Page 11 of Cyber
I seemed to be doing a lot of that recently. Running away. But I couldn't stay in that kitchen. Just being in the same room as Cyber was torture, and the way he looked at me made me want to grab a kitchen knife and drive it through his temple.
Being around Cyber brought out the violence in me.
Heavy boot steps sounded behind me, and it was Cyber’s tattooed hand that spun me around. His grip was almost painfully tight as he tugged me towards him. But he didn't wrap his arms around me, instead he gave a little shove and sent me toppling into the small lounge of the hallway, kicking the door shut behind him.
“I don’t know what the fuck you think you are doing Cyber, but...”
“Sit down and shut up, Iris,” he snapped back. The shock must have been evident on my face because when he next spoke he had softened his voice. “It's time me and you had a little talk.”
“We have nothing to talk about.” I darted a look at him and then flopped down onto the sofa where he pointed.
He didn't look happy, and that was fine by me; I wasn't happy either. I couldn't think of anything worse than being stuck in a room with him. Ok, I had lived with worse, but it was hard to remember that when I was looking at his smug, handsome face.
Because he was still handsome. Harder now than when I had first met him, and I couldn't see an inch of him that wasn't covered in tattoos, but he was still handsome. Just in a more rugged, manly way than he had been when we had first met.
“Yes, we do.” The sofa sagged under his weight as he settled himself next to me. “We have five years of stuff to talk about, Iris.”
I could feel his eyes on me.
“Tell me about your daughter.”
“Why?” My head snapped around. Out of all the things I had expected him to ask about, my child was the last one.
“Because finding her is important to you, and it's important to the club. You don't want me watching over your shoulder any more than I do. The key to your freedom is finding your little girl. Her name is Violet, right?”
I blinked rapidly. Someone had filled him, and recently. He was too well informed. “Yes, her name is Violet.”
Cyber cocked his head to the side. “It's a pretty name. Unusual. What made you give her that name?”
“Her eyes reminded me of violets when she was first born.” I said it without thinking and instantly kicked myself. I hadn’t meant to share that with him. It was a memory I didn't share with anyone.
“How old is she?”
“Four, but you know that already, don't you? Why all the questions, Cyber?”
He ignored my question. “When is her birthday?”
“J…” I paused, giving him a look. “Oh, I see, you are trying to work out whether she is your child.” I gave a mirthless little laugh.
Cyber’s face remained stony as he watched me laugh like a demented cow. “Is she?”
The giggle died on my lips. “She’s my child, Cyber, no one else's. You don't have to worry about that.”
“I'm not worried about it. It's a simple enough question, Iris, so answer it.”
“The chances of her being yours are slim to none, Cyber. We spent one night together and even if she was yours I would never ask you for anything. Like I said, she is my child, no one else's. So if you're helping me because you feel some kind of warped guilt over not being in her life, you can rest easy. The odds are not in your favour.”
“Who is her dad then, Iris, shouldn’t he be here? Shouldn’t he be as worried as you are about her?”
His words cut into me like a knife, slicing into my heart. But I refused to let the tears fall again. Not around him. Cyber had taken more than his fair share of my tears over the years.
“Who the hell knows, I didn’t really have much choice on who I had sex with.”
Cyber’s face closed down even more. “Shit.” He reached out a hand but didn't touch me. I couldn't take my eyes from his inked fingers though. There was the slightest tremble to them.
“Shit, I'm sorry, Iris. I am sorry about everything. But you have my word that I will find Violet for you.”
“Why?” I tore my eyes from his hand to meet his eyes. “Because you feel guilty about killing my dad?”
