Crack in the Kill Code (AmpCore #2)

55 - Heavy Lifting

The swab of cotton touched the welt on his jaw, and Kirk winced, the disinfectant stinging the bloody scrape where Nevay's knife had clobbered him. Now that the adrenaline was out of his system, he could really feel just how hard she'd struck. The whole right side of his face ached abominably, and it would be a little while yet before the cut price painkillers in Nevay's hideaway made any kind of impression.

"Hold still," Treysi said softly, dabbing at the wound.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologise." She smiled thinly. "You saved my life. Again."

"What does that make us? Two-one?"

"You counting?"

"Just checking everything's still working."

"Uh-huh." She scraped a little harder with the disinfectant and he squeezed his eyes shut for an instant at a fresh jolt of pain. "Okay, that should be enough."

The chair squeaked as she swivelled away, dropping the swab into a pool of half-blooded water and picking up a dressing. The metal fingers of her augmented hand moved with alarming dexterity as she held it in place over the wound and tugged off the stick-tabs to seal it in place.

"Not quite what your girl from AmpCore can do," Treysi chuckled, "but it should hold that pretty face together."

"Thanks." He smiled wryly. "So I've still got my good looks?"

"Take more than that shiner to take the edge off."

Then she leaned forward and kissed him.

Kirk flinched for an instant, from surprise more than anything else, but he didn't pull back, feeling a tender touch that it felt like had been missing for a lifetime. Then he was leaning in, breathing deep, one hand rising to cup the back of her neck. His fingers dug through the thick curling locks of her hair, and she let out a small noise of satisfaction, her tongue moving delicately from behind her teeth to dance with his.

"I'd say get a room, but this is the only one we've got," Nevay snorted as she loped in.

They jerked apart, and Kirk nearly fell back off the seat. The moment of stunned silence that followed was filled by the crack and hiss of Nevay opening her beer and thumping down into the unoccupied seat at the table across from them.

Kirk cleared his throat. Treysi stifled a laugh, sweeping her hair out of her face and leaning back in her chair.

"I... she was just-,"

"Oh, fuckin' unbutton, Balfour," Nevay cackled, taking a swig from the bottle. "If you two think that now's a good time to get a tangle, I'm not gonna stop you."

"Where's our spiv, then?" Treysi asked, giving Kirk a mischievous glance.

"Trying to sleep off whatever she had to do digging around inside your skull, I reckon."

"Thought we only had one room?"

"Set her up in one of the storage cupboards with a blanket," she explained with a mischievous smile. "Not exactly corporate luxury, but I don't think she's in a picky mood." Breathing out through her nose, Nevay closed her eyes and took another drink.

"Think it's a little early for that, no?" Kirk asked.

She opened her biological eye and fixed it on him. "Fuck. Off."

This time Treysi didn't manage to contain her laughter, a high pitched cackle erupting for a second before she managed to clamp a hand over her mouth. Kirk gave a thin smile; raised his hands placatingly.