Page 9 of Stalker
Stalker grinned. “That’s a start. We can take it one day at a time.”
“Just so you know, I have a contraceptive implant. It’s got a few years left on it,” she said. “I’m not even sure I want to have kids.”
“But you aren’t sure you don’t,” he pointed out. “We don’t need to have that discussion now.”
“Do you really want someone like me to be the mother of your kids? I spent five years as a whore in a brothel before becoming a smuggler….”
“You survived, Neely. Females who lived in the Farringay ruins risked rape and even murder every time they went out to find food.”
“That was why my mom went to work for Berke, mainly for food, shelter, and protection. I was an accident, born before she went to work there. Her relationship with my father was complicated. She told me from the start; that he was my father, and he accepted me. Sometimes, he was gone for days and sometimes for months. He was pissed when he returned from one of his months-long excursions to learn I was working at the brothel. That’s when he started teaching me to fly and defend myself.”
“But you still worked in the brothel for five years….”
“Because Dad was gone a lot, and we didn’t have enough money to buy another plane.”
“What kind of fighting did he teach you?” Stalker asked.
“Street fighting, stabbing, shooting. …only to fight if I didn’t have a choice ….to be aware of my surroundings and look for things that could be used as a weapon. Once I got my blaster, I used that when I needed it.”
“I can definitely work with that.” Stalker smiled at her. “Beautiful and dangerous.”
Neely couldn’t help blushing, more at how he looked at her than what he said. Nothing she had told him changed how he seemed to caress her with his eyes.
“What’s the situation in California? I’ve been up and down the East coast, but I haven’t been west.”
“Like Farringay but ten times bigger. I’ve already put in a request for a hundred additional cyborgs. Before the Mesaarkans bombed it, forty million people lived in the city and greater Los Angeles area. Even though the population was decimated, maybe a million people now live in the city ruins.”
“Where do we even start?” Neely asked.
“Finish your lunch, and we’ll head out.”
“You know what I mean.”
He smiled at her. “With the villages, we go in and find out who is in charge and see how they run their communities. If they are governed by consensus, we offer them support services from the Enclave to help them restore infrastructure and tech to restore communications.”
“Even Farringay is divided into factions. Your Los Angeles is going to have even more divisions and rivalry.”
“Seven so far. I explored the city the first month, walking and doing recon. My hovercycle would have drawn too much attention since only a few working means of transport are available. Most everyone else is using horses or mules.”
“People outside Starport City in Farringay use horses. I never rode one, though.”
“Nor have I, but it might be useful to learn,” said Stalker.
“Do you live in Los Angeles?” she wondered, taking the last bite of her meal.
“No, I chose a mountain hideaway removed from the city. I wanted a place where my family would be safe, provided I found my genetic mate,” he said.
“I like the sound of that—the location.”
Stalker noted her qualification but didn’t remark on it. She needed more time to get used to the idea that she was his mate. He’d had nearly a hundred years to think about it. Neely had had only a day.
“Now that you have finished eating, we should go,” he said, pushing his chair out.
“Yes, I just need to stop at the lavatory beforehand since it will be a long trip.”
“That is a good idea. Conditions west are primitive. I will meet you by the exit.”
They were in the air ten minutes later, headed west with the sky cycle in flyer mode.
