Calder by Allyson James Page A

have. Their husbands spend all their money and hang around like lap dogs.”
    Braden had a swift vision of pale, wimpy highborn men in collars curled up on cushions, whining. He burst out laughing.
    “You’d rather have a Shareem on your leash, would you, sweetie?”
    “I shouldn’t have anyone at all. The only reason I’m interested in Shareem is to make sure they’re treated well at the clinic.” Her eyes widened and she glanced at the digital readout on the wall. “Oh crud, I’m supposed to be at the clinic in ten minutes.”
    She jumped to her feet and rushed to her room for her robes.
    “It’s the middle of the night,” Braden pointed out when she emerged.
    “I have the night shift this week. People get sick around the clock.” She threw on the robes and veil, masking her pretty body and face. “I’ll try not to make too much noise when I come back.”
    Braden got himself out of the chair. “You’re not walking to the clinic by yourself,”
    he said. “This isn’t the safest neighborhood.”
    She gave him a startled look over her veil but didn’t argue.
    They didn’t speak much as they walked the few blocks to the clinic. Braden gave her a tight hug before he left her at the door then made his way back to Judith’s bar.

“Rees,” he sang out as he moved through the crowd. “Just the Shareem I want to see.” He slid into the seat opposite Rees and winked at Talan. “You still good at messing up computers, my friend?”
    Rees gave him a nod. “I keep my hand in.”
    At DNAmo, Rees had driven his creators crazy by futzing computers and frying door locks and surveillance equipment, turning the tables on the researchers who tried to contain and monitor him. Sometimes the researchers would find themselves at his mercy, and didn’t that scare the shit out of them?
    “Calder has a pretty sophisticated system,” Braden said. “I want to break into it.”
    He winked. “I want to do a friend a favor.”
    Rees said nothing, but Talan gave him a big smile. She was beautiful, and Rees was one lucky bastard.
    “Yes,” Talan said. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.” Chapter Nine Katarina yawned, her shift almost over. She started sterilizing and stowing her equipment to be ready for the next medic and the next patient.
    She heard the night receptionist say in panic, “You can’t go in there,” right before the door to the exam room slammed open and Calder stormed inside.
    Katarina masked her gladness to see him. “You know she can call the patrollers and have you arrested.”
    “Tell her not to.”
    He was muffled to his eyeballs as before, the facecloth cutting out everything but his hard blue eyes. No wonder the receptionist sounded terrified.
    Katarina ducked past him. “It’s all right. He’s here for me.”
    The receptionist gave her a startled look. “Are you sure, my lady? The patrollers can be here in a few minutes.”
    Katarina knew there was a button under the receptionist’s desk that rang the patrol station at the end of the block. Because the clinic was open all night and dealt with the lowest of the low, sometimes it was necessary.
    “It’s fine. Don’t worry.” Katarina went back into the exam room, closed the door and glared at Calder. “It is fine, right? What are you doing here?”
    “Whose idea was it? Yours or Braden’s?”
    “Since I don’t know what you’re talking about, I can’t tell you.”
    Her heart beat swiftly, adrenaline mixed with need. She was thrilled that Calder had come to her, angry that he shouted at her, worried about what was wrong.
    Calder’s eyes blazed. “The entire database. Wiped. Clients past and future. Gone.”
    Katarina’s mouth dropped open. “Database?”

“My client database,” Calder said, annunciating every word. “It’s been sabotaged.
    Every name gone, and all the backups conveniently erased.”
    Katarina fought the impulse to smile in joy. “You mean the list of women who like to be pleasured by