Freaks in the City (29 page)

Marissa bit her lips and nodded.

“Good.” Jay stroked the hair back from
Marissa’s face and smiled at her. This was one of those times when
too much information would be a bad thing so she opted for
simplicity over details. “You know I can detect the baby’s
heartbeat, right?” She waited for Marissa’s nod. “It’s within
normal parameters, meaning it has a healthy nervous system and
heart. You’re doing great. Now let’s see whether Tyler and Caro
will have a baby brother or a baby sister, and then we’ll get you
both to the hospital.”

~~~

Jay plumped Marissa’s pillows and resettled
the baby—a boy—into the crook of his mother’s arm. Marissa smiled
tiredly at her. “Thank you, Jay. I-I couldn’t have done this
without you. I—”

“I know. And it was my privilege and my
pleasure to help deliver your baby.” Jay meant every word.

Marissa yawned. Her eyelids drifted
closed.

Jay waited until she was asleep before she
reached out to stroke the little one’s downy cheek. She held her
breath as his lashes fluttered. She knew it was terribly clichéd
but when she had eased him from the safe, warm haven of his
mother’s womb and he’d howled his displeasure, she felt like she’d
witnessed a miracle. One she would never participate in herself,
which made it all the more poignant. She was an artificially
created scientific marvel, a superhuman creature designed to be
superior to a human in every way… except she would never hold a
child born of her own body in her arms. It shocked her how badly
that realization hurt at this moment.

The grumble of a car engine intruded and Jay
darted to the window. She glanced out in time to see Tyler climbing
out of a taxi.

She opened the bedroom window. “Tell the
taxi driver to wait!” she called down to him. “It’s Tyler,” she
said to Marissa, who’d made a muffled protest at being woken. “I’ll
be right back.”

She took the stairs in a bound. Whoever had
sabotaged the land-line and blocked the cell phone signals was
still out there. Tyler could be at risk, though he seemed an
unlikely target considering whoever was behind this had left him
alone both at the hospital and during the taxi ride. The only
person who’d been put at risk so far had been Marissa—indirectly by
means of disabled phones and whatever damage had been done to Jay’s
SUV.

This entire situation was strange,
illogical. Jay would even go so far as to say she was worried.

She intercepted Tyler at the passenger door
of the taxi, and spoke to the driver. “Would you be able to wait,
please? The woman inside has just had a baby, and we’ll need you to
take her to the hospital.”

The driver, an older man, gulped and nodded.
“Are they both all right, Miss?”

“They’re both doing just fine. Apparently my
midwifery skills are better than I imagined.”

Both Tyler and the driver puffed out
relieved sighs. “Let me know if you need any help,” the driver
said. “I’ll sit right here and wait for y’all.”

“Thank you.” She turned to Tyler and hustled
him into the house. “Your mom’s doing well. Your little brother,
too. But someone disabled the land-line and blocked the cell phone
signal so Marissa couldn’t ring for a taxi or ambulance. And my SUV
wouldn’t start. By the time I’d either fixed it or gotten hold of
another vehicle, it would have been too late to get her anywhere,
so I opted to sit tight.”

Tyler blanched. “Who—?”

She threw up a hand to cut him off. “The
important thing right now is to get your mom and the baby to
hospital. Don’t you agree?”

He searched her face for a few seconds and
then nodded tersely. “Agreed. Where are they?”

“Master bedroom.”

She followed him up the stairs. A pity that
such a joyous occasion had been overshadowed by the specter of
someone with a hidden agenda. She had been looking forward to
witnessing the wonder on Tyler’s face as he looked at his new baby
brother for the first time. Now that wonder would be tainted by
anxiety. She ground her teeth. Whoever was ultimately
responsible—whether Sixer or some other new player—would pay for
putting Marissa through hell and ruining this special moment.

Tyler’s murmur snatched her full attention.
“Hey Jay. Did you put the baby in the nursery so Mom could get some
rest?”

Her gaze shot to Marissa’s empty arms. She
inhaled, nostrils flaring as she strode to the bedside. She inhaled
again, taking the scent deep into her lungs as she leaned over
Marissa to peel back her eyelids.

“What’s wrong?” Tyler whispered, still
keeping his voice low so as not to wake his mother.

Jay shook her head, rising fury robbing her
of speech. Marissa had been drugged. The baby had been taken. And
all that had been left was a faint odor that was becoming all too
familiar… coming from an envelope that had been tucked beneath
Marissa’s pillow so only a corner peeked out.

She snatched it up. It was addressed to
Cyborg Gamma-Dash-One.

~~~

Jay sent the taxi away, tipping the driver
generously and telling him she’d just found out an ambulance was en
route. She checked her cell phone and discovered she had a signal.
Not unexpected. There was little reason to continue disabling the
phone lines now Sixer had what he wanted. She would have done the
same… if she’d been the sort of monster who would kidnap a newborn
for leverage.

She called Michael’s cell phone but he
wasn’t answering. Likely he was in the air. She left a message
telling him to come directly home and not to the hospital. So that
he wouldn’t be too frantic, she told him that Marissa and the baby
were both doing well. If Jay had her way, this would all be over by
the time Michael got back.

Inside, she found Tyler pacing the
floor.

“We have to call the cops. This is a
kidnapping. This is my baby brother for fuck’s sake! And what about
my mom? We need to take her to a hospital, get her checked
out.”

This was all her fault and she did not
attempt to hide from the blame. Tyler could barely look at her, and
Jay added the weight of his anger to her own. Sixer knew what she
was. He’d been watching her, testing her. He knew she was
defective, that she’d formed emotional attachments to certain
humans. He knew her weaknesses. And to get to her, he’d taken
Marissa’s baby.

“Your mom is okay. The placenta was expelled
intact and I examined her thoroughly. She’s as well as can be
expected after giving birth.”

“She’s been drugged,” Tyler bit out.

“She’s been given a sedative.”

“Same difference.”

She’d already explained to Tyler that Sixer
had been dispatched on this mission by Evan Caine, the same man
who’d forcibly recruited his father. And that he claimed to no
longer be working for Caine. That claim gave her the hope that what
she was about to say to Tyler was the truth. “I’m the one Sixer
wants. He won’t harm the baby. All we have to do is follow his
instructions. If Michael were here, he’d agree with me.”

Tyler rounded on her, his eyes dark with
frustrated fury, fists clenched. “I can’t leave my mom like this.”
He jerked his chin toward the bed, indicating Marissa’s sleeping
form.

“Someone has to accompany me to bring your
baby brother back home safely.”

His shoulders sagged as the hard truth hit
home.

“I’ve left a message for Michael to come
straight home as soon as he deplanes. Marissa won’t be alone for
long. According to the note she’ll sleep for around three more
hours. Either you or your dad will be back here before she wakes.”
She wished she could offer him more than platitudes. She wished she
could take him in her arms and soothe the horror and despair that
shrouded him. She didn’t dare. If he rejected her, her heart would
shatter.

“Tyler. We have to go or we’ll never make
the rendezvous.” They’d be cutting it fine as it was and she still
had to reconnect the battery cables so the SUV would start. She
supposed she should be grateful Sixer had done something minor to
disable the vehicle, and that his letter had treated her like an
idiot child and helpfully told her exactly what that something
minor happened to be. But she couldn’t find it in her to be
grateful for anything right now.

“We have to go.”

Tyler wasn’t listening. He was too focused
inward to pay attention.

“Enough. Stop feeling sorry for yourself.
Marissa left an infant car-seat in the nursery. Grab it and I’ll
meet you at the car. And if you want your baby brother back you’d
better move your ass.” She pivoted on her heel and left him staring
after her, his expression showing his shock at her blunt words and
harsh, no-nonsense tone.

Tyler had nothing more to say during the
drive to the conveniently abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of
town where the exchange was to take place.

Sixer had left nothing to chance. He was
good. Under any other circumstances Jay might have felt a little
electric thrill at the prospect of confronting a worthy opponent.
Now, she felt nothing save for the cold certainty that above all
else, the safety of Tyler and his baby brother was paramount. If
she had to deliver herself into the hands of a monster to ensure
their safety, then so be it. She would do so willingly. And then,
when Sixer least expected it, they would both learn how cruel and
monstrous Jay could be.

She pulled into the parking lot next to a
black rental car—nothing flashy. Just a functional sedan.

“I’m guessing that’s his,” Tyler said.

“Yes.”

“Shall we let the air out of the tires or
yank a few cables to stop him going anywhere?”

“No.”

“You’re the boss.” He pressed his lips
together in a thin, bloodless line and wouldn’t meet her eyes.

They strode toward the warehouse, their
strides perfectly in sync—a stark contrast to their opinions on how
to handle the forthcoming confrontation. At the loading bay doors
Jay located the security pad, and keyed in the PIN she’d been
given. The roller doors groaned and shrieked as they rose.

Inside was pitch black. Abruptly the lights
flickered on and there he was, waiting, the baby cradled in the
crook of his left arm, a weapon in his right hand. Or perhaps it
would be more accurate to say, there “it” was.

~~~

Tyler glared at Sixer, sizing him up. He
wasn’t much to look at. A little older than Tyler, but slightly
built—kinda runty. Tyler could take him. If it weren’t for that
weapon and his baby brother….

“Stay here,” Jay said. And as much as he
wanted to stick to her like white on rice, he knew he had to do
what she told him. His heart pounded like a mad thing in his chest
and the adrenaline washing through his veins was making it nearly
impossible to stand still. He drummed his fingers against his
thighs and tried not to think of all the things that could go
horribly wrong.

Sixer leveled his strange-looking weapon at
Jay as she approached and that was all it took to banish Tyler’s
need to move. He stilled, hardly daring to breathe.

Jay got within five feet of Sixer before he
told her to halt. And the instant she did so, he shot her three
times in the chest.

She made no attempt to evade the bullets.
She flung her arms outward as the third bullet hit, jerking and
twitching like she was having a seizure. Tyler knew he would
remember the
ffffthdd
of each bullet firing and then
entering her body for the rest of his life.

“Nnnnooooo!” He barreled forward as she
collapsed to the concrete floor and then skidded to an untidy halt
as he found himself the target of Sixer’s weapon.

Tyler’s baby brother screwed up his face and
let out a wail. Sixer shushed him and somehow soothed him to
calmness, all the while gazing at Jay and aiming the weapon
unerringly at Tyler.

The hairs on the back of Tyler’s neck stood
to attention. There was something not right about this guy. Like,
he was missing something and he wasn’t all there.

“I caution you not to do anything stupid,”
Sixer said. “These projectiles are designed to incapacitate
cyborgs, but just like any projectile they can be fatal to
humans.”

Tyler backed off, his hands held up at
shoulder height, palms outward.

“Excellent decision.”

Tyler risked a glance at Jay. Her eyes had
rolled up until only the whites showed. She shoved down the fear
that threatened to overwhelm him. “What happens next?”

“I have a proposition for Gamma.”

Tyler shut his eyes until he could control
his relief enough to form actual words. She wasn’t dead then. Thank
God. “Her name is
Jay
, asshole,” he muttered.

“I’m not an asshole, Tyler Davidson. I’m
like this marvelous creation that insists on calling itself Jay.”
He nudged Jay’s limp form with his booted foot.

Tyler’s heart skipped a beat and it was like
the world stopped for a second or two before it all crashed down on
him again.

Sixer smiled at him and Tyler could see it
now—that strangeness, that indefinable thing about him that
screamed “inhuman”. He wondered when Jay had figured it out.

“You’re a cyborg?”

It inclined its head. “Cyborg Unit
Six-Point-0, also known as Sixer.”

Fuck.

“And if you’re foolish enough to try and
follow me, I will see to it that your baby brother disappears one
night… and makes some childless couple in some far off country very
happy. So now you have to choose, Tyler Davidson. Your girlfriend,
or your baby brother?”

Choice? What kind of a choice was that?

Tyler stared at Sixer, wishing he could
smash his face in. But going up against a rogue cyborg would be
suicidal. And it would be beyond stupid to get himself killed when
he had his baby brother to protect and his mom was lying drugged
and helpless at home alone.