“Hmm.” Chapel wondered how Funt could have known what was coming. The chimeras had only broken out of their detention facility a little more than — he checked the clock again — twenty-four hours ago. “He must know something we don’t.”
“Then I’d say you made the right choice, coming to Atlanta,” Angel told him. “Presuming he’s willing to share.”
“That’s a big presumption. From what I’ve seen so far he’s a sneaky bastard. He nearly killed me and Julia last night. If I didn’t think he could explain a few things, I’d be tempted to just leave him to his own devices. Anyway, we don’t even know if a chimera is coming here, much less—”
“Ah,” Angel said.
“What is it?”
“I guess you haven’t had a chance to watch the local news,” she said. “Last night a man was killed at the Atlanta train station. The suspect is described as large and athletically built, with haphazardly cut hair.”
“Sounds familiar,” Chapel said. It sounded like the chimera he’d killed in New York. Well, there it was. He at least hadn’t wasted all this time on a wild goose chase. “Do the police have any idea where he is?”
“None whatsoever. I’m keeping my ears open, though — I can hear all their chatter. If they catch sight of him, you’ll know about it.”
“Thanks. Okay, next up—”
He stopped because the shower had turned off in the bathroom and the door was opening. Julia stepped out, wearing only a towel. Her wet red hair was draped forward over one shoulder, its curly ends touching the top of her breasts.
“Angel, stand by,” Chapel said. He took the hands-free set out of his ear.
“Good morning,” Julia said. She stood framed in the doorway, not moving.
“Hi. I guess I fell asleep,” he said, because his brain wasn’t bothering to engage very well with his mouth.
“Yeah. You conked out. I had to undress you — I hope you don’t mind. I just wanted to make you comfortable. I slept in the chair, there,” she said, pointing to where she’d left her clothes. “I woke up a little while ago. Figured I’d take this chance to get clean.”
“Sure,” he said.
“Chapel, you’re staring,” she said, and a blush appeared on her cheeks.
“So are you,” he said.
She couldn’t seem to take her eyes off his left shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” Julia said. “I just — I’d kind of stopped thinking of you as only having one arm. The prosthesis is so realistic.”
“It fools a lot of people. But not forever.” Chapel gave her a wan smile. He supposed this moment had been bound to come. He’d started thinking of Julia as more than just an informant. More than just someone he was trying to protect.
He’d known he found her attractive. Seeing her standing there in just a towel, he felt it more than ever. But he’d also seen something else in her, in her resourcefulness, in her toughness. Something he found rarely in anyone of either gender. Something he’d come to admire. He’d honestly begun to think that maybe they could share something more than just… whatever they were to each other now.
But he’d been fooling himself, of course.
He was still a freak. Still three-quarters of a man. He could forget that himself, sometimes. This recent adventure had made him feel more whole than he had in a long time. But it was still true.
“You must have seen this last night,” he said, gesturing at his shoulder with his chin. “You took the arm off.”
“It was dark,” she said, “and I was so exhausted I barely knew what I was doing. I just hope I didn’t hurt you.”
“I’m fine. Do you want me to put a shirt on? I’m sorry, this has to be unpleasant for you. You don’t need to see me like this.” He reached for his T-shirt.
“No,” she said, and he saw her swallow. She was steeling herself for something.
He figured he knew what it would be. When people found out about his disability, they typically had one of two reactions. They either pretended it didn’t exist and looked away — and made a point of never looking at his arm again, even when he had the prosthetic on. Or they pretended like it didn’t bother them, like it was perfectly normal that Chapel only had one arm.
Both reactions used to disgust him. Eventually he’d come to respect that people just didn’t know how to process him. He didn’t fit into their view of normalcy and so they would always be awkward around him.
Julia came over to the bed and sat down next to him. Close enough he could smell her freshly shampooed hair, feel the warmth of her body. A sweet kind of torture. She reached up with her right hand and touched his stump with one finger. “Is this okay?” she asked.
“Sure,” he said. “It doesn’t hurt.”
She smiled. “This is excellent work,” she told him. She ran her finger along the scar there. Stroked the skin with the back of her hand. “I — oh, God. Just tell me to shut up if I say something offensive. But I’ve done some amputations myself. On dogs and cats, of course. It can be tricky, depending on what you’ve got to work with.”
“Did you ever fit a prosthesis for a dog?” he asked. “Or maybe a peg leg for a parrot?”
She laughed. “You think you’re being funny. But people go crazy over their pets. There’s nothing they won’t pay for if they think it’ll make their pets happy. Dogs with three legs are pretty common and they get along just fine. They learn to hop, and in six months they forget they ever had four legs. But yeah, I’ve seen prosthetic legs on dogs. Nothing as useful as what they gave you.”
She was stroking his shoulder and his chest by that point. Her fingers wove into his chest hair.
He couldn’t help himself. He leaned in to kiss her.
Her lips were soft and warm, and they parted slightly. He touched her tongue with his. Her eyes were closed and she sank against him, nothing between them but a towel, and he started to reach for her with his hand, his real hand.
“Last night in the car,” she said, “when I fell asleep. I curled up with you. I said I thought you were my ex. That wasn’t true. It just felt good to have… someone that close. A little comfort.”
“After the day you had, I’m pretty sure you’re allowed to want that,” he told her. He stroked her wet hair.
She leaned forward and buried her face in the crook of his neck. Her lips brushed his skin. “Chapel, is this okay?” she asked. “Us? Now? Do we have time? I could really use some more comforting.”
“Me too,” he said. “The bad guys can wait.”
ATLANTA, GEORGIA: APRIL 13, T+25:07
Her towel had already fallen to her waist, exposing her breasts. He cupped one with his hand, and she sighed and pressed close to him. She reached down and unbuttoned his pants, and together they pushed them down and off the bed. Her towel went away and they were naked together. He kissed her throat, her chest, her lips. She pushed him back onto the bed and straddled him. She was ready for him, and he was definitely ready for her.
He started to speak her name, but she put a finger to his lips. Her eyes were closed as she rode him, her hips rocking back and forth slowly, her body shuddering just a little. Her red hair was slicked back and curly tips of it brushed her shoulders, stuck to her chin. She gasped a little, and he put his hand on the small of her back, guiding her, pulling her toward him.
It had been a long time. He didn’t want it to end too soon, so he sat up and kissed her deeply, then flipped her over on her back. She laughed, her legs flailing in the air. Her eyes were watching his face, trying to figure out what he was going to do next. He knelt between her legs, then slid down and buried his face in the red hair between her thighs, breathing in the smell of her, tasting her wetness. Her whole body jerked as his tongue touched her, as it flashed between their bodies.