When the airfield appeared in the distance, her frustration built.
“Cypher, tell me what’s going on!” she demanded when they landed. She released the seatbelt, fled her seat, and slammed the door before he dared to lock her in and do something else.
She didn’t understand what was happening. She had no idea whether her contract had been dissolved or not, whether she had any money or not, and worst of all, what she was going to do now without that knowledge.
She hated it. Hated not knowing, hated how she lost so much control in such a short amount of time. The anger brewing had helped distract her from her worry at first, but it redoubled with a vengeance.
“Nothing,” he barked, eyeing her when she stepped back from him. The strain on his face deepened. He headed for his ship. “Nothing that concerns you.”
What she hated most was how intimidating he was.
She reluctantly followed. “You keep saying that, but it has everything to do with me.” She hurried her steps to catch up. “Do I even still have a contract? And for hecking sake, fix my wristcon!”
The hatch to the ship opened, and Bees greeted them on the other side with a yawn. Cypher scooped the cat up under his arm before Bees attempted to escape, both disappearing into the ship.
She stomped in from behind. “What’s going on?”
“We’re leaving,” he said, setting Bees on the chair in the ship’s bridge.
Vee glimpsed around the space, noticing how marked-up and used it was compared to the rest of the ship. Holes in the walls, the chair had crushed armrests, the leather faded and worn thin in parts. There were dents on the floor and marks on the control panels.
She hesitated. “Leaving?”
“Grab your stuff.” He stormed past her with a large army bag that he’d hauled up from beside his seat. His heavy footfalls echoed through the ship.
Vee stood there, listening to them, her face scrunching up. How dare he?
She turned on her heel and made her way to his room, where her small duffle awaited. It took her two seconds to zip it up and carry it out. If he wanted to leave, she was on board. She just wasn’t going to leave with him.
“Bees!” she called when she checked the bridge and found he wasn’t there. Frowning, she made her way down the hallway and toward Cypher, following the grumbling, growly noises he made. She would have preferred to leave without him noticing—to get a head start—but her cat wasn’t going to allow that to happen.
Peering into the room he was in, she found Bees exploring the new space.
And guns. There were so many guns, armor and weapons she couldn’t even begin to name. Her jaw dropped open as her gaze skidded across the cold chrome closet, which included racks upon racks of the stuff everywhere. It wasn’t only weapons and armor, but parts as well. Cyborg parts.
On the back wall was a giant metal bear’s head with its mouth hanging open. Long metal teeth were scattered on the table below it. At least she thought they were teeth…
“Is that head yours!?” she gasped. Who has a second head for themselves on display?Oh, heckfire!
A shiver of disbelief coursed up her spine.
She’d forgotten how dangerous Cypher truly was. Her throat tightened.
“It’s a spare.”
Time to get the hell outta dodge.
With his back turned toward her, she crept into the room, picked up her cat, and backed out slowly. She turned and made it several feet toward the open hatch when a blast of warmth spread across her back.
“Where are you going?”
She half-turned to face him. “Leaving...”
“Why?” His voice was deeply gruff.
“Well… I assume you got what you wanted and don’t need anything else from me. As per your words, ‘it doesn’t concern you.’” Vee glanced at the light down the passage before looking back at him. “I figured I’ll go get my wristcon fixed.”
She hesitated before she continued. “If I leave now, I may be able to before dark. Then I can figure out where I fall within all this mess. It’s my mess to clean up, right?” Her voice soured. “I don’t even know if my contract still stands. Maybe I’ll go stay with my parents for a while.” She pursed her lips and made for the exit.
