Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
After testing to be sure his implants were functioning perfectly, Sin had to return Rissa to OutLink's Enclave. They walked through the breezeway of the complex to the parking lot, and she stopped, staring at the sky.
"Not what you're used to looking at, is it?" he asked, moving to her side.
She just shook her head. "It's beautiful," she breathed, looking at the myriad of signs covering almost every available surface, glowing softly in the damp haze.
He followed her gaze, seeing nothing more than the slums he'd always known. "It's marketing, Riss."
"I've never seen those colors before. The pink, and that yellow." She looked up at him. "It's amazing."
"And I'm sorry you had to miss twilight." He sighed.
She shrugged that off, never looking away from the holograms. "It's ok. I was too worried about you to enjoy it anyway. I'm happy you were able to repair your spine."
"Me too," he agreed.
The light of the signs sparkled in her silver eyes.
She looked like an angel, her face staring at the glory of God.
Sadly, when he looked at the view, his eyes only saw cheap neon and holographics.
That made him want to stare at her, or at least what little of her he could actually see.
Sin was completely alone with her, no other person in sight, and there was so much he wanted to say.
So many questions he should ask. Unfortunately, their time had already run out.
"I need to get you back," he said softly.
For the first time in his life, he wished God didn't ask so much of him. He wanted nothing more than to push that hood back and finally see the woman he had gotten to know so well. To caress her face, maybe even tell her everything would be ok. Instead, he took a step back and begged for strength.
"Sorry," she said, seeing him pull back. "And thank you for protecting me today."
"Thank God, not me."
"I'm thanking both of you." She dipped her head, looking up at him through her dark lashes.
"Why'd you go for the full-body outfit anyway?" he asked. "It was your chance to wear anything you wanted, and you're still covered from head to toe."
She laughed weakly, looking back to the signs. "I guess my training is harder to overcome than I thought."
He didn't even try to hide his eyes roaming across her body, assuming she needed a compliment. "Well, you still look nice."
"I don't. I look like I can blend in," she countered, that hint of shyness coming back.
Sin sighed as he moved to the car. Pulling a smoke from his pocket, he lit it, then leaned against the side casually. "I think we've moved a bit past bodyguard and body. Right?"
"Because we're friends?" she asked.
With one finger he pulled the chain outside his shirt, holding the pendant up. "We made seven of these. Trent and I have given five of them an owner, ourselves included. I'm giving Zan one later. That will be the sixth."
"He deserves it, even though he isn't a priest," she agreed, stepping closer so she could inhale the scent of his cigarette.
"This one, though?" He swung the pendant on his finger. "This one is yours, Rissa. I'll wear it until we get you free, but I really want you to have mine." He let it fall against his shirt. "My angel. My pendant."
She lifted her hand and traced its outline against his body. Slowly, she tilted her face up, her mask-covered mouth so close to his. "Thank you."
"Dear God," he breathed, reaching up to her face only to guide her back gently. "You probably saved my life today, Princess." Yes, he was trying to change the subject.
But that hand on her face had a mind of its own. Through the cloth, his thumb swept over her lower lip, learning it by feel, and her eyes closed. He quickly jerked his palm away.
"Sin?" She sounded hurt.
He shook his head. "I shouldn't do that. I'm a priest, Rissa. I'm not allowed to get too familiar with my angel."
"But we're friends."
Those damned eyes of hers were killing him. "Wrong type of familiar. I meant like kissing."
Her eyes narrowed in innocent confusion. "It's not a sin."
"No, but the part that comes next is. I'm a priest, and I've taken a vow to save my body for God. I shouldn't have touched you like that, and I'm sorry."
"Did you want to?" she whispered, her eyes on his.
With a lazy smile, Sin pretended to ignore that.
He flicked the end of his smoke to the concrete, then grabbed her shoulders, stepping away from the car.
It wasn't often he got the luxury of one.
Luckily for them, Rob had been issued one from the Legion for another responsibility tonight. The timing of that was almost divine.
"I also need to get you back to OutLink," he said. "Wouldn't want either of us to get in trouble for this little escapade."
She nodded, letting him guide her to the passenger seat.
The entire time, his heart was pounding in his chest. He didn't know why this woman affected him the way she did, but it still happened.
For years now, he'd been focused on God and the needs of others, but something about her—something he couldn't even explain to himself— made him want something.
Her trust. Her friendship. To just know her. He wasn't sure which it was, but he felt the need and knew it could be a problem. The question was why this woman, out of all the ones he'd cared for in his life, made him want just a little more.
Maybe it was because she was so gentle, or naive? Was it because her trust made him feel special? Could it simply be because he'd never seen her face? That ruled out lust over her beauty, since all he knew about her was the color of her eyes.
Her mind, however? That was what he wanted more of, and these rare moments when she didn't hold her tongue did something to him. He hoped she couldn't tell, but the glint in her eyes said she knew. She knew, and she liked it.
The bigger problem was, he did too.
They said nothing else until they arrived at OutLink. As his hand closed on the latch to the after-hours door, she reached out and touched the back of his bare fingers, the cybernetic ones.
"Thank you for not leaving me alone." She looked at him with her silver eyes, scanning his face for a reaction.
"I would never do that to you, Princess," he promised.
"I actually want to keep you safe—in body, mind, and soul.
Now, let's get you taken care of for one more day, ok?
" She nodded, and he unlocked the door with a flash of red against his cybernetic eye.
But he paused before pulling it all the way open.
"The answer to your earlier question is yes.
I did want to, and I'm sorry." He pressed his lips together. "I also need to talk to Daniel Briggs."
They entered the receiving room, and a man in a head-to-toe blue plastic clean suit hurried out to greet them. "You have the Ingénue!"
"She had an exciting day," he told her technician. "Six dead, and we had to lose her distinctive uniform."
"Is she damaged?"
"Nah," Sin assured him. "The data was delivered, but we took a very long way back. I called in four others, but the only damage was to her robe."
"She didn't wipe?" he asked, looking between them.
"I never received an order to wipe," Rissa said robotically.
"I never gave it," Sin told the man. "You all pay me to deliver what she carries in her head? Well, at least she's obedient. Briggs still here?"
"Wait here," the technician told Rissa, gesturing for Sin to follow him to a panel at the side.
He tapped at the screen and then scrolled through a list of names. "He's in a meeting, it looks like."
Sin nodded. "Ok. If you hear shooting, it's just me."
"She's ok, though?" he asked, looking over Sin's shoulder at the girl.
"She's fine. I even managed to make her almost smile, I think."
The man sighed. "Don't let her fool you, Legate. She's not like the others. That's why you're assigned to her."
"I gathered. Does she make them a lot of money or something?"
The technician made a disgusted noise. "Not that part.
I mean she's different in her head. She's not like them.
Her scans are too consistent. Not even a bot scans that clean every single day.
She has a sense of humor, and she definitely has a personality.
It's in there, but they won't let her have it.
" He took a long deep breath. "Brother Sinclair, you're the hand of God. Do something about this."
"A spoiled princess making enough money in a day to feed my entire apartment complex for a month? She's not exactly the definition of the type I'm meant to defend."
The man glanced up at the camera and said nothing for a few seconds. "Yeah, 'cept she's nothing like that. They're trying to fix the error, and when they do, she'll be reprogrammed. Do you have any idea what that means?"
Sin glanced at the monitor. "Yep. I do."
"Can you help her?"
Sin turned and looked in the man's face, his eyes flicking once to the camera then back. "I am the hand of God. I've been helping her. I think you need to worry a lot more about what they're paying you to do."
The technician nodded. "There's a reason I didn't lower the mask from my face, Brother. This room has no sound after hours."
"You monitor her scans for anomalies?" Sin asked.
He nodded. "Yeah, among other things."
"Let me know if today's trauma caused her any hardships?" He lifted his chin a bit, daring the man to say something more.
His eyes widened a bit, and he nodded. "Did you need a printout?"
"Nah. Just need to know if anything looks strange."
"I'd be glad to help, Brother. God trusts us all to protect those who cannot protect themselves."
"Amen," Sin told the man. "And keep that outfit. She almost looks human in it."
Then he looked over to Rissa. Meeting her eyes, he smiled before leaving her in the care of her technician, feeling better about her evening than he had before.
Yes, he was leaving her to suffer a lot of misery, but only for a while.
Just a few more nights, and if his plan worked, she'd get a little more freedom every day.
Walking into the deserted OutLink building, he climbed the glass staircase, shaking his head at how much things had changed. The last time he'd been here, he'd thought this assignment was punishment. Now, he hated leaving his angel behind.
It seemed working with a genius was a lot nicer than he'd expected.