“So you spoke to him alone?”
She willed herself not to blush. “Last night. He was by the beach when I left the docks.”
Janet laughed under her breath, “But those teeth... I’m surprised you didn’t run away. You know what they say about sharp teeth.”
“What?”Was there a saying about sharp teeth?
“They’re that way to tear through meat.”
Rylie flashed her sister a deadpan expression. “I don’t see you running away from them. Anyway,” she moved to change the subject, “We’re here now and onboard. Da would have to forcibly remove us if he doesn’t want us to come along if he changed his mind. I’m surprised he didn’t wake us.”
“Or he’d have the Cyborgs do it for him.”
Rylie watched as her sister tied up her hair and applied gloss to her lips. The faint hint of lavender reached her nose and she narrowed her eyes, studying Janet’s getup. “You need to promise me something...”
“What?”
“You won’t sleep with them,” Rylie leveled. “Please, Janet. Please promise me!”
Her sister pursed her lips. “You think they’ll be that easy?”
Rylie grabbed Janet’s hand and begged. “Please. I don’t want to see you get hurt. They’re not normal.” The thought of her sister with Netto sparked a twinge of jealousy.She’ll use him. And Zeph.Rylie forced Janet to meet her eyes.Then leave him. Leave both of them.“They won’t be manipulated,” she said under her breath. “Promise me.”
“It doesn’t hurt to try.”
“There’s no information you could possibly glean from them. They’ve probably encountered a hundred women like you in their life.”
“Harsh,” Janet tugged her hand away. “You don’t have to be such a bitch. It’s not like I haven’t protected our family. I just go about it my own way. And unlike yours, my way works.” She placed her hand on the doorknob. “Anyways, maybe it’ll be fun. All men are willing to talk if you ply them with enough spirit and the promise of a fuck.” She shrugged again, “I wonder which one I can get in bed first. Wanna make a bet?”
Rylie looked away. Her sister had always been a siren, or at least that was what her parents called her. A witch of the waters. One who wouldn’t be silenced and gleefully led men to their deaths.More like to their beds.She had read about them on the network: beauty beyond compare, voices that could seduce, deadly in their intentions. Apparently, they were ancient myths, but whenever she looked at Janet with her current victim, she believed there was some truth in those myths.
Calling her a siren was right.
She sighed and let her misgivings pass. “I won’t wager with you. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“That’s too bad,” Janet laughed. “I would’ve put my money on Zeph.”
Rylie ran her fingers through her long, tangled hair. “I would put my money on him too. Just, please, be careful.”
Her sister winked. “Trust me, I always am.” Janet leaned forward and whispered, “They’ll spill all their secrets.” She twisted the knob and walked out the door. Rylie followed shortly after, only to stop at the open doorway of the Cyborg’s quarters, her eyes landing back onto the open duffle.
Weapons.It repeated in her head. She lowered her breath and tiptoed in, boosted on by the loud music from above and opened the bag further. The dull sheen of metal, mixed with powered-off electronics became a jumble under her gaze.
She licked her lips and checked the corridor, finding it empty, before she displaced the top tech. Her fingers shook as she lifted the largest piece, a long cylindrical tube with a connector at one end and glass at the other to find something utterly familiar.
A stockpile of guns.
A wave of heat hit her back.
She pulled her hand away but knew it was too late.
“Need something?” Netto’s deep voice sounded directly behind her. She turned around, wincing, and willing away the immediate perspiration of sweat on her brow.
“No.” She met his grey eyes above her, his head bent down awkwardly, his frame too large for the space. The Cyborg filled up the doorframe, and part of the quarters, as well as the area beyond in the hallway.I’m not only caught, I’m trapped.When he didn’t say anything and didn’t move, she continued, “Can I go?”
His heat filled the small space and made it hard to breathe.
“What are you doing then?” Netto didn’t move, instead, remained a barrier. She saw the sharp edges of his teeth as he spoke.
