by Rosko, Mandy
Chapter Four
Dallas’ escape, or rescue, however you looked at it, was hampered by Rita’s capture. He could have left her behind. He could have headed off to his new life, stayed hidden forever, never to see that place of horrors again.
But he wasn’t the kind of man to leave debts unpaid.
He beat down the first wave of guards, then faced another group that was coming from the back of the house. By the time he had them taken care of and circled back to Rita, a new lot had circled her.
He didn’t know how many guards were around, but by the time he was done, he’d either taken them all out or scared them away.
It was only when Rita’s eyes snapped open the following morning that he felt any relief.
She shot up, looking around as though searching for danger.
"You're awake." He couldn’t think of what else to say. Thank God you’re okay seemed over the top for someone he’d just met.
Rita snapped her attention to him. “Where are they?”
“Who? The guards?” Dallas gestured around them. “I took care of them last night.”
Rita sighed and leaned back against the thick pine tree. “Where are we? I can hear water… smell it.” Her words were stilted, and he could understand why. The tranquilizers were still ebbing out of her bloodstream, and she had had quite the fall. As Dallas thought of the infernal needles, Rita reached her injured shoulder. It had not only taken the first dart, but also the brunt of her fall. A small pained noise escaped her.
"Oh God," she groaned. She pulled her hand away, and Dallas saw the blood on her fingers that had soaked through her black shirt and her jacket. She looked at the blood, horrified, and then back to her shoulder.
“Here, let me help you.” He pulled back her jacket and shirt. He had done some patchwork on the wound.
“You bandaged me with leaves?” She croaked.
“I mean, I used it as a compress till it stopped bleeding. Hey, you don’t want to do that.”
“Curious raccoon here, remember?” She said as she peeled back the compress. “I have to look.”
“You landed on the dart, so it jabbed in pretty fucking deep and made the wound wider than it should have been.”
She sighed and pressed the leaves back, holding it there to allow the new blood flow to clot.
"Here, take a drink." He offered her a small red bucket, something that had probably belonged to a child .
She took the plastic pale and stared into it, then looked at him.
"If I wanted you dead, I could have left you to fend for yourself."
Rita nodded. "True enough. But where did you get this water?"
"From the well. We're on a campsite, so it's good water. I didn't get it from the river, but I don't think that's anything you need to worry about either."
"We're on campgrounds?"
"Yeah, but we're not supposed to be. Now that you're awake, drink up so we can get moving."
"I was wondering where you got the clothes," she said between gulps. She poured some of the water into her hand and let the cold trickle over her hot shoulder. He watched her press her lips together, hissing at the pain.
"Does it hurt much?"
"Yeah, I think I should see a doctor."
"You definitely need stitches. I would have taken you, but it’s better to hide and lay low for a while.”
"Yeah, good thinking coming here. How did you get us here? These campgrounds aren’t exactly close to where we came from.”
"You’ve been out a while. I couldn't leave you behind, and this place was wide open, but we need to leave soon. I didn't exactly pay to get us on this spot, and these aren't exactly my clothes." He hooked his fingers into the collar of his new plaid shirt and a white T-Shirt.
She smiled. "You took those from someone?"
"Not because I wanted to. I'm not a thief."
Her smile vanished, and she looked away from him, though he didn’t know why. She seemed insulted, but they didn’t have time for him to figure out what she was thinking. "We need to get up and get going before the campers start waking up and a few people notice they've got some missing laundry. Can you walk at all?"
Rita nodded, pushing herself to her feet. "It's just my shoulder."
"You need help," he said, offering her his hand. Rita nodded. Despite her determination to appear strong, she took his arm and put more weight into it than he thought she would. He was relieved that she did. Not only did he not want to fight her to allow him to help, but he also found he liked touching her.
He’d waited for her to wake up for hours. He knew it was sheer luck that had prevented them from being spotted by a campground official or a camper. Two people without a tent was definitely suspicious.
“I suppose you did save me from the guards. And you could have left me here and taken off. What’s leaning on you just a bit more?”
He wanted to tell her that it was nothing. She’d helped him escape from his prison. He owed her so much – his life, even. Not to mention, there was something more. He felt something for her, and he had to figure out if it was the freedom high, or if the thing he felt toward her was real.
Dallas set the red pail down on the ground, hoping the child he'd taken it from would find it when they woke up.
Then they walked out. Just like that.
"We're going to pretend to be campers taking an early morning stroll if anyone happens to see us? That it?" She asked.
"Yup. Hopefully, no one else sees us."
"Has anyone seen you so far?"
"A few people. I think they were a little nervous to stop and question me, though."
"Right, I guess it would be hard to ask you what you were up to."
"Yeah, can't exactly blend in anymore."
It was the first time she mentioned his appearance, and the first time he’d thought about it since being out. He was so focused on not getting caught for unauthorized camping, that he’d not even thought about how someone might take his metal limb and enhancements. It was weird. He still felt like himself; he still felt like a man – would he ever get used to being more than that? Would he ever automatically remember what the outside world saw when they looked at him?
The shirt he wore covered most of his metal arm but didn’t hide the metal plating on the side of his hand. Nothing would cover the metal that made up a good quarter of his face.
They made their way to the trails. They walked like a couple taking an early morning stroll to remain as inconspicuous as possible.
The only thing missing was the dog. If they had a golden retriever, it would be perfect.
"So, you wanna tell me what brought you to Lilly's house last night?"
"Lilly?"
He looked at her, surprised at her question. "You didn't know whose house that was?"
"I was hired to go in and do a job. Normally I would have information on the owner, but it didn't work out that way."
"You didn't do your research before conducting a rescue mission? Who are your partners?"
"I work alone."
"You work alone? Who does that?"
"The lady who saved your ass did it."
He was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry, it's just unreal that I'm finally out of there. Even if I've got these to show for it." He flexed his metallic fingers.
"Did you have...your hands before? I mean, were you..."
"Normal?"
"I wasn't going to say it like that."
He smiled softly, though it wasn't even close to being a happy smile. "I had all my fingers, all my toes, everything you look for when hiring a security team member."
"So... Lilly cut your arm off? She did this, put all this on you?"
He nodded. "She did."
"And you said you signed up for that?"
"I didn't sign up for her to cut my arm off and take out part of my skull, but I was working for her."
"You worked for her? You were one of those other men, the people in black and the guy who shot me down from the
window?”
"I was." He should have been annoyed by all of the questions, be he liked them, coming from her. She was curious and not ashamed of it. He found that endearing.
"She's willing to turn you - and all of her employees into cyborgs and you all still want to work for her?” "
He shrugged. "Makes it seem extra stupid when you put it like that."
"It is stupid! What the hell were all those guys thinking?"
Dallas pointed to a woman walking a dog coming toward them, indicating that they should keep their voices down. They didn’t want to draw any more attention to themselves than necessary.
Rita lowered her voice to a whisper. "They could all be in that same position you were in. If this woman is that rich and powerful, she could do to them—"
"Exactly what she did to me. I know that, and they know that. It’s why they still work for her. They don't want to be in my position."
"So, they're trapped, too?"
"In a way," Dallas admitted. "I worked for her long after I knew it wasn't the right thing to do. People just get trapped."
"How? If you're free to leave, why wouldn't you do it?"
He shrugged. "The pay is half the battle. Some people have kids to feed. Others have massive debts they need paid off. Lilly paid all of us very well for what we did for her. That money would stop coming if we walked away, and the ones that did were never able to work in their field again."
He looked at her again. "The threat of not being able to work again, even for a shitty pay, is just as detrimental as the worry about having food on the table for your kids."
"I know, I just... if it was that bad..."
"A frog in slowly boiling water will sit still until he boils to death," Dallas said. "Put that same frog in an already boiling pot, and he'll jump out immediately."
"You're saying your old friends back there are boiling frogs?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
"You didn't have to kill any of them, did you?"
"No," he shook his head but didn’t smile. "Broke enough arms that they're not going to be working for a while."
"It's better than being dead."
"They won't think so when they can't pay for their kid's piano lessons or whatever. They were still my friends. They didn't want to come at me or keep me there any more than I wanted to throw them around like that. I didn't know I could until I tried it."
They were getting closer to the edge of the campground now. The bike trails were in sight, and just over the fence was likely where the edge of the land reached. More people were coming in sight. A few bikers. A jogger with his iPod strapped to his arm ran by, and his double-take when spotting Dallas’ face was overtly obvious. If too many people happened to see them, they were definitely going to draw attention to themselves.
"Where will you go after this? Is Gerri taking you in?"
He looked at her. "Gerri?" The name didn’t ring any bells to him. He couldn’t remember if he’d ever know a Gerri.
"Gerri, you know?" Rita looked around, and when she saw no one was in listening range, she added, "she's the one who paid me to get you out of there."
Dallas shook his head. "I've never heard of anyone named Gerri. I have no idea what you're talking about."
Chapter Five
Rita was confused.
He didn’t know who Gerri was?
This man, robot, cyborg guy had the chance to escape but had chosen to save her from shooters, bandaged up her wound, and sit vigil by her side until she regained consciousness. She thought that he’d probably done it because he needed her to take him to Gerri, but now he was saying that wasn’t the case.
Which complicated her feelings even more. She was trying not to let herself feel some kind of hero worship toward him, but it was hard. He’d saved her, and he had the good looks of a movie star. Square jaw, bright green eyes, thick eyelashes, and a muscle definition that would make the ocean king envious.
The metal on his face and arm didn’t bother her. It certainly hadn’t put a damper on their brief make-out session the night before. Rita felt herself flush, remembering how eagerly she’d returned his kiss, and how close they’d actually come to going all the way.
She wasn’t normally like that. She wasn’t a prude, but generally, she liked to have dinner and a conversation before things got physical. She also generally liked to be in a bed of some sort, or maybe a public restroom – but never a house she was in the middle of robbing!
It had to just be the rush of the job, she tried to convince herself. The intense feelings from the night before were still there, though. It wasn’t like her to let her guard down so easily. Just because she was an amazing raccoon shifter who could scratch the eyes out of anybody who tried to restrain her, did not mean she was all-powerful. This had been proven the night before, as she had been unable to get herself out of that particular pickle.
Why had she let this guy distract her?
And how was she going to explain that she wasn’t some kind of rescuer, but a simple thief sent to his location? Most people didn't look too kindly on those with her career choice, even if she was only doing it to the people who deserved it. Best to keep that from him for now. He'd brought her this far, and she didn't want to take the risk that he leave her behind when she still needed some help getting out of there.
Plus, her theory that the note had been sent to her from someone other than Gerri held water. The proof was clear; Dallas didn’t know who Gerri was. She’d have to figure it out and might need him to help her with that too.
They got out of the campgrounds. No one stopped them. No other early rising campers and no campground worker either. When they got to the highway, they stopped.
“I doubt anyone is going to give us a ride…” she stared.
“We both sort of look like something out of a horror movie.” Rita wanted to object, but then remembered her torn and bloody clothes.
They had only held out their thumbs for five minutes before they were proven wrong. Rita hadn’t even needed to show extra skin. A trucker pulled to the side of the road for them.
As they got into the cab, the driver looked at them, keeping his eyes on Dallas for a few extra seconds before shrugging. “I’ll take y’all down to the next gas station, a’ight?”
"That's perfect, thank you," Rita said.
Her trusty faux-raccoon fur backpack had stayed with her through it all, and she checked it to make sure she still had her little stash of money. Her phone, long dead, wouldn’t be much help, but payphones were still a thing. Or so she hoped. She just needed to get to a phone and get a taxi back home. Then she could finally call Gerri to ask what the hell was going on.
They were dropped off as promised. Rita was dying to use the toilet, wash her hands and face, and feel something a little closer to human. She checked out her wound in the bathroom mirror.
Yeah, she definitely needed to get a shot for that. It was going to get infected if she didn't do something about it.
She was able to buy some painkillers with the cash she had on hand, but those tiny little packets only contained two pills each. They weren't going to last her long.
She'd be lucky if they did anything at all. Shifter genes made substances less effective to her kind.
She asked for some coins for the payphone and got a look from the cashier. “Battery’s dead.” She held up her cell as proof, and he shrugged, handing her quarters in exchange for her five.
First, she called for a cab. The fifteen minute wait time didn’t surprise her, but it did give her plenty of time to call Gerry. Rita was burning to know what the hell she'd gotten herself into.
She pulled out Gerri’s business card and dialed the number. It took a solid thirty seconds before the woman finally picked up her phone. Rita had been worried she’d be sent to voicemail and have to call her back.
“Hi sweetie, how did the heist go?” Gerri’s voice was so chipper that Rita had to cool herself. Clearly, Gerri had sent her to the hous
e. She knew about the heist, but shouldn’t she have been more concerned about Rita’s well-being?
“How did you know it was me calling you? And can you help me to understand what’s going on?” She made sure to word herself carefully. Shouting what the hell is going on? wasn’t respectful, and no matter what trials Gerri might put her through, the community wouldn’t allow the older woman to be disrespected in any way. Rita was just a little raccoon shifter with no pack, after all. She didn’t get to mouth off and get away with it.
“Why wouldn’t I know it would be you? I’ve only been waiting for you to call all night.”
Rita didn’t think that made it so obvious, but she was going to go with it.
For now.
Rita turned away from the clerk. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been wrapped up with a phone cord, but she didn’t want to even look at the guy while talking to Gerri.
Speaking low, she asked, “What did you send me into? There was a guy waiting for me.”
“Yes?” Gerri asked it as though she were waiting for follow-up details.
Rita was sure she was going to lose her careful patience soon. “So what was I supposed to see?”
What did you want me to take? Was the question she really wanted to ask.
“Exactly that. He’s a cutie, isn’t he?”
Rita couldn’t believe it.
“You sent me there to… to pick up a guy?” She glanced over her shoulder.
The guy behind the counter had his nose stuck in his phone, scrolling in the usual way that social media addicts did. Even so, just because it didn’t look like he was paying attention, didn’t mean that he wasn’t.
“Not to pick him up. Of course, I’m the last person in the world to judge if you did want to have a nice pick me up.”
Rita rubbed her eyes.
“I sent you there to rescue him.”
Rita had to cover the speaker of the phone, whispering into it. “You didn’t tell me I was going there to get a person. I might have prepared a little more if I had.”
“I wanted to keep the surprise,” she said, all innocent like.
There didn’t seem to be anything so innocent about this. “He’s never even heard of you. I thought you only kept… certain people on your list.”
