Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 89162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Lana had come at once without question. She and Molly had gone back to Molly’s place and she had sat and listened without judgment to the whole story.
“That bastard!” she’d exclaimed indignantly, when Molly explained what her ex had done. “And I bought one of his games for my boys for Christmas—I’m going straight home and I’m going to stomp on the damn thing and then erase it from our home computer unit!”
Molly had laughed a little—she was feeling less depressed now that she knew she wasn’t losing her job or her place aboard the Mother Ship.
“No—don’t do that,” she told her friend. “Don’t ruin your husbands’ fun just because of me.”
“I’d like to ruin that Zach Wyndham’s face!” Lana had said fiercely. “I swear, just let me be alone with him for five minutes and he’ll be wearing his balls for a bowtie!”
Molly had laughed again and it felt like a part of her healed, just a little. It was so nice to have a friend who actually listened to her instead of accusing her or making it seem like everything was somehow her fault.
“Thank you,” she said now, leaning over to give Lana a brief hug.
“For what, hon?” Lala looked at her with wide eyes.
“For believing me. For not blaming me,” Molly told her.
“Blaming you? How could anyone possibly blame you for this awful mess?” Lana demanded.
Molly rolled her eyes.
“Oh, they can all right. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve been asked why I made a ‘video’ like that in the first place.”
“But you didn’t even know that video was being made!” Lana protested.
“Yes, but when I tell them that, then they ask why I was doing that in the first place.” Molly shook her head. “I hear that every single time I go to the police and try to make a report or a complaint—and believe me, I’ve tried more than once.”
“What?” Lana exclaimed indignantly. “Like they never jerk off? Self-righteous assholes!”
“Yeah, well…that’s what they always say.” Molly shrugged. “I think because they don’t want to try to take on someone as rich and famous as Zach Wyndham. They know he has enough money to wiggle out of just about anything.”
“Those cowards!” Lana was getting angrier and angrier. “So instead of doing their job they decide they’d rather shame and blame the victim? Assholes!”
“That’s about right.” Molly sighed. “I’ve pretty much given up any hope of bringing him to any kind of justice. At this point I’d just be happy if I could get him to stop sending the damn video out to every single employer every time I find a new job.”
“I wonder how he found you here aboard the Mother Ship?” Lana mused. “We’re pretty remote up here.”
Molly shook her head.
“Who knows? It probably comes down to money. When you have enough of it, you can find anyone and do anything you want to them. It isn’t right or fair, but that’s how the system works.”
“Not aboard the Mother Ship,” Lana said firmly. “The Kindred don’t do bribes and corruption.”
“I know—that’s one thing I love about it here,” Molly said. “I love that—”
Suddenly she got an overwhelming feeling that someone wanted to speak to her. Having been aboard the Mother Ship for some time, she knew what it meant.
“Hold on, Lana,” she said, putting a hand to her temple. “I think I’m getting a Think-me call.”
Closing her eyes, she opened her mind to the caller and suddenly a deep, rumbling voice filled her mind.
“Molly? Can you hear me?”
“I hear you, Commander Torus,” Molly sent back. It was strangely intimate having her boss inside her head like this, but she found she didn’t mind it.
“Forgive me for bespeaking you—I know it presumes an intimacy we don’t have,” he sent and Molly wondered if he had heard her thought or if he was just being polite.
“That’s all right,” she sent back. “Er, is everything okay?”
“That’s exactly what I was calling to ask you —I wanted to be certain you’re all right. Are you?” he asked. “Are you still having thoughts of self-harm?”
“No, no—I’m over that now,” Molly assured him quickly. “I’m, uh, sorry if I scared you but I feel a lot better now. Lana’s here with me,” she added, to let him know she wasn’t alone.
“Good. Are you in your suite?”
Molly nodded and then remembered he couldn’t see her.
“Yes,” she sent.
“All right, I have something for you. I just need to make a quick stop at the Med Center first and then I’ll come to your suite.”
“Um…okay.” Molly wasn’t sure what to say or to think. For some reason, the idea of seeing her boss made her heart flutter erratically in her chest.
She couldn’t help thinking of how he’d held her so gently and let her cry all over him. She’d never had a man treat her like that before. Back when she’d been married to Zach, if she ever cried he would shout at her to “Dry it up, damn it!” And if she kept crying after that, he would start throwing things…