Chapter1
“I’m ten blocks away.”Dizzie spoke into the microphone embedded in her helmet.
“You’ve got plenty of time to deliver that package.” The disembodied voice on the other end belonged to the dispatcher for Tremaine Corporation couriers.
“Sure, if I want to beon time.”
“On time” wouldn’t cut it, not tonight.
“You and your bonuses, Dizzie.” The dispatcher laughed. No matter how many times they’d worked together, the people on the other end of the line didn’t understand what drove Dizzie.
Hell yeah, she wanted that bonus. Every extra credit got her closer to paying off her contract. Closer to freedom. Freedom from the corporation that had raised her and now owned her until she paid back every credit they’d spent on her over the years.
“I’ve got ten minutes to claim it. I’ll contact you when it’s done. I’m out.”
Dizzie switched off the mic and hunched low over her motorcycle. She took the next turn faster than she should. The bike responded like it was part of her. Adrenaline raced through her as she skimmed low to the ground. She laughed and enjoyed the rush.
Dizzie loved late-night deliveries like this—the city felt so much more alive. Neon lights reflected off hundreds of feet of glass buildings, creating the illusion of daylight on the city below. Rainbow-colored daylight. The colors danced across the people, the pavement, and puddles left over from the last rain, lighting the city streets up like a never-ending party.
Rounding the corner, she slowed down and popped back upright. A few feet ahead, a group of drunk street kids staggered off the sidewalk in front of a 24/7 convenience store. She slowed to avoid them, her hands and feet working in sync to downshift.
It was nearly midnight and people and cars still crowded the streets of downtown Seattle. Determined to avoid more careless pedestrians, she glanced over her shoulder before slipping through a break between cars and into the next lane.
Once she’d secured a place in the flow of traffic, she blinked slowly to activate the optic implant in her right eye. Instantly, a map with a small clock overlaid her normal vision.
A red light flashed right in the middle of her route. Her stomach sank. Dammit. That meant traffic. Traffic meant she might lose that bonus.
The distance between her and the congested streets was closing fast. She’d spent years riding these streets and knew their twists, turns, and hazards better than anyone. The only shortcut from here to the delivery point was through the next alley.
Ugh.She hated alleys. They were filled with unpleasant things. Like drunks, drugs, and bodies.
A skeezy alley? Or a little closer to owning her future?
Easy decision.
Taking a deep breath, Dizzie glanced in the mirror and cut into the lane to her right, sliding between two cars. A horn blared behind her.
Calculating the distance that separated her from the next alley, Dizzie waved a hand over her shoulder in absent apology. “Sorry!” Checking her mirror one last time, she cut her handlebars to the right to make the turn.
The trajectory carried her into the dark gash between buildings. She shuddered when she nearly scraped one of the buildings that framed the alley. Dizzie held her breath until she sped out the other end.
Brakes squealed as she broke out of the darkness and back onto the brightly lit main road. Heart racing more from relief than excitement, she sucked in a deep breath and glanced at the clock in her display.
Seven blocks, eight minutes.
Speeding up, she pressed closer to the bike frame, sliding into the zone where she and the bike became one. Experience, instinct, and the optical implant guided her as she zigged and zagged across the lanes, dodging speeding cars and oversize trucks.
Two minutes later, Dizzie pulled up in front of the hotel and scanned for courier parking.
Nada.
Dammit. Valet it is.
She pulled off her helmet. Exhaust-flavored fumes replaced the stale recirculated air of her helmet. A valet hurried over to assist her. Dressed in tight black pants and a T-shirt that hugged muscles she didn’t think came from a gym, he was the perfect eye candy for a high-end hotel like this.
“Take good care of my baby.” Dizzie tossed him her keys as she slid her leg over the bike.
He snatched them out of the air with his good hand. The other was highly modified, fitted with a device that accessed the ignition of any vehicle. She winced. His implant didn’t bother her. Whatever wiring or programming his bosses had added to it to keep him honest, did. Without that, he’d probably make a hell of a living on the street as a car thief.
