Read Online Deadly Betrayal by Maria Hammarblad - Free Book Online

something, but I had nothing. Nothing even remotely intelligent came to mind. His return, all these events, and the whirlwind of emotions were too complicated for my poor brain. I didn’t even know what I was supposed to feel. Relief? Joy? Fear?
    After hesitating for a few long minutes I inched my hand closer to his until I could touch it. I reached out a finger and brushed it over his thumb. Adam grabbed my hand, holding it tight.
    “Would you come here?” His voice was so quiet I barely heard him, but it was enough. I rolled over on the side and rested my head on his shoulder.
    This is what home feels like.
    “Can I hold you?”
    I wanted to say no, because I didn’t want to let go of his hand, but being held appealed even more.
    “Sure.”
    Strange. His arms around me felt like they always did, as if nothing happened and no time passed.
    “This feels so good. I'm happy you're here.”
    “Good. I worried you might have let me in for the wrong reasons.”
    “Like what?”
    I felt him shrug. “Nostalgia maybe, or pity.”
    If his story was true, he had been radiation damaged, immobilized, and locked in his own mind. How traumatic must that be? I thought he had been gone forever and I counted time in days, weeks, and months. He counted fractions of seconds. From his point of view, he had probably been alone for a lifetime.
    His programming could not be equipped to handle something like this. Was that why he still acted so oddly and didn’t reason like Adam would?
    How could I ask and make sense? Formulating a sentence that contained all my thoughts and fears was too complicated. “Are you okay?”
    “I will be.”
    That sounded like a no.
    “Do you still need...”
    Need what? Parts? Repairs? Such cold words for a living, conscious person.
    “I need fresh memory circuits, but I’m making do. She didn’t have any.”
    She?
    I leaned on my elbow and caught his gaze.
    “Who didn’t have any?”
    “Debana.”
    What?
    “Debana teleported you out of the ship and hid you in a cleaning closet?”
    “Yes. Why? You sound jealous.”
    Was I jealous? If I were, I had undeniable proof this was my husband and not an imposter.
    “Should I be? Why didn’t she tell me?”
    “From what I hear, you refused to see anyone. John threw everyone out and neither of you responded to messages.”
    Did he know how much time John and I spent together? Probably. He must have followed us for a while.
    Not relevant. I needed to stay on topic.
    “Why didn’t she tell someone else? And how did she know you were there?”
    “Alex, I don’t know. I need to purge my databases and you need to sleep. Can we talk about this later?” He sounded weary.
    I leaned my head down on his shoulder again, frowning. Too much new information, and too much to think about.
    “Adam… I’m sorry I didn’t believe you at once.”
    “It’s okay.”
    “I’m happy you’re back.”
    His breathing was just an imitation of the human need for air, but the steady movement still soothed me.
    Debana was awesome, and a good friend. Right? She helped me destroy the remains of Eve after the malfunctioning android took over the ship, set Adam on fire, and attempted to kill me.
    If the story was true, Debana had saved Adam from certain death. Keeping him hidden was an excellent example of bad judgment, but she might have her reasons. Maybe the danger wasn’t over and she knew something about it?
    She had stowed him away well enough to allow for safe repairs, and it was hard to see any malicious intent.
    Adam might know something he wasn’t supposed to. He might have seen something that put him in danger. She might not have known whom else to trust.
    “Alex, go to sleep.”
    How did he know I was fretting?
    I stretched up to kiss his cheek, making him smile and hold me tighter.

Chapter Nine
     
    When I woke up the next morning, Adam didn’t move. He didn't even stir as I slipped out of his arms and left the bed.
    Odd.
    Maybe he was still purging his