But isn’t that par for the course?
He finishes his drink and stands. “Thanks for the insight.”
“I know you mean well,” Gentry stands with him and extends his hand again, “but you know what they say about the road to Hell.”
“Yeah, it’s nice and smooth, lemme tell ya!” Tiger nods and leans in as they shake. His voice turns stern as he whispers, “By the way, you never saw me here. And if you mention my name in any of your reports, you’ll end up on the wrong side of an airlock.”
Mister Fancy Reporter doesn’t look so cocky now, with the blood draining from his face.
Tiger winks, his smile is charming and friendly. “I got the tip.”
«◊»
Chapter 18
Amber pulled the big SkyLiner in between two deserted, dilapidated buildings in a run-down part of downtown and throttled the engines down to “idle.” She needed to get her bearings and figure out what she was going to do.
For the first time in her life, real fear gripped her. Although she had a backseat full of terrified, bawling kids, the stark, brutal reality was she was now alone in this world. As badass as she might be with a gun and whatever unknown self-defense arts she had programmed into her, she’d always had someone leading. Her master. Tiger. Sure, he’d left her alone at the Spaceport Inn a few nights back. But it’d only been an hour or so. And he’d come charging back to save her like some fearless hero out of a romance novel. Even the time she’d spent in the custody of GenetX, she’d been surrounded by scientists, doctors, nurses and others. They constantly reminded her of their presence, always sticking her with needles, probing her or attaching sensors.
But now, she was on her own. Tiger hadn’t saved the day. Lulah had … well, she didn’t know what had become of Lulah. She doubted it was anything positive. And poor Tex! His fate had been obvious. It was a shame a good-hearted stranger had died for her. She looked down at the Westchester, leaning against the seat beside her leg. She was determined to see that his sacrifice wasn’t in vain.
But what do I do now?
She looked into the rear seat cam. The first order of business had to be the safety of Lulah’s children. They couldn’t stay with her. Every second they were with her put them in more danger. The people hunting her were ruthless. The lives of innocents, even children, meant nothing to them. They’d just proven that.
Brittain was sobbing uncontrollably and calling for her mom. Somehow, through it all, the little girl had held on to that damned doll. She hugged it as if it was all she had left in the world, and it quite possibly was. Amber felt her heart break for the little girl. Brittain had no comprehension of what was happening. She’d been living in her own little world. And then they came along, Tiger and Amber. Now everything was gone; her mom, her home, her whole world.
Except for Blake. Her big brother had overcome the trauma. He now felt the need to be the man of the family. He felt it was his duty to help calm his sister down. Wiping tears from his eyes, he put a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed it.
“Ok, Britt. Time to be a big girl now,” he told her, trying to sound as brave as possible. “Quit crying. Ok?”
“I want Mommy!” She bawled out, sucking snot back up into her nose and appealing pitifully in Amber’s direction. “I wanna go home!”
Amber turned and gave her a reassuring smile. She reached over the seat and put a hand to the girl’s tear-stained cheek.
“Be a big girl and quit crying,” Blake repeated. “You know what happens to crybabies. Orange Donny will come and grab your hoo-ha.”
This started a fresh new round of tears. “I don’t want Orange Donny to grab my hoo ha!” Britt whined out.
Amber’s hand swiped across the top of the boy’s head in a lightning swat.
“Oww! Maaaannn!” He wanted to say something more, but a look up into the vixen’s scowling, disapproving face changed his mind immediately. She wagged a stern finger at him, and he decided discretion was the better part of valor. After all, this lady just kicked a lot of butts! He crossed his arms tightly over his chest and flopped back into the seat to pout silently, figuring it to be his best option.
Satisfied that she’d neutralized one problem, Amber motioned for Britt to hop over the seat. The little girl sat in her lap and leaned her head into Amber’s bosom. She held the child reassuringly stroking her hair, a motion Britt now mimicked with her doll. It seemed to be therapeutic for the child. She calmed tremendously, which allowed Amber to concentrate on her next move.
Inside her own belly, she felt a tickle. Her babies. She didn’t know why, she didn’t know how, but somehow, she knew. Tiger’s babies! And she knew they were growing at an accelerated rate. She knew from experience, from her previous pregnancy with her original Master. In a few days, she’d be showing.
Things weren’t getting any easier.
She leaned her head back against the seat, closed her eyes and cleared her mind. Something was missing. She could handle firearms. She was an expert in close-quarters combat. She possessed amazing hyper-sensory abilities in hearing, smell and night vision. And yet … here alone, she was lost.
Think for yourself! You were created for something. You had a purpose other than just pleasing men.
But what? Why couldn’t she remember?
It didn’t
