Page 41 of Codi
“Ethan?” I look at Codi, but he’s just as confused as I am. The woman throws herself on him, embracing him tightly. Codi peels her off and steps back with a slight frown.
The woman looks positively overjoyed, beaming brightly. “They told me the homing beacon-thing probably wouldn’t work unless you were nearby, and I finally got it working—and I couldn’t believe my eyes. Here you are!”
My heart sinks into the pit of my stomach, and dread washes over me. I have a feeling I know who this is and what is happening, but I don’t want to admit it. “Codi, who is this?”
The woman looks at me, baffled, and in an instant, her hackles are up. Her entire expression changes from elation to derision, removing her sunglasses and pursing her hips. “I’m Ethan’s owner,” she replies haughtily, eyeing me up and down with disdain. “Who are you?”
“I’m the one who found Codi thrown away in a trash can.” I set my son down on his feet and hold his hand. “So you must be mistaken. Codi, tell her she’s wrong so we can leave.”
“I can’t.” Codi looks at me helplessly. He looks calm, but his eyes tell me something different. “The tracking signal is coming from her phone.”
No.My dread turns to fear, churning up my insides into knots.No. This can’t be happening.
“That’s right!” The woman sneers at me smugly, extending her hand. “Reagan Walter of Walter Enterprises in New York. My husband and I co-own the company.”
All of Oliver’s previous observations about Codi, his model, his capabilities, come back to me. Codi’s a luxury unit, not as expensive as Oliver, but still not affordable for the average American.
Of course. His owner would be some drop-dead gorgeous bitch with plenty of money to spend.
I take her hand and resist the urge to snarl. Firm, yet polite, I shake her hand. “That’s nice, but the fact still stands. You threw Codi away and erased his memory drives. He’s not registered under your name. Therefore, he’s no longer yours.”
Scoffing, Reagan withdraws her hand, staring me down with absolute condescension. There’s a slight lilt in her voice, like she might be from some Eastern European country. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Ethan was stolen from me weeks ago, and the thief or thieves responsible for it likely wiped his memory in the process so he couldn’t be tracked back to me.” She flaunts her smartphone screen. “Thankfully, I set up my android retrieval app on my phone before that could happen.”
I’m usually a fantastic judge of character, and I know bullshit when I see it or hear it. But Reagan Walter has the poker face of a world champion, and I can’t tell if it’s true.
“He was beaten,” I declare, unable to keep the heat and emotion from my voice. “When my friend and I found him in the dumpster behind our pub, he was covered in dents. His fingers were about to be burned off.”
My words actually seem to affect her. She blanches and takes a slight step back. “My poor darling.” She reaches out to touch him. “It had to be those assholes with Humanity First, always inciting violence against people with bionic assistants. Someone broke into our house, left a mess, and stole you from me.”
Codi, in contrast, looks irreparably confused and uncomfortable when she reaches out to him and leans away. This seems to irritate Reagan, and she glowers at me. “Though I don’t know why I feel the need to tell you all of this. I don’t know you, and this is my android, not yours.”
“Prove it.”
“I can!” Reagan dials on her phone, then places it to her ear. “I will call the police if that’s what it takes. I filed a report with them the night my home was broken into. I gave them all of the information from my BioNex registration and activation paperwork, including his serial number.” She waves a hand almost dismissively at me, threatening. “Perhaps it’s you who’s the thief! The cops will come and deal with you.”
At a loss, angry, and fearful, I don’t know what to do except lash out, but Codi stops me. “No. Don’t call the police,” Codi tells her, holding a hand up, and the forcefulness in his voice seems to take Reagan by surprise. “Give me a moment.” He takes my hand and pulls me aside a short distance away from her, speaking in a soft voice. “Denise—”
“Don’t ‘Denise’ me,” I hiss, lightly squeezing Lucas’s hand as he grabs my leg and clings. “You think I’m just going to let some stranger walk off with you?”
Our confrontation with the woman has garnered a few odd looks from other shoppers, especially when Reagan exclaims loudly, “You will give me back my android, or the police will make you. And then I will sue your pants off for trying to steal my android from me.”
Everyone walking by stares at me like I’m at fault. My face warms with embarrassment.
“I have no choice,” Codi whispers. “I will go with her and try to sort this out. The last thing you need is legal trouble.”
“I’m not scared of her.”
“And if you’re wrongfully accused? Sued? Charged with theft? She doesn’t seem the type to play nice.” Codi tilts my chin up with his finger. “Let me handle this.”
My own emotions overwhelm me. All of the happiness I lost myself in this morning, the bliss from our intimacy, the uncertain promise of what my life could be like with him in it are all being robbed from me.
I gaze helplessly into his eyes. “You want to go with her?”
“No,” Codi reassures. “I would rather be deactivated than parted from you, but I don’t have a choice right now.” He kisses my brow, and there’s a slight gasp of indignation from Reagan behind him. “I know your number. Go to the precinct and confirm her story. I’ll call you when I can.”
“Don’t forget us.” Tears threaten my eyes, but I will not let them spill over. I will not cry. I must be strong, for myself and for my son. Like I always have been.
“Forgetting you is impossible,” he replies and looks down as Lucas pulls at his pantleg.
