AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She smiles walking over to my little bundle of perfection. As the warmth of Alice’s dinner fills my empty belly, my eyes roll back into my head thinking about Garet.
I can’t help myself. I know it sounds like a fantasy, but I’ve found myself daydreaming that he’ll come bursting through the door. Long nights of breastfeeding are playing tricks on my mind. Must be.
“I've got to get back across town.” Alice finally says.
“I know,” I say raising.
She walks over to Armani and touches her cheek. “Kiss her for me?’
“Of course.”
“Thank you for everything, Alice.”
“Don’t” she says, crossing to the doorway. “We’re in this together. Just like at Sathior’s.”
“And Kalei.” I remind her, half smiling as I rest in the doorway.
“Who could forget Kalei?” She jests, making her final remarks on her way out.
But of course, she’s right.
I could never forget how I got here, the tall teal being that saved me back on that green planet. Things would’ve been so different had he been in the picture. Of course, I'm sitting here fantasizing that he’ll come to my rescue. He was so resourceful, he would’ve handled everything like a boss.
He has before.
What I have to accept, I realize, sitting at my kitchen table with a few extra credits on my comm, is that this is rock bottom. Even with the extra food and money and repair work. I’ll be lucky to make it through the month.
I have to face facts, for the little girl wriggling in her crib. She won't always be a tiny baby, before I know what to do she’ll be walking and talking and looking to me.
And what do I have to show her? A whole lot of nothing.
CHAPTER 22
GARET
Three days left. I’ve been searching for Tania for almost an entire month, but she’s nowhere to be found, and my leave time is almost up. I’ve been to almost every boutique, fashion studio, and clothing shop in the city but have nothing to show for it. Hell, I’ve expanded to looking at tourist shops that sell cheap shirts that say shit like “I went to Glimner and all I got was debt and this stupid t-shirt.”
It doesn't help that I only know her first name and a physical description. Finding her is like looking for a specific leaf in the jungle.
There’s a part of me that wonders if she’s dead, but I’m pretty sure I would feel that through our bond. So, where could she be?
There are only two names left on my list: Sathior Havani and Prolex Han. Prolex’s studio is closer, so I go there first.
A woman at the front desk sits scrolling through her comms as I approach. She barely looks up from them when I clear my throat. “Do you have an appointment?”
“No, but—”
“No appointment, no meeting. Prolex is a very busy Odex.”
“I’m actually looking for an employee. Her name is Tania and she’s a fashion designer.”
“Tania,” she repeats thoughtfully as she types it into her computer. “Last name?”
“I, uh, don’t know.”
She raises an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Can you give me something else to work with, then?”
“Right. She’s a human, about five feet and four inches, blonde, with blue eyes.”
