My Cyborg Savior (Crimson Romance) (5 page)

“And with medical help, I can too. And since we have the best medical care on the planet, I’m not worried.”

He growled at her as he removed his harness. She shrugged out of hers and stood, before he could do something to prevent her.

“Like I told you, Galen, I have things to do. And then I plan to see my friends, with you as a big, scowling shadow at my back.”

Honestly, she’d given up the idea of meeting her friends. She wanted to make sure the people who were counting on her got what they needed, but hearing his grumble over every little thing made her want to mess with his head a little.

She walked to the back of the shuttle and pulled the bags from the overhead compartment. She’d gotten her packages stashed before Galen was purchased.

“As long as you’re standing here growling at me, why don’t you make yourself useful and grab a couple bags. Please be careful with them, some of the stuff is fragile.”

He lifted the heaviest bag like it weighed nothing. She’d had to wheel it in here with an anti-grav unit, and it had taken two pilots to stow it in the overhead compartments. She closed her gaping mouth and started to collect the other bags.

“What’s in this? It weighs a hundred and two point five pounds.”

He could tell exactly how much it weighed? He must have some weird sensors tied up in his brain.

“You’ll see what it is in about thirty minutes. We’ve got a long walk ahead of us. If that bag is too much, I can get the anti-gravity transport.”

He shook his head. “It’s fine, an anti-grav unit will slow us down. As long as I keep one arm free, I’ll be okay.”

He was right; it would slow them down. Was he carrying a weapon? Was that why he needed one arm free? She hoped not. People tended to go nuts in Haven when they saw weapons. There seemed to be some worry that the government would send in undercover operatives to wipe out the population. That they might one day open fire and slaughter everyone. There were whispers that it had been done before. Jamila always rolled her eyes at the stories. The government had its faults, but it wasn’t slaughtering innocent people.

“Computer, open the doors.”

It complied with no hesitation. She grabbed the three remaining lighter bags and walked down the ramp, Galen following almost too close for comfort. Did he not know the meaning of the term “personal space”?

She walked toward the center of town. Haven was bustling with people in spite of the bitterly cold weather. Jamila kept getting strange, frightened glances as they passed. Many smiled and met her gaze, but when they spotted Galen their eyes darted to the side as they shuffled past. She hardly drew any attention these days. She was here once a week bringing her care packages. Occasionally the people helped her carry things.

She glanced at Galen. He glowered at every person who dared to look at her. She stopped and he came to a halt behind her.

“You’re scaring the crap out of these people. You could smile and nod instead of glare, and if you can’t manage that you could stare at the ground.”

“I want them scared. I want them to think twice before approaching you. And I can’t look down, I’m guarding you.”

“I don’t mind if these people approach me. Many of them do if they need help with something. Try not to glower.”

He gave her a blank faced stare, his eyes losing all heated intensity. “Will this do?”

She rolled her eyes. “Next time I’m tying you up and leaving you at home.”

He muttered under his breath, “Maybe next time I’m tying you to your bed where I can have a little fun and you won’t be at risk of getting killed.”

She gaped at him. “What did you say?”

He smirked. “You heard me. I’m not going to repeat it. I’ll be in even more trouble than I am already, judging by the tick at the corner of your mouth and the murderous look in your eyes.”

She spun around and stomped off toward their destination. Tie her to the bed? How dare he.
Oh, come on, you’re so offended because the thought really turned you on.

She slowed her stride. Yeah, it had. She wasn’t a girl who wanted to be tied up. She’d been horrified by the things she’d done when she was abusing drugs and booze after she’d gotten clean. Things she didn’t remember doing. She never planned to give up control again, in any way. And being at a cyborg’s mercy wasn’t a good plan.

She shook her head and picked up her pace again. She didn’t need to glance over her shoulder to know that he kept up with her. She couldn’t have him. He was dangerous.

He’d been genetically altered and his bones and joints were reinforced. Would he go crazy like other genetically engineered people sometimes did? Not long after she’d been born, one had lost his mind, believing he was superior to normal humans, and set out to take over the government. He’d killed a lot of people, and managed to assassinate the Ascendant before they’d captured him and put him and his followers to death.

That had led to the Genetic Purity Movement, and a mass genocide of everyone who had even the tiniest alteration. Eventually they’d stopped due to public outrage. A lot of those people were innocent, productive members of society. So instead, they’d started putting them in Haven districts, like the one they were in now.

They were supposed to be protected and taken care of, but not allowed to pass on their altered genes. Instead they lived in squalor, and were fed slop that dogs wouldn’t eat. They weren’t allowed outside of their districts or to travel off world. They couldn’t have jobs. Housing was overcrowded so some didn’t even have roofs over their heads.

She glanced around. A lot of these people were deeply unhappy. Drinking and drugs were prevalent, but they’d rarely been cruel to her, especially when they’d learned that she was trying to help them.

They turned down Meadow Lane when three children ran by in a rush of laugher. The last one, Jackson, stumbled to a halt. “Miss Clearborne!” He ran headlong into her and threw his thin arms around her hips.

“Ooof! Hey, Jackson. You’re getting too big for that. You almost took me down.” She ruffled his baby-fine blond hair as he stepped back. “Where is Alice?”

“She’s inside fighting with Darion.” He lowered his voice. “Darion’s been sneaking out of the zone to steal again, and Alice is worried she’ll be killed if she’s caught.”

Fear clenched her stomach and she crouched down next to Jackson. “Does anyone else know about this?”

He nodded. “A few of the other kids heard them fighting.”

She took a deep breath. “Okay, make sure they don’t tell anyone. No one can know. Not even people within the district. Do you understand? It’s important.”

He bit his lip. “I’ll tell them, but they’re kids. They might not remember. And lots of them aren’t good at lying.”

She grinned. “I know, just tell them. Now get out of here and go play.”

Her false smile dropped as he rushed past her, screaming for the other children to wait for him. She rolled her shoulders as she stood, trying to get rid of the tension. She had to talk to Darion.

Striding through the open front door, Jamila didn’t bother to announce herself. She walked into the kitchen and grinned when she spotted Darion lip-locked with Alice, her tan hands wrapped in Alice’s blond hair.

She cleared her throat. “I thought you were fighting?”

Alice flushed as she pulled away. “We are.” She spotted Galen and frowned. “Who is that?”

Jamila ignored her and wiggled her eyebrows. “Getting to the make-up part?”

Alice glared at Darion, and crossed her arms over her chest. “No, we’re not.”

“Great, because I’m about to start the argument again. Darion, you can’t leave the Zone. You’re risking your life if you’re caught, and Alice’s. Surely that means something to you, even if risking yourself doesn’t. Who will take care of these orphans if you aren’t around?”

Darion threw her arms in the air. “Who’s taking care of them now? We have no food. We can’t educate them because we have no books. We can’t fix this rat trap, piece of shit house. They’d do just as well on the streets.”

Jamila shook her head. “That’s not true and you know it. Tell me what you need. Give me a list. I’ll get it. I’ve brought food, basic supplies, and medication for the Sobasus.”

Alice sagged against the counter. “Oh, thank the gods for you, Jamila. We have two children who are desperately ill. We were certain they would die.”

Sobasus was fatal if it wasn’t treated. It was very common in the slums and Haven districts, where people couldn’t get meds. It was also very contagious. Before the drugs had been invented for it, it had killed off entire planets of people. She hoped they’d kept those two kids quarantined once they’d found out. If other people in the zone caught it, it would spread like wildfire. It was one of the few illnesses genetically engineered people were capable of catching.

Jamila nodded. “I took enough to treat fifteen cases. I can get more, but only about the same amount at one time. I’ve also brought food and a few water condenser canteens as well as a filtration system, if you’re given water.”

Galen slipped past her and relieved her of the other bags. He opened them and raked his hands through his hair before bracing them on the counter. What was he thinking? She couldn’t see his face, but his body language said she might be in trouble.

Darion stared at his back for a second before she shook her head and turned back to Jamila. “This is my point. I love you, Jamila, but a woman should be able to support her family on her own. She shouldn’t have to rely on charity of others.”

“This is an orphanage, not strictly your family. Even if you could get a job, you’d need help. And it’s not charity. You’ve been wronged. This is the least I can do until it’s put right.”

Unfortunately, her arguments with her father about how these people were treated never went well. He remembered the Genetic Purity Movement and the events that led to it. He’d been friends with the assassinated Ascendant and several senators who’d been killed. He believed he was right, and that made it so much harder to convince him of anything.

Alice nudged Jamila with her elbow. “So really, who is Mr. Tall-Hot-and-Silent?”

“Bodyguard. Galen.”

She grinned. “Does he do a good job guarding your body? If you know what I mean.”

Jamila rolled her eyes. “The walls know what you mean. We haven’t done that. He’s a stubborn pain in the ass.”

Darion nudged her. “But I bet he’s good in bed. You should get under him. Might help you get over that Crougar guy.”

Jamila sighed. “There’s nothing to get over. He was a pompous douche bag, and I drove him off.”

And promptly told her father that if he ever tried to get her to marry another man like Crougar, she’d do something much worse to him. There’d been a big, loud fight over that.

“Either way. I think you should jump Mr. Bodyguard.”

She shook her head. “No, thank you. He thinks I’m a spoiled little bitch. And he’s controlling. Hotness only gets you so far. He’s also dangerous.”

Darion and Alice glanced at each other. “Because he’s one of us?”

Jamila wasn’t surprised that they recognized him as genetically engineered. But did they realize he was a cyborg?

“He’s not one of you.”

Darion rolled her eyes. “Even our friend fears people like us, Alice.”

“Darion, that’s not how it is.”

Galen finally turned to me, his face unreadable. “How is it then?”

She glared at him. “I don’t know you, and so far I think you’re a pain in my ass.”

He leaned back against the counter and crossed his ankles. “Because you know the other men you sleep with so well.”

She stared at the ceiling and counted to ten, hoping for patience so she wouldn’t beat him over the head. “You’re an admitted criminal. You’re also a cyborg. Different from being plain old gen engineered. And no, maybe I don’t know every man I sleep with, but the difference is, if it came down to a fight, I could probably take them, or at least hurt them enough to get them to back off. With you I’m screwed if you plan to hurt me.”

He snorted. “You could get me executed.”

“Not before you killed me.”

“We’re linked. You die, I die, honey.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “And how do I know you haven’t found a way to overcome that? I saw how you took over my little ship. There was no other way you could have gotten it open. You have some kind of communication going on with electronics. I’m guessing you could break your servant bonds.”

“If I could, I would have. I haven’t managed it so far. They must be more advanced than what I was trained with.” He pulled out a vial of Medicrom 10 and handed it and a syringe to Alice. “You ladies should probably go dose those kids. Sodasus claims its victims quickly.”

Alice took the bottle from him and turned to leave. When she reached Jamila, she patted her arm. “Thank you so much. I hope it’s not too much trouble for you to get this stuff.”

“You’re welcome. It’s no trouble. I’ve got connections.” She wouldn’t dare tell Alice or Darion the truth. They both left to go tend to the sickly kids.

“You’re a great liar.”

She kept her expression blank and glanced at him. “I don’t know what you mean.”

He advanced on her and she ignored the urge to back up. “Yes, you do. You know giving medical supplies to the genetically altered is illegal. The government decides what they can and can’t have. They would never give them Medicrom 10. They don’t care about this place. They left these people to die. They want the population gone. These people are expected to treat their own illnesses. You’re likely to be executed or at least severely punished if you’re found out. Why do it?”

She took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll tell you a story. One night I was partying with my girlfriends when Jackson, the little boy who ran into me outside, took my purse. He was so small I figured I could catch him. I figured he was some little urchin who lived in Forbidden. When he crawled under the wall into the zone, I went right after him. I was drunk and didn’t realize where I was going, or that he shouldn’t have been outside of this place. I had some snacks and water in my purse, because you don’t eat or drink anything in Forbidden unless it comes right from the bartender. There’s a large risk of being drugged, or catching an illness from the food. He must have seen me eating. When I crossed the wall, I discovered that he’d tossed my ident cards, which would have given him access to my accounts if he’d gotten my fingerprints, and since he had my bag, he also had prints. I followed him here. He went into the back of the building and when I rounded the corner, he was handing out food and the water bottle was being passed around. All the children were so thin and frail, like they hadn’t eaten in months.”