Chapter 4

After we finished I cleaned up and put everything away. What a laugh! Here I was finally a slave owner three times over and I was still doing all the work! They were sitting around in the common area talking about what they should tell their parents when I finished. In fact we did it right there. Sharon controlled the camera so all they had to do was say what they wanted and she put it in the correct message and after the girls gave her the addresses sent them. Aren't AIs wonderful?

"So what happens if we don't hear anything, Sir Poop-head?" Terry began after that was done. Back to Poop-head, but at least it was Sir Poop-head.

"Won't happen," I answered. "Not a chance in hell they'll ignore it. Is there?" Suddenly I wondered what would happen if nobody wanted them back. Naw, like I'd said: won't happen.

"No, not much chance of that," she laughed. "But the look on your face made it worth asking."

"You've never been spanked before, have you?" I guess my eyes must have narrowed a bit because she suddenly looked just the tiny bit nervous. That lasted about a micro-second before it was replaced by a look of defiance.

"You wouldn't dare," she snapped back.

"Try me," I growled. "Naughty children get spanked."

"My ass is too valuable to you," she snorted.

"Your ass will be worth the same whether it has a hand print on it or not," I pointed out.

"Maybe you can think of something better to do with my ass." What in the hell was she up to? I didn't have a clue and was getting the idea that I really didn't want to.

"Sorry, not interested," I said settling back in my chair.

"Liar." I stared at this little blonde fireball for a moment before answering. I suppose I could have said something offhand but she'd irritated me.

"True, I'm a normal male; of course I'm interested," I finally said. "But it isn't going to happen no matter whether I'm interested or not."

"Why not?" she asked looking truly interested. "You have three young women, reasonably pretty, under your complete control. You could do anything you want. Why wouldn't you?"

"For one thing I've never taken a woman against her will and never will," I fired back. "Secondly I never fuck and forget. Call me sick if you want but if I'm going to be with someone it's because I have an emotional attachment to that person. I'm not looking for just a piece of ass."

"A murderer with ethics," Eve quipped. "How refreshing." I was just about to tell her to fuck herself when Keelin surprised me by speaking up.

"That's not fair, Evie!" the little red-head actually sounded angry. "He's not a murderer."

"He's killed hundreds of men," Eve protested taken aback by her pint-sized attacker, "and at least six of them in cold-blood." Actually I was very hot-blooded at the time and seeing nothing but red, but I understood what she meant and couldn't argue.

"But that was war; people kill in war," Keelin came back quickly. "He killed those other monsters protecting little girls. He's not a murderer, he's a hero." She looked at me then and I swear there was adoration in her eyes. I had to look away.

"I never claimed to be a hero," I said softly. "Those other bastards ... Yeah, I killed them and Miss Delgado isn't far wrong when she said it was in cold blood. They were unarmed and I never gave them a chance and I'd do it again if I had to do it all over." Maybe I would at that. Thinking about those little girls, yeah I guess I would. I did look back at her, "But thank you."

"Maybe I should apologize too," Eve said slowly. "I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry I called you a murderer." You could have knocked me over with a feather: the ice-bitch apologizing?

"That's okay, I understand why you'd think so," was all I could say. Luckily we were interrupted by Sharon announcing that a message had arrived from earth. It was too soon for a reply from our latest ones so it had to have been from the first ones I sent. I told her to put it up on the screen; I didn't see any reason to hide anything from the girls. But it wasn't quite what I expected.

The man on the screen could have been pulled from a poster defining "corporate executive": trim, full head of dark brown hair (gray wasn't "in" this season, ) steely eyes that looked at you with that "I know what I'm doing" look. It was meant to intimidate but I'd seen that look so many times in the cross-hairs of my scope I knew they bled just like everybody else. I don't want to sound all macho or anything but when you've faced death for a good number of years it's hard it get upset by a stern look.

"Good day, Sergeant Nelson." I wasn't surprised he'd done his homework. He probably knew everything about me there was to know. At least they knew I wasn't some crank calling in for no reason.

"Marissa and I are very pleased to hear that Teresa and the other girls survived the accident." Funny, he didn't sound all that pleased. "We had been told there were no survivors; this is indeed a miracle. I trust they are in good condition and you are treating them well.

"I am John Stackman, Teresa's father. ("My mother's husband, not my father," Terry muttered.) Marissa and I have been in consultation with Eveta and Keelin's parents; it was decided that I would be your contact point here for these negotiations." What the fuck? What negotiations? All I wanted was my money back, a little extra for my time a trouble and then get the kids back where they belong.

"It has been SynCo's firm policy for many years not to negotiate with terrorists, hostage takers or war criminals, but given the circumstances we believe we have some leeway for, discussions." Terrorists? Hostages? Again I say, WTF?