travel up and down his body and took in the blood on his pants. “Looks like you’ve been up to some fun stuff.”
“A little bit.” Torrent gave Vector his own surveying glance. “Why are you in a Whistlemax? And dressed like that?”
“I was bored. And they came too damned close. So I took them. Easy pickings. They aren’t really trained, you know. Not like soldiers.” Vector shrugged. “Control was good with it. Agreed with me that it would come in handy.”
“You have no idea.” Without telling Vector the details that involved Alyssa, Torrent told him that a civilian had been hurt and needed medical care. “So I thought I could bring him back, maybe have Torch take a look at him. Get the round out. Then we can proceed forward with the mission.”
“You’re not… we aren’t supposed to be seen. No one is supposed to know about us. Was he helping you?”
More like I was helping him. “You could say that, more or less.”
“Control’s not going to be happy about this.”
He’ll be even unhappier if he finds out what I’ve been up to and the things going through my head. “I’ll take the heat. Doesn’t seem right to walk away with him hurt like this.”
“And the package?”
“It’ll all work out.”
“Yeah, well, don’t look now, but we have company.”
Torrent turned around to see what Vector was pointing at. He frowned. “What the hell?”
Alyssa. Barely hidden behind a corner. A defiant look on her face. Dark shadows were a testimony to her sleeplessness.
She stormed toward them. “Who is this?”
“Alyssa, this is Vector. Vector, Alyssa.”
“Is he one like you?”
“You told her?” Vector wore a stunned look.
“No. Of course not. I was injured, shut down to R-H. She saw.” Torrent sighed. “I’ll take her back. I can’t return though, not with the—package—boy.”
Alyssa’s head snapped in his direction, her eyes shut to a squint.
Vector’s narrowed, too. He studied Torrent intently for what seemed like a long time. Finally, “You want me to lie?”
I wish I could ask you to do that. “No.” Torrent shook his head. “Don’t get involved. And I wouldn’t ask you to do that anyway.”
“But I would.” Vector put a hand on his shoulder. “For you. I would.”
“I know you would, but I have a solution.”
“Your family. If you don’t come back, then they don’t get any money.”
Torrent repeated himself. “I have a solution.”
Vector took his knife out of its sheath on his belt and began turning it over and over in his hand.
Alyssa’s eyes widened. “What?”
Vector ignored her. “There’s only one way—no. I won’t let you do that.”
“What?” Alyssa repeated.
Torrent took her hand. “Let’s go.”
----
“ N o .” Alyssa yanked her hand away from his grasp. She didn’t like the look in his eyes. It scared her, though she wasn’t afraid of him. “What are you going to do?”
Vector looked at both of them, his jawline hard. “If he’s dead, then there’s no issue. The package can stay, and his family gets the money.”
“Package?” Alyssa looked at Torrent. “What’s he talking about? What package?”
“So she knows about you, me, us… but she doesn’t know about the package?”
“She doesn’t know about us.” Torrent wished Vector would shut the hell up. “She just knows about me. No details.”
“I want details. Now.” Alyssa crossed her arms over her luscious chest, her full lips drawn into a formidable line that brooked no argument.
“And what is it that Vector’s saying you’re going to do? What’s this solution?” She looked from one guy to the other. “What kind of names are Vector and Torrent, anyway?”
Vector cleared his throat and waited. He cleared it again. “It looks to me like Torrent plans to end up dead. That way he doesn’t have to make any hard decisions.”
Torrent cocked his arm and before Alyssa could blink, he’d popped Vector in the jaw. Vector rubbed the sore area,
“A little bit.” Torrent gave Vector his own surveying glance. “Why are you in a Whistlemax? And dressed like that?”
“I was bored. And they came too damned close. So I took them. Easy pickings. They aren’t really trained, you know. Not like soldiers.” Vector shrugged. “Control was good with it. Agreed with me that it would come in handy.”
“You have no idea.” Without telling Vector the details that involved Alyssa, Torrent told him that a civilian had been hurt and needed medical care. “So I thought I could bring him back, maybe have Torch take a look at him. Get the round out. Then we can proceed forward with the mission.”
“You’re not… we aren’t supposed to be seen. No one is supposed to know about us. Was he helping you?”
More like I was helping him. “You could say that, more or less.”
“Control’s not going to be happy about this.”
He’ll be even unhappier if he finds out what I’ve been up to and the things going through my head. “I’ll take the heat. Doesn’t seem right to walk away with him hurt like this.”
“And the package?”
“It’ll all work out.”
“Yeah, well, don’t look now, but we have company.”
Torrent turned around to see what Vector was pointing at. He frowned. “What the hell?”
Alyssa. Barely hidden behind a corner. A defiant look on her face. Dark shadows were a testimony to her sleeplessness.
She stormed toward them. “Who is this?”
“Alyssa, this is Vector. Vector, Alyssa.”
“Is he one like you?”
“You told her?” Vector wore a stunned look.
“No. Of course not. I was injured, shut down to R-H. She saw.” Torrent sighed. “I’ll take her back. I can’t return though, not with the—package—boy.”
Alyssa’s head snapped in his direction, her eyes shut to a squint.
Vector’s narrowed, too. He studied Torrent intently for what seemed like a long time. Finally, “You want me to lie?”
I wish I could ask you to do that. “No.” Torrent shook his head. “Don’t get involved. And I wouldn’t ask you to do that anyway.”
“But I would.” Vector put a hand on his shoulder. “For you. I would.”
“I know you would, but I have a solution.”
“Your family. If you don’t come back, then they don’t get any money.”
Torrent repeated himself. “I have a solution.”
Vector took his knife out of its sheath on his belt and began turning it over and over in his hand.
Alyssa’s eyes widened. “What?”
Vector ignored her. “There’s only one way—no. I won’t let you do that.”
“What?” Alyssa repeated.
Torrent took her hand. “Let’s go.”
----
“ N o .” Alyssa yanked her hand away from his grasp. She didn’t like the look in his eyes. It scared her, though she wasn’t afraid of him. “What are you going to do?”
Vector looked at both of them, his jawline hard. “If he’s dead, then there’s no issue. The package can stay, and his family gets the money.”
“Package?” Alyssa looked at Torrent. “What’s he talking about? What package?”
“So she knows about you, me, us… but she doesn’t know about the package?”
“She doesn’t know about us.” Torrent wished Vector would shut the hell up. “She just knows about me. No details.”
“I want details. Now.” Alyssa crossed her arms over her luscious chest, her full lips drawn into a formidable line that brooked no argument.
“And what is it that Vector’s saying you’re going to do? What’s this solution?” She looked from one guy to the other. “What kind of names are Vector and Torrent, anyway?”
Vector cleared his throat and waited. He cleared it again. “It looks to me like Torrent plans to end up dead. That way he doesn’t have to make any hard decisions.”
Torrent cocked his arm and before Alyssa could blink, he’d popped Vector in the jaw. Vector rubbed the sore area,
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