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ALPHA GEEK: FOX
ALPHA GEEK
BOOK SIXTEEN
MILLY TAIDEN
 CONTENTS

About the Book

Alpha Geek: Fox

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25

About the Author

Also by Milly Taiden
 ABOUT THE BOOK

A bat shifter working to overcome the ghosts of her past,

and an Alpha Geek who’s discovered a terrorist plot, team
up to save the world.
Fox Redman, a billionaire game designer, discovers a terrorist
using his game as a means for mass destruction in real life. When he
goes to the FBI, Fox sits at the top of the hit list. Who’s he gonna
call? Nick, of course, which gets him the most beautiful bodyguard
ever.
Bat shifter Vella Marlowe has a past worse than Dracula’s. So
when her mate walks into Nick’s office, she’s not sure if she can take
his rejection. Asked to be his bodyguard, she can’t help but want to
curl up with his big bear body. If only she could focus on the job and
not how cute he is.
This time, though, Fox’s transformation into an alpha isn’t
enough to stop a monster bigger than he is. A monster determined
to rid the world of a particular bat and bear shifter. If Fox can’t save
his batgirl, he’s going to be a bear to live with.
 This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are
fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any
way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or
organizations is entirely coincidental.

Published By
Latin Goddess Press
Winter Springs, FL 32708
http://millytaiden.com
Alpha Geek: Fox
Copyright © 2022 by Milly Taiden
Cover: Willsin Rowe
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Property of Milly Taiden
June 2022

Created with Vellum

ALPHA GEEK: FOX
 AN ALPHA GEEK STORY

NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

MILLY TAIDEN
—For geeks and geek lovers.

Enjoy.
PROLOGUE
 FOX

T he monitors gave off a heady glow in the dim lighting of his

office. The loading screen for Crime City pulsated in time with
the techno-pop music as Fox let it play in the background of his
frantic typing on the monitor next to it.
It hadn’t been his favorite genre to listen to while in the middle
of code-blocking, especially when booting up the game and having
to listen to it for hours on end when trying to fix bugs.
But the team had given him a strong argument when they’d re-
launched the latest patch with the logistics of hyping the player up
the second they logged in, and Fox couldn’t exactly argue with that.
Outside, rain pelted heavily against Fox’s office windows, putting
him into a melancholy mood, even without the massive data breach
problem he was currently experiencing. Any other day, it would’ve
been a nice change from the constant sunshine, but today … not so
much.
When he’d first started this endeavor over seven years ago, he
thought that his permanent place would be sitting behind this exact
computer screen and doing what his fingers were currently typing on
the keyboard. But that hadn’t been the case for over five years since
the initial launch.
As luck would have it, his game … and subsequently, his value …
had grown way past the confines of his tiny studio apartment he’d
started it in and had expanded into what was now Crime City
Syndicates, Inc., the brand he now owned and operated an entire
team under.
He’d never been one for wanting the limelight. But being the face
of a multi-billion-dollar gaming space gave him little choice when it
came to advertising.
Despite his rather lanky appearance, he always had a charismatic
personality that made him easy to follow … something he’d
discovered when he’d entered college, and high school bullies were
no longer shoving him into lockers or trying to drown him in the
school toilet.
It’d been a stereotypical introduction for him as to how much
being a push-over did not get you far in this world. So pull up his
bootstraps he did.
That had been ages ago, but sometimes days like this took him
back. It made him realize how lucky he’d been to find a passion in a
niche market and have the drive to grow it into what it is now.
Though, tonight, Fox didn’t feel so lucky.
Red flashing on his screen caught his attention, making him roll
the chair to the other side of his desk where his longer monitor sat.
He pushed at the corner of it, leveling the arm behind it so that the
glare wasn’t so bad from his overhead lights.
There was a box at the bottom in bold print that read: “NOT
ACTIVATED.”
“What the hell…” he mumbled to himself.
He tabbed over to the box and hit enter a few times, trying to
push the code through. Red lines of text appeared over and over
under the box that said “INVALID ENTRY” before slowly fading and
dissipating.
Fox groaned and rubbed his tired eyes.
He’d been at this for … what was it, three days now? Four?
He’d lost count after his secretary had left for the weekend,
giving him a quick rundown with the snacks and drinks she’d left for
him in the fridge, knowing full well he’d spend every second camped
out in his office until this was all fixed.
He’d thanked her and sent her on her way, holding out a shred of
hope this wouldn’t actually last that long, and all he’d need to do
was fix a few lines of code that the developers had missed.
Of course, that was wishful fairy-tale thinking on his part. He
soon discovered the second he’d logged into the backend, there was
something very wrong with the game. Fox clicked around on the
lines of code, checking each piece that had been meticulously
crafted by him and his team.
From a glance, it all looked fine. No holes, no obvious bugs. So
then why the hell were players getting launched off the server?
Hundreds of them flying to social media to report their accounts had
been locked or suspended with no clear explanation as to why.
It frustrated him to no end because no matter how hard he
looked, nothing seemed out of place.
Fox’s phone pinged on his desk, pulling him away from staring
endlessly at his monitor. He grabbed it and tapped on the screen,
seeing that his messages were being flooded.
“What the hell…”
He quickly opened his phone and pulled up his account, seeing
screenshots of his own game flooding the small screen. They were
all the same image of one of the busiest, most populated cities in
the game. Players were flocking to one of the tallest skyscrapers.
Underneath one of the screenshots, someone wrote,
“something’s happening!!”
Shaking his head, Fox tossed his phone onto his desk and rolled
back over to his main monitor, where Crime City’s loading screen
was still up. He quickly logged into his account and drummed his
fingers on his desk.
If someone’s hi-jacked my game for a stupid stunt, I’m going to
be pissed.
When his character screen finally loaded, Fox immediately pulled
up his admin map and clicked on the center city, fast-jumping to the
location. All around him were droves of players congregating around
the building.
Chat bubbles on the side of his screen popped up with players’
messages that informed him that someone had sent out a mass
server-wide message to meet at this very location for a “surprise
event.”
 It made Fox grit his teeth.
I know no one on my team sent anything out recently for an
event happening, so it’s definitely someone trying to play game dev.
He shook his head and pulled up his admin table. Clearly,
someone had gotten their hands on a set of developer keys and was
now running wild with them. He scanned through the list of players
in the area, seeing nothing out of the ordinary highlighted.
Pulling out of the table, Fox noticed the color of the skyscraper
start to clip-glitch in real-time, something that only happened when
a developer was trying to move non-playables around inside of a
new area before launch.
Fox stared at his screen while the chat on the side went wild.
Thousands of messages flying by at an unreadable pace.
He couldn’t help but say out loud to himself, “What the hell is
happening?”
Suddenly, the skyscraper tilted at a weird angle, clipping away
from the building sets it was attached to before careening and
crashing onto the crowd of players below. Fox blinked and sat
straight back into his chair, his screen immediately blacking out and
in-game music cutting off.
He quickly grabbed his mouse and jerked it on the pad beneath
it, clicking around on the screen a few times. The screen remained
black for a second longer before the typical death screen appeared
with big red block letters stating “YOU DIED.”
That was … impossible. Being on the development team, he had
a damage-immune character. Killing it would be actually impossible.
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Next to him, his phone
exploded with notifications again.
The words on his screen slowly faded again, being replaced by a
new set that read “TOMORROW.”
What the hell did that mean?
It made him groan and settle his face into his hands. He needed
… a nap.
Yeah. A nap sounded good. Especially since looking at his
messages again after all of that made him want to throw his phone
against the wall.
 Fox stood and stumbled to the couch under one of the windows,
collapsing onto it with a solid groan. He buried his face in one of the
furry pillows that his secretary had gotten him as a joke to “jazz up”
the place.
He let his body relax into the cushions and drifted into a
dreamless sleep.
However, it didn’t last long because his eyes peeled open blearily
as soon as morning hit. He rubbed at them, feeling how dry they
were, along with the soreness in his shoulders and lower back from
sleeping on the couch.
Groaning, Fox sat up slowly and looked at his setup. All six of his
screens had shut off from the in-activity. He had no idea how long
he’d actually slept, but it was probably only a few hours, given how
tired his body still was.
Better than nothing, I guess…
Standing slowly, Fox headed to his desk and grabbed his phone,
completely bypassing the influx of messages he was still being
tagged in, and went right to his personal messages. At the top of
the threads, one of his developers had messaged him with a link.
You see this yet? Crazy.
Fox tilted his head and tapped his screen, opening the link to a
news article that had been posted only twenty minutes ago. He
scanned the top headline before his blood ran cold.
No way.
Quickly grabbing the remote from his desk, Fox turned on the TV
in the corner of his office.
There’s no way … this has to be fake.
It flickered before the picture became clear. The news station he
usually had on playing in the background for noise showed a young
female reporter live, a microphone held up to her mouth.
“… in this tragic event that happened early this morning in
downtown L.A. The building was seen to have lights flashing,
followed by a loud noise, residents in the area reported. A graffiti
message was written on the front spelling an ominous message.”
A photo flashed on the screen while the reporter spoke in the
background. It was a shaky picture of one of the tallest skyscrapers
in the L.A. area with a giant TODAY painted over the fifteen floors of
windows.
He felt his mouth drop open.
“Experts are alleging this was a planned attack and that the
perpetrators have yet to be found. Over one hundred fifty victims
are still unaccounted for, and the death toll continues to rise as
rescue crews and firefighters fight to clear the debris.”
He felt his legs give out underneath him. He quickly grabbed his
computer chair and collapsed onto it. More gruesome photos flashed
across the TV screen, making the bile in his stomach roll.
Had the person who hi-jacked his game used it as some kind of
… target practice?
The thought made him sick.
What kind of fucked up world is this?
He let his phone drop from his hands and clatter onto the floor.
Fox leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, burying his
face in his hands and breathing slowly.
He needed to figure out what the fuck was going on … and fast.

\\
CHAPTER ONE
 VELLA

V ella smirked to herself when a fist swung by her face, barely

missing her jaw and leaving the gust of wind in its wake. She
quickly smacked the arm away from her and sidestepped her
opponent, toeing the line toward the edge of the ring.
Normally, Vella wasn’t one to dip and dodge around while
sparring, preferring to get right in there and hit with the one-two-
knockout before anyone had a chance to realize they were face
down on the mat.
But there was something about egging on her opponent, Juliet,
that made it worth it to step out of her comfort zone just this once.
Juliet was the type of sparring partner who got frustrated at the lack
of action, much like Vella herself did out in the field, and reacted
accordingly.
They’d been going at it like this for well over half an hour,
dodging and throwing blows back and forth while gathering the
attention of the other trainees in the training center along with their
instructor, Meghan.
A crowd had soon formed around their training mat, giving Vella
that little push of adrenaline to grab Juliet by the arm and throw her
onto the mat amidst the crowd of onlookers.
She had to admit to herself that it had been her attempt to show
off a little. It wasn’t every day that someone willingly decided to
partner up with her and still took the beating without any kind of
whining afterward.
 Fortunately for both of them, Juliet hadn’t given up so easily.
Which only fueled the fire burning in Vella’s chest, feeding a dark
part of her that wanted to fight until both of them were left bleeding
on the floor, exhausted.
Tumbling to the floor after another failed blow to her face, Vella
crouched and swept her leg out to knock Juliet’s feet out from under
her. The shifter let out a hard grunt, tumbling to the mat in a heap
that had Vella barking out a laugh.
This is too good.
Juliet slowly rolled onto her hands and knees, wheezing a little
bit.
“You’re still not done?”
Juliet simply looked at her and gave her a look.
“Wow,” Vella straightened up. “You sure are stubborn.”
As Juliet stood, she swiped a hand across her forehead.
“Let’s take this up a notch.”
Before Vella could raise an eyebrow at her, she shifted into a
bobcat and dove at Vella’s torso with her claws outstretched.
Oh, hell no.
Quickly shifting, Vella launched toward the ceiling, barely missing
Juliet’s bared claws swiping through the delicate membrane of her
wings. Landing on one of the rafters near the ceiling, her ears picked
up the low growls that rumbled out of Juliet.
“All right, you two.” Vella’s ears twitched, hearing Meghan’s feet
shuffle onto the mats. “That’s enough. Pack it up.”
There was one thing that was advantageous about being a bat
shifter beside the echolocation in dark places. Given her size, it gave
her the unique advantage of surprise attacking her opponent when
they least expected it.
“Vella,” Meghan called to her. “Come on. Let’s shake hands and
move on for the day.”
She stretched out her wings, flexing them.
Well, that’s not happening. I’m getting my win.
Swooping down without another thought, Vella let out a screech.
Vibrations hit from all around her, letting her pinpoint the precise
location of where Juliet was currently lounging on the mat next to
Meghan’s feet.
She torqued her body, outstretching her claws and swiped at the
bobcat’s head. She let out a shriek when Vella nicked her on the ear,
pulling her back down onto the mat before flying back up toward the
rafters.
Gotcha!
The bobcat hissed and rolled back onto her feet, letting out a
deep growl.
“Vella!” Meghan called. “That’s enough! Get down here!”
Ignoring her once again, Vella swooped toward Juliet. What she
didn’t count on, however, was Juliet’s quick cat-like reflexes and
ability to snag her claw into Vella’s wing and drag her back down
from the sky.
Vella felt her small body hit the mat hard, knocking the wind
right out of her. She felt her body shift again, trying to recoup from
the sudden hard hit that Juliet had inflicted on her. She stared up at
the ceiling, the lights spinning.
Juliet shifted as well with a laugh. “What was that about taking a
beating? What you forget is that just because your wings are
bulletproof doesn’t mean they’re claw-proof.”
The rest of the trainees laughed around the mat, encasing her in
their ridicule. Vella felt her face flush in embarrassment.
What the fuck is that supposed to mean?
“Go clean up,” Meghan instructed. “Both of you.”
Juliet laughed again. “Might want to grab a shovel or something
to peel her off the mat.”
There was another round of laughter. It made Vella see red.
She kicked herself up from the mat and fisted her hands at her
sides. She could feel the entire training center’s eyes on her, most of
them still snickering with each other about her humiliating loss.
Ever since Nick had brought her here, she knew they all wanted
a piece of her, a chance to give her what they all thought she had
coming to her. The second they’d caught wind that she used to be a
fledgling under Donovan Stillwell’s wing, it was like a target had
been placed on her back.
 She was tired of always feeling like she was never good at
anything. Even her time with Donovan had been spent constantly
trying to win him over. It exhausted her then, and it exhausted her
now.
Juliet smirked at her from across the mat, tossing her long
blonde hair over her shoulder and pulling the thin robe that Meghan
had handed her over her naked body.
It made Vella pissed.
Two can play at that game.
She bared her fangs. “You think that’s funny, bitch?”
She watched Juliet’s eyes widen, making the dark part of her fill
with glee. Rushing across the mat, Vella collided with Juliet’s body,
pulling them onto the mats with a hard landing. Juliet let out a
surprised gasp, the air leaving her body with a sudden woosh.
She bared her fangs again, grabbing Juliet’s arm in a hard grip
and pinning it to the mat.
“What you forget,” Vella mocked. “Is that necks aren’t bite-proof.”
Juliet let out a scream.
A set of arms wrapped around Vella’s waist, hauling her off of
Juliet almost immediately and pinning her with a surprising amount
of strength against the floor. Her arms were twisted at an awkward
angle behind her back, making it impossible for Vella to wiggle her
way out of it.
“Everyone out,” Meghan’s voice boomed.
There were dozens of trainees quick shuffling, the training center
clearing out at a rapid pace. Probably because they figured that once
Meghan let her lose, she’d go berserk on all of that.
Which was laughable, really. She had way more self-control than
that. Not to mention that none of those assholes were even worth it
in the first place.
Once the last of the trainees skittered out through the doors,
Meghan sighed and lifted herself off Vella, giving her enough room
to roll over and breathe.
“You really need to be more careful about your anger, Vella. I
know it’s frustrating to lose, but you can’t let yourself get that upset
over it.”
 That made Vella want to roll her eyes.
Sitting up slowly, she eyed her trainer. “I’m not mad I lost. I’m
mad they all thought it was hysterical.”
“I think you’re taking it too much to heart.”
And you’re not looking deep enough, she wanted to say back.
“Whatever” was what came out of her mouth instead.
She stood, brushing herself off.
“I’m serious,” Meghan continued. “You’re a great trainee. No
need to get caught up in everyone’s opinions of you.”
That was easy for her to say; everyone liked Meghan. They
weren’t scared of Meghan the way they were of Vella. Everyone
around here acted like Vella was a ghost haunting the halls. Scaring
the shit out of anyone who dared cross her path.
It was bizarre as much as it was annoying.
“Sure, yeah. I’ll remember that.”
Meghan let out another sigh. “Go get cleaned up and head back
to your room for the night.”
She didn’t bother wasting any more energy trying to explain
herself, especially to someone like Meghan, who would never get it.
It wasn’t like Meghan was ever an outcast. Not in the way Vella was.
Collecting her discarded clothing, she headed off for the
changing room and took a long hot shower, wiping away the anger
she’d felt and letting it simmer into a dull-grade level of annoyance.
She could deal with being annoyed. That was the state she was
usually in any way.
Once toweled off and dressed, Vella headed to her room. The
agency was weirdly quiet this time of day, but it was the time she
felt the most at peace.
Normally the agency was jam-packed with people coming and
going to the point where it overstimulated Vella enough to make her
want to permanently shove her fingers into her ears.
But now, she could freely walk the halls without running into
anyone.
She headed down toward the offices, not far from where her
room was located. It was the long way to get there, but she needed
the extra walking to shave off the excess energy she hadn’t gotten
to when sparring with her partner.
Fuck Juliet.
Muffled voices caught her attention, making her slow her pace
and press herself against the wall. Normally she wasn’t this nosey,
but Nick rarely closed his door, so whatever was going on in there
had to be interesting, giving her enough of a distraction to focus on.
Vella pressed her ear to the door. Even with her excellent
hearing, she couldn’t make out anything that didn’t sound like
someone talking inside of a tin can. She sighed and looked around
the top of the door, spotting an air duct.
Bingo.
Shifting, she flew up to it and pried it open with her claws. The
opening was just big enough for her small body to squeeze through.
Her small feet made little padding sounds as she moved through the
duct to where it opened into Nick’s office.
She spotted a man, tall and lanky, pacing around the office while
Nick leaned against his desk, his arms crossed over his chest while a
pensive look drew over his face. To the side of them, she could see
Special Agent Carradine’s new Italian loafers.
“I’m telling you, Nick,” the man said, “I think they used my game
as a test site.”
“But why would anyone do that?”
The man stopped to wave his arms in the air. “I don’t know! But
you can’t tell me it’s not a coincidence that the same exact scenario
that happened in my game happened in real life only twelve hours
later.”
“I do agree. That is strange.”
“You need to help me. Give me someone who can make sure I’m
safe while I figure all of this out.”
Nick sighed. “Fox … look …”
Vella felt her heart skip a beat. Maybe this was her chance. She
could finally get out in the field and show this entire agency that she
wasn’t one to mess with. She’d been dying for an assignment, and
this one seemed like an absolute no-brainer.
 How hard can it be protecting this guy? He looks like his workout
regime is lifting paperweights.
Vella pushed her body against the air duct, letting it swing open.
The motion caught the room’s attention, all of them turning to look
up at where the vent was. She swooped down to Nick’s desk.
“Oh fuck!” Agent Carradine yelled and ducked behind Nick’s desk,
taking cover on the floor.
“What the he …” Nick leaned away from his desk. “Carradine, get
the hell up.”
The other guy waved his arms around in the air, swatting them at
her. It made her want to roll her eyes. Grown men scared of a tiny
bat. What had this world actually come to?
She landed on Nick’s desk and propped herself up while pulling
her wings around her. The man turned and blinked down at her.
“Uh … Nick, you got a …”
“Careful!”
Both Vella and the man jumped.
“She bites.”
Is he actually serious right now?
Good god, was everyone obsessed with her biting them? Talk
about a low-ball effort with stereotyping.
The man laughed. “I think it’s kind of cute.”
What?
“What?!” Carradine slowly extracted himself from behind Nick’s
chair, his face red from the sudden exertion. “Are you kidding? She’s
dangerous?”
“Who, this little one?”
There was a soft finger placed on Vella’s head, stroking down her
tuff of hair in small strokes. The gesture practically made her shiver.
Involuntarily, her eyes closed.
What … who is this guy?
“There, there,” she could hear the smile in his voice. “No one’s
scared of you here, right?”
“Uh … Fox? What the hell are you doing?”
C H A P T E R T WO
 FOX

“F ox, what are you doing?”

Though he would’ve thought it was obvious, Fox smiled
up at glanced up at Nick.
“Petting her.”
“Why?”
Honestly? Fox didn’t really know. He felt the compulsion and just
followed through with the action. He was never one to think too
deeply into things, let alone why he felt the way he did. If his body
wanted him to do something, he just … did it.
Before he could answer Nick, though, the bat stretched out her
wings and lifted herself into the air again. Carradine jerked back
under the desk to hide while Nick simply stood in place.
Fox watched as the bat came to settle on his shoulder, her little
feet moving along the line of his jacket to get more comfortable
before she wrapped her wings around herself.
He turned his head slightly, smiling at her. Her big round puppy
dog eyes stared back at him, a hint of curiosity budding in there that
seemed way more intelligent than he ever thought was possible.
I wonder if you really know what’s going on.
“Carradine, get off my floor. For god’s sake.”
Fox snorted, watching the grown Agent pop his head up from
under Nick’s desk.
“Is it gone?”
“No. Now get up.”
 The man grunted, slowly lifting off the floor. His cheeks were red
from either embarrassment or exertion from having to duck and
cover again so quickly.
“Looks like your pet bat has found a new owner, Nick.” Carradine
drawled, brushing a hand down his silk tie to press it flat.
Nick snorted, slipping his hands into his pockets. “She’s not my
pet, Carradine. She’s one of my Agents.”
That had Fox blinking. Agent?
He didn’t get a chance to question Nick any further before the
bat jumped off his shoulder and shifted into a fully grown woman.
A naked woman.
Immediately, he felt his mouth fall open. As she lifted from her
crouch and turned to look at them all over her shoulder, Fox couldn’t
help but realize that she was absolutely drop-dead gorgeous.
Holy … fuck!
Her eyes immediately met his. Piercing blue that seemed to stare
directly into the very inner parts of him. There was something in her
gaze that held him in place and stirred something deep within him.
An animalistic craving that threatened to come to the surface.
Fox felt his entire body respond to her like she was a lightning
rod he was completely and magnetically attracted to. It’d been a
long time since his body … or rather, his dick … responded to
anything, let alone a female such as the one in front of him.
She averted her eyes when Nick stepped in between them,
handing her a robe. She tucked her long red hair over her shoulder
and pulled the thin robe around her body, covering those sinfully
delectable curves.
Fox unconsciously licked his lips.
Damn.
“I’ll do it.”
Even her voice sounded musical. Jesus, what was wrong with
him?
Nick crossed his arms and raised a brow at her. “Do what?”
“Protect him. I’ll take the job.”
Fox felt a shockwave shoot right through him, making the hairs
on his arm, as well as his dick, stand right up.
 Oh, fuck me…
He tried to be casual as he turned away slightly, pivoting his hips
toward the door instead of the beautiful woman before him.
“I don’t think so.”
She deflated at Nick’s words. “Are you serious? You know I’m
good for it.”
“I don’t mind,” Fox interjected. “She can do the job.”
Nick turned to look at him.
“I’d rather you have someone more seasoned.”
“I can do it.” She frowned.
“You’re not trained enough, Vella. I love the eagerness, but I’m
not sending you out in the field when you still have a ways to go.”
Fox interjected again. “I seriously don’t mind. She can…”
“Jesus, Redman.” Carradine cut him off. “Stop thinking with your
dick and listen to the man.”
Fox felt his mouth drop open at the Agent’s crassness.
“You need someone that’s got more power. Not a flying rat.”
Out of the corner of his eyes, Fox watched Nick wince.
The woman, Vella, fisted her hands at her sides, turning towards
Carradine with a slow smirk working its way onto her face.
“Oh? Did you say ‘flying rat’?”
“Yeah, I did.” The Agent doubled down. “Surprised you needed
someone to repeat that. Aren’t you supposed to have good
hearing?”
Vella practically grinned. “Want to test yours?”
“Vel…” Nick put out a hand.
Fox watched as she inhaled a deep breath and then let out the
loudest, most ear-piercing screech he’d ever heard in his entire life.
Automatically, his hands came up to clap around his ears, covering
them from the sheer onslaught of incredible sound, loud enough to
vibrate his chest.
Holy shit!
It was cut off immediately with Nick clapping a hand over her
mouth. Her cheeks bulged out cutely, her eyes darting up to look at
Nick before glaring at him.
“A warning next time would be nice.”
 She rolled her eyes at him, pulling away from his hand to look at
Carradine again.
“And that was low level.”
The Agent had fallen over the side of Nick’s desk, clutching onto
the side of it to hold himself upright. There was a dazed look in his
eyes, one that Fox could tell was causing him to sway on his feet as
he stood.
The Agent winced and rubbed at his ears.
Fox turned back to Nick. “I think she’s great. Actually. She’d be
perfect.”
Nick blinked at him in surprise. “You’re really adamant about this,
aren’t you, Redman.”
He nodded. He wasn’t sure why he felt like he’d been sold on
Vella the second she’d entered the picture, but he couldn’t help the
driving force behind this decision.
There was something here he needed to explore. Something
which he couldn't do if she was locked away in this agency away
from him.
Nick sighed and put his hands on his hips, running his eyes to
Vella again.
“Please, Nick.” Her pleading eyes made Fox want to melt. “I’m
good for it. You know I am. Just give me a chance, and I’ll prove
myself to you.”
“If it gets to be too much for you to handle, I’m pulling you out.”
She nodded sagely. “Understood.”
Nick’s eyes flitted between her and Fox, a weird look coming over
his face for a moment. But it was gone before Fox could pinpoint
what exactly it was.
“All right. Let me get the paperwork all squared away.”
Fox smiled, glancing at Vella, who looked equally pleased. Her
shoulders straightened as she held her chin higher. It was a gesture
that made her look much smaller even though it seemed like she
was trying to make herself look bigger.
She was a petite thing, coming up to Fox’s shoulder. Not that he
was particularly tall, to begin with.
 “All right, you two,” Nick grabbed a manila folder off of his desk,
“since you’ll both be spending quite a bit of time together, why don’t
we get the formalities out of the way? Fox, this is Vella Marlowe.
She’s one of my new Agents and is a bat shifter. As you already
know, she’s got a killer set of lungs and more killer skills that will be
used to protect you.”
Fox turned and gave Vella a quick smile, holding out his hand to
her. “Nice to meet you.”
She gave him a narrow-eyed look, glancing down at his hand
before grasping it into her own.
“Vella, meet Fox Redman. He owns and develops an MMORPG
called Crime City that has over five million players on it monthly. He
came to us because someone in his game decided to take over the
server and crash it but not before leaving an ominous message
behind. Yesterday morning, there was a similar incident that
happened in downtown L.A. that mirrored the exact events in the
game and killed hundreds of people.”
Vella’s eyes widened. She quickly turned back to Nick.
“What happened?”
“Some terrorist blew up a skyscraper in the middle of downtown
L.A. The death toll is now well over the two hundred mark.”
Vella glanced back at him, a grim look on her face. “And you said
this happened in your game too?”
Fox nodded. “The exact same scenario.”
A contemplative look crossed her face.
“Vella, I have a file for you to read to catch up on what’s been
going on.” He held up the manila folder. “I’m also going to send you
off with a few other gadgets so you can stay in contact with us while
on the outside.”
She reached over and took the manila folder out of his hand.
“Thanks. I’ll read through it tonight.”
He nodded at her. “Great. Make sure that you chat with Fox again
after you do that in case there’s anything we missed.”
Vella glanced at Fox and nodded. “Right. Got it.”
Fox breathed out, feeling the anxiety from before starting to
creep up again. He didn’t want to think there was a potential
terrorist running around and causing harm that killed people. It was
one thing to roll play it on an online server, and something
completely different acting it out in real life.
Even if this was all one big coincidence, there was still someone
out there who had enacted this heinous crime, and they needed to
pay for it.
He shook his hands out and brushed them against his sides.
Focus, he needed to focus before he got himself caught up in the
emotions of it all again.
“When do we leave?”
Nick turned and faced him. “Right now.”
CHAPTER THREE
 VELLA

“G rab a bag for yourself and meet us back at the garage.”

Vella nodded, glancing away from Nick to look at her
new client … Fox.
Her stomach churned when he gave her a small smile.
Why does he keep looking at me like that?
She rolled her shoulders. “On it.”
Without another word, Vella spun on her heel and headed down
the hall to her room, conscious of the pair of watchful eyes on her
back. She wasn’t a stranger to others taking stock of her. In fact, it
was pretty normal since she’d started working with Nick’s agency.
Everyone here always acted like she was a ticking time bomb,
ready to go off at any moment. It pissed her off that her character
was villainized so poorly.
But then again, what did she expect from an agency full of
wimps?
Getting to her room, Vella kicked the door open and took stock of
the small closet-sized space.
She’d been offered a bigger room when she’d first arrived, but
after sleeping in such a space, she’d come to the conclusion that not
being able to sit up in her bed and see all four walls at the same
time gave her nightmares.
When she’d been with Donovan, she’d been stuffed into what
was practically a shoe box, so anything with an actual proper bed
was certainly an upgrade.
 She grabbed her duffle from underneath her bed and tossed it
onto the mattress. Other than getting out of this confining agency
and out into the real world, the only upside to all of this was that
she didn’t need much to get by. So anywhere Fox was planning on
taking her, she’d be set.
Vella tossed all her clothes into the bag and pulled on a new set
before zipping up the duffle and throwing it over her shoulder. The
only thing she really hoped for was that Fox wasn’t some kind of
controlling weirdo like Donovan had been and would actually let her
out after this was over.
She headed out of her room and down to the garages, noting
that Agent Carradine had disappeared, leaving only Nick and Fox
waiting for her in front of one of the armored SUVs.
Nick turned and looked at her. “Got everything?”
She nodded at him.
“All right, let’s get you two back on the road.”
Fox popping open the back seat for her, Vella stepped up and slid
over to the farthest side, blinking in surprise when Fox slipped in
beside her. She unhooked her bag and stuffed it onto the floor by
her feet.
The front door opened, and Agent Carradine stuck his head
inside to her disbelief.
“I’m driving you two back.”
She raised a brow at him. “What about Nick?”
“Nick’s got shit to do.”
Vella pressed her lips together to stop herself from snapping at
him. Carradine had always annoyed her, and not just because he
was a prick who seemed to constantly have a stick up his ass.
Shutting the door behind him, Carradine fired up the car and
nodded at Nick.
Next to her, Fox rolled down his own window, leaning back when
Nick draped an arm inside.
“You two call me if you need anything.” He fixed his eyes on
Vella. “Right?”
She gave him a flat look. “Yes, sir.”
 He snorted at her and tapped the side of the car with his fist.
“Good luck.”
With that, Carradine pulled forward and out of the garage,
leaving Nick and the rest of the agency behind.
Vella let out a long exhale and leaned back into her seat. Now
that she was going to be out of the agency’s watching eyes, she
needed to be focused on the mission.
She wasn’t about to let her first time out in the field disappoint
her superiors into pulling her off the job and stuffing her back into
that stupid training center.
“So,” a voice next to her made her turn her head back around.
Fox readjusted himself in his seat. “You’ll be staying with me.”
She raised a brow. “I assumed so…”
He laughed a little and awkwardly grabbed at the back of his
neck. “Right. Yeah, you’re more experienced in this than I am.”
She snorted. She wasn’t about to correct him on that. Even if
Nick had deemed her as unseasoned, that didn’t mean she didn’t
know how to protect people. Hell, she’d been doing it for Donovan
for how long? That guy had practically raised her.
“So, I live in the city, but I work a few blocks away from that.
And that’s going to be where we spend most of our time.”
She nodded, tapping her fingers along her thigh.
“Is this your first mission?”
She felt her brow raise again. “With Nick, yes.”
“You worked for someone else?”
Worked was a bit of a strong word … but how exactly would she
even describe her time with Donovan? Indentured servant? That
didn’t sound right. That sounded more like a jail sentence.
Wasn’t it kind of like that, though? He basically locked me inside
unless he needed me for something.
A strange feeling tugged at her heart. It wasn’t like Donovan had
imprisoned her inside of a cage or anything. He was just
overprotective and liked to keep the people who worked for him at
arm’s length.
Sometimes that meant being with him 24/7, and sometimes you
got a five-day vacation every few years.
 It wasn’t a terrible deal. In fact, it was better than other dealers
she’d seen in the city operating.
“Vella?”
She shook herself out of her thoughts. “What?”
“Ah…” He moved in his seat, throwing his arm over the back of
their shared headrest. “You okay? You look kind of upset.”
“No, I don’t.”
He laughed. “How do you know without looking at yourself in a
mirror?”
“Because I’m not upset.”
“Hmm.”
Her eyes caught the movement of Fox’s fingers drumming on the
back of the headrest.
“Well, how long have you been working for Nick?”
She shrugged. “Few months.”
“Oh, where were you before that?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You already asked me that.”
He grinned. “Damn, you caught me.”
She fought her smile. She didn’t want this guy to know exactly
who she was, mostly for the fact that she didn’t want him to have
the satisfaction of knowing her on some kind of deeper level than
she was willing to let anyone go.
She’d always been like that. She was protective of herself and
her own identity. If no one knew her, no one could hurt her.
“Actually, I’m centuries old. I’m a vampire princess doomed to
walk the earth for all eternity.”
He blinked at her, a wry smile crossing over his face. “Oh yeah?
And why’s that?”
Vella felt herself lean into the lie. “Because I’ve been scorned.”
“Scorned? That sounds serious.”
She tilted her head back, lifting her chin. “An evil sorcerer tried to
get with me. But I thwarted his advances.”
“So now you’re doomed to walk the earth because he’s pissed he
got rejected?”
“Yes, exactly.”
 Fox tilted his head, regarding her with a weird gleam in his eyes.
“Seems unfair.”
She didn’t want to think too closely as to why her heart was
starting to pound slightly.
“Well, what about you? You run some video game?”
He shrugged. “Kind of. It’s an online platform that hosts a game
where you can play as a character in the city.”
“That sounds kind of boring.”
The comment slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it,
but it only made Fox laugh again.
“Sure, I guess. But you can be anything you want to be. There
aren’t any rules. So, a lot of people find it to be escapism.”
She felt herself stare at him for a moment longer than she meant
to. Escapism … that seemed kind of nice. Especially in a virtual world
that had no rules and you could do whatever you wanted.
She had no idea why, but that kind of appealed to her.
“Maybe that doesn’t sound as boring after all.”
Fox smiled wider. “Maybe when I get it all up and running
properly again, I’ll let you take one of my accounts for a spin.”
For some reason, she felt herself relax in Fox’s presence. He had
a way about him that wasn’t completely suffocating to the point
where she was clawing her way to get out and run far and fast. For
the first time in her life, she felt … content?
Weird…
“So, what does a centuries-old vampire like to do in her free time
when she’s not walking the earth scorned?”
She fought not to smile.
Damn it, he’s kind of charming.
She thought for a moment.
“I read.”
“Oh?” That seemed to interest him for some reason. “Got any
favorites?”
She didn’t … not exactly. When she’d been with Donovan, she’d
seldom had any free time that lasted long enough to settle in and
enjoy something.
 But when she’d been a kid, she remembered she’d begged
Donovan to take her to the comic bookstore on more than one
occasion. Stubbornly pushing the subject until he finally caved and
took her. She remembered that she liked the comics that were about
supernatural superheroes.
The memories of being wrapped up in a blanket, sitting by the
windowsill late into the night reading warmed her.
“I like comics. I don’t really have a favorite one.”
She could see a spark light up in Fox’s eyes. “I love comics.”
She blinked at him. “You do?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m a huge comic nerd. Superheroes were always my
go-to.”
That had her grinning. “Me too. My favorites were the ones
where they had all the superheroes together fighting something big.”
“Me too!” He lifted his hips up to dig into his pocket, pulling out
his phone. “I have a collection, actually.”
She felt herself stiffen when he scooted closer to her, their knees
brushing up against each other briefly. She felt her entire body heat
like she’d been dropped in the middle of a volcano and left to burn
alive.
Fox scrolled through his phone, photos flying by so quickly that
she was amazed he could even see what he was looking for.
“Here.” He tapped his screen and showed it to her. “These are all
first editions.”
She blinked and leaned closer to see better. It was a picture of an
entire wall-length bookshelf with hundreds upon hundreds of comics
all neatly stacked together, some of them facing outward to show off
the covers.
Her mouth dropped open.
“I have this too.” He slid his finger across the screen, pulling up
another photo.
It was a close-up of one of the shelves. Around five comic books
were seated on small stands inside preservative plastic cases.
“These are my first editions.”
“Oh, wow.”
 His shoulder brushed up against hers when he turned to look at
her. “Right?”
Vella felt herself swallow thickly, the heat between their bodies
almost unbearable. She’d never felt like this before, and it made her
nervous. Was there something wrong with her?
She felt Fox’s breath tickle the hairs around her face, and she
couldn’t help but turn and press her nose to his jaw to breathe his
scent in deeper. She ignored the way he stiffened.
Damn, he smells incredible. Is he wearing some kind of
pheromone cologne or something?
She listened to the sound of him swallowing, his Adam’s apple
bobbing with the motion. She wanted to bite it so badly that her
teeth ached inside her mouth. She felt her fangs descend, poking
out of her mouth and pressing against her bottom lip.
A finger hooked underneath her chin, pulling her away from Fox’s
neck to stare directly into his eyes. Her eyes darted to his lips, taking
in the way he ran his tongue over them hungrily.
She felt her body respond and leaned into him, gripping the front
of his shirt in her hand.
What is with this human?
“What the fuck are you two doing?!”
CHAPTER FOUR
 FOX

F ox caught himself just in time before locking lips with the

vampiric vixen. He turned, feeling himself start to blush as he
caught Carradine’s glare in the rearview mirror.
“Nothing,” Fox whispered.
Vella licked her lips slowly, her dark, haunting eyes having a
strange effect upon him. Then she crossed her arms and turned to
face the window like a teenager being scolded.
Her voice was deep, velvety, and made Fox instantaneously
imagine them in a more intimate setting. It was like curtains had
mystically drawn themselves around the car, hiding them in their
sexy, steamy universe. He saw a flash of her on top of him, riding
his cock until she screamed into the night, her red nails drawing
blood from his skin, and Fox loved every vile and naughty second of
it.
Carradine had shaken him out of the trance, but his dick was
hard, and he had to adjust his pants so Vella or the Agent couldn’t
see the bulge.
Fox inched himself away from her. so their hips were no longer
touching. He had no idea what had gotten into him. He was mainly
disinterested in women because dating required so much effort, and
the majority of the time, the results were boringly predictable … a
letdown marked by general heartbreak.
He could be coldly calculated about women and their likelihood to
fill that lonely void in his life. He had been told that by some of his
coworkers, the few people in his life who were willing to be even
remotely honest. It was a trait in himself that Fox wasn’t fond of, but
it had protected him for years, so it had done its duty.
But what was it about Vella? She wore a skirt over fishnet
stockings as if she had climbed out of a time machine, as well as a
black blouse that flashed some delicious cleavage. It wasn’t like it
was the first time he had been around a provocatively dressed
woman. He could handle that.
There was certainly something tough, something unique, about
her that made him want to get close to her physically. He needed to
keep that shit in check.
They drove on in silence while Carradine gazed back now and
then to check on Vella and Fox like they were misbehaving children.
When they arrived at the safehouse parking lot, Carradine abruptly
turned the engine off and then flicked his wrist at Fox.
“You, out,” he ordered Fox as he opened the driver’s door.
Vella was still gazing out the window, then turned with an
annoyed look on her face toward Carradine.
“You, stay,” he ordered her while he stepped out.
Vella proceeded to purse her lips, scoffed, and then turned back
to face the window. Fox could feel his stomach turning, thinking
about the reaming he was about to get. And dammit, he had missed
out on a truly spectacular kiss.
Fox got out of the car and followed Carradine, who found a
concrete post nearby to stand behind. He kept the SUV in his
eyesight as he frantically spoke, words hissing through his mouth
like steam.
“What the hell was that about?” he whispered.
Fox lifted his hand to rub the bridge of his nose.
“I know,” he replied. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me.”
“Have you not gotten laid in a while or something?” Carradine
asked.
Fox went back in his mind to that last time he had a good lay. He
recalled vaguely that it was someone he met at a convention for his
game, an attractive young woman who feigned interest until they
headed up into his hotel room. The sex itself was subpar, especially
after he realized she was only willing to hop into bed for a chance to
use his abundant wealth.
It hadn’t made him cynical about dating, not entirely. People, in
general, annoyed him before anything like that had happened, and
when it did, even he wasn’t surprised. There was lots of porn
available for him to satisfy himself with if the mood struck him, so
sacrificing his time through dating became a non-lucrative endeavor.
He couldn't even recall the last time he had gotten off on his
own.
Fox knew that the question was rhetorical, so he shook his head,
still rubbing his face with embarrassment.
“It won’t happen again,” he said. “I promise you, I am dedicated
to this case.”
Carradine’s teeth remained uncomfortably gritted as he stepped
forward, taking Fox by the shoulders. It wasn’t a tight grip, but it
was still startling.
“Look,” he began, still speaking through his uneven gnashes.
“You are the only connection we have so far in this case. If anything
happens to you, we are fucked. You got that?”
Fox instinctively nodded. The Agent was older, his hairline
beginning to recede, and he reminded him of his father when he
was younger. There was also a sense of natural respect that Fox felt
the need to give Carradine, sheerly based upon the age that he
interpreted him to be.
Carradine’s grimace melted away, and his grip on Fox’s shoulders
loosened.
“It’s not like you two can’t fuck or hook up or whatever you kids
call it these days once this is dealt with,” he said, eyes averted. “The
young need to stay young. But just keep it in your pants for now.”
Fox continued to nod, making a flicker of eye contact with the
man whose heart and soul were in the case as much as his mind.
“I normally don’t let this kind of thing get in my way,” Fox said.
“It’ll never happen, I promise.”
Carradine smiled. His teeth were stained from years of cigarette
use, Fox assumed, but the look was genuine and satisfied. He
tapped Fox’s shoulder, rubbing the small, scrawny man back and
forth.
“Don’t forget that she’s supposed to be your bodyguard, too,”
Carradine said, pointing back at the SUV. “You don’t want to distract
her with all his sexual tension to the point where she can’t protect
you.”
Fox continued to nod, showing that he was listening intently. He
wasn’t entirely sure that Vella was going to be distracted by him. He
had an idea that it was going to be the other way around. She was a
gorgeous, gothic goddess, and what was he? Some video game nerd
who couldn’t take care of himself.
Fox pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose after they slid
down from the slickness of his sweat. Carradine continued to smile,
then let Fox go, walking to the SUV and swinging his keys
nonchalantly.
“Remember,” he whispered back at Fox, “you need to look at the
bigger picture. There will be time for the humpy after all this shit is
over.”
Fox followed him back to the car, his hands in his pockets, and
gazed downward. He wasn’t sure what he was more embarrassed
by, his behavior or the weird wording Carradine had used referring
to sex. He wanted Carradine to take him seriously and not see him
as some nerdy horn-dog who couldn’t look at a female without
spraying in his shorts.
Carradine approached the side door of the car and then knocked.
Vella opened it, still sitting comfortably with her legs crossed. She
looked like she was about to walk into a club rather than a safe
house where she would be protecting a very rich man.
“Let’s go,” Carradine ordered.
Vella cocked an eyebrow at him. Fox was standing behind
Carradine, his heart pattering in his chest with anticipation.
“You don’t need to talk to me that way,” she said, her creamy
voice so soothing. “I am the bodyguard here. You're the Agent.
We’re equal, so don’t forget it, okay?”
Fox felt a cool chill move through his spine as Vella stepped out
of the SUV with her fishnet-ebbed long legs, thighs thick and
powerful. He wondered how kinky she was or if he was simply
making an assumption.
For fuck’s sake, man, get it together.
Fox blinked hard and shook his head as Vella made her way out
of the car, Carradine slamming the door hard behind her. She moved
next to him immediately. A rush of her apple blossom perfume was
making him a little dizzy.
“Let’s go then,” Vella said, avoiding eye contact with Fox.
Fox started to wonder if he had made his promise to Carradine
way too soon. The sight of Vella’s shapely bum in her skirt and the
powerful stride made him wonder even more about her likings in the
bedroom. His attraction was taking him by the throat, and it was
invigorating but fucking frightening at the same time.
Fox made a point to linger behind them, not getting too close to
Vella but remaining within her peripheral vision. Carradine walked
beside him, taking glances back now and then.
Just as they approached the parking garage elevator, Vella froze
on the spot. She was holding the glass door, her finger wrapped
around the handle as a claw.
“What…” Carradine began to ask.
“Shh!” Vella said harshly.
Carradine and Fox stopped moving, eyes widening with urgency.
Initially, all Fox could hear was the faint movement of cars beyond
them, but after a few seconds, something out of place slithered into
his consciousness.
He and Vella made eye contact, and an unpleasant chill moved
up Fox’s spine.
Vella let go of the door, her dark eyes lighting up like a bonfire.
“Get behind me,” she said sharply.
Fox moved quickly and stood behind Vella, who went into a
fighting stance with her arms outstretched. Fox wanted to deny
what he was hearing, but ever since the entire terrorist situation had
begun, the entire world around him had evolved into some odd
medieval storyline.
The sound crooned longer, keener. By the time it hit their
eardrums at the same time, Fox could no longer deny that he was
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Fidel Pare: no us hi amoïneu, home.

Passarell Que aviat ho haveu dit vosaltres! Aixís!… Val més que no ho
digui. (Torna la Madrona, tota neguitosa i pantejant.)
Escena VI
(Els mateixos, més la Madrona)

Madrona (contenta al veure an el Passarell) Ah! (Alegroia, an en

Boira.) Ja tornes a ser aquí?

Boira M’he repensat i vinc a dinar.

Madrona Ben fet. (Va als fogons.)

Passarell Noi: tanca la porta. (En Fidel va a tancar la porta de

l’escala.)

Madrona (an en Boira) Ja ho sap la Susagna que’t quedes?

Boira Sí: ja li he enviat un propri.

Fidel (an el Passarell) Ja sé que han anat tant bé les Caramelles.

Passarell (am brusquetat) Tant bé anessim a casa!

Fidel Vaja, que la mare va ser esplendida. I això que no més vau
cantar dugues peces.

Passarell Hagués anat per ella, que no’ls hauria donat re, an els
coristes.

Fidel Tant generosa que és…

Passarell Sí: pera donar els seus fills. (La Madrona arrenca a plorar
fondament.)

Fidel (anant a aconsolar-la) Bo! I ara?

Boira (col·locant-se a l’esquerra) Sempre us-e les haveu!

Madrona (an en Fidel) Que no’l sents? Que no’l sents com me tracta?

Fidel No us ho prengueu així: ha sigut una broma.

Passarell (aixecant-se i dirigint-se a la dreta) No ha sigut una broma.

Cregues que parlo seriament. Pot-ser mai m’havia formalisat tant
com avui.

Fidel (desde’l mig de l’escena) Però, què teniu?

Passarell Que t’ho digui ella. Jo, per ara, no vui dir re: després ja sé lo
que’m pertoca fer.

Boira No us hi havia vist mai aixís!

Fidel Jo tampoc.

Passarell Sembla que tot me vagi en contra!

Fidel (acostant-s’hi) No pas jo, pare!

Passarell Tu, no… Però per culpa teva… No, no per culpa teva… Ni sé
lo que’m dic!… Per què ha tingut de venir aquell senyor! Deviem ser
massa feliços!
Fidel Que us amoïneu aviat! No tingueu por de res. Que no vaig dir el
què, ahir vespre?

Passarell T’hi atens?

Fidel (am convicció i serenitat) Lo que vaig dir ahir ho diré tota la
vida.

Passarell (acostant-se a la Madrona) Ho veus, Madrona?

(Amorosint-la.) No sents com parla en Fidel? I no t’agrada que parli
així?

Madrona No. Gens!

Passarell T’ho mires malament. Posa-t sobre sí. Si hauries d’estar-ne

joiosa!

Madrona Vés: no’m donguis més pena.

Passarell (deixant-la) Mireu que és toçuda!

Boira Vaja, Madrona…

Passarell (anant a seure a la dreta de la taula) Jo ja no sé com

expressar-me.

Fidel (am tendresa) Mare: que voleu que us deixi? Que no m’hi voleu
a la vostra vora? Que n’esteu cançada de mi?

Madrona No, no, fill meu!

Fidel (am molta tendresa i serenitat) Parleu-me com sempre m’heu
parlat. Vós no m’heu enganyat mai. Què us va dir aquell senyor?

Madrona Que la teva mare’s moria de tristesa, pensant en tu.

Fidel (am naturalitat) Bé, bé… Jo ja’l comprenc el vostre sentiment:

és molt delicat. No us fa obrar aixís cap mena d’egoisme; molt al
contrari: el vostre cor generós arriba fins al sacrifici; però jo no puc
consentir que us sacrifiqueu. No faltaria més que ara, precisament
ara, jo us deixés sols, tots sols, entre aquestes parets! M’anyorarieu, i
a mi m’obligarieu a desempenyar un paper molt baix!

Madrona Jo no ho vui, ho sents, Fidel? Jo no ho vui que la gent te

miri com fins ara t’ha mirat. Escolta’ls meus consells. Jo, pobra de
mi, t’he ensenyat tot lo mellor que sabia, i lo mellor que jo sé és que,
en aquest món, s’ha d’estimar, s’ha d’estimar i perdonar.

Fidel Perfectament.

Madrona Si la teva mare no va portar-se com tu voldries, no la culpis

an ella.

Fidel Doncs a qui?

Madrona A la gent. Vés a saber si va ser ella que va pensar en

abandonar-te.

Fidel Per què no’s rebelava!

Madrona Contra qui?

Fidel Contra tots! Contra tot el món! Val més ser mare que semblar
honrada.

Madrona Una s’acovardeix…

Fidel Ella va preferir més l’honra que’l fruit del seu amor, si amor va
sentir.

Madrona Diuen que sí que estava enamorada.

Fidel Raó de més pera estimar-me.

Madrona (am gran prec) Escolta-la.

Fidel No pot ser.

Madrona Primer és la teva mare que tot.

Fidel Primer és la meva conciencia.

Passarell (concentrat, mirant a terra) Aquesta és la paraula!

Madrona Semblarà que jo t’hagi pujat sense cap mirament. Ai,

Senyor! I tant que m’he desentranyat per tu!

Fidel Per això us estimo tant.

Madrona Jo t’he donat totes les dolçors del meu cor.

Fidel Per això no vui deixar-vos.

Madrona Pobra de mi!… Què pensarà ta mare quan sapiga que no la

vols conèixer? Dirà, i am molta raó: “Vaia una criança ha donat an el
meu fill aquella dòna!”

Fidel No més faltaria que digués això!

Passarell Just!… Després que ella no ha fet res per tu.

Boira Es que si’s queixava…

Passarell Que vinguin uns altres pares a pujar mellor an els seus fills.

Madrona Ja ho sé. Però en Fidel, pera fer-nos quedar com ens

mereixem, hauria de creure-m.

Fidel (am molta serenitat) Allavors jo seria dolent am vos.

Passarell I am mi també.

Fidel Sí: am vosaltres.

Boira Es que sí!

Madrona Nosaltres ja no hi tenim cap dret am tu.

Fidel (somrient, persuasiu) Però, mare…

Madrona No m’ho diguis més! Quan no’n tenies, sí que te n’era! Si

mai te’n faltés, te’n tornaria a fer.

Fidel (pausadament i am molta naturalitat i tendresa, sense

descendir a la declamació afectada) Vós, unicament vós, sou la meva
mare: aquella altra no va fer més que emmotllar-me… Vós m’heu
modelat… compreneu?… m’heu amorosit i m’heu infiltrat la vostra
vida. M’heu donat, junt amb el vostre amor, la flor de la vostra
joventut. M’heu cantat, gronxant-me en el breçol, les cançons de la
vostra primavera. De la meva mare no’n queda res, ni’l record d’un
petó, ni l’halè d’un sospir, en la meva naturalesa. Tot, en el meu
interior i en la meva sang, és vostre. La vostra vida ha purificat la del
meu origen i l’ha renovada tota. Jo us visc a vós amb el cor i amb el
pensament. Sóc vostre, tot vostre. Si no ho fos; si jo avui no fos sang
de la vostra sang, ànima de la vostra ànima, us abandonaria, sí: seria
com la meva mare.

Passarell Series un ingrat.

Fidel Més que ingrat! Un lladre que us ha robat la vida.

Passarell No’t convences, Madrona? Ni davant d’aquestes

explicacions?

Boira Sí, dòna, sí: el noi parla bé.

Passarell De sobres. Fidel Lo que dic és dictat per la raó i la

conciencia.

(Se sent trucar a la porta de l’escala.)

Madrona (girant-se vivament) Ara! (Curt silenci.) Hi deu haver

aquell senyor. (Expectació en tots. Curt silenci.)

Passarell (amb ira concentrada) Aquell senyor! (Tornen a trucar, més

fort que de primer. Segueix l’expectació. Llarc silenci. Se miren els
uns als altres, indecisos, no sabent què fer.)
Madrona (decidint-se) Vaig a obrir. (Va a obrir la porta. Apareix Don
Albert.)
Escena VII
(Els mateixos, més Don Albert)

Don Albert (desde la porta) Déu la guard.

Madrona (am veu tremolosa) Déu lo guard. Passi, passi, si és servit.

Don Albert (entrant, amb el barret a la mà) He trigat una mica,

veritat? (Somrient.) Ja’m dispensarà.

Madrona Està dispensat.

Don Albert (saludant, afablement, a tots) Bon dia tinguin, senyors.

Fidel (am naturalitat) Bon dia tingui. (El Passarell i en Boira,

agrupats a l’esquerra, saluden bruscament amb un moviment de
cap.)

Don Albert I en Fidel?

Madrona (no gosant) Miri-se’l… El té al seu davant.

Don Albert (molt admirat i exageradament adulador) Aquest és?

Fidel (atentament) Servidor.

Don Albert Me quedo parat!… Quan la seva mare’l veurà!… Quina

sorpresa!… (Mirant-lo fixament.) Exacte, exacte an ella! Es la
mateixa estampa!

Fidel (am cortesia) Cobreixi-s… Faci’l favor.

Don Albert Es comoditat. Gracies.

Madrona (tremolant de goig) Mira, Fidel: aquest senyor és aquell

mateix que va venir ahir a la tarda.

Fidel (am naturalitat) Ah! Sí?

Madrona (senyalant an el Passarell i an en Boira) Aquell és el meu

marit, i aquell altre un germà meu.

Don Albert (molt atent) Servidor de vostès. Tant gust en coneixe-ls.

Passarell (am brusquetat i en veu baixa) Gracies.

Don Albert (an en Fidel) No ho prengui a adulació: cregui-m que

estic encantat am vostè. No me l’imaginava d’aquesta manera.

Madrona (contenta) Es un galan minyó, veritat?

Don Albert (a la Madrona i el Passarell) Els dono l’enhorabona.

Madrona (agraïda) Pobra de mi! (El Passarell, irat, en veu baixa diu
una paraula, a l’orella, an en Boira.)

Boira (també en veu baixa) Calma.

Don Albert Veig que l’han pujat com un propri fill. Sé lo molt que val
com a home i fins ont arriba la seva instrucció.
Fidel (am modestia) Vostè exagera.

Don Albert Faig justicia. (El Passarell segueix dient coses, a l’orella,
an en Boira. Que’s noti que està a punt d’esclatar.)

Boira (molt concentrat, agafant an el Passarell per un braç) Calma!

Calma!

Fidel (a don Albert, am finesa) Però, cobreixi-s i faci’l favor de seure.

Don Albert (un xic torbat per la presencia dels altres) Gracies. Estic
bé aixís.

Boira (an el Passarell, en veu molt baixa) Anem! (Estirant-lo pel

braç.) Deixem-los.

Fidel (a don Albert) Estarà cansat…

Don Albert No… (En Boira, am gran esforç, se n’endú an el Passarell,

desapareixent els dos per la segona porta de l’esquerra.)
Escena VIII
(Els mateixos, menys el Passarell i en Boira)

Madrona (després d’un curt silenci) Fidel: pot-ser que entressiu a la

teva sala…

Fidel No cal.

Madrona Podrieu enraonar am més llibertat.

Don Albert Per mi no’s molestin.

Madrona Doncs, segui, si és servit. (Don Albert s’asseu a la dreta de

la taula.)

Fidel (asseient-se a l’esquerra) Digui.

Don Albert Vostè ja deu estar enterat per la seva dida…

Fidel (am naturalitat) La meva mare, vol dir.

Don Albert (desorientat) Aquesta bona dòna. (La Madrona se’n va,
plorant, per la segona porta de l’esquerra.)

Fidel (suplicant) Mare: no us mogueu d’aquí.

Madrona (plorant i rient alhora) Ja torno… ja torno desseguida…

(Desapareix.)
Escena IX
(Don Albert i en Fidel)

Don Albert (després d’un llarc silenci) Doncs, sí: vostè ja deu estar
enterat de l’objecte de la meva visita…

Fidel Sí, senyor.

Don Albert Sent aixís, seré breu.

Fidel Com a vostè li sembli.

Don Albert Però és indispensable, abans de tot, que’l posi en

antecedents.

Fidel (am cortesia) Digui…

Don Albert (mirant de fit a fit an en Fidel) Permeti que m’admiri de

veure-l fet un home.

Fidel (am molta amabilitat) Vagi dient.

Don Albert (somrient) No s’impacienti. (Cambiant de to.) He vingut

a trobar-lo complint una missió sagrada.

Fidel (am delicadesa) Concreti.

Don Albert Vostè també deu tenir noticia de la trista joventut de la
seva mare.

Fidel (am naturalitat) En sé alguna cosa.

Don Albert Figuri-s lo que devia sofrir quan va veure-s obligada a

abandonar-lo!

Fidel No diu que és viuda?

Don Albert Sí…

Fidel Suposo que’l seu marit no devia ser el meu pare…

Don Albert No, senyor: era un altre.

Fidel (am molta delicadesa) I an aquest altre li va confessar el seu

passat?

Don Albert (escandalitzat) Això no! (En to baix.) Si ella hagués trobat
per espòs a un home generós…

Fidel Com ho sabia que no ho era?

Don Albert (no sabent què respondre) Oh! Veurà… Si l’hagués

considerat aixís, an el seu marit, l’hauria fet regonèixer a vostè com a
fill del seu matrimoni. La pobra no ha pogut fins ara.

Fidel I si hagués mort primer ella?

Don Albert Oh! Allavors…

Fidel Allavors jo no tindria mare.

Don Albert Què vol fer-hi? Vostè ja ho comprèn.

Fidel Sí. Però m’extranya que ella s’unís amb un home del qual ne
dubtava tant.

Don Albert No hi havia altre remei.

Fidel Per què’s casava, doncs?

Don Albert (prudentment) Pera salvar les apariencies, el seu honor…

Fidel (amb ironia) I no va salvar res!

Don Albert (molt sorprès) Per què ho diu?… El món l’ha considerada
sempre. Ningú s’ha enterat mai de la seva vida privada.

Fidel (amb ironia fina) I la seva conciencia, tampoc?

Don Albert Oh, sí! Per això ara…

Fidel Vaia una moral!

Don Albert No l’entenc…

Fidel Sí, que m’entén.

Don Albert En bona fe…

Fidel La meva mare va despendre-s de mi i va ocultar el seu passat a

l’home que va dur-la a l’altar.

Don Albert Què volia que fes? Que digués la veritat?

Fidel (serenament) Sí. La veritat per damunt de tot!

Don Albert Oh amic meu!… La societat és tant exigenta, que

devegades és preferible mentir.

Fidel Mai!

Don Albert (somrient) El seu ideal és hermós, sublim, però no és

practic… Miri: la seva mare és molt bona: té un cor d’angel… No més
vostè pot deslliurar-la de la tristesa que l’aclapara.

Fidel No és possible.

Don Albert Recordi que’s tracta de la dòna que va donar-li la vida.

Fidel No, que va llençar-la.

Don Albert Contra la seva voluntat. Reflexioni-ho, vostè que té talent

de sobres.

Fidel Què vol de mi?

Don Albert Que vagi a reunir-se am la seva mare.

Fidel I aquests vellets, que m’han recullit i estimat com un fill?

Don Albert Donya Lluisa, la seva mare, ho ha previst tot. M’ha

facultat pera dir-li que vostè mateix, en prova del seu agraiment, els
senyali una pensió vitalicia.

Fidel (admirat) Què diu ara!

Don Albert (somrient) Li està bé?