Alex Wales: Promise

lifted his greasy head, taking his time to start at her legs, before pausing on her chest for a few seconds too long. When his beady eyes finally reached her face, he said, “What the hell do youwant, bitch? Are you looking for a job?”

“Charming,” she spat. “The only thing I’m here to do is take the girl back where she belongs.”

The pimp had the nerve to laugh. “I don’t think so. She belongs to me-”

“No, she belongs to me, now. I just completed the transaction,” the brute said with a laugh. “So, like he said. What the hell do you want?”

Alex crossed her arms. Her fingers itched to grab her blaster. Soon.

The pimp slid out of the booth. “I’m outta here. If you’ve got a problem, you gotta deal with Robbo now. This has nothing to do with me.”

Alex kept her ground, refusing to budge. Even when the sleazy bastard went out of his way to rub up against her as he tried to make his escape, she didn’t give him enough room to leave just yet. Then, she leaned over, her hands pressed against the table. “Okay, then, Robbo. I’m taking the girl with me.”

He turned his head toward her, but Alex couldn’t see if he was looking directly at her or not. The brute’s eyes were covered by rectangular glasses, wrapped around his face and screwed to both sides of his head. She assumed he was either a cyborg or an enhanced human. Either way, her blaster would take him out. She didn’t even have to aim to kill. Just put him out of commission long enough to get the hell out of this dump.

She wrapped her fingers around the blaster on her thigh before he had a chance to respond. Alex blasted Robbo between the eyes. His heavy frame slumped back against the wall. The shell of his glasses ripped off his face, dangling from one end of his head to reveal a mess of wires spilling from eyeless sockets.

Michaela screamed and jumped off Robbo’s lap.

“Oh, shit!” The pimp stared at Alex with fear in his eyes, before swiping the handheld the cyborg had been using, and running off into the stunned crowd, shouting, “You can keep her!”

Alex was glad to see him go as she holstered her blaster and caught the girl by the wrist when she made a move to run. “I don’t think so. You’re coming with me.” If she let Michaela get away now, someone else would snap her up, and she’d once again find herself in a similar situation. I’m not going to let that happen. Not today.

“Who are you?” The petite brunette asked, tears dripping from her eyes. Her makeup ran in matching black lines down her cheeks. She was dressed in some sort of cheesy school uniform-a white shirt and a tiny blue skirt.

“If you weren’t so high, you’d remember me. Now, come on. I’m taking you home.” She stood there for a moment, eyeing the cyborg as his body trembled.

“I. Will. Get. You.” His voice sounded mechanical, artificial, but he appeared to be repairing himself.

They had to get out, now.

“Come on.” As Alex led the girl out of the bar, the patrons they passed gave her plenty of space. No one would interfere in other people’s problems. It wasn’t as if a shoot-out or two didn’t happen in here every now and then. This bunch was used to trouble and knew when to leave it alone. Besides, she hadn’t actually killed anybody.

She spotted Sackor staring at her from across the room and looked away.

After stepping into the elevator with the stunned teenager, she hit the button to reach the top levels. Well, she would be able to reach neutral level before having to use her access card to get any higher. The loading dock would have to wait for now.

“Damn,” she whispered when she caught sight of the droplets of blood still seeping from her skin. Sackor had cut her good. Her hand stung like crazy, and the bleeding refused to stop.

“What are you going to do to me?” Michaela asked, sobbing.

“I’m not going to do anything to you,” she replied. “Your father will probably have a thing or two in mind, though.”

Alex tucked her injured hand into her pocket and tightened her other around the girl’s wrist. She couldn’t wait to get on her ship. Then, she could take care of her injury.

I really have to get out of here, before someone else decides to screw around with me today.

Chapter Three

The troubled teenager was now safely home with a very relieved and grateful father. He’d insisted on compensating Alex for saving his daughter’s life and returning her where she belonged. This time, Alex had gladly accepted the credits. Though she doubted Michaela agreed that home was where her father was. She had no doubt the teenager would run away again the first chance she got.

Alex understood what it was like to live in a place where you didn’t belong. After all, she also ran away at a young age, but not to a pimp. Not to someone who would keep her drugged, and then sell her to the highest bidder when he tired of her. If Michaela wanted to be on her own and take charge of her own life, she had to do it right, not by falling into a life of drugs and prostitution.

I hope she learns something from what almost happened to her.Who knows why a cyborg had wanted to buy her.

Thinking about what Robbo had promised he’d do to Alex should have worried her, but it didn’t. Not half as much as Ulric’s proposition. She just couldn’t shake the fact that he actually wanted her to give up everything so she could stay with him. Somehow, she couldn’t accept that’s what he really wanted.

I wonder what he’s doing, now.She’d almost gone back to his quarters to see him, after returning Michaela, but decided if she did, she probably wouldn’t be going anywhere for a while. She couldn’t let his admission affect her own feelings. Besides, she had a shipment to deliver.

She glanced at her disinfected and now bandaged left hand. By the time she’d reached Promise, a rash had spread from the cut. So, she cleaned it up as well as she could, injected a little healing serum, and could only hope for the best. Though judging by the constant burn, she doubted it would heal quickly.

Alex sighed, set the co-ordinates, and sat back in her pilot chair.

This time, she’d decided to take a different route. One she hadn’t taken before but would cut a lot of travel time, so she could reach her destination with plenty of time to spare.

There were easier ways to get to planets and space stations, but it required a hyperspace function. Something Promise didn’t have. She couldn’t space-jump from one side of the galaxy to the other, and instead had to settle for getting there the old-fashioned way.

Alex turned her attention to the circular window in front of her.

Maybe some of Sackor’s accusations about Ulric were accurate. He indeed sat in his vertical, metal shell like it was his castle. On the other hand, why shouldn’t he?

Alex wondered what she would’ve done if she had as many credits as Ulric in heraccount, as well as the power to rule over others. The fact that such an opportunity was practically handed to her by her mother once upon a time didn’t escape her. Though, there’d been too many strings attached-a marriage of convenience and a life with nothing but strict rules at every turn. Not to mention being stranded on her mother’s planet. No thanks.

What price did Ulric have to pay for the easy life he led? Were there secrets he kept from others? Things he’d rather no one else knew about? It didn’t matter, because it didn’t change anything. Alex couldn’t accept his proposal, no matter what. She belonged in the darkness of space, free to roam and