“And now you do whatever they tell you to.”
Aleks couldn’t read her tone, but it didn’t sound complimentary.
“They’re using you,” Portia said after a long pause. She took his hand again.
“No, they’re not.” His defense was automatic.
She snorted.
Portia Tremaine, Seattle’s Ice Queen, snorted. His head almost exploded.
“My family excels at using people. I know it when I see it.”
“They gave me a job. What am I supposed to do, say no? All that would do is get me assigned to the factory. Game over. At least this way, I get to go interesting places. Meet interesting people.”
And Portia Tremaine was the most interesting of all.
She stopped suddenly, her grip on his hand stopping him as well. She waited until he looked at her, then said, “They treat you like you’re broken because they want you to feel indebted to them.” He flinched when she saidbrokenand tried to pull away, but she didn’t let him. “The man I’ve spent the last few days with is anything but. Maybe the chip changed you, but it didn’t break you.”
He wanted to believe her. Wanted to take comfort in her words, but... “How can you say that? Your thoughts on augmentation are well known. You don’t believe in it, despite how your family made its fortune.” The last words came out bitter.
Portia sighed. “Yes, I have said that. More than once, because I’ve honestly never seen the appeal. And yet... if there had been a way to save Tommy by using augmentation, would have I have done it? Yes. A thousand times yes.” She released his hand to wipe away a tear.
“Would you have done it to save yourself?” He was curious.
Her blue eyes shimmered with tears as she looked up at him. “I don’t know. And that was before I knew the lengths my father had gone to preserve his own life.”
Her honesty surprised him. The Portia Tremaine in his dossier was as cold as her nickname implied. But this woman...
Her words provided a deeper look into a woman who was already too interesting and dangerous to his mental health.
“I appreciate you trying to help,” he said, “but I think you’re wrong.”
Portia reached up and laid her hand on his cheek. Her skin was soft, but her touch burned. He leaned in and closed his eyes. “You’re worth more than you think you are, Aleks,” she whispered.
He should move, break this connection. If he stood here much longer, soaking in her warmth, her belief in him, he’d do something stupid like kiss her. And this wasn’t the time or the place.
A soft buzz distracted him from the moment. Eyes still closed, he pinpointed the sound. In one smooth move he whirled around, placing his body in front of Portia’s while tracking the low hum.
His brain leaped into action, pulling in information, sorting through data, making and rejecting plan after plan.
“Aleks, what is it?” Portia’s voice was thick with tension.
“Give me just a moment, Portia.”
Finally arriving at a reasonable plan, he waited for the right moment to execute it. Five... four... three... two...now!
He launched his coffee cup into the air. The lid popped off and the remaining coffee flew upward.
The liquid hit the drone first, spraying the delicate electronics with fluid. Then the cup hit it, knocking it out of the air. Off balance, with its electronics impaired, the drone buzzed sadly and plummeted to the ground.
It hit the sidewalk with a clatter.
Portia gasped. She tried to step around him, but he kept one arm extended behind him to keep her back while he studied the area around them.
Pressing against his back, she peered over his shoulder. “Newsies.” Disdain dripped from the word.
“Are you sure?” It was a logical explanation, but someone had tried to kill her only a few months ago. Not to mention his own employers had mentioned getting her out of the way. He wasn’t taking any chances.
