Toys - James Patterson [38]
A flicker of memory crossed my mind. A towheaded, blue-eyed toddler hurrying toward me with a few stones clutched in her tiny fists, watching with solemn fascination as I fitted them together into a crude wall or tower, oftentimes directing the castle’s construction, then tottering off to fetch another handful.
“That was you?” I asked. “That pretty little blond girl?”
“That was me, Hays. And you. I had such a crush on you. When you were five.”
Chapter 52
UNFORTUNATELY, THE ACTION and drama wasn’t stopping. How could it with President Jacklin’s plan against the humans under way? An hour later, Lucy jumped out of the car and hurried toward two grizzled pilots who were about to climb into a jet parked on the tarmac. The locale was a small private airport just outside New Vancouver that operated luxury aircraft for Elite corporate executives and military officers with special clearance to travel into Human Wasteland.
I was still crowded in the car trunk, watching through a slightly open lid.
“Hey, could you guys give a girl a lift?” she called to them as she approached.
They stopped and turned, looking amused at what they saw. While they stared at Lucy, I eased out of the trunk and moved around behind them.
“Where you going, sweetheart?” the older of the two said.
Lucy had both hands on her hips, and the top buttons of her blouse were undone. Nothing too understated about that; nothing too understated about Lucy, period.
“I’m not real particular. Anywhere but here. You follow me, Captain?”
“We’re not supposed to carry unauthorized passengers,” the younger one said. He had a close, army-style haircut, looked buff, and was definitely checking her out.
“People do a lot of things they’re not supposed to,” Lucy answered back. “Or so they tell me.”
The older one laughed out loud. “Got yourself in a little trouble?”
“Let’s just say I need to relocate—quickly—and I’m flat broke. That give you the picture?”
“Well, it’s pretty tight up in the cockpit, but we could probably sneak you in.”
“I’ll be fine. I can be very flexible.”
“I’m not sure about this,” the younger pilot said nervously. “We could get in trouble, Mel. Couldn’t we?”
“Come on, who’s going to know?” his partner said with a cocky shrug. “Nobody cares who flies out of the country.”
“You want a peek at the cargo first?” Lucy said. She smiled cheerfully and reached to unbutton her blouse another notch or two.
Well, that eliminated resistance for both of them. As they stepped closer to her, I came up behind, grabbed a handful of hair from each, and bashed their heads together. Just hard enough to knock the pilots out.
“Nice work, Hays,” Lucy said and grinned. “But I’m still driving.”
I was done arguing with her—at least for right now. She was the one, after all, who was too important to be captured. I wondered what that was all about.
“I’ll let the passengers know there’s been a change in flight plans,” I said.
“Try to be subtle, Hays.”
“Definitely.”
We jumped on board, with Lucy ducking into the cockpit and me heading back into the passenger compartment.
Chapter 53
SUBTLE, I REMINDED myself. That is certainly sound advice under the circumstances. We are, after all, hijacking this plane.
Unfortunately, when I walked into the cabin, which was decked out like a luxury hotel suite—with plush couches, a full bar, and the latest entertainment devices from the Toyz Corporation—the three executive types seated there weren’t particularly overjoyed to see me on board.
I guess I could understand why. They were just getting acquainted with the other passengers: two beautiful and well-endowed female androids who were at the preflight teasing stage of their “coffee, tea, or me” routine. And the “me” part could be taken quite literally.
“What are you doing in here?” the oldest of the businessmen asked, probably the boss. “We didn’t order any male androids.”
The executive brushed a