6. Molly
“So he said he was going hunting? What does that even mean?” Lana asked for the fifth time as they sat on Molly’s couch in her small, single suite.
There weren’t many single suites available aboard the Mother Ship—most of the women who lived there were married or mated to Kindred warriors. But there were a few unmarried women—almost all of them housed along a small hallway not far from the rolling parklands around the Sacred Grove at the center of the ship. Karen Geners lived just down the hall from Molly, but the two of them weren’t friends—they just nodded when they saw each other and almost never spoke.
“I don’t know what it means,” she said to Lana. She’d used the Think-me, as Commander Torus had suggested, and called her friend away from work. The thin golden wire that fit around the wearer’s temples was a thought-conduction device invented by the Kindred. Molly had never been so glad for the alien technology as she was when she was able to call her friend to come meet her without having to face the entire Kindred Information Department.
Lana had come at once without question. She and Molly had gone back to Molly’s place and she had sat and listened without judgment to the whole story.
“That bastard!” she’d exclaimed indignantly, when Molly explained what her ex had done. “And I bought one of his games for my boys for Christmas—I’m going straight home and I’m going to stomp on the damn thing and then erase it from our home computer unit!”
Molly had laughed a little—she was feeling less depressed now that she knew she wasn’t losing her job or her place aboard the Mother Ship.
“No—don’t do that,” she told her friend. “Don’t ruin your husbands’ fun just because of me.”
“I’d like to ruin that Zach Wyndham’s face!” Lana had said fiercely. “I swear, just let me be alone with him for five minutes and he’ll be wearing his balls for a bowtie!”
Molly had laughed again and it felt like a part of her healed, just a little. It was so nice to have a friend who actually listened to her instead of accusing her or making it seem like everything was somehow her fault.
“Thank you,” she said now, leaning over to give Lana a brief hug.
“For what, hon?” Lala looked at her with wide eyes.
“For believing me. For not blaming me,” Molly told her.
“Blaming you? How could anyone possibly blame you for this awful mess?” Lana demanded.
Molly rolled her eyes.
“Oh, they can all right. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve been asked why I made a ‘video’ like that in the first place.”
“But you didn’t even know that video was being made!” Lana protested.
“Yes, but when I tell them that, then they ask why I was doing that in the first place.” Molly shook her head. “I hear that every single time I go to the police and try to make a report or a complaint—and believe me, I’ve tried more than once.”
“What?” Lana exclaimed indignantly. “Like they never jerk off? Self-righteous assholes!”
“Yeah, well…that’s what they always say.” Molly shrugged. “I think because they don’t want to try to take on someone as rich and famous as Zach Wyndham. They know he has enough money to wiggle out of just about anything.”
“Those cowards!” Lana was getting angrier and angrier. “So instead of doing their job they decide they’d rather shame and blame the victim? Assholes!”
“That’s about right.” Molly sighed. “I’ve pretty much given up any hope of bringing him to any kind of justice. At this point I’d just be happy if I could get him to stop sending the damn video out to every single employer every time I find a new job.”
“I wonder how he found you here aboard the Mother Ship?” Lana mused. “We’re pretty remote up here.”
Molly shook her head.
“Who knows? It probably comes down to money. When you have enough of it, you can find anyone and do anything you want to them. It isn’t right or fair, but that’s how the system works.”
“Not aboard the Mother Ship,” Lana said firmly. “The Kindred don’t do bribes and corruption.”
“I know—that’s one thing I love about it here,” Molly said. “I love that?—”
Suddenly she got an overwhelming feeling that someone wanted to speak to her. Having been aboard the Mother Ship for some time, she knew what it meant.
“Hold on, Lana,” she said, putting a hand to her temple. “I think I’m getting a Think-me call.”
Closing her eyes, she opened her mind to the caller and suddenly a deep, rumbling voice filled her mind.
“Molly? Can you hear me?”
“I hear you, Commander Torus,” Molly sent back. It was strangely intimate having her boss inside her head like this, but she found she didn’t mind it.
“Forgive me for bespeaking you—I know it presumes an intimacy we don’t have,” he sent and Molly wondered if he had heard her thought or if he was just being polite.
“That’s all right,” she sent back. “Er, is everything okay?”
“That’s exactly what I was calling to ask you —I wanted to be certain you’re all right. Are you?” he asked. “Are you still having thoughts of self-harm?”
“No, no—I’m over that now,” Molly assured him quickly. “I’m, uh, sorry if I scared you but I feel a lot better now. Lana’s here with me,” she added, to let him know she wasn’t alone.
“Good. Are you in your suite?”
Molly nodded and then remembered he couldn’t see her.
“Yes,” she sent.
“All right, I have something for you. I just need to make a quick stop at the Med Center first and then I’ll come to your suite.”
“Um…okay.” Molly wasn’t sure what to say or to think. For some reason, the idea of seeing her boss made her heart flutter erratically in her chest.
She couldn’t help thinking of how he’d held her so gently and let her cry all over him. She’d never had a man treat her like that before. Back when she’d been married to Zach, if she ever cried he would shout at her to “Dry it up, damn it!” And if she kept crying after that, he would start throwing things…
“I’m sorry you were treated like that, little bird.”
“Huh?” Molly thought, and said aloud at the same time. Then she realized, to her intense mortification, that her boss had heard her thought about her ex. “Look, I didn’t mean to—” she began.
“I need to go now, but I’ll see you soon,” he sent.
And then the mental connection was broken.
“What was that all about?” Lana asked, looking at her with interest. “And why are you blushing?”
“I’m not…am I?” She put a hand to her cheek and found it was hot.
“Was that Commander Torus calling you?” Lana guessed, arching an eyebrow.
“Well, yes…” Molly cleared her throat. “He was just calling to check on me. And to say that he’s coming over in a little while.”
“Oh my God—he is?” Lana squealed in excitement. “Molly, I think he likes you. Like, like-likes you—you know?”
“Don’t be silly!” Molly said quickly. “He’s just worried about me—that’s all. He’s a good boss checking up on his employee.”
“Yeah, right—keep telling yourself that.” Lana winked at her and Molly felt herself blushing again.
She was glad now that she hadn’t told her friend about how Commander Torus had held her and comforted her. She had only told Lana that he’d treated the cut on her palm and listened to her when she explained the situation with Zach sending out the damn video to every employer she had.
It was too embarrassing to admit that she’d sobbed in the big Kindred’s lap for half an hour like a child and that he had held her and soothed her and treated her better than any man she’d ever been with in her whole life…
Stop thinking like that, she scolded herself. He’s just a nice guy, that’s all. Don’t read too much into it or you’ll end up acting like Karen Geners!
She just wished she hadn’t lost her cool so completely around her boss. Now it seemed like he felt he had to take care of her and she really didn’t need that.
But maybe you want it, suggested a little voice in her head. Maybe you liked being held in his arms and comforted like that.
No, she hadn’t, Molly told herself firmly. She needed to be more self-composed the next time she saw Commander Torus. Which would be very soon.
And just like that, her heart was pounding and her face felt flushed all over again. Oh dear…what was she going to do?