Hot Redemption (7 page)

Fuck, that man is trouble
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CHAPTER 7

Epic

She's not coming. Fuck her.

I snorted some quake in the transport bathroom. The cold powder dusted my nostril, blasted up my nasal cavity, and entered my bloodstream with a rush of speed and dominance. Next came the smell of sugar mixed with vanilla and butter, then that numb sensation, the reason why I preferred the drug out of all the others. My body deadened to nothing—no feeling or emotions, no worries or insecurities. A soothing fog twirled around me.
Deadness and Mom's cookies.
I closed my eyes and leaned back against the wall.

“Epic, you done? I got to potty.” One of my little brothers pounded at the door.

“There's another one down the aisle.”

“I gotta go b-bad.”

I can't even get peace in the bathroom.

“Okay. Hold on. I'm coming out.” I checked the sink.

No trace of the yellow powder on any of the chrome surface. My head spun. I swayed and bumped into the metal wall. It should have hurt, but quake swam in my system. No pain would come for hours. I put on my sunglasses. Since they were artificial, my eyes never turned red after using, but I hated the worried glances from Mimi and the upset glares from Shade and Toy. Somehow they knew I was doing something, but they didn't know what or how. But paranoia always pulsed through my veins when they glanced my way.

“Here you go.” Opening the door, I stepped out of the bathroom.

“T-thanks, Epic.” Randy raced in, clutching his crotch with a strained expression on his face.

The transport to planet Trinity was a huge vehicle that could hold two hundred and fifty people and was divided into twenty-four large, closed-off sections labeled in the Greek alphabet, from alpha to omega. We were in section omega.

My family sat in their seats, strapped in with double seatbelts that wrapped around their chest and waist. Shade and Toy hung out in seats behind the triplets. The guys were the last line of defense if any of the kids decided to sneak out of our section of the transport and mingle, or in other words, draw kiddie art on the slick tan walls, yank strangers' hair, steal more cookies off the dessert tray, and overall discover some way to destroy the huge machine and our trip as much as possible.

“Everybody okay?” I headed down the blue-carpeted aisle to my seat.

“We are,” the triplets sang in unison.

On my left, Mimi read a picture book screen to my baby sister, Chloe. She was three years old. Mom carried and birthed her, then afterward, became sick. I'd quit my gig as lead singer with the band Chameleon and nursed mom for two years. At the end of the second year, she'd died in my arms, and Chameleon topped the galaxy music charts with their new singer. I had no regrets of spending those years with my mom. I learned more about her and got to say goodbye on my own terms, but when the bills piled up, I dreamed about what I could've done for my family if I'd stayed with Chameleon.

“Good morning,” the pilot said over the speakers. “We'll be departing shortly.”

She's not coming.

I glanced over at Nix's empty seat as I sat down in the one right next to it. After her interesting and pleasurable thank you, I'd rode home feeling like she'd blown my mind as well as my dick.

She was no-nonsense. Other women would've lain on their back, opened their legs, and let me do anything I pleased. Next would've came hugging, kissing, listening to their problems, and then the awkward moment where I ease out of there with no promise of a repeat session. Nix had given me a thanks-for-the-ride-bub blow job and sent me on my way. I returned to her hotel room the next day with flowers and she was gone.

The problem with her having a detailed ink tattoo like that is that men recognized and remembered her wherever she went. In fact, that was why we'd found her so easily the night she stole our money. We had cousins who were covered in electric-wired ink from their ankles to their necks. They existed deep within the tattooing community and knew all things related to the art on the planet. They'd given us a list of all tattoo parlors that still used ink.

The first one we visited had an artist in there that hadn't done the fire and bird but who'd seen Nix before and carried on a conversation with her. He'd been in awe of her ink and told us she lived deep in the core of Underside. Once we arrived in Underside, it cost a few dollars for bums to point us in the right direction.

So two days ago, it took me only an hour to find her new room. I rode through the area and asked around for the sexy, dark-haired girl with a phoenix inked on her back. Some loser sent me to a luxury hotel on the edge of the city. When I walked in the lobby, I caught her fragrance—jasmine and roses. I'd just missed her, the receptionist explained, so I left Nix a message, the flowers, and a transport ticket to Trinity. She'd never called or left a message at the apartment.

And she didn't show up here. She could have at least called.

I shut my eyes and eased into my seat, shoving the image of Nix on her knees out of my mind.
That mouth. Don't think about that soft, moist suctioning.
I stirred in my seat.
Her blow jobs should be illegal on several planets—maybe all of them.

“Please remain seated.” The female voice sounded from the ceiling. “Takeoff will begin in twenty seconds.”

And Nix isn't here.

I'd have to change the plan, but it wouldn't be a big deal. I'd only added her in at the last minute. The problem for me would be the damn thoughts about her that had filled my mind for the last few days. I realized we couldn't be more than whatever the hell we were, but I yearned to be it. I daydreamed about the few moments on Trinity when we could tour the planet, dance at any of the fun spots known for good music, and together we'd plan the hit with precision. She had a brain in that gorgeous head. I desired to be inside of it and so much more.

“Twenty.” The countdown began.

“Nineteen.”

The floor trembled under my feet. The plastic drapes lowered over the windows and darkened the cabin.

“Eighteen.”

I plugged my ears with music and switched to the electric heat category. It was the only genre of music I preferred. The music swam into my ears, drenched with that dark, edgy groove and sweltering bass, one ripped so hard I could hear it in my heart and in the rhythm of my pulse. Almost as if the music stopped, I would die within the silence.

“You ripped me open until I was raw with you.”
The singer's deep voice flowed on the edge of erotic and menace.
“And then you laughed and savored my pain from you.”

Someone tapped my arm. I quickly opened my eyes in anticipation, hoping it was Nix, but it wasn't. Just a huge robot dressed in shining blue metal that was as wide as a door. Its middle looked like a four-foot box. The head twisted my way as the transport took off.

I yanked out my head phones and pulled off my sunglasses. “Yeah?”

“Compliments of Ms. Phoenix, sir.” The robot's boxed center slid open to reveal three large champagne bottles on a tray with a glass filled with slabs of roasted meat over rice, a bowl of chocolate cookies, and pitchers of ice-cold milk. “I was ordered to go to this area and provide section omega with these items.”

“All of this is for me?” I sat up in the seat.

“No, sir.” The tray pushed out toward me. Words lit up around its eyes as if the machine were reading the message. I heard cheers from the kids and knew they'd spotted the cookies.

“Who did Ms. Phoenix say these were for?” I asked.

Several gleaming violet wires swirled out of his sides, captured one bottle, and handed it to me. “It is all for section omega. The three bottles of champagne were to be delivered to a Mr. Epic Failure, Mr. Beaded Monstrosity, and Mr. Toy Chains. The rest were for the family of cretins.”

A grumble boomed from the back. I figured it was Shade since Toy had exploded with laughter. Mimi gestured for the robot to come to her. I was sure she'd hold on to the cookies and milk and dole them out a little at a time in an effort to keep the kids being good for their sweet prize.

“Was there a message?” I balanced on the edge of joy that Nix had thought of us and fear that the food was an apology to say she wasn't coming.

“Yes, sir.” The robot rolled over to my sister, but its head remained facing me. “Ms. Phoenix said that she is on the transport and will meet you at the baggage area when the craft lands.”

Fuck that. I want to see her now.

“And where is she?” I undid my seatbelts and rose.

“All humans are supposed to remain seated during launch and until the captain states otherwise.”

“I have an emergency.”

Red lights glowed on the top of its head. “All humans are supposed to remain seated during launch and until the captain states otherwise.”

“I'll be back.”

The robot's head spun a few times and then it gave up on me and handed over the cookies to Mimi.
If it was a human transport stewardess, my butt would have been shoved back into the seat. There is definitely a good side to machines.
Toy grabbed the plates and utensils. Frowning, Shade reached for the meat and rice.

“We're not hungry for rice. We want dessert.” The triplets bounced in their seat in perfect unison. “Cookies! Cookies!”

“Enough! Dinner first and if you're good, then sweets,” I roared. They sank into their seats. I turned to the robot. “Where is Ms. Phoenix?”

“I do not know, sir.” The robot continued down the aisle.

“Can you provide any other information?”

“This meal was billed to a Mr. Doug McIntyre in section alpha. Good day, sir.”

Alpha? She's in first class and this McIntyre must be her first whale to Trinity.

Jealousy merged with my temper and boiled in my gut. It was sweet that she'd gotten the food for us. Transport food was pricey and cost three times a regular meal. With the price of the tickets, fee for moving furniture, and all of the other expenses incurred, all I could get the kids were a couple of crackers and bottles of water. We were on a strict budget once we hit Trinity. I battled with myself to relax, sit back in my seat, and just take the food.

But then images of a strange man sucking on Nix's breast danced in my head.
Who is this McIntyre guy and why did he pay for her? Did she suck him off too?
I shook away that thought. It wasn't my business, but I couldn't get the questions out of my mind. Instead, I followed my path of rage.

“Where you going, man?” Shade raised his black eyebrows.

“To say thank you.”

“Just thank you?”

“Maybe,” I said through clenched teeth.

“You think that is a smart move?”

“Why wouldn't it be?”

He waved me away and started to spoon food onto plates. “It's probably not a good idea to piss her off for being nice, just because you're jealous.”

“I'm not jealous.”

I would just love to say thank you to Mr. McIntyre with my fist and perhaps a foot deep within the crevices of his ass.

“I'll be right back.” I stormed out of our section and stomped toward alpha, opening and closing doors to get to each section, as well as passing many compartment passengers who were pissed off I was walking through their area.

I arrived in alpha in no time. Nix's laughter hit me first. It came out smooth and melodic, like a song. The fragrance of jasmine and roses fluttered toward me next. I centered my attention toward the direction and trapped her in my view.

Her usual straight midnight hair now hung in a waved pattern. An artistic touch of makeup decorated her olive skin, not too much to give her a cheap appearance, but enough to imprison any man that gazed her way. And she'd jailed them all. Every man ogled her, from young to old, single or taken. She wore an olive-green leather strapless corset over a matching long-sleeve blouse, which topped a long green-and-black brocade skirt.

It was the rich lady's new style on Trinity. They set the fashion trends, and the style now was modesty through yards of expensive fabric in a modern twist to nineteenth century dress. Mimi had blasted my ear all about it the night before as she poured through fashion magazines on the planet. I'd planned on buying Mimi several of these dresses and loved the idea of covering her up. But now I wasn't sure if the covering up part was a simple solution for my sister's new body, because just one glance at Nix's dress incited a craving to rip that silk and leather, break away that skirt, and devour her center.

She giggled again and then turned my way as if she'd felt someone new looking at her. The smile plastered her face, but worry crinkled around the edges.

“Brother! You've come to visit me.” She motioned me over and turned to a slim brown man with a gray mustache that curled up at the edges. “I told you my family is so protective of me. He's probably here to check on me.”

So now I'm her brother? No wonder this dumb guy paid. He probably thought the food was for family.

“Of course. That is what a proper brother should do.” The man patted her arm and kept his gaze on the spill of olive bosom that peeked from the corset since Nix seemed to have forgotten to button up her blouse.

“
Brother
dear,” Nix stressed the word, “don't just stand there. Come here.”

Fine. I'll play your game.

“Dear sister, you look lovely, as usual. Is this your fishing outfit or have you guaranteed your catch for today?” I clapped and spoke in a high voice. She cringed, and I laughed boldly.

The poor guy, lost in her bosom, nodded his head as if he were listening to the conversation, but I knew what was in his mind as his slithering tongue dapped at a bead of sweat near his mustache.

“My brother considers himself a comedian.” She moved a little and the tops of her breasts jiggled with the movement. I doubted it was innocent or a coincidence as she winked at me. “I'm not a fan of fishing. I much prefer to have my meals come to me willingly.”