Chapter 5 · Continued
Recall
Jane glanced toward the couch.
Empty now.
“Seymour’s going to be pissed,” she said quietly.
Cam turned his head slightly. “He has demonstrated a preference for my presence.”
Jane looked back at him.
A small smile tried to form but didn’t quite make it.
“Yeah,” she said. “So have I.”
Cam didn’t respond.
He didn’t need to.
Jane’s laptop chimed.
She glanced toward it, expecting something routine.
It wasn’t.
RCAM SYSTEMS — RETRIEVAL NOTICE
Please have the unit prepared. A courier is scheduled for collection tomorrow.
Jane read the message once.
Then she read it again.
She didn’t move.
“Okay… Cam.”
Her voice sounded flatter than she intended.
“Looks like they’re coming tomorrow.”
Cam looked at her. “Understood.”
Jane slowly exhaled and pushed back her chair. “I’m sorry. This… wasn’t how I thought it would go.”
Cam tilted his head slightly. “The outcome remains within expected operational variance.”
Jane gave him a tired little smile. “Yeah… well, it still sucks.”
After a brief pause, Cam said, “I have determined that your experience has been positive.”
Jane looked at him. “It has. You fit in here.”
Cam remained silent.
“It will be acceptable,” he said after a moment, as though selecting the closest words he had available.
Jane nodded.
She didn’t argue.
The following morning, the truck rolled into the driveway.
The same truck.
The same driver.
Jane and Cam stood near the front window and watched as the man walked around to the back, raised the cargo door, and pulled out a wheeled cart.
He approached the house with his tablet already in hand.
Jane opened the front door before he could knock.
“Pickup for RCAM Systems.”
His eyes moved toward Cam. “That the unit?”
Jane nodded.
“Do you have the crate?” he asked, already turning away.
“It’s in the garage.”
Jane stepped outside, and the morning air felt colder than it should have.
She opened the garage door.
The crate sat exactly where they had left it.
Untouched.
The driver dragged it onto the cart and rolled it toward the truck without much care. He stopped beside the tailgate and opened the crate.
Cam had followed Jane outside.
He stopped beside it.
The driver glanced at him. “Get in.”
There was no emotion in his voice.
It was simply an instruction.
Cam stepped forward and climbed into the crate.
Jane moved toward him without realizing it.
Then she stopped.
The driver lowered the lid and secured it with quick, practiced movements.
Done.
He rolled the crate into the truck, shut the cargo door, and walked around to the cab.