Dealers' Choice - Susan Hayes Page 0,3
beside his brother. “When we take you out on a proper date, you’ll know it. If you say yes, we’ll respect your rules. It would just be dinner.”
They were double-teaming her. Working together to get their way. It was the first time they’d tried it on her, and it was harder to resist than she’d expected. Then again, almost everything about these two tempted her, despite the long, carefully itemized list of reasons she’d made as to why she shouldn’t be interested. She’d even bolded and underlined the two biggest reasons. One of them was making sure she didn’t get fired for taking advantage of a patient in her care…or in this case, two patients.
The list hadn’t worked—her interest had only deepened—but the problem remained.
If there’d been anyone else she could trust their recovery to, she’d have stepped back as their therapist months ago. There wasn’t.
“And if I say yes to dinner, then you’ll both agree to three of these sim-sessions?” she asked.
And there it was again, that momentary gleam of real warmth in Ward’s eyes. “Was that a counteroffer? I thought this wasn’t a negotiation?”
“Three sessions,” she repeated.
The two males shared a look. “You in?” Ward asked his brother.
“If you are.”
“Alright then. Three.” Ward held out his hand in the customary human way.
She took it, doing her best to block out the sudden surge of emotional energy that always accompanied physical contact. She got a quick flash of satisfaction and unease, but nothing more. She considered it impolite to do a deep read of other beings’ emotions without their consent. Given that she had to keep her talent a secret, that meant not doing it at all.
Ward kept the handshake brief and impersonal. He’d already given away too much, but he hadn’t been able to resist touching her hair. The dinner deal wasn’t planned either, but he’d seen an opportunity to give Vic a chance at a little happiness. The fact he’d enjoy the outing too wasn’t relevant. This was about Vic’s future, not his.
He stepped away, rolling his shoulders to shake off some of the tension that was already creeping back. “What do you want us to do?”
“React honestly. Ariel Coal betrayed and abused you. Seeing her again, even as a simulation, is going to evoke strong feelings. Don’t fight them.”
Vic laughed. “Now I see why you asked us to come unarmed. Cyn would be pissed if we blasted holes in one of her sim-pods.”
“Not just you. There’s a general ‘no weapons’ clause in my rental contract with the Nova Club.”
He looked at Vic and grinned. “Nyx?”
“Oh yeah. That one has anger issues that make us look well adjusted.”
Nyx was the newest cyborg to arrive on the station, and her history was the stuff of nightmares. She’d survived years of experimentation and cruelty at the hands of the Gray Men before being rescued by the Nova Force team stationed on Astek. He and Vic had recognized her as a kindred spirit, and the three of them were forming some kind of deranged friendship. Well, four of them, really. Because wherever Nyx went, her fiancé Eric wasn’t far behind.
Xori cleared her throat in gentle reproach. “You know I don’t allow discussion about my other patients during sessions.”
“Sorry,” they said in unison.
She nodded. “Shall we proceed?”
It was one of the many qualities he found fascinating about Xori. She moved past things with a quiet calm that made it easy for everyone else to move along, too. She was tranquility personified, and just being near her could take the edge off even his darkest moods. It’s why he kept coming to these sessions, despite knowing it was pointless. He was too broken to fix. All he really wanted was to hold it together long enough to see that Victor found his way out of the darkness they’d been living in.
Xori stayed in the corner nearest the door. “The simulation will appear in the center of the room. You can ask the computer to pause or end the program at any time.”
“Let’s get this over with,” he said.
“Ready,” Vic agreed.
“Computer, start program Virness-Whiskey-Foxtrot-one.”
Whisky-Foxtrot. Wolf and Fox. He had just enough time to realize she’d used their nicknames when a figure appeared in the room with them - Ariel Coal. He had his hands around her throat before he took his next breath.
“You bitch!” He snarled. His grip tightened just enough he could feel her pulse racing beneath his fingers. He wanted to tear her head from her shoulders and bounce it off