Playing A Losing Game
Page 13
Chapter Eighty Three
"I still think you should see a doctor," Bobby said. He and Alexa lay naked on her bed, her head on his shoulder. The rest of their bodies barely touched. He stroked her hair.
"Ouch, careful, there's not much of me that isn't sore." Alexa moved his hand down to her right breast. "There, stay there. That's the only spot that doesn't hurt. I'll be Ok; I'm clean and the splinters are out and I'm covered with antiseptic. I don't need a doctor."
Bobby frowned at the ceiling. "I may need a doctor. Alexa, a month ago I was a mild-mannered computer nerd. This afternoon I killed a man. Shot him with a gun and watched him die. What the hell is happening to me?"
Alexa gently rubbed a scab on her nose. "Circumstances," she said, "you make a choice and that leads to a situation and that leads to another choice, and so on."
"How many more people will I kill? Am I any different from Hellish Helen? She's also making choices and getting into situations." Bobby gently cupped Alexa's breast in his hand. "Does that hurt?"
"No, that feels just fine. Remember, your 'victim' would have blown us both away if you hadn't nailed him first. Helen has been making choices and reacting to situations, but the people she's been snuffing seem to have just gotten in her way." Alexa kissed him on the cheek. "Jesus, even my lips are tender."
"I don't like this 'kill or be killed' action. I want to solve this, finish it, go back to my computers."
"You may not like the action, but you do it damn well. Where'd you learn to shoot like that?" Alexa tried to snuggle against Bobby's shoulder, but discovered that even snuggling hurt.
"I grew up in a small town in the South. Every boy and most girls learned to shoot, and one of my uncles was heavy into guns. He insisted every cousin within miles know how to handle rifles and pistols both." Bobby gently stroked the only spot on Alexa that wasn't sore. "I wasn't very interested, but I wanted to please my uncle. It's paid off in a strange way."
Alexa kissed him again. "Hey, Ranger, thanks for saving my life." She kissed him again.
"You're sure this doesn't hurt?" He circled her nipple with his fingers, felt it harden under his touch.
"C'mere," she murmured, "but when I say 'be gentle', I mean be very gentle."