by Christy,Dena
Miranda wanted to say yes, but she and Synn needed somewhere to stay tonight, and to do that they needed at least some cash. They also needed to start the process of buying him some ID.
“I will agree if you can give me a small advance in chips today.” She took another sweeping glance around the store. “And a few items from around your store. Also my friend here is in need of a citizen card. I was told that you might be able to help us with that.”
“You have a bargain,” he said, his gold tooth flashing as he stuck out his hand. She took it for a moment and shook it. He closed the earring box and tucked it away. “I will get those chips while you look around. Help yourself to anything you like. When I come back I’ll take your friend’s photo for his ID. I will take the cost of the ID out of the cash you get for the jewelry.”
He turned and disappeared into the back. Miranda looked up at Synn as she blew out a sigh of relief. Vinnie hadn’t even blinked at getting fake ID for Synn, and they would now have funds.
A brief flash of sadness went through her. They were clearing the obstacles that prevented him from striking out on his own, and he would soon have the resources to be able to leave.
“For a moment there I thought he would not deal with us. Let’s look around and see if we can find anything we’ll need here. We can’t take too long, since we should get something to eat and we still need to find a place to stay for the night.”
Miranda poked around the store, looking for some clothing that would help her blend in better than her current clothes did. There wasn’t much to choose from in her size, and perhaps someone forced to sell their clothing would not be as well fed as she. She found a sweater that should fit and a stretchy pair of synthetic cotton pants. She glanced up to see how Synn was doing, and saw that he had found a change of clothes, and he was now speaking with the proprietor as he stood up by the counter.
Vinnie pulled out a portable white screen and quickly took Synn’s picture. When he was finished, he put the screen away and Synn looked over at Miranda, with a tentative smile on his face. She went over to the counter with the meagre amount of clothing she’d found.
“Is there anything else you’d like from the store?” Vinnie said as she looked at the tiny pile of items on the counter.
“Would you have a device that could charge a communication tablet?” Synn asked, and Miranda was glad that he’d thought of it, because she hadn’t. The burner would need to be charged if it was going to be of any use to them.
“I have an older model, and it won’t work with the newest models that have come out recently, but it should work with an older tablet.” Vinnie came around the counter and headed for a table that held different electronic devices. He rummaged through the pile. How could anyone other than him find anything in here? He must have a system known only to him. She supposed that if Collette had recommended him, his main business was converting jewelry into chips and providing fake ID. Perhaps the pawnshop wasn’t where he made his money.
He came back with a flat charger panel and set it on top of their other items.
“The good thing about this one, is that it has a small solar panel, so you don’t need to plug it into an outlet to get it to work. Very handy if you are out and about in the world.” He pulled out a large paper bag with handles and put their items inside it. “Is there anything else you need?”
“We would like the name of an inexpensive, discreet hotel if you have it.” Hopefully Vinnie would catch her meaning that they needed a place they could go that would take chips and not require identification. “And if you have transportation tokens, we’ll take some of those too.”
“I have some,” he said as he turned and walked into the back room for a moment. He came back with about a dozen transport tokens, and he handed them to Miranda. He reached for a pile of paper bills, the “chips” they’d asked for. At one time, when the planet was first being settled, currency was in the form of round disks, and while they’d progressed to paper money, the original name for them stuck. “I can give you three hundred now, and we will settle up the rest tomorrow. I should have your money and ID by noon.”
He counted out the currency in front of them and handed over to her. She tucked the cash away in the zippered side pocket of her purse. Vinnie pulled a sheet of paper toward him and wrote information on top of it and slid it over the top of the counter toward her. She looked down at it and saw that he’d written the name and address of a hotel.
“They aren’t fancy, but they keep the place clean and they don’t ask unnecessary questions. Tell them you want the Honeymoon Special and they won’t ask for ID.”
“Thank you so much for all your help.” Miranda hitched her purse up on her shoulder. She reached for the paper bag and pulled it off the counter. Synn took it from her and she smiled gratefully up at him. “We will see you tomorrow.”
“I look forward to it,” Vinnie said as he inclined his head at her.
She and Synn turned and walked out of the shop. She took a moment to pull out the burner tablet and put the address of the hotel Vinnie had recommended. It was several blocks away, but they should have enough time to get something to eat and get settled in a room before nightfall.
“Let’s go.” She turned and walked toward the hotel. The last thing she wanted to do was walk more, but it was imperative that they find a place to stay. There was no way she wanted to be caught on the streets after curfew.
Chapter Sixteen
Dr. Avery slammed his car door shut and stomped up the steps of his small house, which stood at the fringes of one of Leemore Stations less affluent neighborhoods. It wasn’t the best neighborhood, and not where he wanted to be, but it was better than the slum he’d been raised in. It had taken him close to a decade of scrimping, saving and working all hours possible to be able to save enough to purchase the house, and it still hadn’t afforded him anything bigger then a postage stamp. But, he thought as he glanced down the sidewalk, at least the prostitutes here were more discreet. There were a couple that stood talking, and one had shiny red hair that from a distance reminded him of Miranda. The thought of Miranda had anger bubbling up inside him again, and he let himself in and put his tablet and his pistol on the small table by the door and walked into the kitchen.
The kitchen was as small as the rest of the house. It was fortunate that he cooked little because there was barely enough room to turn around in here. He opened the cupboard closest to him. A bottle of whiskey sat there, calling to him. He pulled it down and cracked the top. The smell of the alcohol hit him, and the desire to tip the entire contents down his throat was very strong.
His comm panel chimed in his living room and he took a swig from the bottle, welcoming the burn of alcohol as it made his way to his gut.
He left the kitchen and walked into the living room. Fortunately, when he’d bought the house, he’d upgraded it to be more modern, and he’d had a comm panel installed on the wall of the living room. It was also an entertainment unit, which he usually passed out in front of during the few hours that he was at home.
“Answer,” he said as he took another swig of the bottle. The number on the screen was Commander Clancy, and the only reason he answered it was because there might be a possibility that Clancy had found the alien and Miranda. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to this asshole again.
Commander Clancy’s stern face filled the screen, and Dr. Avery could see that he still wore casual clothes, although he looked more disheveled then he had this morning.
“Have you found her?” Dr. Avery asked before Commander Clancy could say anything.
“Not yet. I have put the word out with a few of my more discreet soldiers, to be on the look out for Miranda and the alien. I’ve given them her picture and told them to focus on areas where there are pawn brokers. I put a flag on her citizen card, but she hasn’t used it. She needs to get money somehow.”
Dr. Avery set the bottle aside and reached for the pen and paper that rested on the table in front of
his sofa.
“Give me a list of the locations they will go to, and I will hunt tomorrow too.”
“No,” Commander Clancy said in the stern tone of a man who was used to being obeyed. Dr. Avery looked up at him, as a feeling of incredulity swept over him. Why had he called him if he was going to exclude him from the hunt for Miranda?
“And what am I supposed to do?” His tone bordered on insolent and he couldn't make himself care. He needed to find her, and how dare Clancy try to keep him from that.
“First thing Monday morning you are to turn in your military ID, and clear out your desk,” Commander Clancy said.
“Why would I want to do that?” Dr. Avery grabbed the bottle on the table and took another swig of the whiskey. He saw the curl of Commander Clancy’s lip and ignored it. He was in his own home, and what he did with his leisure time was his own business.
“Because you are fired. All your clearances will be revoked, and once you get your shit, you will leave the lab and never darken its door again. You may have been a brilliant man once, and if you had contented yourself with that, you could have had a brilliant career. Instead you let a piece of tail distract you and look what’s happened? You’ve become a joke in your own lab, and I can’t have that. I will handle finding the woman and the alien, but you’re done.”
Dr. Avery took another swig of the alcohol and only listened with half an ear. How dare he fire him? Didn’t he know that lab was nothing without him? This was just Clancy’s way of showing he had the bigger cock. Once his bluster was over, he’d come crawling and beg him to come back. There was no one else at the lab who could run it better than him. Dr. Avery smothered his smile as he brought the bottle to his lips again.
“Are you fucking listening? You’re fired and will never work for the military again. For god’s sake, get your fucking shit together.”
Dr. Avery gave him a mock salute. Commander Clancy shook his head in disgust and his image went out, ending the call.
His hand tightened on the liquor bottle. While he told himself that Clancy would want him back eventually, it didn’t ring as true in his head as he wanted it to. And now he couldn’t be involved in finding Miranda.
The anger that had been churning inside him since he’d woken in the lab and discovered what Miranda had done bubbled up inside him and he let out a roar of frustration. He drew his hand back and flung the liquor bottle at his comm panel, shattering it. The pungent smell of alcohol flooded the room, and he cursed the day he’d first seen her and wanted her for more than her pedigree.
It was all her fault. Everything that had happened to him was her fault, all of it. The way she’d smiled at him when he’d first seen her, making him believe that he had a chance with her. She’d done it deliberately, and she’d turned up the heat when she worked in her tight clothes, sashaying around with her big tits and swinging ass. What man could resist thinking he had a chance with a practiced whore like her? He’d seen how she practically rubbed her tits in Carl’s face when she wanted back into the lab.
He needed to be smart about this. She’d fucking pay for everything, for freeing the alien, for making him a laughingstock at the lab and for ruining his career. But he needed to be smarter than he had been so far. He’d underestimated her, but not any more. There had to be a way to get to her, and he’d find it, and since he didn’t have a job now, he could devote every moment of his life to finding her. And God help her when he did.
* * *
Miranda looked at their destination, and couldn’t muster any response to the sad exterior of the hotel Vinnie had recommended. It was definitely not the type of establishment she would frequent under normal circumstances. She was as far from her normal circumstances as she could get.
“It looks like this is it.” She looked up at Synn. He didn’t seem as affected by their all-day hike as she was.
“We’ll rest as soon as we get settled.” Her exhaustion must show in every line of her body. At least they’d found a cheap place to eat, so she didn’t have to contend with an empty belly. Just a tired body.
They walked into the hotel, and Vinnie had been correct about one thing. It was clean. It didn’t look particularly busy, and she didn’t suppose that it was a tourist magnet. Which worked out in their favor, and she walked up to the front desk and smiled at the young woman behind the counter.
“We’d like to get a room please and we’d like the Honeymoon Special.” She took her purse off her shoulder and put it on the counter. Nerves churned in Miranda’s stomach when she’d said the code phrase for letting the clerk know not to ask for ID, but the girl didn’t blink an eye when she shoved the computer keyboard away and rummaged in a drawer for a slip of paper.
“The government requires paperwork on all guests, so you’ll just need to fill out this registration card.” The young woman put the card on the countertop and slid it toward Miranda. “How long would you like the room for?”
They needed a base of operations while Synn looked for his friends, and while there was a risk in staying in one place, she didn’t want to waste time every day trying to find another place to stay.
“What would you charge for a week?” Miranda asked as she wrote a fake name on the top of the card she’d been given. She supposed it was the hotel’s way of appeasing the government, while offering discretion for some of their clientele. Miranda hoped she had enough cash on her to cover a week’s stay.
“It’s usually one hundred and fifty chips for a week’s stay, but since you are a honeymooner, it will be two hundred. I’m sure you can understand why. It must be paid in advance.” The woman took the card that Miranda had filled out without looking at it, tucking it into a small file box.
Miranda reached into her purse and took out the required number of bills and handed them over. In exchange the girl gave her a flat key card in a small paper sleeve, with 208 written on the front.
“To get to your room, go up the stairs and head down the hall to the right. Your room is at the end. Please enjoy your stay here, and if there is anything else you require please let us know.” The young woman’s words came out with the practiced ease of someone who said them all the time and didn’t care if she sounded sincere anymore.
Miranda thanked her as she and Synn turned away and headed up the stairs. The numbers 208 on the front of their door looked better than anything Miranda had ever seen, and all she wanted to do was get into the room, get out of her clothes and stand in a shower for two days. She slid the key card into the slot in the door handle and it beeped and the red light turned green. She opened the door to their room and walked inside.
“Lights.” Nothing happened. The room stayed dark.
This hotel kept things old school if the lights weren’t voice activated. Synn held the door to the room open slightly and the light spilling in from the hall showed her the switch to turn on the lights. She pressed the top button, and the lights came on in the room. How inconvenient to have to turn the lights on when you came into a room.
There was a queen sized bed in the middle of the room, and Miranda put her purse down and went over to it and sat down. She was so tired that all she wanted to do was shower and bed. She looked over at Synn who was pulling back the curtain to look out the window and the muscles in the back of his arm bunched and flexed with his movements. Maybe she wouldn’t go right to sleep right away. There might still be a little life left inside her. She knew she would have to say goodbye to him eventually, but it wasn’t tonight.
“This place looks secure enough.” He turned back to face her. She stared in his eyes, and he walked over to her, put his hands on either side of her face and kissed her. His kiss was deep, thorough and over much too soon for Miranda’s liking. “I’ve wanted to do that to you all day.”
“You know what I’ve been wanting to do all day?” she asked as she shoved him back and stood. Heat flared in his eyes, and the corner of his mouth kicked up as if he was guessing what she’d been longing for.
“What ha
ve you been wanting all day?” He took a step closer to her, his voice going down an octave.
“A shower.” She took him by the hand and led him into the bathroom. She turned on the lights, and although the shower was smaller than the one she had at home, they should both be able to fit inside.
She turned to him and pulled her shirt over her head and watched his pupils dilate when he took in the sight of her breasts swelling within the confines of her bra. He pulled his shirt over his head, and she didn’t think she would ever get used to the hard muscular beauty of his chest and abdomen. She reached behind her, undoing her bra as he watched her every move.
The bra slid down her arms and she reached up to cup her breast and he took a step closer as he reached for the buckle of his belt. She turned around and hooked her thumbs in the waist band of her pants, and pushed them down, making certain to wiggle her ass a little. She heard the clank of his belt buckle hitting the floor and she glanced at him over her shoulder to see he’d was nude behind her and impressively aroused. She turned back around and slowly took off her underwear like she’d spent years stripping professionally. An aroused flush crept up his cheeks as he moved toward her but she wasn’t done teasing him.
“Come on baby.” She turned to the shower, opening the glass door and turning on the water with a press of a button. The shower was like hers at home, and the water came sprinkling down from the entire ceiling. Unlike hers, the water temperature had to be adjusted manually rather then by voice command. As she turned the dials to adjust the water temperature, his hand slid around her waist and his broad palm rested on her stomach. He took a step closer and she could feel the hard shaft of his cock lightly touching her ass. She pressed her hips back and ground her ass against him and grinned when she heard his swiftly indrawn breath in her ear.
She walked into the shower and turned around, tilting her head back as the water cascaded down on her. He got into the shower behind her, and she turned around, pressing her wet flesh against his. She drew his head down to meet hers, and she kissed him, holding nothing back. Her tongue tangled with his and she could feel his arousal pressed against the soft flesh of her belly.
