Page 29 of Stalker

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They continued eating and drinking intermittently as they talked.

“At least they stopped shooting at us in his territories, and we’ve been able to talk to the people inside them,” Neely remarked. “I did get the impression not all were happy with their circumstances.”

“He makes them pay for his protection. He has his thugs take their best produce and livestock, or they pay in crafts they make to swap for food,” said Stalker.

“Do you think he’s behind the kidnappings?”

“If he is, I haven’t figured out where he keeps them.”

“Could he be taking them back East like the people Darken was tracking?”

“We have no evidence of working transport vehicles, but the overlords in the East could send a transport.”

“Didn’t you say Darken used spy drones to track them?” Neely asked.

“He only had specific areas to watch. However, I can request satellite surveillance to see what traffic is crossing the continent,” he said. “But we could use a ‘fly on the wall’ drone in Blackwood’s headquarters to find out just how unscrupulous he is.”

“Women and children have disappeared in his territory, too. Do you think he’s behind that too?”

“He thinks they belong to him, so it stands to reason that he believes he can use them however he wants.” Stalker paused, staring into space.

Neely paused as she realized he was receiving info through the cyborg network. She waited patiently for the seconds it took for him to receive the information.

“Good news.” His pleased expression told her as much before he even spoke. “The Enclave and Commander Dark agree that California is more than one ranger can handle because of the size of the population.”

“That makes sense,” Neely agreed, sipping from her mug of tea. “Who are they sending North?”

“Max Steel. They are sending experienced protectors to the northern states. The additional protectors for us are arriving tomorrow. They have chosen to set up at an old military base not far from here. Demolitions and construction teams are moving in after that.”

“Where will they even start?”

“Near Jax’s area,” said Stalker. “I recommended it.”

“I’m not surprised.” Neely couldn’t help smiling at him. “I saw your face when you saw all those kids and how they are living.”

Stalker fell silent, and his serious expression made her frown.

“What?”

“The tiny drones are in short supply. It will be a month or more before we can get some from offworld… I need to do some night stalking… Alone.”

“Oh.” Neely didn’t know what to say. She couldn’t hide that she didn’t like the idea

Stalker held out his hand to her, “Come over here.” He said it gently as a request.

She took his hand, getting up from her chair, letting him pull her around the table to sit on his lap. As she turned to face him, he cupped her cheek.

“Sweetheart, you are doing well on the job with me, but you will be safer here for this excursion,” he told her gently. “I would rather leave you on your own here than some place in the ruins.”

“But what if something happens to you? I won’t be there to help you,” she worried.

“I’ll send you the feed from my internal processor. I can move a lot faster alone because of my enhancements,” he said gently.

Neely sighed and gave him a faint smile. “You’re right. It will be easier for you to sneak around in the dark without me tagging along trying to keep up.”

Before she could say anything else, Stalker kissed her. If Neely knew he was trying to distract her, she didn’t object. His kisses were delectable and stimulating. Once they got started, they would usually end up naked and fucking somewhere in the house.

Neely found no will to resist, and it was no longer just pheromone-driven. In the weeks since Stalker had pulled her from her burning flyer, she had fallen in love with him.