had reached the rocks now and he started to dismount.
“What are you doing?” she asked anxiously.
“I’m going to run on ahead. Draw him away from here.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. The two of us stand a better chance than just you on your own.”
“Darlin’, I’m designed to fight. You are not. I’m not going to take the chance on you getting hurt.”
“Nothing would hurt me as much as you getting killed again,” she snapped, then held up her hand. “Never mind. Can’t you just meet him here? I can cover you from the rocks. Just in case.”
He hesitated, clearly torn.
“Please, Wyatt. I promise I’ll stay hidden unless it’s absolutely necessary, but I can’t stand the idea that you might leave and I’ll never know what happens to you.” She peered past him, noticing a cloud of dust in the horizon. “Is that the vehicle?”
“Fuck. It’s moving faster than I realized.” He sighed. “All right. I’ll confront him close to here, but you promise me that you’ll stay hidden.”
“Unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“Protect her, Maverick,” he ordered. “At any cost.”
The horse seemed to nod, and the two of them slipped back into the rocks as Wyatt hurried away from them. She slid awkwardly off of Maverick’s back and found a position where she could see him clearly. Her heart pounded against her ribs as he casually strolled towards the oncoming vehicle. Her hand tightened on the butt of the rifle. If he got too far away, she wouldn’t be able to cover him.
The cloud of dust diminished, and she could see that a man was riding towards them on something that looked like a wide-tire motorcycle. No, not a man. As he drew closer, she could see the white mask of a face and the absence of a breathing mask and her pulse increased. She had no doubt that this was the mysterious enemy who had taken her and Esme captive and who had terrified the two mechanics.
The cycle screeched to a halt directly in front of Wyatt, but he didn’t flinch. The man laughed, an oddly familiar sound, although his expression never changed.
“Who the hell are you?”
“I’m the Territorial Judge. You’re breaking the speed limit.”
“Speed limit?” The man laughed again, and a shiver traveled up her spine. Why did that laugh sound so familiar? “That’s a good one. What are you going to do about it?”
“I’m going to take you in,” Wyatt said calmly.
“For this so-called speeding?”
“No. For kidnapping two women and arranging to hold them prisoner.”
The man froze, then climbed slowly down from his bike.
“What do you know about that?”
“Enough.”
“That’s unfortunate. For you.”
Moving so quickly Cherry could barely see him, he darted forward. Wyatt ducked away from him just in time.
“Where’s Rebecca?” the man demanded, and her stomach rolled.
“Who?”
“Rebecca. Rebecca Gambini.”
The way he snarled her name was unmistakable. She clapped her hand over her mouth before a startled cry could escape. Tony? She looked closer, trying to see the man she had known behind the perfect white mask of his face and finally recognized him. No wonder he had seemed so familiar.
She had to warn Wyatt. He had no idea of the kind of man he was dealing with.
“I don’t know a Rebecca,” Wyatt said, but she saw him raise a hand to his head. Dammit, he didn’t need to be distracted by the pain of her memories now.
“I don’t care what she calls herself,” Tony snarled, his face still a smooth mask. “Where’s the blonde woman?”
“She’s safe.”
“She’s mine.”
No.
Her own instinctive protest was echoed by Wyatt’s.
“Never.”
“You think you can defeat me?” Tony darted to one side, landing a heavy blow on Wyatt’s back on the way. “I’m faster than you are.”
He was fast all right, possibly even faster than Wyatt despite the odd stiffness in the way he moved, and her heart started to race.
“I reckon that comes in handy when you’re running away,” Wyatt drawled.
“Running away? I don’t need to run away.” The sneer was obvious in Tony’s voice despite the unchanged expression. “You’re one of the old models. Outdated and outmatched.”
“You’re certainly better at talking.”
Why was Wyatt antagonizing him? Tony moved again, catching Wyatt’s face with his fist. She saw him stagger and she couldn’t just watch any longer. She steadied the rifle on the edge of the rock and took careful aim at Tony’s leg. If she could just get him on the ground, she knew Wyatt could take care of the rest. She slowly squeezed the trigger—and everything went wrong.
As the sound of the shot echoed across the rocks, Tony slipped to one side, moving out of the path of the bullet with impossible speed. Wyatt whirled to face her, gesturing frantically for her to leave, and Tony took advantage of his distraction, seizing Wyatt around the neck and hauling him in front of his body like a living shield.
“Whoever you are, you’d better come out right now or your friend here is going to get his neck broken.”
“No, don’t…!” Wyatt called, his voice half-strangled.
She couldn’t let Tony hurt him.
“Stay here,” she ordered Maverick as she stood up. The horse pawed at the ground. “I know you want to help but I’m afraid he’ll just shoot you. Please stay here and be safe.”
Taking a deep breath, she walked out of the rocks.
Wyatt’s heart sank as Cherry appeared, looking pale but determined. Why hadn’t she run away?
“Rebecca?” the hybrid holding him asked. “I should have known it was you in there.”
The name sounded so familiar but when he tried to remember, the fire in his head ignited.
“What do you want, Tony?”
“I want you to pay.”
“Pay for what? What did I do to you?” Cherry’s voice was cool, her face composed, and he admired her composure despite his fear for her.
“This is all your fucking fault,” Tony snarled.
“My fault? Tony, I haven’t seen you in more than six years.”
“Don’t argue with me!” Wyatt could feel the man’s body vibrating with rage. “It was your visit to my father that started it. He never treated me the same afterwards. He would have left me to rot in that hellhole of a jail if I hadn’t managed to hack into one of the family accounts so I could bribe my way out.”
“You stole from your father?” She raised an eyebrow. “No wonder you came to Mars. Vincent would never have forgiven you.”
“It was going to be my money one day,” he said petulantly. “He owed it to me.”
“If you say so. Why don’t you let Wyatt go, Tony? This is between us.”
Instead, the hybrid’s arm tightened around his neck, his strength equal to his own.
“You like this fucking robot?” Tony laughed. “Good. Then it’s going to hurt to see him die.”
“No!” Cherry’s composure disappeared. “Don’t hurt him. I’m the one you want.”
“You don’t know what I want. You don’t know that I want to see you suffer. That I want you down on your knees weeping. Killing him seems like a good start.”
As the man ranted, Wyatt started edging his hand towards his holster, trying to take advantage of his distraction. Just as his fingers closed over it, Tony realized what he was doing and roared in anger, grabbing for the gun. They wrestled for control, Wyatt’s fear for Cherry lending him strength. A shot went off, deafening him, but he managed to turn the gun towards Tony and fire. Another deafening blast, then Tony collapsed, the right side of his head covered with thick white fluid.
; Wyatt whirled triumphantly to find Cherry and saw her collapsed on the ground, blood flowing from her side.
“No!” The anguished cry burst from his lips as he raced to her side, collapsing to his knees next to her. He pressed frantically on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding but there was so much blood. The coppery smell, the slippery heat gushing over his hands—it was all so familiar. He’d done this before.
His vision blurred as a streak of agony speared through his head and he suddenly saw another woman’s body imposed over Cherry’s. A slender, dark-haired woman with blood gushing from her side. He had failed her. Was he going to fail Cherry too? No, he couldn’t.
More memories assaulted him, lightning strikes of agony blurring his vision. Cherry—no Rebecca—in a white dress with flowers in her hair, smiling at him as he placed a ring on her finger. Gazing up at him, eyes wide and blue enough to drown in as they made love. More memories, more pain. A cramped cellar and a man with a gun to his head. A room full of people slowly starving to death. A desperate mission to gather food for them. Government soldiers attacking, killing. Awakening in a lab, time after time, as they questioned him, as his memories slipped away, until finally he didn’t remember anything.
A final bolt of pain turned his vision black, but he fought his way past it, determined to save Cherry, to save his wife.
Her eyes fluttered open as his vision finally cleared.
“Love you, Wyatt,” she whispered.
“I love you, my wife.”
Her lips curved as her eyes started to close again, her breath slowing.
No! I won’t lose her again.
His nanites rushed through his system, trying to heal the lingering pain in his head and he was filled with a sudden, desperate hope. Nanites had saved two children. Could they save her? Addie had warned against it, but he was out of time and out of options. He had to get his nanites into her system.
He tore at his wrist with his teeth until the blood started to flow, then pressed it against her wound. So much blood. How could they take hold? He tore open his other wrist and held it to her parted lips, praying that it would enter her system. For an endless minute, nothing happened, and he could feel the despair rushing over him, drowning him.
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