Страница 82 из 99
She opened her eyes. Sofia was still touching her neck, and her fingers had grown warm with the heat of Marianella’s skin.
“You were right,” Marianella said. “I was pretending to be human. And I realize now how stupid that was.”
Sofia didn’t react except to trace a path into the hollow of Marianella’s throat.
“I want to help you,” Marianella said, the words chattering and echoing inside her head. It was so easy to say this, to admit to what she was. She should have done it years ago. “I want to help you take over the city. I want a place where cyborgs can live too.”
The words sang against the air.
“I know,” Sofia said. “And one day, you’ll have it.”
She leaned forward and wrapped Marianella up in her arms.
CHAPTER THIRTY
SOFIA
Sofia lay at Marianella’s side and watched her sleep. It was as dull an activity as she remembered from her days with clients, but she didn’t feel like being alone. Not right now, so soon after Marianella had finally agreed.
She was on Sofia’s side. She was on their side, away from the humans. On the side where she needed to be.
It was a beautiful night.
Of course, Sofia wasn’t thinking beautiful thoughts. In the dull evening she was contemplating Ignacio Cabrera. Her programming could no longer betray her, and that meant it was time to dispatch with Cabrera as neatly and quickly as possible.
There was only one way.
Sofia crawled out of bed and paced silently around the room, pla
“Tired of sleeping?” Sofia asked.
Marianella smiled a little. “That’s not exactly how it works, no.”
Sofia shrugged. Marianella stretched underneath the blankets.
“Something woke me up,” she said.
“I was being as quiet as possible.”
“I know. It was something else. A dream.”
“Oh.” Sofia sat down on the edge of the bed and ran one hand through Marianella’s hair. “Dreams can wake you up?”
“Sometimes.”
Silence. For a moment Sofia thought Marianella had fallen back asleep, but then she felt the weight of her gaze again. Her eyes were still open, watching.
Sofia stretched out beside Marianella and kissed her. “I’m glad you’re awake,” she said. “It was dreadfully dull before.”
Marianella laughed. “You didn’t have to stay here.”
“I wanted to.”
Marianella seemed pleased—happy. And that made Sofia happy, in a way that had nothing to do with her programming.
“Are you still serious about joining with me?” Sofia said in a low voice. Marianella didn’t answer right away, and Sofia waited, unmoving, not sure if Marianella would say yes or no.
“Yes,” Marianella said.
Sofia fell onto her back and smiled.
“I’m not as flighty as you think I am,” Marianella said.
“I never thought you were flighty.” Sofia stared up at the ceiling.
“I won’t hurt anyone, though,” Marianella said. Sofia dropped her head to the side to look at Marianella. “No one i
“And if they’re not i
Marianella pushed up onto an elbow. Her hair, mussed from sleep, fell over one side of her face. “What does that mean?”
“Cabrera.” Sofia kept her eyes on Marianella’s face. “And his men, the high-ranking ones. The killers.” She paused. “My reprogramming worked. We don’t need the programming key. So he’s of no use to me anymore.”
Marianella collapsed back down. “Alejo said the same thing about me,” she whispered.
“This is different. Cabrera has tried to kill you twice, and he wants me to do it the third time. We’re lucky he hasn’t stormed the park yet. Besides, how much damage to the people of the city have he and his men done? The i
Marianella didn’t say anything.
“The only way you’ll ever be safe is if he’s gone completely.”
“I know how Ignacio Cabrera works.” Marianella continued to stare up at the ceiling. “Alejo wanted to do this too, you know. Kill him.” She paused. “Murder him. And I couldn’t stand the thought . . .” Her voice faded away, and she closed her eyes, took a deep breath. “He’s hurt so many people. His men—”
Sofia lay her hand on Marianella’s chest, right over her heart. “They’re the worst kind of humans. I know you see that. And you know this is the only way to keep you safe.”
Marianella didn’t say anything for a long time. Sofia waited with all the patience of a clock. She knew she needed to let Marianella work through the repercussions on her own.
“What exactly do you want me to do?” Marianella said, and her voice trembled.
* * * *
The Florencia looked worn-out during the day, an old gray building rubbed raw by the salt and cold wind from the docks. Marianella and Sofia stood side by side on the sidewalk, staring up at the darkened sign. If Sofia listened closely, she could hear the hammering of Marianella’s heart.
“It’s going to be all right,” she whispered.
Marianella looked at her and didn’t say anything. She looked resolute. Resolute and frightened.
Sofia leaned over and brushed her lips against Marianella’s cheek. Marianella closed her eyes, tilting her head toward the kiss.
“Ten minutes, and it will all be over,” Sofia whispered.
“Ten minutes,” Marianella said, and fear made her voice tremble.
“It’s time.” Sofia pushed her doubts aside. The change in her programming meant she no longer cared what humans thought, but the change seemed to amplify her own emotions, and in certain ways they were wild and unfathomable. In certain ways they were dangerous. But she would not allow them to be dangerous today.
She and Marianella went into the Florencia.
The maître d’ was gone. No music filtered in from the dining room. Marianella pressed against Sofia. Her breath quickened. All those little remnants of humanity.
Ten minutes, Sofia thought.
Diego and Sebastian walked in from the dining room. Diego’s face was bruised and darkened, and Sofia noticed the way Marianella turned away from him.
They pulled out their guns when they saw who it was.
“Hello, boys,” Sofia said. “I brought you a present.” She stepped in front of Marianella as she spoke.
“Took you long enough,” Sebastian said. “And he wanted her dead.”
“And she will be.” Sofia smiled. “I thought he might like to watch me kill her in front of him.”
Diego and Sebastian glanced at each other, and Sofia tightened her grip on Marianella’s hand, trying to calm her.
“That’s not usually how he operates,” Sebastian said.
“It’s how I operate. Let me see him.”
There was a long pause. Marianella whimpered beside her.
But then Sebastian nodded, frowning, and he and Diego led them into the dining room.
Cabrera sat at a table in the center of the floor, eating a steak. The meat wasn’t the frozen, reconstituted stuff Marianella and Eliana and Araceli had been eating. It was fresh. Sofia could tell by the smell of it, by the bright red liquid pooling at the bottom of his plate. Sometimes she hated the smell of organic matter.
“Sofia,” he said, setting down his knife and fork. “This wasn’t the arrangement we talked about.”
Sofia let go of Marianella’s arm. Marianella stayed quiet, the way they had agreed.
“I wasn’t happy with that arrangement.”
Cabrera looked up at her, his eyes glittering. And then he laughed. “You weren’t supposed to be happy with that arrangement.”
“What happened at the gala was not my fault.” Sofia slid into the chair across from Cabrera. “I brought you Lady Luna. You can do whatever you want with her. I’ll even kill her in front of you, if you’d like.” She smiled sweetly, even if the words stung like needles. “I’m just asking for some payment in exchange. Nothing major.”