Between Love and Hate - Chapter 3
Title: Between Love and Hate
Author: sue
Rating: PG13 (for the moment at least)
Show: DA
Pairing: M/A? we’ll see..
Genre: Major Angst (considered yourself warned)
Type: Work in Progress
Summary: Anything and Everything’s sequel. Will Alec finally remember who Max was to him?
A/N - I know I promised this was suppose to come out sooner than this *coughs* but well.. stuff happens. *ahem* So yeah, here it is! Yay me:D
A/N 2 - A huge huge thank you for my beta, Alexis for her awesome eye in detail huggles And also thank you to everyone who keeps reviewing even though there’s no update especially Panda, Jewel (you’re going to remember me right? haha), Lynn, Shana and everyone else. You know I love you:) And don’t worry, the next chapter is done, so it’ll be up in due time. And I mean it this time! hee
Chapter 3: The Long Road
A few months ago
The weather today was as perfect as it can be. Behind fluffy white clouds, the sun shone brightly, and under the cool shade of trees, people were basking in the heat; playing, laughing, and tossing Frisbees.
However, inside a closed meeting room the atmosphere was a complete contrast. Silence hung over the room like a heavy veil and the tension was so palpable, most of its occupants were drowning in fear, or would be if they knew what fear was.
The men in front of the table stood quietly, eyes trained on the one in charge. As a coveted Familiar, they were blessed without the burden of fear or pain or other trivial emotions but, these men did have a degree of discomfort as they stood rooted in the office.
‘There’s a story going around that Ames White is dead,’ one man whispered to the other next to him.
‘What? Whoever made that up is crazy, man.’
Their eyes strayed to their boss but he was still busy talking on the phone and completely oblivious to their whispered talk.
‘You think that’s crazy? Word has it, he was murdered. By a transgenic.’
‘Now you’re crazy.’
‘It gets crazier. Remember the team of Phalanx he was with? Notice how White and the team are not around anymore? Seems like they were all wasted.’
The other Familiar closed his gaped jaw with an effort. ‘That’s insane. But since you mentioned it… I don’t think I’ve seen any of them around.’
‘Yeah, that’s the thing.’
On the other side of the glossy dark stretch of wood, a tall man was pacing the floor, speaking hurriedly into his phone.
‘What? Is that confirmed? How is that possible?’ He stopped his frantic pacing and listened to his caller. ‘I see. Then I want to know who, why, and what killed him. And how quickly can we get the body? I don’t want those animals to have their hands on them any longer than necessary.’
He was silent for a few more minutes before he nodded. ‘Yes, I understand. Proceed with caution. I don’t want this to get out or it’ll compromise what we have so far.’
‘Yes, we have a huge mess on our hands, but we’ll clean it up. Then we’ll wipe out all the unworthy animals. Fen’os tol.’
He turned towards his waiting men and they snapped to attention. ‘Double check and verify Ames White’s death. Go and find out who’s responsible. I want every detail.’
Without a word, they disappeared and the man slumped into his chair.
‘I’ll find your murderer, Ames. And he’ll pay.’
-*-
A few weeks ago
Outside the window, the black figure of trees waved slowly in the soft breeze. Perched on the sill, a still figure propped her chin on her knees, staring unblinkingly at the dark stretch. She sighed heavily and unwrapped her arms from her legs and jumped down. She stretched out the kinks from her limbs and groaned, running her knuckles over her eyes irritably.
Charlie was going out of her mind with lack of things to do, stranded here on this farm in the middle of nowhere. She’d been here for what… 6 days? But it felt like 6 years already.
From her dresser, she grabbed a light sweater and put it over the baggy t-shirt she wore to bed. She padded to the kitchen softly, barefoot, walking silently in the dark. Ignoring the light switch alone, she head towards the fridge, leaving the door open for light. Charlie walked to the coffee maker and turned it on, watching the hot dark liquid drip down into the waiting pot.
She pushed the kitchen window apart, and immediately a gentle wind floated in, enveloping her in its refreshing lift. The sound of the old grandfather clock snapped her from her blank thoughts and Charlie turned to pour herself a cup of coffee. She rummaged through the open fridge and poured a huge dollop of cream before adding a generous amount of sugar into her full mug.
She took her coffee to the table and sat, sipping slowly. As she stared into the dark brown liquid, she mentally listed her woes and worries.
1. She was cut off from civilization. (But then, that wasn’t news to her, so nothing different there.)
2. Mary and Buddy hovered over her like a couple of nervous chickens. (Which she found somewhat adorable.)
3. Adam.
Charlie had never in her life experienced having someone close to her age around and one part of her rejoiced in that, but another part of her felt that immeasurable thrill in testing his patience limit. She had hounded him, asking impossible and plain weird questions, just to see his reaction to it.
She laughed as yesterday’s event paraded in her mind.
‘Adam!’ She had shouted from twenty feet away. When she saw the quick roll of his eyes, she grinned as Adam picks up a bucket.
Pretending he didn’t hear or see her, he walked quickly to one cow and started to milk her.
‘Why do you have to milk her every morning? Can’t you get the milk from a store or something?’ she panted.
‘I don’t have the time to drive forty miles every morning so you can have milk with your cereal,’ he glared.
‘Ooh.’ She sat, cross legged on the ground, her green eyes watching his quick fingers. The ends of her black hair whispered against her dark t-shirt in the breeze. ‘Does it feel funny to do that?’
‘Do what?’
‘You know, milk the cow?’
‘No,’ he answered abruptly.
‘Do you think she feels funny to have you milk her?’ she persisted.
‘What?’
‘You know, having you squeeze and pull and tug at her...’ she nodded towards the cow’s udder.
Feeling the heat rush over his face, he stopped milking the cow and grabbed his half full bucket and walked away. ‘Maybe you can go and help Mary feed the chickens or something.’
‘What? You’re not going to answer my questions? If you don’t answer them, how will I learn anything?’
‘Remember to ask Mary about the cow question. She’ll have a better answer.’
Charlie chuckled and blew a couple of times over the hot cup before she took another sip. The sweet liquid slipped tantalizingly down her throat and out of nowhere another memory popped up.
She couldn’t remember feeling happier. Her father was coming in less than an hour. For a ten year old girl who was starving for her father’s love, today was the day she had been dreaming of for months. Her big bright eyes sparkled with anticipation as she smoothed down her skirt. She took a quick look at herself in the window’s reflection and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ears. She needed to be perfect for her father. He deserved nothing less.
Her long black hair fell in a smooth straight curtain down her back with a heavy bang that framed her small face. She jumped from her seat impatiently and ran towards the window, standing on her toes to see over the ledge.
‘Miss Charlene.’
She jumped and turned towards the voice. ‘Sandy, is my father here?’ she shrieked eagerly, her deep dimples flashing in her excitement while she raced towards him.
His weathered face creaked into a small smile as he nodded lightly. He opened the door wider and from behind him, a tall man with broad shoulders emerged, his face serious and unsmiling.
Charlie stood still, her green eyes were wide in excitement as she visibly restrained herself from flinging herself into his arms.
Mr Kirlington walked quickly to the lounge chair by the window and sat. He turned and when he saw she was still standing in the middle of the room, watching him intently, he finally spoke. “Why are you still standing there? Come here and sit down.’
A big smile broke over her face and she ran to his side without delay. His dark eyes narrowed immediately. ‘Don’t run, please. You look like the cook’s daughter when you do that.’
The small girl stopped her headlong race and walked slowly, worry glinting in her eyes at the thought of further disappointing her father. She sat at the edge of her seat, hands firmly clasped in front of her in a demure fashion.
Saddleworth was about to place a cup of coffee in front of Kirlington when suddenly Charlie jumped from her seat. ‘Can I do that, Sandy?’
After a small nod from the master, he took a step backwards.
‘I’ll be your hostess for today. What can I get you, sir?’ she asked merrily.
‘Coffee. Black.’
He leaned back in his chair and his eyes strayed to the garden. Charlie’s stream of chatter flew over him and when she placed the cup in front of him, he turned towards her. Charlie smiled expectantly and waited with impatience as he lifted the cup towards his lips. He took one sip and exploded, coffee spraying everywhere.
‘What is this?’ he roared. ‘I told you I don’t want anything in my coffee.’
‘But… but,’ the girl plainly cowered, ‘I want you to have something nice and sweet.’
‘I don’t need something nice and sweet. Do you know who we are? We are…’ he stopped suddenly and forced himself to calm down. ‘Saddleworth, take Charlene back to her room.’
The butler’s face was grave as he scooped the weeping girl into his arms and left quietly.
The sudden burst of light startled her out of her memory. Charlie turned to the door and her stiff shoulders relaxed.
Mary walked into the kitchen, a frown on her face. ‘What are you doing in the dark? You’re up very early today.’
‘Yeah,’ she smiled and shrugged.
‘What do you want for breakfast today? Anything particular? You only took a bite from my waffles yesterday.’
‘I wasn’t too hungry yesterday. You know Mary, I have a sudden craving for some good old French toast. Is that okay?’
‘Sure,’ Mary smiled as she reached for her apron. ‘No problem at all.’
‘Can I go down to the stables later?’
‘Yeah. If you need any help, just ask Adam.’
‘Sure. I’ll do that.’ She grinned.
After she was done with her coffee, Charlie turned and went up to her room to get dressed.
-*-
A few weeks later.
A slender girl hopped down from her black bike and took her helmet off. Waves of dark hair cascaded down her back and in the comfort of his air-conditioned office, Peter Briscone gaped at the scene.
God Almighty, that is one fine girl. He rushed outside and pushed aside the girl at the counter with a hurried whisper, ‘Go… go check the stock or something.’
‘What?’
‘Go! I’ll take over.’
She turned and saw what - or who - her boss was drooling over. Of course. They didn’t call him the resident Sniffer for nothing. He’d sniffed a lamp post if it was in skirts and that was the only reason why she was stuck working with him. All the other girls refused the post and since he paid so little for the job, no man wanted to pick it up either.
She glared at her brother and he shooed her again, his eyes never leaving the stunning brunette. ‘Stock, Penny?’
‘Whatever,’ she shrugged and left. She hadn’t taken two steps when the bell jingled, announcing a new customer. From the corner of her eye, Penny saw Pete make a last minute check on his hair before smiling broadly at the girl. She was just heading to the back when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
‘Hi, can I ask you something?’
Penny turned, a bit bewildered but she managed to throw a glance at Pete, who was looking flustered as well. ‘Of course, what can I do to help you?’
‘Yeah, I was wondering if you remember someone…’
‘Hello,’ Pete interrupted, a wide smile was plastered over his face. ‘I’m Peter Briscone, the manager here. Can I help you with something?’
Max waved a hand dismissively, ‘No, thanks. I think,’ her eyes flickered towards the name tag, ‘Penny here can help me.’
‘I doubt that,’ he positively shoved his sister towards the storeroom. ‘Whatever it is, I’m sure I can help you.’
‘Look here, mister. I need to borrow your employee for a bit, if you don’t mind. It’ll just take a minute.’ Max clasped her hand securely on Penny’s arm and steered her further away. ‘One minute.’ She held out a finger after Pete made a move to follow them.
Pete frowned, unable to believe what he was seeing. This didn’t make any sense, none whatsoever. Not unless…
His eyes narrowed speculatively as he eyed the girl. That must be it. It was virtually impossible that she would ignore him completely and made a beeline for Penny. If she was looking to buy something in particular, shouldn’t she ask the friendly manager who just happened to be smiling at the counter? It was the logical thing to do, right?
He shook his head sadly. Too bad, she was one hell of a looker and she’s not straight. Damn. Just his luck.
Pete cleared his throat agitatedly. Both of them seemed to be getting on well. Penny was nodding and making wild gestures with her hand while the girl was smiling, her eyes bright. A few minutes later, the girl grabbed some food and head towards the counter. She paid for her purchases, smiling the whole time.
The suspense was killing him and he went to the storeroom to hunt Penny down. ‘What did she want with you?’
‘It bothers you, doesn’t it?’ she gloated. ‘That she came to me instead of being bowled over by your charm?’
‘No. Now tell me, what did she want?’ His voice raised a couple of octaves on the shrill scale though.
Penny laughed at his desperate look and took pity on him. ‘She’s looking for someone.’
‘She could’ve asked me that,’ he glared.
‘But she’s looking for a guy, you moron. And she did mentioned that girls do tend to notice guys better and me, being the girl that I am, do notice guys, especially if he’s above average in the looks department. And she did say that he’s more than easy on the eyes.’
‘That’s it?’
‘That’s it.’
‘And you’ve seen this guy?’ he asked skeptically.
‘Based on her description, two weeks ago, give or take. There are not a lot of green eyed, light haired hunks dropping in here,’ her eyebrow rose, ‘not like you’d notice if a bunch of them paraded in front of you.’ Penny laughed as she watched her brother walk away dejectedly. Maybe this will ground him to earth for a bit.
Miles away, Max sped on her bike towards the direction that Penny had given. This was one of her more reliable sources and she was getting nearer to him.
Just wait for me, Alec. I’ll found you, wherever you are.
-*-
A sleek car sped along a deserted road. In the backseat, a man was reading the paper. Suddenly, the silence was broken by the shrill sound of his cell phone.
‘Yes?’ He leaned back, a hint of a smile over his thin lips before he straightened in a hurry. ‘A transgenic? So the rumors are true. Now I want to know how that is possible.’
The smile on his lips widened a little. ‘You have a copy of the surveillance tape? That’s even better. Make sure it doesn’t leak out. I don’t want the embarrassment of having to explain why one of our own is dead by the hands of one of those damned creatures. And only one of them, by the look of things. How can one measly transgenic kill our highly trained team? I want all the sordid details It’s hard enough to contain this incident as it is. And start a search for the transgenic, X5494. If Ames wanted him dead, then he will be. I want to finish what he started and I want both of them. 494 and 452. Find them, then I’ll kill them with my own hands. Track both of them. Go to everywhere they’ve been and find them.’
-*-
Present day
It was starting to get dark as he made his way to yet another motel. He surveyed his surroundings, just out of habit as he walked towards his given room.
The dude at the counter had not even lifted his eyes from the WWE Live! that he was watching. He just slipped over a key after he received his payment. It was quite the feat, considering the fact that the whole transaction had occurred while his eyes were glued to his tv set.
Without waiting for the light to flood the room, he strode in and threw his jacket where it landed on the only armchair in the room. He switched on the tv, pumped up the volume to chase away the silence and dropped on the bed. The bedspread felt scratchy against his skin but that was not something he cared about. He had other things to worry about right then.
He closed his eyes and felt the headache that was threatening to surface a few hours ago started to pound with ferocious intensity. Things had not been going well. He was plagued by nightmares during the night and those irritating unfathomable images in his head throughout the day.
He rarely ate nowadays, it was a good thing he was genetically engineered not to depend on food because his main diet nowadays mostly consisted of what was available in bars. He massaged his temple as it felt that it was near the bursting point. He sat suddenly and the unexpected shift made him wince.
Ignoring the thunderous pain, he grabbed his blue towel and headed for the bathroom. The cold water felt good against his burning skin and he was tempted to just stay in the shower all night long. But only a few minutes later, he turned the water off. Less than ten minutes after that, he was out.
-*-
Max took one last gulp of soda and stood, leaving the fast food joint quickly. She stood at the entrance for a while, surveying the surroundings around her. Things here were not that different from Seattle. It was just beginning get dark but the streets were as crowded as ever. Everyone was hunched in their coats as they scurried off to their destinations.
Desperation reeked in every direction but this was hardly surprising as she practically grew up within this very environment. She joined the crowd and walked quickly, putting her hood up. She felt someone’s eyes boring into her and she turned. Her eyes found suspicious gray eyes that bore inquisitively into hers.
Max slipped her hands into her coat and walked on, ignoring the woman. This was the city where everyone stared at each other suspiciously, as in every other sector in the nation. She walked rapidly and scanned the area around her as she did, trying to locate and seek out nightclubs, bars and other forms of night time entertainment premises.
If she knew Alec, he’d drop in on one of those places sooner or later. She had no idea what he was like as 494 but she was betting on his Alec side to surface when he saw the bright neon signboards winking seductively at him. That was one of her better optionsto track him down.
As she made it to her bike, she quickly hopped onto it and her bike roared as she whizzed past the streets.
Max was just about to enter a bar when something caught her attention. She turned towards the source and frowned. Two heavy set men were arguing with a woman. Both of the men were wearing ripped sleeveless tank tops that clung to their muscled torso. One man had a huge tattoo of an eagle spreading its wing on his upper arm. They were both tall, 6’5’’ on a guess and they resembled stout trees on legs.
The woman was visibly quivering as she faced them but whether it was bravery or stupidity, she was holding her ground. ‘I don’t care, it’s not my problem Steven skipped town.’
‘Oh, it is little girl,’ one sneered menacingly. ‘We want our money back and we don’t care who we get it from.’
‘I don’t even know Steven that well,’ she wailed, ‘We were just on one date. One!’
‘Spare me the details. I don’t like them,’ he hissed.
‘If you were stupid enough to lend it to him in the first place, then go and find him then,’ she croaked. ‘Why are you harassing me like this?’
‘Don’t you hear me, lady? We want our money back and since little Steve is not here…’ he approached threateningly.
‘Hey you, dumb and dumber!’ Max called out. Wait a second, did she just quote something from the tv? Alec would be so proud of her. She shook herself hard but she had gotten their attention on the first attempt. ‘Does it make you feel more like a man to pick on a helpless woman?’
The men turned to the frightened woman. ‘Do you know her… or are you two related in any way?’
She shook her head hard, her eyes were wide in her pale face as she almost glued herself into the wall.
‘She don’t know you, you don’t know her. Why are we having this conversation?’ the man with the tattoo growled.
‘I’m just doing this as community service, you know, give something back to society,’ she smiled pleasantly but her eyes were turning into shards of ice.
‘What the hell are you yapping on about?’ They turned to her as the woman shrunk further away.
That’s it… Just a little bit more. Come on, I’m in the mood to bash a few heads anyway. She smiled and waited for them to come to her. Stupid men, how can they be this easy?
When they were a few feet away, they barged, yelling menacingly as they practically flew towards her. Max ducked and planted a nice kick on the tattooed guy’s back and he stumbled a few feet forward, arms flying everywhere.
The other man growled, and Max noticed that he had a few teeth missing. He drew back his hand as he ran, and Max didn’t wait for him to come to her. She jumped forward and with a few well placed punches, he went down with a crash.
‘The bigger they are, the harder they fall,’ she smirked and cracked her fist.
His eyes darted wildly but his ego was bruised that this slip of a girl managed to lay her hands on him and he roared as he rushed towards her. His fist connected firmly against the side of her head and she felt her vision swim.
Damn, she had been distracted.
She grabbed his head and slammed it against the nearest wall. Max felt her tender head and winced as she walked away from the scene. The woman was already gone and Max didn’t feel like running after her to make sure she was safe.
She ran one hand through her tangled hair and entered the noisy club.
-*-
In the alley where she left them, the two men stirred feebly before they climbed to their feet unsteadily. What the hell had happened? That girl looked like she didn’t get enough to eat and yet she managed to beat them to the ground? She must be one hell of a lucky girl to even land herself some punches on them.
They both turned and looked at each other. ‘I think it’s time to gather some reinforcement. A rematch probably?’ Tattoo rasped and his friend nodded. ‘I think Freddy’s in the area.’
They grinned at each other, hiding the fact that their faces and most of their body parts were on fire. One of them took out his cell phone and waited for the call to get through. ‘Hey Freddy, it’s Tony here. Are you busy cuz we could really use your help.’ He nodded and continued, ‘We’re in front of the Queer.’
Tony turned to his friend, ‘He said he’ll be here in five, and he’s bringing along a couple of his buddies too.’
His friend laughed, ‘A couple to Freddy is more like a few dozen. She’ll die, that bitch.’
-*-
Still grumbling under his breath, Max entered the club. She shifted through the throng without much difficulty and headed for the bar. She talked to the barman for a few minutes before she headed outside, sighing as she stepped out of the blaring noise and flashing lights.
However, the barman had mentioned that there was another bar a few miles down the street. ‘Maybe your friend is there,’ he had suggested, balancing a full tray as he held it out to a waiting waitress. ‘The Shack. You can’t miss it, they have a huge replica of a trout outside of it. Seems like the owner had a thing for trout,’ he rolled his eyes, ‘and cherries. There’s a cherry in the trout’s mouth. Trout and cherries, weird combo.’
Nothing in this world could surprise her anymore so she just thanked him. Without wasting any time, she head towards her waiting bike.
-*-
As he strode into the packed place, people unconsciously shifted out of his way. He just ignored everyone else and sat on an empty stool, and automatically ordered his usual. Instantly, he was immersed in his own world. He barely heard his neighbour’s conversation but since they had to shout in order to hear each other over the noise, he did catch a few words here and there.
‘Helen left him, did you hear?’
‘He’s a moron. Have you ever seen Helen?’
‘Helen never really approved of his hobby.’
‘Approve my ass. I’d kick him out too if he spent the whole day fishing and came back home smelling like fish.’
‘Did you see the size of that thing outside?’ she sniggered, ‘Parker would probably drag it off if he could get away with it. Men and their fish, I don’t understand it.’
Her friend laughed, ‘Yeah, but that cherry kinda freaked me out a lil bit.’
He groaned and visibly blocked the rest of the conversation as he drowned his glass. He did not come here to hear, or overhear, other people’s problems. He had enough of that on his own, thank you very much.
The barman refilled his glass and drifted away, and right that very moment, he was feeling unsettled enough that it radiated and no one dared to approach him. The women gave him quivering glances filled with lust but they stayed away, shivering deliciously from the dangerous vibes he was emitting.
At the center of the club, at a table that was at the heart of the room, a group of people sat together, laughing, talking, and drinking together. In the midst of perfectly groomed men and women, one girl stood out from the rest of the pack. Her shiny platinum blond hair was framing her heart-shaped face in loose curls, making her looked like a little doll.
Her big blue eyes with the curly long lashes fluttered seductively as she leaned forward to speak to one of the men. Her makeup was professionally done, enhancing her already gorgeous features, a rarity in this Post-Pulse world.
Even though she resembled a dainty doll, behind it all, she was a woman who knew exactly what she wanted and she’ll do whatever necessary to realize her dreams. Melissa McDermott, or Missy to those close to her, was the epiphany of womanhood to most of the woman in that area. Being the Mayor’s only daughter added an extra layer of gloss to her already smooth package.
However, almost all of the population was in the dark about Mayor McDermott’s other less than legal activities, his involvement with the Family for example. And because of that, Missy had grown up surrounded by henchmen and bodyguards who catered to her every whim. Nothing scared her and those burly men bent head over backwards in order to please her. She never found anything that she cannot have and she never imagined that she ever will.
As she sat there, flirting with one of the guys, her eyes wandered to the door as one man strode nonchalantly towards the bar. Her eyes drank in the chiseled features, beautifully poetic eyes, gorgeous hair, firm body and athletic gait.
Perfect ten.
And Missy knew that whatever it took, she would have him.
Her heart was racing as he made his way across the crowded room. There was something about him that took her breath away. He was gorgeous, yes without a doubt, but somehow, even though they were separated by over twenty feet, she could sense something about him. It was like he was strictly unattainable, physically and emotionally and to Missy, there was nothing more alluring than something you cannot have.
It made the chase much more exciting and interesting and as she drew out her compact to inspect her makeup, she was already contemplating victory. She patted some powder on her nose, applied a bit of her favorite lipstick and stood.
-*-
He signaled for his fifth drink and the barman filled his glass without question. He ran a finger on the rim, where a few drops were clinging to the side of the glass. As he was about to lift the glass to his lips, he felt a light touch on his shoulder. He turned, resentment bubbling at the one who dared to pry him from his drink and he saw a beautifully made blond girl standing by his side. She was more than beautiful, but for some reason, he wasn’t impressed.
She was wearing baby blue halter neck that showed off tanned shoulders that gleamed under the lights. His eyes traveled downwards without interest. Her shapely legs were encased in soft leather pant that hugged her lovingly from the hips down. Her painted red nails peeped from her strappy heels and he faked a yawn. Damn, he did not have time for this.
‘Hi, I’m Missy. Is this your first time here?’ she asked in a bubbly voice, looking very much like an excited teenager.
‘Yeah, and I’m not good with strangers,’ he turned his back on her, giving the glass in front of him his full attention.
As if by magic, or maybe the look she gave the former occupant, the seat next to him was suddenly empty. She sat down, beaming her delight. ‘We won’t be strangers for long, I can promise you that,’ she fluttered her lashes. The action was lost on him as he finished his drink in one go.
‘One more of this, please,’ he called out to the barman who instantly appeared in front of them.
‘Is something wrong? Is that why you’re drinking too much?’ She set her face to be sympathetic and leaned towards him, exposing a good amount of cleavage to his eyes.
He ignored her and drowned the shot. The barman had left the bottle next to his glass and he filled his glass moodily.
‘Come on, baby. You can talk to Missy,’ she crooned, and he turned his eyes on her. She saw the gleaming green eyes and shivered with desire.
‘What can I talk to you about…Missy?’
‘Oh, everything. I’m a very good listener. And it’s better to talk than to drown yourself in a bottle. What’s the fun in getting drunk? Come on baby, let’s hear your problems.’
‘And you think I’m drunk?’
The words, you almost drink the whole bottle nearly leapt to her lips but she saw his alert eyes and knew. He was nowhere near being drunk.
‘Listen lil Missy. I’m not interested in doing anything right now. I’m not interested in talking to anybody right now. I have no interest in flirting with you, kissing you, or sleeping with you. All I want is to finish this drink, is that okay?’
As he was talking, her hand slipped into her purse and when it reappeared, she was clutching something.
‘Okay,’ she smiled agreeably, ‘let me pour you this one.’
Before he could say anything, she poured his drink and two little white pills clinked noiselessly into it, vanishing almost instantly.
‘Yeah, thanks.’
Missy smiled, pleased with herself as she watched the drink disappear within seconds. That pill should work almost immediately; she smiled and moved closer to him.
‘You never did tell me your name.’ She caressed his neck with her fingertips. Leaning her face closer to him, she sighed, much like after a predator who had captured her prey, and he turned to face her. She gasped as she faced his chilling green eyes.
‘It was possibly cute five sentences ago but now it’s getting damn annoying.’
She ignored him and pressed herself even closer to him as she nibbled his lobes. ‘If you’re nice to Missy, she’ll be even nicer to you.’
‘Stop.’
That one word carried the weight of authority even as he barely whispered it. Also, the chilling disgust doused her like freezing water and she leapt back as if she was stung.
Why is he behaving this way? Shouldn’t the pill start working by now? He should be so high, he won’t believe his head.
‘Get out of my sight, right now.’
‘Who do you think you are?’ she glared, giving his shoulder a hard push. ‘You have no idea who I am.’
Her hand didn’t get the opportunity to make contact with his body as he held her fist in a vice-like grip.
‘You have no idea who I am,’ he said slowly and somehow she felt goose bumps breaking out all over her skin.
‘Let go of me,’ she hissed, tugging her hand away.
He pushed her hand away and turned his back on her. Missy felt her blood rushed furiously to her head.
How dare he! She turned her head towards her table and within seconds, six burly men were by her side. They leered at him, clearly thought that they had him outnumbered, whether in number or in muscle. The lean young man didn’t look like he was able to swat a mosquito, let alone fight even one of them.
‘What’s wrong Missy? Is he giving you trouble?’
‘If you did your job and baby-sat her properly, she wouldn’t be giving me any trouble,’ he said flatly before finishing his drink.
That little son of a bitch. They bristled, closing in on him.
‘If you want me to rearrange your face, come on. But, I don’t want you running back to your mummy, crying your eyes out after you see yourself in the mirror.’
The fire in their eyes flashed hotter at the barb-wire remarks. One of them cracked his knuckles noisily. He made a move to grab his collar but his intended victim was quicker. He jumped onto the counter, swiped his foot and smashed the man’s nose with the heel of his black boot and blood sprayed everywhere.
‘Anyone want a dose of that?’ he wiped the blood from his face with the back of his hand.
The remaining five snarled and jumped in. He grabbed one by the neck and slammed the head into another man but one managed to grab hold of him from behind, pinning his hand by his side. Tugging them away was fruitless as his captor’s muscles swelled and rippled in the effort to hold him in his place.
He slammed his hard heel into the man’s knee and used the momentum to flip over the man’s head. He landed on his feet and the fire in the hazel eyes burned even brighter, making the orbs darker… nastier.
They rushed in towards him and he elbowed the one who got to him first before bringing his fist up to make a hard contact with the soon-to-be broken nose. The burly man yelled out in pain and clutched his nose, blood spurting out from between his fingers.
His friends didn’t even spare him a glance as they closed rank, and cornered their prey, their previous pain buried and forgotten. They all had devious grin on their faces, delighted that the fight was ending to their advantage.
Or so they thought.
One of the heavily built men rolled his head slowly, loosening his taut muscles as he gazed at his hazel eyed opponent. He saw the lean build and made the early assumption that he was an easy target.
He had no idea how wrong he was because looks can be very deceiving indeed.
As they all stalked him into a corner, he felt the forgotten excitement sneaking up on him and he could actually feel his x-series part kicking in. It was like when he was 494, and he started thinking as one. And his body remembered it as well.
All this time he was unknowingly and unconsciously pushing his Manticore side away, feeling somewhat ill at ease at choosing one half of himself when he still couldn’t figure out what the other half was, so to speak. He was pretty satisfied in being impartial and neutral in this matter and had pushed both sides away, unseen.
But now, he smiled in satisfaction and readied his muscles for the battle ahead. They won’t survive this, not against a fully functional genetically engineered super soldier who wanted nothing but to create a new piece of art from your body mass.
The men saw a different gleam that lightened their opponent’s eyes but they marched on ahead, unafraid of what they had glimpsed. When they were all a few feet away, two of them charged, fists pulled back as they readied to pound him into a pulp.
He grabbed one fist that had came flying towards him and snapped the hand backwards as the owner of that hand screamed in delirious pain. Without waiting for the others to charge, he dashed towards them, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
To be continued..
Next Chapter.. Ahoy!!