Page 28 of The Genius
My pulse was in fight or flight mode and my eyes darted around looking for something to save me. A drone for hire would do it, but those weren’t allowed this close to the race. My feet moved quicker as I headed for the arrival and departure area, my mind replaying the nightmarish moment when I’d seen Marco come running up the stairs, calling out Tristan’s name.
Except for our encounter a week ago, I hadn’t seen Marco in ten years. What were the odds of running into him at an event with thousands of people?
Wishing that I had wings and didn’t need a drone to get away, I kept my head down, ignoring all the long looks from men that I passed.
“Hey, are you lost? Where’s your protector?” someone called out to me.
“You want me to escort you home?” another offered.
Those were the nice comments. Other men were more aggressive and one spread out his arms as I came storming by. “Hey, beautiful, are you looking for me?”
I’d already passed him when I heard Marco’s voice telling the man to drop dead.
When I looked over my shoulder, Marco was right there, and probably had been for the few minutes I’d been thinking I was getting away.
After our brief eye contact he fell into step beside me but didn’t say a word until we were at the departure area.
“My drone will arrive in a second.” He looked up to the line of drones waiting to pick up their owners.
“Which one is it?” I asked.
“The white one.”
We waited for another five minutes, me feeling small in a crowd of large Nmen. A pregnant woman and her husband were standing not too far away. She was leaning against his chest and his arms were around her with both his hands on her belly. She smiled at me, probably assuming that Marco was my husband. I couldn’t tell her that his hand on my shoulder weighed two tons on my conscience. To her and everyone else, it would seem that Marco was my protector. But as I saw it, it was the crowd keeping me safe from him. As long as they were there, he wouldn’t demand answers.
When his white drone landed, a few made comments about it being a wreck. The small drone looked old and scratched-up, inside and out.
“I know Tristan’s drone is much nicer,” Marco said as we lifted up from the ground. “I wish teaching children paid as well as being an aerodynamic engineer.”
“Your drone is fine,” I said and looked out the window. We Motlanders didn’t have private drones. It was considered an unnecessary luxury and a waste of resources. Our drones were public ones, and few of them were in better shape than this one.
“Where do you live?” Marco asked.
I’d rented a room with a Motlander and her husband, but I hated staying there and most days I slept on the couch in the office. I was torn about where I wanted to go, so I hesitated.
“Let me know when you’re ready to talk,” Marco said but I still didn’t look at him.
“Shelly, at least tell me where to take you.”
Slowly, I swung my head to meet his eyes. I’d always found them vibrant and expressive in comparison to mine. “How about we drop you off first and then you let the drone take me to my place?”
“Why?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” My shield was up. Out of two evils I’d rather he thought me unpleasant than know the truth about what happened between us.
“You don’t want me to know where you live?”
The incline of my head confirmed that.
Marco leaned forward resting his forearms on his legs. “What the hell did I ever do to you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“The last time I saw you was ten years ago and you asked me for a hug. I don’t recall us being enemies. What’s with the ice queen attitude?”
I looked away.
“Look at me. We used to have fun together. Don’t you remember?”
