Time. As a kid, that was all I had. My father walked out on my mom, and she tried. She cared, did everything for me, and showered me with love. But all I did was fuck it up. I got in trouble; I ran from the police. Against my mother's advice, I chased after, who I thought at the time, was the girl of my dreams; that turned into a problem, too.
But I had time, right? I thought I did. Doing the math in my head, I thought I had every chance to make up for what I'd done; for what I put my mother through. Like there'd come a day when I could have my daughter, keep her with me, and love her more than her mother ever could. That time never came. It was figurative. It didn't exist. And it turned into rage. Griff was right about me.
The doors to Paxton's headquarters beeped as I stepped inside. The security monitors overhead displayed my name, my importance, and the model series of the cybernetic parts inside my body. Giovanni Solís. Twenty-five. Series 1100.
Sliding my tongue over my teeth, I scoffed and walked past the receptionist's desk. The girl behind the computer watched me with a big smile. "Morning, Gio." She batted her lashes. "We're already getting action reports from you."
"Yeah, Mel." I shot her a forced smile. Of course, they received reports. If I took in a deep breath, that was an action. Blinking was, too. Hell, the energy it took to look at Mel and be polite probably strained the receptors installed in my brain. She was friendly and welcoming, but she was also thirsty and looked at me like I was a tall glass of water. If I didn't have the time to fix my family, I sure as hell didn't have time for a relationship.
"Well," she flipped her long curly hair from one shoulder to the other, smiling still, "Kimi is inside waiting for your full body scan."
I nodded. That scan would show the little altercation this morning. Sure, it wasn't real, but the reactions from those in the store were. Not sure what a botched mini-store robbery would do for Paxton, but there wasn't much going on. At least not yet.
"Got it, thanks." I turned for the door on the left; it wasn't advanced like the main entrance. Neither was the hallway after. Just white floors and walls with minimal pictures. Basic compared to the outside of the luxury building.
From the few open offices, the workers inside watched me pass. Some waved; I did the same. Others viewed me as the experiment I was. They didn't bother me. It was human nature to be afraid of what you didn't know. Shit, I didn't even understand what Paxton had done to me, but I knew what I planned to use it for.
"Gio!" Kimi waved at me from the door at the end of the hall. The smile I shot her was genuine. So was the little hop in my step. Kimi was my technician, inspecting my body daily. She was gorgeous, too. Petite, curvy, with dimples on both cheeks. Her brown skin always smelled like vanilla and shea butter lotion, and I always told myself I'd have time for Kimi.
But we made this professional. That was my call. I didn't want to force her into my life any more than she needed to be.
"You're late." Kimi pressed herself against the door frame as I slid inside the office. When I passed her, she reached into my jeans and snatched the pack of cigarettes from my back pocket. "And I thought we said no smoking, hm?"
"Those aren't mine." Eyes on her, I walked backward to the medical bed. The room's "doctor" look was cute and all, but not like her. I liked when she glared at me; something about that smoldering fire in her eyes.
"Not yours?" Kimi shook the pack once before closing the door behind her. She locked it, too. When she glanced at the cigarette label, she shook her head. "They're the type you buy."
"They are." I jumped back on the bed and made myself comfortable. "But I didn't buy those. Someone else did."
"Mhm." She pressed her lips together, up to her nose, and tossed the pack on the counter to her right. It hit the binders, labeled by months and years; the last two sections on that rack Kimi dedicated to me.
"Why the face?" I cocked a brow and slid my hand over my abdomen. "You think I'd ruin this physique?"
Kimi shook her head. "Boy, please." She grabbed her tablet and glanced at the screen. "You got these at Juno's Corner Mart?"
Tonguing my cheek, I half nodded. "I mean, that's where someone got them."
She lifted just her eyes to look at me. "The place where your sensors activated?"
Nothing got past Kimi. She was good at her job. That's why I loved her. The lead technician assigned to Paxton's important, controversial experiment.
"Look, my sensors went off because of some kids messing with the store's owner. Those cigarettes, though? I'm telling the truth." I slid my hand over my freshly cut hair. "Have I ever lied to you?"
Kimi paused. Her slender fingers tapped her tablet before placing it beside me on the bed. Her hand moved to my neck next. She pressed against the back of my ear. "No, you've never lied." She stepped in front of me. Her other hand did the same to my opposite ear. "Sometimes I wish you had, though."
There were pressure points behind my ears; hidden buttons for the computer upgrades in my body. With each touch, a sensor powered on, a feature activated, all against my will.
My enhanced ears picked up on her racing heart. I lifted my gaze and, with my augmented sight, I watched her temperature rise. She was nervous. Why?
"What's wrong?" I asked as her hands slid down my shoulders and the sides of my arms. "Did something happen?"
Kimi sighed. She scooped her tablet again and went over to her desk in the corner of the room. One quick tap on the keyboard brought the monitor to life. My picture brightened the screen, as well as my vitals. I was a healthy robot-man, wasn't I?
Dropping into her seat, she reached for her mouse. Two clicks and my face was gone, replaced by pictures of other people—two men, different places.
I jumped up and stood behind her. "Shit, you found 'em? Where?" Them. My ex-friends. The very same people who turned me in for the crime they committed.
Kimi looked up at me, a small smile on her face. With one hand, she lazily pointed at the computer screen. She rubbed her temple with the other. "On the left is Mark Sanchez."
"Yeah." I knew Mark. I grew up with Mark. For the longest, he followed me. In our teens, he became my shadow. It wasn't long before he found himself and pushed everyone out of the way. The picture was evidence of that. How many gold chains did one man need?
"He just came back. He'd been living in California for the longest. And the other," Kimi grabbed the mouse and scrolled down the computer screen, "Ruben Ramirez. He's around. Found him living in the suburbs not too far from us, but lately, he's been pinging."
I snorted. "Pinging, huh?" I glanced at Kimi. "How? You've been checking their phones?"
"You asked me to, didn't you?"
Leaning over the back of Kimi's seat, I turned my head. Our faces were just inches apart. I caught the deep red spread over her cheeks, the shimmer in her eye. "I did ask you," I said, lowering my gaze to her lips. "Thank you."
Sometimes we'd get this close. It happened. Could I avoid it? Yes. Would I? I tried. Honestly, I tried. Once Kimi licked her bottom lip, I stepped back. It needed to be professional. I have to remember that.
"Get me their phone location in the next hour." Rubbing my hands together, I glanced at the door. "I'll start looking for them this afternoon."
Kimi didn't say anything. I expected her to. She was a person who always had something to say. Silence—Kimi didn't know her. When I looked back at Kimi, she'd scrolled the computer monitor back to my profile, my vitals. She typed a few numbers into my feedback section.
"Kim." At the sound of my voice, she looked at me. Her heartbeat changed. Her nervousness shifted into fear. I didn't need my sensors to see that. "You good?"
She gulped. She tried to hide it with a smile, but I saw it. It slid into her chest and gut and dissipated like particles. "I'll see which satellites ping them first. Once I have it, I'll send the directions to your map."
"You're the best, Kim." I inched back towards the door. Then it hit me. Kimi wasn't done. "Shit." I turned around and looked at her. "Can we finish my scan later? Or should I sit back down? Or—"
"No, go ahead." Kimi looked back at her computer screen. "I'm putting in numbers. No one will tell the difference. You go see your daughter." Smiling, she glanced at me. "I know you've been dying to see her."
I smiled back at her. "Thank you."
***
Maggie was the reason I signed Paxton's contract. Yeah, I wanted to see my mom, hug her, apologize, and remind her that I was the boy who was nothing without his mama. But my daughter? She was my priority. My light. My life.
I'd been out of prison for two years, but I couldn't see her right away. Griff had made sure the surgeries and enhancements happened immediately. For six months, I was on so many different tables; there wasn't time for anything else. Once I healed, I saw her. Brenda, Maggie's mother, didn't understand how I was calling her or why I wasn't in prison. But I didn't need her to; I wanted to see my daughter.
Per court order, I saw Maggie once a month. Brenda wouldn't allow any more than that. And with my record only partially deleted, I had no say in the matter. I took what I could get.
On my way to Delta's Grill, I passed a guy selling teddy bears and flowers out the back of his van. I made sure to grab one, the big one. It had to be pink because that was Maggie's favorite color. I also bought a flower for her mother. Not that I wanted to, but Brenda was the type to complain if someone else got a gift and she didn't. I didn't want drama today. I needed to be calm.
"Hello." A waitress came to my table on Delta's patio. She flipped the first page of her notepad, a new sheet for a new customer. As she smiled, she readied her pen to write my order. "What could we get you?"
I read her nametag. Paulie. With a half-smile, I shook my head. "Could you give me a few minutes? I'm waiting for someone."
"Oh, sure." Paulie pushed her black hair behind her ear. With my sensors still activated by Kimi's incomplete scan, I picked up Paulie's fluctuating heart rate. This wasn't a reaction to me. There had to be a murmur, a defect. I frowned.
She closed her notepad. "Do you want me to bring you water or—"
"Papi!" The voice of an excited little girl cut Paulie off. The both of us looked up. Running towards the open patio was a girl dressed in pink with bows in her hair. A tiny backpack slapped around her legs, hanging for dear life, as she hurried over to my table. Maggie. Smiling big, I stood from my seat.
"Is this who you're waiting for?" Paulie, still smiling, gripped her notepad. "She's adorable. And her?" Paulie pointed to the woman slowly walking behind Maggie. Oversized sunglasses covered most of her face. With a ponytail pulled to one side, bright red lips, and a black dress that hugged her body, she looked like a model. Brenda. Too bad I knew her soul was ugly, and that wasn't evident on the surface.
"Mommy, Mommy." Maggie stopped and waited for Brenda to catch up. She extended her hand to grab her mother's.
A quiet "awe" slipped past Paulie's lips. "This is cute. Is that your wife? She's stunning."
I glanced at Paulie. My smile strained a bit. "Not my wife, but definitely my daughter. Thank you."
As Paulie frowned, she slipped out a small "oh." Maggie hurried up the sidewalk and through the patio's gate. She left Brenda behind as she ran to me. Kneeling, I opened my arms to give my daughter a place to land.
She crashed into me, giggling. "Papi!"
I hugged her, tightly squeezing her as if she'd disappear. "Hi, nena." Leaning back, I brushed a loose baby curl and tried to put it back in its place. I failed. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too, Papi." Maggie giggled, then reached behind her for her backpack. "I got you something."
"You did?" I let out an exaggerated gasp. While she dug inside the bag's small pockets, I reached behind me for the bear I got her. When she found what she was looking for and turned around, the bear was what she saw. She squealed. "I got something for you, too, mamita."
"It's so fluffy!" Maggie gave the bear the biggest hug and still managed to wiggle the small gift box she pulled from her bag. "And this is for you, Papi."
Another exaggerated gasp. My smile? That was real. "This is for me?"
Maggie couldn't answer. The dark shadow that was my baby mama loomed over us. Her long fingers landed on Maggie's shoulders. I looked up at her just as she slid her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose. Dark eyes peered at me until I stood.
"She begged me to buy you that," Brenda muttered before looking around. "Did we need to meet here?"
"Hello to you, too." There wasn't anything nice from Brenda. She hated me. I understood why; I was arrested when Maggie was young. That crime left her raising Maggie alone. It didn't matter how many times I explained I was innocent; she didn't want to hear it. She kept Maggie away and didn't even tell me someone donated for her surgery. I believed my baby girl was still sick for so long.
"Mama," Brenda looked down at Maggie, "tell your Papi we can't stay. We have somewhere to go."
"What?" My brows pinched together. "This was my day to see her. You knew that. Why make plans?"
"Because I can." She entirely removed her sunglasses. "I shouldn't have to plan my life around you. I did that for too long already."
My jaw clenched. Anger swelled in my gut. My sensors reacted to my heart rate; words appeared over my line of sight.
"Adrenaline increase, unprovoked. Report sent."
Maggie's innocent eyes looked at me as I tried to keep calm. "Brenda." Deep breaths. Long breaths. "You had a whole month to make plans. The court said—"
"Do you think courts care about a murderer? Hm?" She pursed her lips.
"Brenda...."
"Papi?" Maggie grabbed my pant leg. Her small hands squeezed. I placed my hand on her back and smiled down at her. I needed her to know everything would be okay. "Don't be mad at Mommy," she said.
Mamita, if only you knew how hard that is.
"Just tell her bye, okay." Brenda cocked a brow and put her glasses back on. "I'll stand over there," she pointed at the light pole on the sidewalk, "so you can have your little moment."
She turned. It hurt to smile as I watched her walk away. But Maggie didn't need to see anger on my face. If there was one thing I could do, despite everything I'd done wrong in my life, it was to be the respectable image of a person my daughter needed to see. For her, I could pretend to be the good guy.
"Hey." Kneeling in front of Maggie, I smiled to hide my feelings. "I bet you and your Mommy have big plans today, huh?"
Maggie frowned. "She did make plans, but I wanted to see you."
As tears welled up in her eyes, I grabbed her tightly in a hug, shushing her. "Mamita, don't cry, okay? You saw me, see." I stretched her out at arm's length. "I'm right here."
"Yeah." She wiped at her left eye to keep the tear from falling. "I just miss you."
My heart broke in two. To see my little angel like this, just needing to see me, ripped me apart. I knew the second she'd walk away. I'd be done. But knowing what I needed to do later today made it worse.
"I miss you, too, Maggie." I kissed the top of her head before grabbing her hand. I slowly led her back to Brenda. Squeezing her hand, I hugged her once more. "I'll call you, okay?"
"The Face-Time?" she asked, wiping at her eyes again.
"Whatever you want, mamita."
As Brenda took her hand and led her away without saying goodbye, I remained in that spot for a minute. When they were far enough, I turned. I returned to the table and dropped a twenty-dollar bill in the napkin holder. I put the flower there, too. It wasn't Paulie's fault I didn't order food; the flower was too pretty to go to waste.
The communications device in my head chirped as I turned to leave. Kimi's voice sounded in my ear. "Gio, what happened? This aggression report came through and—"
"Delete it." I looked both ways before crossing the street with a light jog.
"Gio, what happened?" Kimi was worried. But I didn't need her to be.
As I watched traffic zoom down the street, I said, "Send me their locations. Now."