He blinked rapidly as if trying to comprehend the foreign idea as they entered a parking lot.
“It seems very strange to me. Caring for our families, for our wives and sisters and daughters, isn’t a burden. It’s a duty, yes, but it is also an expression of love.”
“For some, that might be the case.” Olivia shrugged. “But we value the right to choose one’s own path.”
“I can understand that,” he murmured.
She stopped beside her car and turned to him. “I suppose in your society you wouldn’t have had much choice either.”
“I had a choice,” he replied after a moment. “I just made the wrong one.”
“Well, lucky you,” she answered as she unlocked the car. “You’ve just been given something a lot of people would kill for.”
“What’s that?”
“A second chance.” She slipped into the driver’s seat and leaned over to pop the lock on his side. He climbed in and closed the door, taking in the interior of the car. “Sorry, it’s a bit of a mess,” she apologized. “Put your seat belt on.”
“My what?” He frowned in confusion.
“Here.” She leaned over him, grasping the belt and clipping it in place.
She smelled so good was all he could think. Her glossy dark hair brushed against his face when she leaned over him. He couldn’t quite place the fragrance, but it held a hint of familiarity; something about it tugged at him. It was something dark and earthy with a smoky undertone, and when she glanced up at him from under thick, dark lashes it made him think of fire and flame and ash.
Maybe he was going to Hell.
She turned the key and fired the engine. He jolted in shock, tensing as he gripped the edges of his seat.
“It’s okay.” She glanced over at him to take in his widened eyes and the tense set of his jaw. “It’s just the engine, it does growl a bit but then, it’s an old car.”
“What is it?”
“The engine? It’s, well… it’s a machine.”
“A machine?” he repeated.
“Yes, in there.” She pointed through the windshield to the hood of the car. “It’s what makes the car move without horses to pull it.”
“A machine?” he murmured as he reached out with a tentative hand and placed it on the dash curiously. “Truly? May I see?”
“I guess I could–” She glanced across the parking lot and tensed. “Damn it,” she muttered under her breath.
Theo followed her gaze to find a man propped against a fence, watching her intently.
“Who is he?” Theo frowned.
“Chief Walcott of the Mercy Police Department.” Olivia leaned back in her seat, her gaze hardening.
“I don’t like the way he’s looking at you.” Theo’s voice was low and disapproving.
“That makes two of us.” Olivia sighed.
Theo turned and pressed his face to the window, watching in fascination as they drove away.
“What is a chief of police?” Theo asked and turned to face Olivia.
“Uh…” Olivia wrinkled her nose in thought. “He’s kind of the modern-day equivalent of your watchmen, except they’re called police now. It’s their job to keep the peace and uphold our laws. Walcott’s job to make sure the people of the town are safe and that anyone who breaks the law is punished.”
“I see.” Theo mused.
