This chapter is dedicated to @MonsterUnderTheBed! Thank you so much for the supergift!

It was already past midnight when Zary and Sam finally checked out and left the hotel.

This whole situation about Sam – where the company claimed he was faulty and needed to be recalled – was really starting to bother her. What was the problem? Why the hell would they track him down? Why did it seem to her like they were hellbent in wanting to take him back? Could there be something else that she did not know about? Perhaps some secret that was related to Sam’s production?

No matter how she thought about this, there was no way they would be this adamant in taking back a product that they themselves said was defective. In fact, in a normal situation, if she as the customer had willingly relieved them of the responsibility and continue to keep claim on the product, the company should even be thankful and happy as they would not have to refund or spend the effort and time to come collect the defective product. To think that now they were even tracking him down and chasing after him. And this just appalled and intrigued her to no end. Therefore, she had the sneaking suspicion that there was more to it that what it seemed on the surface.

She would not have been this suspicious if they had at least waited for a few days before taking any actions… but immediately? And this quick?! This definitely felt like they were just so desperate to get him back. Why? What exactly are they after? What was it that they wanted from Sam?

Zary tightened her grip around Sam’s waist, suddenly reluctant to be separated from him.

When Sam had told her they needed to leave, she did not even hesitate and agreed wholeheartedly with him. The thought that the company will catch up to them and take him away from her… it just did not sit right with her… no, she felt more than that. She did not want anyone to take him away. From her. It almost felt like she was jealously possessive of him. Well she had the right. He was hers and hers alone.

Again, it does not make much sense. But she reasoned that it actually was not that weird. She remembered when she was younger. There was a lost puppy she had picked up one time and she had taken it into their house. After two days, its owner came to take it back. Zary had remembered how she had bawled her eyes out that day and it took her a long while before she could get over it. It had been only two days and she had already gotten so attached to the puppy. Since then, Zary vowed to herself to never pick up any pets again, for fear that it will be taken away from her.

Though Sam’s not a pet and she had never thought of him as one, the attachment she was feeling now… the reluctance in letting him go was undeniably almost similar. Was she strange for being like this? She did not know. All she knew was that, if they really will take him away, she might…

She was dragged out from her deep thoughts when Sam pulled the bike to the side of the road.

Before she could ask what was wrong, Sam’s hand landed on her hand and turned to her.

“Don’t fall asleep, okay?” he said, gripping her hand.

Zary blinked then a smile tugged on her lips. “I won’t, don’t worry.” She assured him.

“We should find a car rather than a bike.” He suggested.

“If you’re planning to steal one, forget it. We can’t have the police join in to chase after us too. Though that might be thrilling, I’d rather not spend my remaining time in jail.” She laughed as she told him. Though if that indeed happens, she might only spend a night in jail before she had her people bring her out.

In fact, that would not be too horrible of an experience. And she might actually go for it with how reckless she had become. And come what may in her remaining days of her life. If not only for Sam who was still with her. If the police caught them, they might find out that he was a robot then the company would come and claim him. She did not want that to happen. She was not ready to let go of Sam yet.

Maybe because she had a feeling that once they took him, he would never come back to her anymore. Just like her puppy.

“Let’s just keep going, Sam. We’re just two hours away from the next town anyway. I know someone there who will willingly give us a car. I’m still so wide awake.” She even winked at him.

Sam eyed her for a moment longer, as though trying to verify if she was telling the truth, before he finally nodded and stepped on the accelerator again. This time, his speed was so much faster.

Zary gripped his waist harder. Not because of fear but to let him know that she was holding on tight. She must have loosened up her grip earlier when she was thinking a while ago and that was perhaps why he had stopped.

How un-robot-like. She had a lot of reasons to question what he really was but remembering that she had shut him down and that he did not truly breathe nor had any pulse for ten whole minutes had shut down all the doubts. To her, that fact was more impossible than all the other things he was capable of.

Could it be that this was the reason why they wanted him back? Could it be that they found out that Sam was just too perfect and so human-like that they regretted selling him?!

That reasoning was the most logical thing she could think of right now. And it only made her not want to let them take him away even more.

But then again, how long can she even hold onto him if they can track him so closely as how they had proved this night? Was there no way to remove the tracker they had embedded in his body?