Page 42 of The Delivery

“Your payment is nonrefundable.”

“That’s fine.” Rebecca keeps her voice low, even though Mr. Man has gone back into his prism to recharge for the night. “Can you just . . . take him?”

“He is highly customized. He was grown from you. There is no other use for him.”

“I don’t care,” Mark says. “That’s not our problem.”

“We’re uncomfortable with him now,” Rebecca adds, her tone can’t we all just get along conciliatory.

“Because he went to look for your necklace?”

“That’s what he said he did. But as I explained, there was a—an accident. With our neighbor . . .”

“What are you suggesting?”

“He killed our rabbit,” Mark says. “Skinned him for a meal.”

Rebecca pats the air for him to quiet, her anxious gaze on Maddy, but Maddy continues constructing the scorpion’s tail, her headphones snug. “Bao-Bao” is beside her on the mat, velvet ears poking up, nose quivering as he nibbles on a braided rope made of compressed timothy hay.

“ Then you must have instructed him to do so, ” Luca says. “He is entirely an extension of you. Remember: You are in charge.”

“I did not instruct him to do that,” Rebecca says.

“You have explained that. You have explained that it was a misunderstanding. As we explained in the onboarding process, you must be clear about what you are asking and what you want.”

“I was clear,” Rebecca says. “Just please. Can you take him?” She hates that she sounds like she is pleading. She hates that she is pleading.

Mark addresses Luca or the Luca bot: “Are you saying you will not pick him back up?”

“That is not part of our legally binding contract.”

“I can’t imagine there will be good press on this,” Mark says. “An unhappy family . . .” He lets the words hang.

Luca stares at them for a time, blinking at too-regular intervals, that perfect jaw set. “Are you threatening this corporation, Mr. Higgins?”

“No,” Mark says, though of course he is trying to. “I’m saying that this isn’t a great customer-service look for a new company.”

More evenly spaced blinks as Luca processes. “I remind you that we have access to all your family’s information.”

Mark goes rigid on the mattress next to her. Even sitting beside him, Rebecca can feel his body temperature rise. Or maybe that’s just hers.

“Are you threatening us?” Mark asks.

“Of course not. I am merely reminding you that this corporation and your family’s interests are organically and digitally intertwined.”

“I understand that,” Rebecca says, still trying for amity. “But after what happened to our neighbor . . . What if he harmed him?”

“ He did not harm anyone, ” Luca says. “Unless you wanted him to.”

“I didn’t want him to,” Rebecca insists. “I don’t want him to.”

“ Communicate with him clearly. ”

“It’s not that easy.”

“ Yes. It is. You are doing it. Right now. ”

“What does that mean?”