Chapter 41
James
As James paces down the hallway, following Avrel back to the decommissioning chamber, he hears her hysterical voice.
“It’s that woman,” Avrel says.
As he absorbs the scene, Avrel pokes her head out beside him. “Oh, drama!” she whisper-shouts.
“Shhh,” he insists. Seeing Kate so frazzled and upset is almost more than he can take. The urge to go to her is so strong he nearly gives in.
“I have the money. I have it and you can’t do this,” she yells at the poor confused man. “I still own him.”
How could that be true? She didn’t have the money when he left.
“Ma’am, we’ve repeatedly told you that once a GROW unit is turned in for reprocessing, we are unable to reverse the transaction. This would be true even if it weren’t for the recall. It’s against company policy.”
“But I read the contract. I am supposed to get three notices,” she cries. “Three!”
“Your unit was voluntarily turned in this morning as a part of the recall, ma’am.”
“But I can pay for two years,” Kate sobs.
The man stares at her, grimacing. “We have made it clear there are no exceptions. Especially considering all units, regardless of their lease term, are included in the full company recall.”
She tries a different approach. “Can you see if he is still alive? Tell me they haven’t decommissioned him yet. At least tell me that.”
The man makes a series of taps on his screen and James sees the corners of his lips turn down. “This is completely against protocol, but if I tell you, will you promise to leave?”
Kate vigorously nods, and the man taps on his tablet. “Hmm. It seems they processed a batch before the inspectors arrived. Looks like the manupartner called James was decommissioned at 09:34—”
The swinging metal door opens behind him and Sable walks out with something clenched tightly in her fist. She’s followed by security guards. Kate blinks as Sable steps in front of her. “He’s dead?”
From around the corner, he watches shock pour over Kate’s beautiful form. It drowns every inch of her like she’s being dipped into a vat of it.
A small hand grips his arm, and he turns to see Avrel biting a knuckle. “Do you think she fell in love with it?” His brows lower in confusion, and she expands. “It happens sometimes.”
“It never occurred to me,” he answers honestly, a little taken aback. How had he never considered that she might have fallen in love with him?
“So tragic!” Avrel is still whisper-shouting.
Even from a distance, he can see Kate trembling and taking quick, shallow breaths.
The man, not recognizing Sable’s wrath, calmly explains, “I just explained to our Valued Customer that her unit was decommissioned about half an hour ago. I know it’s against protocol—”
Sable lifts a hand, silencing him. Kate sways, placing her hands on the desk.
His instincts are firing so loudly he can barely think. Go to her, go to her, go to her. Is that him or the overhead lights again?
He almost does it, consequences be damned, but Sable barks, “Get out of our way!”
The man scurries to one side and Sable and the security guards dart around the desk.
James glances back to Kate in time to see the two burly guards steady her as she stumbles. Then Sable’s hand, clutching the object—a syringe—shoots out.
“NO!” Kate screams in a final rebellious outburst, but a second later, her body goes limp.
Sable turns to the shocked man. “Sometimes when they can’t afford to renew their lease, they become hysterical. The recall is probably going to cause a lot more of this, so you should be prepared. Sedation is the easiest way to deal with them. They come to their senses when they wake up refreshed.”
James’s heart thunders as he steps back from the corner to continue on their original path, ushering Avrel to do the same.
As they retreat in the opposite direction, the last thing he hears is Sable saying, “Take this woman to her unit unharmed and I’ll consider not docking your pay for forcing me to do your job. ”
“Sable is scary, huh?” Avrel says.
James chuckles. “Tell me about it.”
Not understanding the colloquialism, Avrel prattles on about different Sable encounters, which James tunes out.
All he can think about is her earlier words: Do you think she fell in love with it?
Kate came here to save him. She did something drastic—sold something—to save him.
Because she has some great affection for him?
James knows she enjoys his company. That he provides the companionship she’s always longed for, but it hasn’t occurred to him it might be more. Deeper.
But it must be real. Kate seemed almost callous as she’d watched the woman succumb to the atmosphere on the day he woke up, so he knew it wasn’t life in general she’d been aiming to preserve. It was for him.
Kate loves him?
Kate loves him.
Kate loves him!
It takes everything in him to pry himself away from the scene and make his way down the hall. He has to trust that Sable knows what she’s doing with Kate. That’s what friends are for.
But Sable killed the crying manupartner. Are you sure you can trust her? the lights of the elevator he quickly approaches hiss at him.
Taunt me all you want, he thinks, unfazed because he is choosing to put his trust in Sable and the rest of his new friends. Soon, he’ll be home with his new identity and all will be well. Because Kate loves him.