Mark it Up

Nathan fixed his glasses as he jogged down the stairs, towards the door. He looked at his wristband, having gotten a message a few minutes ago, reminding him that he and Shilo had a meeting with Amber. Though he was not the most comfortable with this, with Rotti dead, he saw the largest threat gone. His bastard kids Nathan could deal with.

“Shilo!” He called up when he reached the bottom and noticed she wasn’t right behind him. “Honey, come on!”

“Coming!” she called, zipping up her boots and running, her hand running along the railing. She was wearing a short black dress, something Nathan was getting used to seeing her in, that was long sleeve and off the shoulders. Her thigh highs however were a bright red and all lace, drawing attention to her legs.

She stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked at him quizzically.

“What are you looking at?” she asked, noticing his eyes on her. He didn’t say anything, just looked away, and headed towards the door. Shilo followed, out into the night, and towards the car waiting for them, sent by GeneCo.

“You should be wearing a jacket,” Nathan said, and Shilo just shrugged, wrapping her arms around one of his as they walked. He opened the door and she slipped in, before he closed it and walked around to get in the other side. As the car drove Shilo pulled on her extremely long sleeves and would fidget to get a better view out the window. Nathan watched idly, his mind preoccupied with this meeting. He knew Shilo had been getting messages from Amber, and his daughter seemed fairly happy to be going to see her, though Nathan knew he wasn’t. He could not even imagine the debt she would hold over his head for aiding in the saving of his life.

Not that he wasn’t thankful; he just knew how Largos dealt with debt. Not well.

When the car stopped a women opened the door for them, and escorted them to the elevator. Nathan had been on this ride many times down to Rotti’s office, and he realized right away they were on the same track. Instinctively, when the elevator stopped, he stepped in front of Shilo. When the doors opened he saw that the room hadn’t changed much, except that the furniture had been replaced, a larger, curved couch added, with a smaller loveseat and then a single plush chair.

They were not escorted in, in fact the moment they stepped off the elevator, it traveled back up.

Amber was sitting on her father’s desk, smiling at them. In a yellow dress with a skewed black bob, she yet again had a new appearance.

“Nathan,” she said, standing up and walking over, running a hand through his hair and leaning rather close, “Good to see you up.”

Nathan felt strangely violated in such close contact with her, but Shilo didn’t seem to mind at all. She smiled when Amber went to greet her, and seemed ready to strike up a normal conversation with her.

“Please,” Amber said, gesturing to the furniture. The sat down, Nathan making sure Shilo was close, and Amber sat back on the desk. “I’m going to get right to the point,” she said, tapping the desk. “Because I don’t have time to waste. I own GeneCo now, and Nathan, I want you back as my Repoman.”

Nathan’s heart stopped, and he stared at her.

“You?” he asked, thoroughly confused. The last he’d heard, Rotti had wanted to give the company to Shilo, but he had died before any papers were signed. His death was all over the news now, and had been since the incident just over two weeks ago.

Amber smiled. “Yes, me. I was always daddy’s little girl, and apparently, he originally was leaving me GeneCo. Maybe it’s because I never really wanted it.” She looked around the room and shrugged. “But because he never signed those papers, the will never changed.” She re-crossed her legs quickly and leaned in, looking at Nathan. “So, what’ll it be? I want you back. You’re the most skilled hands we ever had.”

“There’s no way-“

“I won’t pull anything like my father did,” Amber interrupted. “Shilo and I have made our deals; this is entirely on its own. This is just a job, Nathan. A job you should take.”

“A sick job,” he pointed out, and Amber sighed.

“You know, I don’t have the bloodlust my brother does,” she said, referring quite obviously to Luigi. “I’m not interested in having everyone cut open and organs returned. Hell, I’m barely interested in this company, except that it gives me the money I need for my lifestyle. I may work a more lenient financing system into the new contracts, if you stay on, Nathan. Maybe someday we won’t need organ repossession,” she said, smiling, “and you could just be a doctor again.”

Nathan opened his mouth to speak, but didn’t. He looked at Shilo, who was listening intently. Her face was calm, no paler than usual, nor flushed.

“Shilo?” he asked, and she looked at him. She shrugged, crossing her legs, giving him a longer glimpse of her pale thigh. He was distracted for a moment, before looking up and seeing Amber smirking at him. Her eyes didn’t even try to hide that she knew exactly what had distracted him.

His silence was all she needed. Smiling, she slid off the desk again and leaned down, getting very close to his face.

“I look forward to being so much more…intimate with you,” she said, before standing up and looking at Shilo. For once the girl’s dark eyes looked slightly harsh towards Amber. “And you, dear Shilo,” she began, turning and taking the girls hands. “I have my own plans for you.” She pulled the girl up and put an arm around her shoulders, turning her to look at the television screen behind the desk. “You see, Shilo, I’m going to be so busy with everything now. This company is going to take what little time I have at all to myself, and with my singing…well, I’m going to need some help.”

Nathan stood up just as the screen came to life, showing the busy streets of the city, small blocks of Amber’s own concerts.

“I want you to work for me,” she said, playing with Shilo’s hair, “as a companion, as someone who can maybe run a few errands when I’m too busy.”

“That’s out of the question,” Nathan said, gripping Shilo’s arm and pulling her back. “She’s not going anywhere with-“

“Sure,” Shilo said, looking up at Amber and pulling her arm back. “That’d be wonderful.”

The only thing Shilo heard on the trip home was yelling or silence. There was no in between. Nathan was furious, and he kept going on and on about how dangerous Amber was, how reckless Shilo was to even think of being alone with her, how he would never allow it.

When the car finally stopped, Shilo just got out and walked to the door, listening to him. When they got inside and she began up the stairs, he yelled after her, “Shilo! We’re not finished!”

She stopped but didn’t look back. “Yeah, we are,” she said, then continued up the stairs. Nathan heard her door slam shut, and stood there, his anger dissipating slowly into simple frustration. He was just looking out for her, that was all. He didn’t want to see her in harm’s way.

Not knowing what to do, just knowing there was no talking to her, he headed down to his secret room for some dark silence.

Shilo stayed up in her room for the day, flipping through her books, watching her TV, anything to keep her busy. She’d expected her father to come up at some point, but he never did.

She was sitting on her bed, about to pick up a book again, when her wristband beeped. The synthetic voice announced, “Incoming message from Amber Sweet,” and Shilo hit the accept button.

“Shilo, I’m looking forward to working with you. My driver will be picking you up in the morning, please be ready by nine.” It ended, and Shilo dropped her arm, looking off at nothing in the distance. She didn’t know what Amber really had planned for her, but she wanted to stay close. She never wanted a repeat of what had almost cost her her father, and she knew there was no way to ever escape the Largo family. The best way was to keep her enemies close.

And she could admit, she had hopes for Amber. Something in her was human, wasn’t completely deteriorated like her father. She sighed and stood up, walking out of her room for the first time, wondering where her father was. She peaked into his room, but it was empty.

“Dad?” she called, walking down the stairs and into the hallway where he often stared, looking at her mother. She could admit to herself that she was relieved he wasn’t there. She always felt a sick twist in her gut when he spent time staring at his loft wife, even if she was her mother.

She looked down at the empty viewing seat, her mother’s body now longer behind the glass. Without, a word, she turned and walked back towards the stairs. Nathan was standing there suddenly, cleaning his glasses casually. He looked at her and she raised her eyebrows.

“Where were you?” she asked. “I was just here a minute ago.”

“What are you talking about, precious?” he asked, putting his glasses on. She stared, so confused, and just sighed, giving up.

“I guess it doesn’t matter,” she said, walking over. He held an arm out and she leaned against him, feeling him give her a half embrace. She closed her eyes, feeling his hand brushing along her arm. She wanted to tell him she was going tomorrow, but she didn’t want to hear him yelling like he had in the car. Not again, not now. It had been too long since he’d just held her.

In fact, in the two weeks he’d been healing, she hadn’t since their first night home. She’d tried to tease him, and even though she’d seen his eyes hungrily devouring her, it was never more than a glance, more than a kiss goodnight. It made her wonder if she had done something, what had changed. She’d kept this to herself though, not wanting to add any stress to him as his wound healed.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, and she nodded. He let go of her and began walking away, towards the kitchen. Shilo hesitated a second, then followed. He didn’t seem to care much as she pulled her body up onto the small kitchen table and sat as he turned on the stove. She watched idly as he moved around, and she realized it had been a long time since they’d really eaten together. He was always gone; she was always in her room.

“Dad?” she called as he took two plates down from the cupboard.

“Hm?”

“I…” she began, then bit her lip. “I’m going out tomorrow. Amber will have a car for me at 9.”

Nathan looked back at her, his eyes dim, then looked back.

“There’s nothing I can say to stop you, is there?”

“No,” she admitted, gripping the edge of the table. “There isn’t.”

He didn’t say a word after, and cooked in silence. When he had picked up the two plates, Shilo slipped off the table and sat down across from him. He set her plate in front of her, then moved to the fridge and filled a glass with water for her. When he set it down, she reached out, running her fingers over his knuckle before he could retract his hand.

“Thanks,” she said, smiling, and he gave her a courteous, small smile, before sitting down. They were quiet as they ate, the only sounds the phantom noises that houses make, until Nathan wristband beeped. He looked at it, before standing up and walking away, hitting the accept button. Shilo could hear Amber’s voice though, and knew exactly what the call was.

When he came back in a minute later, she was already clearing the dishes. She walked over and placed his hand on the small of her back, giving her tiny chills.

“I know,” she said, before he could speak, “I know what that was.” He leaned over and kissed her temple, and sigh wrung her hands together.

“I’ll be back,” he said, and Shilo just nodded as he walked out, knowing she’d wait all night if she had to.

Nathan ducked down into his lair after checking to make sure Shilo hadn’t followed, and stripped out of his shirt, leaving him in his t-shirt. He pulled his jacket on, going about with the various buckles, before slipping into his boots. He slipped his helmet on and grabbed his bag, escaping through a small door that led behind the house.

Within the city Nathan crept, watching as people stumbled, crowed together, without a care as their bodies took the abuse they dealt out. He had the woman’s image in his brain, along with her report in his bag, and when he saw her, departing from a crowd, he was off to intercept her. She was alone in an alley, as the city was filled with them, and he was quiet as he came up behind her.

He grabbed her and pressed her to the wall, hearing her release a strangled cry as she hit it with bruising force. Her report said she had had a lung replaced, along with both her kidneys, so he knew there was no chance she was going to survive the repossession.

He stepped back, gripping her arm with numbing force, and she cried out loudly. Though he knew there was no chance anyone would ever help someone out of a repossession, for fear of what GeneCo would do when they were caught, for they would be, he still hated her cries. He took a fistful of her dark hair pulled her head back, then shoved it forcefully into the wall. Her hear a sick, cracking sound, and she quieted. She wasn’t dead, but that wouldn’t take long.

Nathan dropped his bag and supported her with one arm as he crouched down. He reached back and rummaged around, finding his knife and sliced through her clothing with ease. He slit into her skin, having to reach in beneath her ribs to grab her lungs. The blood began to coat his gloves, bits of gore clinging, making the air smell of death and metal.

He gripped the lung and tugged mercilessly, cutting it free as it came into view. He bagged it quickly, then went after the kidneys, bagging them individually.

He stood up once his work was done, needing to hurry back to get them chilled, when he looked down at the girl for the first time. Her eyes were wide open, now dead, and such a deep brown they were almost black. Just like Shilo’s.

Nathan frowned and turned away, calling for a clean up immediately, unable to stare.

When he was back in his workroom, Nathan stripped of his Repo attire. He took the bagged organs and labeled them, placing them in a small freezer for the time. He had no intention of taking them to Amber tonight.

He hosed off his gear, then adorned the shirt he had stripped of earlier, and headed into the house. He was relieved to find Shilo wasn’t wondering around, or sitting on the stairs, waiting. She had no idea he worked so close to home, and he wasn’t ready to tell her. Not yet. There was just too much going on; too much had been thrown at her.

He began ascending the stairs, hoping she was in her room, sleeping. It was just before midnight, and if she did indeed have to be up for Amber, sleep would make sense. Of course, Nathan also hoped she was up because she had changed her mind, deciding to not see Amber.

He didn’t trust her, not for a second. Once a Largo, always a Largo, and she would turn out to be just like her father, even if she for the time seemed human. Nathan was just waiting for the moment she would show her true colors. He prayed he’d be there for it, and that Shilo wouldn’t be alone.

He prayed most of all that Shilo wasn’t blind, and that she’d see right through Amber.

He walked to her room and opened the door, not really thinking. She was standing near her bed, working her dress off her shoulders, reaching back and trying to get at a zipper that ran down along the length of her spine. She looked back at her father, who blushed.

“Sorry Shi,” he said, gripping the door knob, ready to turn and leave.

“Don’t,” she said, stopping. “Can you help me?” She looked at him expectantly, and Nathan knew there was no reason for him to refuse, though he wanted to turn and leave the room. He didn’t want to watch as inch by inch of her skin was exposed, as the dress fell down her lithe body. It was too much temptation, and though he hadn’t spoken a word of their strange relationship to her in weeks, it had been on his mind constantly.

He dropped his hand and walked towards her, gripping the zipper between his fingers and pulling it down. She stood quietly as he did so, shrugging the dress down gently in the front, so it barely hovered over her breasts. When he didn’t release the zipper at the base, and when his hand absent mindedly went to her hip, she smiled slightly.

“Dad?” she asked, looking back, giving him the kind of look he’d seen before, the kind she’d given him when he’d taken her over her own mother’s grave. The wanton look that made his blood pool fast and hard in his groin, and left him choking on words.

He said nothing, just looked away, and Shilo frowned. She started to pull her dress off more, but he reached up, releasing her hip, and stopped her. When she looked he was just shaking his head. With shaking hands he released her, and turned, walking out of her room and closing her door. She was left to stare at the door, confused, yelling after him, “Dad!”

When he didn’t come back, she frowned, confused. She nearly tore her dress off, tossing it away from her, leaving her in just a pair of cream panties, with black lace around the hems. She stared at the door, willing it to open, willing him to come back.

She was so confused. She thought everything was alright between them, at least on this subject. They might be disagreeing heavily on other things, but she thought they had been alright. The night they returned from the hospital had been so sweet that Shilo’s heart still fluttered thinking about it, and she was sure that that night should have sealed whatever was between them. But now it was as if she was diseased, and he was afraid to touch her.

Driven by her aching heart and the heat between her legs, Shilo walked out of her room as she was and headed towards the only sounds she could hear, the shower.

Nathan yet again was letting the hot water scald away at his desire, as if it was hidden within the very cells of his skin. Of course, he knew it wasn’t hidden at all, which only added to his shame. He’d wanted to touch her so badly, to guide the dress of her fragile body and turn her to him so kiss her, drawing her up on her toes as she was nestled within his arms.

But he couldn’t. He couldn’t imagine touching her perfect skin with his hands, invisibly filthy with his earlier deeds. And how could he ever bring himself to hold her again, when the last time as she slept so soundly next to him, he could only picture Marni laying there, in that exact spot, as she had so many years ago? He loved his Shilo more than the world itself, but with Marni still lingering in his brain, he wasn’t sure he could be with her.

Still, his arousal cried for attention, despite his thoughts, he almost growling with anger, he wrapped his own hand around it and stroked, remembering Shilo’s fingers, her grip that was too perfect. He wanted to chastise himself for the images, but his brain was shutting down, so he kept thinking of her.

Just as it was getting unbearable, he heard the bathroom door open swiftly. He stopped and knew without a doubt who it would be, who it had to be, and of course, a second later, the curtain ripped back.

“Shilo!” he yelled, pulling it back, but she grabbed his hand, keeping him from concealing himself. A light spray of water hit her body as she glared up at him.

“Why did you leave?” she asked, rather loudly. “Didn’t you hear my yell after you?” When he said nothing, she gripped his hand tighter. “Did you not get what I was hinting at?”

Her eyes were turning livid, and he knew her temper was about to show. Something she had sadly gotten from him. And Nathan was sure he could not think of a worse place or time.

“Why have you been avoiding me?” she cried, leaning closer. “Did I do something?”

“Shi-“

“Am I just not pretty?” she asked, “are you suddenly seeing me for the first time?” Though her eyes were hot, the corners looked moist, and Nathan felt guilt pang in his chest.

“No, Shi,” he said, knowing everything he could say had been said, over her mother’s own grave. She was the most beautiful thing in the world, far past her mother. But his heart strings still tugged at the thought of Marni. “It’s not that-“

“I don’t believe you,” she said, pulling the curtain further back, more water hitting her in a fine mist.

“I’m not lying, Shi.”

“Then prove it,” she demanded, and Nathan ran his hand through his wet hair so it was pushed out of his face.

“How?”

“Fuck me.” He stared, eyes widening, but she didn’t flinch. He’d heard her temper show through her words, but when it came to sex, she’d always been somewhat soft about it, never blunt and vulgar. He wasn’t sure this was his precious daughter speaking. Shilo was ignoring his silence, by grabbing his hand and pulling him closer, so he leaned out of the shower. She kissed him fiercely, her hands sinking into his wet hair, and Nathan wasn’t sure how to push her away, if at this point he even could.

Her tongue slipped between his lips, and he was gone in the taste of her mouth. He stepped out of the shower and lifted her, only losing contact with her mouth for a moment as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He took a few steps and set her on the sink, his wet skin sliding against hers, soaking through her panties.

“Dad,” she gasped, pushing her pelvis out against his waist. Her blood felt hot, thick under her skin, and she couldn’t believe he had fallen into her arms so quickly.

However, the moment she spoke, he pulled back, looking a little shocked. Shilo didn’t know at who. She waited a moment for him to resume kissing her, and when he didn’t she repeated, this time in a whisper, “dad?”

He stepped back, his eyes suddenly dark and serious, and whispered something that sounded like an apology. Swiftly he grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his waist, and left. Shilo sat on the sink, confused, wondering what had happened to pull her father out of her skin so quickly. She sat there a few moments, hoping he’d come back, and then praying he’d at least come gather her up and hold her. When he didn’t, she finally slipped down and walked back to her room, her arms folded over her breasts, hiding them in a shame she didn’t fully understand.

When morning came Shilo felt no better, but was up and dressed when the car for her rolled up. She walked out of her room and directly out the door, not stopping to find her father or say a word to him. She was suddenly afraid of his eyes and the look they would give her.

She was shocked to find Amber in the car, relaxing next to one of her guards. Shilo sat next to the other, and Amber beamed at her, a little too happily.

“Good morning, Shilo!” she said, reaching out and clasping her hand. Shilo forced out a smile, which Amber accepted. “I’m sure you’re very anxious for the day to begin. Oh, you’re going to enjoy yourself. You’re going to see the real world, Shilo. Not whatever your father has created back in that house.”

Shilo considered saying she liked that world, but didn’t. At the moment it felt like there was a void in the world she had grown to love very quickly, as briefly as it had existed. She was glad Amber didn’t question her about it, but instead kept talking.

“I have a press release today,” she began, “about how GeneCo will change under my management, where I intend to take the company. It will look wonderful to have a beautiful young girl with me, blooming with such talent!”

Shilo had no idea what talent Amber was talking about, and couldn’t help but remember her father saying something similar.

When the car pulled up to a very familiar stage, Amber’s body guards got out first, helping her and then Shilo out of the car. Flashes sparked around them, but Amber said not a word, just smiled. She led Shilo towards the stage her father had once stood on with Mag, and took center stage. Her body guards stood a few steps behind, and grabbed Shilo’s arm, placing her just in sight, back more with them.

“Miss Sweet, Miss Sweet!” a familiar voice cried as he walked up towards the stage, holding out a microphone. “How are you? The folks at home would like to know about GeneCo, and your plans for the company!”

“Thank you,” Amber said far too sweetly, leaning into the microphone. “I’m very pleased to say that I’ve got great plans for GeneCo!” she held her arms out, smiling. “I intend to make sure my father’s legacy lives on, and the company will continue to offer all the surgeries we could ever need, or want!” There was a cheer, and Shilo was blinded by a flash. “And I do intend to work on the financing options our company has, to ensure that everyone has the help they require to get the surgery they need!”

Shilo couldn’t help but notice it was never “organs”, always “surgeries”. She wondered to herself how many people really needed the organs they got, or if they had destroyed them themselves. And worse, how many people really got surgery just because they could, not because they needed it. She’d seen the commercials and the news, surgery was a fashion statement, but she had never really heard it spoken about. And looking out past all the flashes, she could see faces that she was sure had all been altered in some way.

Amber went on; talking about her father, about the tragedy that was his sickness, and claiming in the end it drove him mad. She was covering for everything he had done. Shilo’s stomach tightened as she realized Amber was distorting the truth, and wanted to cry out that Rotti Largo had been an evil man, a despicable creature, and should not get these people’s sympathy. But she stayed quiet, her hands gripping into fists.

When Amber was done, she thanked everyone for coming, and most questions were shot out, though she ignored them. Shilo knew she heard one woman ask, “Is that the girl from the Opera?”

Amber walked off stage, followed by her guards, who sandwiched Shilo between them. Shilo was afraid to breathe until they were in the car, and she finally released her hands. Angry red crescent moons glared up at her from her palms.

Nathan worried about his daughter as the day went on. He had heard her leave, but had been unable to bring himself to see her, to speak to her. He was furious about his lapse in control the day before, knowing it was far more damaging to her then to himself. He felt like he was playing with her heart.

He sat thinking on this when he got the call from Amber, telling him about his new “patient”. He had half hoped she would mention Shilo, just so he knew she was alright, but she didn’t. With a heavy heart, he stood to go about his business.

Shilo spent a large portion of the later morning and early afternoon in the car. Amber was on a publicity run, showing up everywhere to shake hands and give fake smiles. Most of the time Shilo just stood in the background, like a pretty Christmas ornament.

Finally, in the early evening, they were pulling into the parking garage of the GeneCo headquarters. Shilo was relieved to be escorted inside, hoping she’d be released soon. They rode the elevator down to Amber’s office, and when they stepped out; Shilo saw two more familiar faces sitting near her desk, looking back.

Luigi’s eyebrows rose when he saw Shilo, and he pushed himself out of his chair. Pavi was lounging on the loveseat, as Amber used to, and watched, though he pretended to be distracted by his mirror.

“What’s this little brat doing here?” Luigi asked, and Amber just smiled, placing a hand on Shilo’s shoulder.

“I told you, she’s working for me,” she said, walking herself and Shilo to her desk. She sat down and Shilo stood slightly behind her, unmoving, just watching.

“That had to be a joke!” Luigi yelled, slamming his hands on Amber’s desk. “We almost lost GeneCo to this little bitch-“

“You did lose GeneCo!” Amber snapped loudly, smacking the desk herself. “The company is mine, and if you want me to continue being generous with you, brother, and letting you stay on, I’d suggest a little respect!”

Luigi glared at Amber, then moved his gaze to Shilo. It was so intense that she wanted to duck down and hide below the desk. Finally, he sat down, and Amber’s fake smile came back.

“Now, I came back to tell you two all about the press release,” she said, “and how it went. Or were you good little boys and watched it yourself?”

Pavi smiled, giving his sister a look that Shilo could have sworn she’d seen in her father’s eyes, when he looked at her at night, trying to hide how he wanted to reach out and touch her. Amber didn’t seem to notice, just looked at Luigi, who looked away.

“He informed me,” he said, jerking a thumb towards Pavi.

“Good,” Amber said, crossing her legs and folding her hands in her lap. “Then I guess we can move on to the real reason you’re here. Let’s talk about our financing.”

“If you get rid of Repomen,” Luigi said through gritted teeth, “we’ll lose more money than anything! And dad would certainly not have approved.”

“We’re not getting rid of the Repomen!” Amber said, rolling her eyes. “We’re simply changing the way our financing works. We’re going to lengthen the amount of time our patients have to pay off their bills.”

“We’re then losing organs!” Luigi said, as Pavi sat and silently listened.

“No,” Amber said. “We’ll lengthen the time, enough for them to get a few extra payments in. If we lower the first two or three payments, then jack up the fourth, they won’t be able to handle it. We’ll get a few payments, and also the organs back. And if we add this clause to our other surgeries, just imagine. We could repose a face, someone’s identity.”

Luigi was quiet for a moment, before exploding into praise for the idea. Pavi was sitting up now, smiling, grinning even, but staying fairly quiet. Shilo, standing behind Amber, felt herself shaking a little. Hadn’t she just told her father that she was hoping they’d need him less? This went completely against that idea, and Shilo didn’t like it.

“Mark everything up!” Amber said, standing up happily. “In the end, we’ll be making far more than we did with dad’s ideas.”

Luigi grinned, as did Pavi, before Amber then told them to leave. Her mood seemed to almost swing, but her brothers didn’t question it, boarding the elevator in far better moods than when the two women arrived.

Amber sat back down in her chair, sighing, and said, “Shilo, come here.” Shilo stepped up, and Amber pointed to a drawer in the desk. Shilo opened it and pulled out a small box, which Amber took and set on the desk. She opened it, and Shilo recognized the shape of a Zydrate gun, and the glow of a vial, missing about a third of its contents.

“You remember what you saw,” Amber stated, and Shilo just nodded. “Then you shouldn’t have questions. Shoot me up, and you can go home.”

Shilo picked up the gun, feeling her body beginning to sweat. She looked at it, at the needle tip, and then at Amber, who had pushed her chair out and was relaxing back, an expectant and somewhat happy look in her eyes. Shilo watched as Amber hiked up the dress she was wearing, showing one smooth thigh and the beginning of her pink panties.

Shilo knelt down, pressing the tip of the gun to Amber’s upper thigh, lower than Grave robber had, and hesitated. Her hands were shaking.

“You can’t leave until you do,” Amber said, and Shilo took a deep breath, before pulling back the trigger. Half of the remaining contents shot into Amber’s blood, and she groaned quietly, her eyes closing. Shilo was quick to stand up and put the gun back in the box, closing it and hastily shoving it back in the desk. As she turned and hurried towards the elevator, Amber called after her.

“Shilo!” She stopped, not turning back, but holding onto the elevator doors. “Everything you heard in this office stays in this office. If not, our deal is off, and I’ll expose you and your father. And maybe I’ll take back all the help I gave him at the opera as well…”

Shilo gritted her teeth but said nothing, just got on the elevator and rode it to the surface.

Shilo stepped into her house after six, to the sounds of silence. “Dad,” she called, walking to the stairs, “I’m home.”

She didn’t hear a response, so she headed upstairs to her room, leaving the door open and plopping down on her bed. She sighed, pulling her boots off, and curling up on her bed. She wanted to call her father again, but she considered he might just be avoiding her.

Her thoughts had just ended when her wristband went off. “Incoming message from Nathan Wallace,” it spoke, and she hit the accept button. It was always so weird every time it announced her father calling and he was introduced by his name, not dad.

“Shilo, are you home?”

“Yeah dad,” she said, stretching out now, happy that he was talking to her.

“I’ll be home shortly.”

“Okay.” The call ended, and Shilo flopped down on her bed, running her hands over her waist and smoothing out her shirt as it tried to rise up. Her father had called her. Even if it was extremely brief, it was a beginning. Shilo sighed and closed her eyes, hoping he’d at least come up to her room when he returned.

“Honey, are you awake?”

Shilo opened her eyes and saw her father leaning against her doorframe, looking at her behind his glasses. She sat up and gave him a small smile, and he walked over, sitting next to her.

“Hey dad,” she said, and he reached out and ran his hand over her hair, calming the few stray hairs on her wig. She wanted to nuzzle his hand as it drifted down and just grazed her cheek, but she resisted.

“How was…today?” Nathan asked, not sure what to call it. Shilo was quiet for a second, wanting to tell him so bad what Amber was planning, and how GeneCo wasn’t going to get any better, only worse. But the woman’s words rang through her head, a threat on her father, and she knew her lips would stay shut.

“Fine,” she said, reaching up and rubbing the back of her neck. “Tiring,” she did honestly admit. He smiled and put his arm around her shoulders, hugging her gently.

“Have enough energy to talk?” Shilo nodded, and Nathan kept his arm around her. “I’m sorry about last night, honey,” he started, “I…I should have controlled myself better.”

“Why?” she asked, reaching up and running her fingers over his hand, “There was no reason to. It’s not like I wasn’t enjoying myself.”

“I know…but…” His thought hung in the air, unfinished, as he wondered how he could tell his daughter he was afraid of breaking her heart. He was the one who was supposed to protect her, but yet here he was, the one thing she should fear.

“But what, daddy?” she asked, pulling his hand down and kissing the back of it gently. His heart fluttered wildly for a moment.

“…I’m afraid, Shi. Of hurting you.” She looked at him, and he couldn’t hold her gaze. She sighed softly.

“Do you love me?” He looked back into her dark eyes.

“With everything I am,” he admitted, and she smiled.

“Then you won’t hurt me.” She turned and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. She closed her eyes and counted his breaths slowly, enjoying the slight rise and fall she would get. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

“Shi, there’s more.” He didn’t know how to break it to her, how to admit that with her mother on his mind, he felt like she wasn’t getting all the attention, the love she deserved. Shilo nuzzled his chest, sighing, and whispered,

“It’s mom…” Nathan’s arms tightened around her, and she knew she was right. “Dad, can you tell me something?”

“Of course, precious.”

“Would you rather have kept mom and lost me?” Nathan’s heart stopped, and he gripped her arms, pulling her away from his chest. When she looked up at him, her eyes were oddly calm, docile.

“Shi,” he whispered, almost hurt. “No, never. I’d never trade you, not for anyone.” She smiled slightly, reaching out and tracing down his chest with one finger.

“That’s all I needed to know,” she said, slipping closer again. “I may not like it, dad, but mom was the love of your life before I came around. And she just died suddenly. So you’re going to miss her sometimes.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek, before saying. “I just want to know where this came from, so suddenly. You seemed fine before…and I was on her-“

Nathan cut her off with a gentle kiss, his eyes sad.

“When we made love,” he whispered, and Shilo shivered, having to grip harder onto his shirt, which made it hard for him to continue. “You…you called me Nathan.” Shilo blushed, looking away for a moment. “It just made me think of your mother. And I was horrified with myself that you were lying right next to me, but instead of looking at you, of holding you, I was thinking about her.”

Shilo smiled and kissed his cheek again. “I was afraid you wouldn’t like hearing daddy,” she admitted, and Nathan chuckled.

“I actually love it,” he said, feeling like he should have been chastised, but knowing it was the truth. Knowing he was pleasing his Shilo was the most amazing thing about their relationship. Shilo blushed and moved closer, and he ran his hand over her spine. She nearly purred, before she turned her head one way and groaned from the stiffness. “Honey, are you alright?” Nathan asked, and she shrugged.

“Probably just stress,” she said, and offered with a smile, “I guess that happens when you’re out in the world.” Nathan smiled and set her on her bed, before getting up and saying something about a bath. He disappeared, and Shilo unbuttoned her vest, hoping that meant he was coming back for her, and maybe getting in with her.

When Nathan did return, a few minutes later, he picked Shilo up off her bed and cradled her all the way down the hall, to the last door, a bathroom Shilo hadn’t seen used in a long time by anyone except her, when she was sick. The bathtub, the only real thing in the small room, was filled with water. Shilo looked at it as Nathan set her down, and gently pulled her vest off, letting it drop to the floor. He kissed her neck gently; before he worked open the few buttons below her neck. Shilo moved with him as he pulled her shirt over her head, one of his hands returning and running over her back, over the claps to her cream colored bra.

He ran back up her spine, unclasping his, while he got down on his knees in front of her. She pulled her bra off as he worked on her skirt, pulling it down, and then returning for her thigh thighs. When he had nothing but her panties left, he kissed below her navel, traveling down, making Shilo gasp and suck in her breath. His teeth nipped her skin, then gripped her panties and pulled them down, his hands not coming into play until he was below her sex. After they were gone, he came back, kissing her thigh, one of his hands slipping in between her legs and parting them ever so slightly. She gasped when he kissed her gently, his mouth just creating gentle suction. He pressed harder against her sex, his tongue slipping along it, the flavor of her arousal sending shivers down his spine.

She reached down and sank her hands into his hair, gasping softly as he added to her arousal, even though the mere idea of being in a bathtub with him, pressed against his naked body under the warm water, was enough to almost send her collapsing down and moaning. She began shaking as his tongue traced circles around her clit, his hands holding her hips.

“Daddy,” she breathed, “I…I don’t want it to be over y-yet.” She heard him chuckle, and when he pulled back he licked his lips and smiled. The combination made her muscles clench tightly once, before releasing. “Oh Shi,” he breathed, “It’s far from over.” Shilo blushed when he kissed her again, and she felt her knees beginning to go weak. Once again she buried her hands in his hair, and when her muscles began convulsing, she tugged gently as she cried out to him, and he gripped her hips tighter to make sure she didn’t fall. When the last wave of her orgasm finally crashed, he was still gently caressing her with his tongue, making the warm, tingling feeling spread throughout her body.

She was out of breath when he finally stopped, his eyes darkening dangerously, playfully. He stood up and pulled her to him, kissing her, and her knees nearly gave when she tasted herself on his tongue. As they kissed he lifted her and carried her to the tub, gently setting her down in it. Shilo smiled when their lips parted as she was immersed in warm water up to the tops of her breasts. She watched as her father stripped quickly, wishing she could help, but not wanting to get his clothes wet. When he climbed in she pulled her legs up to her chest to make room, before extending them and entangling them with his. He laughed, and the sound made her feel like she was floating.

She sunk lower, the ends of her wig getting wet, before he leaned forward to take it off. As he did, Shilo splashed him, and he stopped, wiping the water from his face and laughing more. She laughed with him, and he grabbed her and pulled her forward, against his chest, the water sloshing against the tubs, a small wave spilling over onto the floor. Neither noticed, or seemed to care.

Shilo fell against his chest and let his hands run along her spine, enjoying the feeling as it calmed her tense muscles. She kissed his neck gently, lying just low enough that his length was brushing against her lower abdomen. She reached down between them and just gently ran her fingers along it, making him gasp. She slid lower down, her hair getting wet, her lips kissing his chest, her teeth grazing one of his nipples and shocking him. He cried out, and she gripped his cock beneath the water, stroking him, making his cry end breathlessly.

Her other hand slid down lower, running along his testicles and cupping them gently. Nathan, unable to take any more, having gone without her for so long, reached down and grabbed her, lifting her up onto his lap and penetrating her with no warning. Shilo cried out, arching her back before slumping forward, giving him access to her breasts. He kissed them, wrapping his lips around one nipple, then the other, and finally kissing a trail between her breasts as he gripped her hips and helped her move. The water splashed around them, slicing up onto Shilo’s back, Nathan’s chest.

Shilo was moaning with every thrust, her hair wet and sticking to her neck and shoulders. Nathan had never seen her like this, they’d always taken her wig off before she took a bath when she was sick, and she was old enough now that he never saw her in the shower, and he began considering buying her many more, so she could bath with it on.

She tossed her head as she tried to lift herself more, to bring him deeper into her, and grunted in frustration when she couldn’t. Realizing this, Nathan helped her off and pushed her back, before crawling between her legs and taking her again. She cried out, louder now, and arched her back over the edge of the tub, and cried out like that as his last few thrusts carried her into her second orgasm. She reached up and raked her nails down his biceps as he came, leaning forward and nipping just under her breast. She stayed like that, her hands sinking into the water, panting. Nathan watched her breasts rise and fall almost violently, and, trying to catch his own breath, nuzzled her chest and gasped, “Shi.”

When she finally began moving, her back beginning to ache, he helped her straighten and slid down a little. He kissed her, and her hands ran through his hair, all the while his sex staying nestled inside her. When they stopped to take a breath, Shilo gasped out,

“I bet mom never looked that good.”

Nathan laughed. He couldn’t help it. He had no desire to disrespect his dead wife, but Shilo’s sudden confidence made him smile. He kissed her cheek and whispered,

“No Shi, she never did,” before he kissed her again, softly. Her arms wound around his neck, holding him close, waiting for his body to want her again.