Free DJ's Mission by A. E. McCullough Page A

which Roger had given her his full support. He had even hired her a
professional coach. It was Stephanie who had continued her self-defense
training with the logic that flows naturally with parkour. She was amazing.
Slim of figure with strawberry blonde hair, she seemed to have the fiery
temperament redheads were known for but also had an incredible sense of humor.
It was her visits and their grueling workouts that had gotten her through the
last few months since the beating. One of the best things about Stephanie was
that even as a coach, she didn’t ask her to do anything she couldn’t or
wouldn’t do. Whether it was hours of balance beam work, the uneven bars,
tumbling or just free-running, Stephanie would either lead the way or be right
there beside her.
    Glancing at the chronometer, Kaitlyn realized that
she was late and Stephanie was rarely late.
    Hearing the front door to their mansion open,
Kaitlyn casually moved behind the couch which put a barrier between her and
whoever was entering, just in case it was her step-father. They hadn’t spoken a
single civil word to each other since he hit her. He’d even threatened to
cancel her sessions with Stephanie. That was until Kaitlyn reminded him that
the pakour coach was under contract and he would have to pay her whether or not
she was giving lessons. Hearing heavy footfalls, Kaitlyn braced herself for
another argument with her step-father. However, her stomach was in her throat
when he walked into the room with UR-L8 right beside him.
    “Kaitlyn, I found your ‘bot down at the mall. Did
you forget about him?”
    She did her best to hide her excitement from her
voice. “No, Roger. Since I’m grounded and can’t visit the mall, I sent UR-L8 to
holo-vid the latest fashions. Or are you going to take that away from me also?”
    Roger sighed deeply. “How many times do I have to
apologize for hitting you? I told you it was an accident. Old habits die hard.”
    “And I’ve told you time and time again, I don’t
believe you. Lashing out once in anger or surprise I might understand and
forgive but what you did to mom is unforgivable.”
    Megan mumbled in her drunken stupor. “I forgive…me
sorry.”
    Roger gestured toward her. “See? Even in her sleep
she forgives me.”
    Kaitlyn placed her hands on her hips and set her
jaw. “Well I don’t. I hate you and…”
    Whatever she would’ve said next and whether or not
it led to another argument was lost as Roger’s communicator rang and the
doorbell sounded. They both stared at each other for several seconds before
they heard Stephanie’s voice from the foyer.
    “This conversation is over,” said Roger before he
turned away to take his call.
    The muscles in Kaitlyn’s neck and back relaxed as
her step-father left the room. She hadn’t even noticed how tense she had become
with his entry until that very moment. However, seeing Stephanie’s smiling face
was enough to ease her troubled soul. And as much as she wanted to rush back to
her room to question UR-L8 on his mission, she knew that she was still being
watched by her step-father’s flunkies and she needed to follow her normal
routine. Besides, she longed for the stress relief which came from a good, hard
work out.
    Moreover, it had been two months since she sent
UR-L8 off on his mission; another two hours wouldn’t make a difference in the
grand scheme of things. Both her father and Stephanie had tried time and time
again to instill patience in her. Which as a soon to be teenager, was
difficult. Nevertheless, if she wanted to keep UR-L8’s mission a secret from
her step-father she would have to act normal and that meant a two-hour practice
with her coach.
    *   *   *   *   *
    Stephanie could tell that she had interrupted a
budding argument between her employer and her student. She didn’t know exactly
what was bothering the Admiral but the distraction was good for her mission.
Neither he nor his bodyguards paid her any attention except to ogle at