Bianca D'Arc Read Online Free PDF

was touched by the fact that he watched her
cart until it turned out of sight.
    Damn. The King of Clubs packed a wallop and
Lila wasn’t sure she’d survive with her heart intact.
     
*
     
    Over the next few days, Chip insinuated
himself fully into the workings of the bar and the datastream of
the station itself. It was his own unique ability that most
operatives did not possess. Few were able to withstand the physical
and mental stresses of cybernetic implantation. For one thing, it
took a special mind to cope with the influx of data and most found
it difficult to acclimate. Chip certainly had, at first. But his
medical team had been the best and the lead surgeon had worked with
him long after the surgery was complete. The man had taken a
personal interest that had really helped Chip at a time when his
whole world had been in a state of serious flux.
    But that had been years ago. He was fully in
tune with his implants now. They had opened up his mind to
abilities he’d never before considered. It was amazing, really,
what the human brain could do given half a chance. Chip had never
been good at science or math before implantation, as an example.
Now, he was a technical wiz, able to call on skills and data from
sources he never would have contemplated before.
    They’d offered him the chance at cybernetic
augmentation after a career ending injury had left his skull
breached and his brain bruised. Before that, he’d been part of an
elite group of soldiers who had voluntarily undergone a genetic
procedure known simply as Enhancement. The details of that
procedure were accessible by only a select few within the
scientific and military communities. Even Chip’s codes wouldn’t get
him into that particular database, but he didn’t really mind.
    Enhancement had given him abilities few
regular humans had. He’d been better, stronger, faster. All those
things a soldier strives for. He’d been an excellent operative, but
even the best get taken down every once in a while. It had taken an
out of control vehicle carrier to take Chip down.
    A freak accident had left him permanently
changed. The cybernetics had returned his physical abilities and
augmented his mental processing to such a degree that he’d begun a
new chapter of his professional career. The battlefield had become
far too mundane for someone with his abilities and skills. Instead
of a front line assignment, he’d been tapped to work behind the
scenes, where he’d proven to be devastatingly effective.
    He had a string of successes behind him and
had become something of a troubleshooter. There was nothing wrong
with Alex’s operation here at The Rabbit Hole , but the
station itself was another matter. Chip knew Alex reasonably well
and respected his abilities. If the other operative had been here,
Chip was fairly certain Alex would have spotted what Lila
had—mysterious conversations and a string of coincidences that left
Chip with little doubt something sinister was going on here.
    Once more, he was glad he’d been coming off
an assignment when Alex had gone gallivanting across the galaxy
with another Senna woman. If Della was anything like her sister,
Chip could understand why. Lila was easy on the eyes and was a
comforting presence to be around. She was attractive in so many
ways.
    Chip tortured himself with her nearness. He
tried not to be too obvious in his desire, but he couldn’t help his
reaction any time their duties in the bar brought them into close
proximity. And he couldn’t resist invading her personal space on
purpose at least once every night—when he tucked her into the
securecart that took her away and out of his reach. He both dreaded
and relished that moment each night, knowing the temptation to
tumble her back against the bar and fuck her blind would be removed
for a few hours.
    During the bar’s open hours, Chip and Lila
both kept watch over their suspicious patrons in their own ways.
Lila kept doing what she had done