Mr. Massey hesitated. “We use UV lamps and a floating solar sheet to supply power, but I’m afraid I can’t disclose anything else about the facility or how it operates. I’ve already taken a big risk just by telling you that Haven exists.”
“So why did you?” I asked.
Mr. Massey looked at me, then back to Richard. “I want you to come to Haven with me and join a team dedicated to decoding the alien signals. I also want you to keep what you know about those signals to yourselves. In exchange, I’m offering permanent quarters at Haven—” Mr. Massey’s gaze slid back to mine. “For all of you.”
Chapter 23
We sat in shocked silence. I couldn’t believe it. I was right. Akron Massey was going to save us.
Kate broke the silence. “When do we leave?”
“Not so fast,” Akron said. “Unfortunately, all of the quarters in Haven have already been assigned. For now, only Richard would be able to join me, and even that will probably mean him having to sleep in a utility room.”
My heart sank, and anger took the place of hope. “So what are we even talking about this for?”
“Simple. My ex-wife wants compelling evidence that these aliens are not friendly before I take her and our kids to Mars. Once we leave Haven, there’ll be more than enough room for all of you.”
“And then we’ll be stuck with the unfriendly aliens?” I asked.
“There’s only going to be so much room on Mars. Besides, Haven is the next best thing. If I’m wrong and aliens don’t invade, or they find a way to peacefully co-exist with us, then you’ll be much better off staying here on Earth.”
Richard looked uncertain. He scratched one cheek through his thick beard. “What makes you think I can come up with the evidence you’re looking for?”
“Because you’ve already found it. You just need to help me draw one or two more conclusions from the data that will tell us something about whoever is sending these signals.
“I’m already convinced that Mars will be safer than Earth. You and your team just have to help me convince my ex-wife of that. And even if your team fails, there’s a chance she’ll agree to leave anyway.”
Richard nodded along with that. “There’s one thing I don’t like about this. You said we have to keep what we know a secret. I’ve had enough of keeping secrets. The time for secrecy is over. People need to know what’s coming. Why not share my findings?”
Mr. Massey raised a finger to make a point. “Because if you do, the governments of the world will start preparing for war with these aliens, and their citizens are going to panic again. Knowing that aliens are coming won’t do any good, but it could do a lot of harm.”
“Like drawing unwanted attention to your Mars Colony Mission?” I guessed. The billionaire looked at me, and I went on, “People who are thinking like you, that Earth won’t be safe for us after aliens arrive, will want to find some way to join the colonists, and those who can’t might lash out because of it. You’re worried that the mission could be sabotaged if people learn the truth.”
“It’s a legitimate concern,” Mr. Massey replied. Turning back to Richard, he said, “Well, do we have a deal?”
* * *
“I’ll do it,” Richard said.
“Excellent,” Massey replied.
I wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or concerned. Now we’d be going back to Richard’s shelter without him. We’d have one less man to defend it, and we would lose all of his accumulated survivalist expertise.
“How are we going to get in contact?” I asked.
Massey’s gaze slid over to mine and his eyebrows darted up.
“We don’t know where Haven is, so how will we know to go there after you and your family leave?”
Understanding dawned in Massey’s eyes. “Do you have a shortwave transmitter?”
I shook my head. “A what?”
“A HAM radio.”
“We do,” Richard replied.
“Then you just have to point your antenna in the right direction and set your transceiver to the right frequencies,” Massey said.
I frowned. I didn’t know a lot about HAM radios, but I suspected that wouldn’t be the most reliable means of communication. “What if we miss the message? We can’t sit with our ears to the radio all day for the next however many months.”
“We could set dates for check-ins,” Richard said.
Akron Massey nodded. “Good idea. Today is the 11th of June, so let’s set the first check-in for six months from now. December 11th. We’ll set the second one for just before the rogue’s closest approach. How far can we can push that?” The billionaire looked to Richard for an answer.
“A week before?” Richard replied. “That would be April 25th, right before the shit hits the fan.”
“Does that sound acceptable to you, Logan?” Massey asked.
I nodded slowly.
“Good. Richard, you’ll stay here with me until we’re ready to leave. Glenn will take the rest of your family back to the airport and my plane will fly them anywhere they need to go.”
I raised a hand. “Hold on. I don’t know how to operate a HAM radio.”
“I can show him,” Richard said, speaking to Massey. “But I’ll need to go back to San Antonio with them to do that.”
Akron Massey stroked his chin as he considered that. “I suppose we can all leave LA together. I’ll stop in San Antonio and wait there for you.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Richard said, grinning.
Kate looked at me, her blue eyes big. I saw hope sparkling in her gaze, and felt it when she reached over and squeezed my hand, but I couldn’t bring myself to share it. A billionaire’s private shelter might be safer than our poor man’s equivalent, but our invitation to go there hinged on a big caveat. Richard had to convince Massey’s ex-wife that everyone on Earth was doomed. And if he could do that, then it meant we were doomed right along with them.
Chapter 24
We had to catch an Uber back to San Antonio International from the small airport where Akron Massey’s jet had landed. We picked up Richard’s truck from the airport parking lot, and he paid a hefty parking fee. I drove us out, because Richard’s injuries were still too painful to handle a steering wheel. I insisted we stop at the nearest branch of Capital One before going back to Richard’s place on Stuart Road. We might need our money while he was away at Haven with Akron Massey.
There, in downtown San Antonio, I finally managed to withdraw all of our savings—forty-five thousand two hundred and change in cash. I stuffed it all into my laptop bag and carried it out with me at a harried clip. Thankfully, the doors of the bank were guarded, and we’d parked in clear sight of them.
I climbed back into the truck and opened the glove compartment to stuff the money in there. A gleaming pistol and a box of ammo gave me pause.
“You have a gun in here?” I demanded.
Richard just shrugged. “Yeah, so?”
I shut the compartment. “Never mind. Just put this down at your feet, okay?” I handed him the laptop bag, and he nodded.
From there, it was a long, quiet trip back to Richard’s place. We were all too tired for small talk.
I felt the heat pressing in through the windows, even though the truck’s air conditioner was on the lowest setting. The highway shimmered like water on the horizon. At times like this it was hard to believe that an ice age was coming.
After about forty minutes of driving down US 181, I turned off onto Stuart Road. Five minutes after that, I saw the barbed-wire gate and the mailbox with Richard’s address on it. Richard got out to open the gate, I drove through, and he locked it behind us. As soon as he climbed back in, I drove us down the dusty dirt road to his decoy home. The old wooden shack came swirling out of the clouds of dust that we were kicking up. I parked in front of it, and Richard climbed out again.
“Let’s go,” he said, his voice still nasal from the splint. “The sooner I teach you how to use that radio, the sooner I can get started decoding those sign
als for Massey.”
I stumbled out of the truck, my legs cramping from spending so much time in cars and on airplanes over the past twenty-four hours.
We each grabbed our own luggage, except for Rachel and Richard. Alex helped Richard with his satchel, while I slung Rachel’s backpack over one shoulder and mine over the other. I clutched my laptop bag full of money to my chest like a life preserver.
We followed Richard across the overgrown grass around his decoy home to the stand of trees beside it that concealed his shelter.
“Can I go?” Alex asked.
“Go where?” Kate replied.
“Next door, to see Celine.”
“Don’t you want to change and shower first?”
He shook his head. “I don’t need to.”
I could have begged to differ.
Kate looked to me, and I hesitated before nodding. “All right. Go on, but don’t stay there all day.”
Alex flashed a rare smile at me. “Thanks,” he said.
“What about your bag?” Kate asked. “Don’t you want to leave that with us?”
Alex shook his head. “I might need it if we decide to go for a swim.”
“Hey, kid—” Richard stopped and held out a hand, making a gimme gesture. Alex stared at him, uncomprehending. “I don’t think my clothes will fit you,” Richard explained.
Alex appeared to notice Richard’s satchel dangling from his shoulder. “Oh, right, sorry,” he said, and walked back to pass the bag to him. Richard grabbed Alex’s hand instead and pulled him into a tentative embrace. Alex didn’t seem to know where to put his hands.
“I might not be here when you get back,” Richard said. “Take care of your family for me, okay?” He withdrew to an arm’s length, and Alex nodded. “And keep practicing your shooting. You never know when you’ll need it again.”
“I will,” Alex said.
“Not a word about this place to your girlfriend, her parents, or anyone else, all right?”
Alex nodded again. “I’ll be careful. Goodbye, Uncle Richard.”
“See you.”
Alex turned to leave, and we watched him go.
Richard sighed. “Lurking somewhere under all those hormones is a good kid.”
“Am I good kid?” Rachel asked, squinting up at me, her blue eyes sparkling in the sun.
“The best,” I replied with a lop-sided grin, and tousled her hair. I was surprised by Richard’s admission. We all had Alex to thank for Billy the Kid getting into the shelter, but Richard was the one who’d suffered the most as a result. Then again, we also had Alex to thank for driving that psycho off, so maybe it evened out.
We started toward the shelter once more. Long grass whispered past our legs. Cicadas buzzed, and the trees clapped their leaves as a hot wind blew, bringing with it the smell of cow manure. I sighed. Somehow that was beginning to smell like home. It felt like months, rather than weeks, had passed since we’d first arrived.
“Can we go fishing?” Rachel asked.
“Sure, Rachie,” I said.
“Yay!” She tugged one of my hands away from my laptop bag and held it in her own, swinging it back and forth as she skipped along beside me.
We reached the gate in the chain link fence around the compound. Richard opened it, and we all walked through after him, heading for the red door at the bottom of the guard tower.
In that instant, a flashback tore through my mind’s eye—that red door silver with moonlight, opening to reveal dark gleaming eyes.
Didya miss me, Logan?
I flinched and shivered with the memory of that nightmare.
“Ow!” Rachel said, and I noticed that I was unconsciously squeezing her hand.
“Sorry,” I replied.
Kate cast a curious glance our way, but I shook my head, as if to say—it’s nothing.
Richard reached the door and opened it with his key. I pulled Rachel aside as the door swung wide, half-expecting to see Billy the Kid waiting for us in the shadows of the landing.
But there was no one there.
Richard walked through, but Kate hesitated, her eyes on me. “Logan?”
She walked over to me and Rachel. “Hey,” she whispered. “It was just a dream. The door would have been locked from the inside if someone was in there, and Richard’s key wouldn’t have opened it.”
I nodded slowly. She was right. Richard frowned at us from the landing. “Are you guys coming, or what?”
I hesitated. “Maybe you should check to make sure that it’s safe first.”
“Safe from what?” Richard asked.
“From me,” a dark voice suggested.
My veins to ice, and electricity sparked in my fingertips. Richard’s eyes widened. I heard boots crunching on gravel, and turned to see Billy the Kid limping toward us from one of Richard’s greenhouses. He hadn’t been waiting for us inside the shelter. He’d been waiting for us to come back and open it. He held a silenced Beretta pistol in both hands, and his lips were curled in an ugly sneer.
“Did you have a nice trip?” he asked.
Chapter 25
Richard slammed the door shut, and I heard locking bolts thunk into place.
“Shit!” Bill said. He limped the rest of the way over to me and grabbed me roughly by the arm, pressing the barrel of his silencer to my head. “Open the door, Richard!”
Shock rippled through me. How did he know Richard’s name?
Rachel screamed and kicked him in the chins. “Leave my daddy alone!”
“Rachel!” Kate yelled.
“Buzz of, kid!” Bill said, and kicked Rachel in the chest. The tip of his boot hit her in the chin. She screamed and fell over.
Unthinking rage took hold of me, and I rounded on Bill, pushing his gun aside and aiming a swing at his face. He leaned away, dodging the blow; then caught my arm and pulled me into a headlock. I felt my eyes bulging. I couldn’t breathe. “Nice try, old man,” he said, and cold steel pressed against my head once more. “Richard!”
I heard the hatch opening on top of the guard tower and saw the barrel of a rifle appear. Black spots danced before my eyes and my vision narrowed swiftly. Bill ducked behind me, his breath rancid and hot on the back of my neck.
“Drop the gun!” Bill said.
“You first!” Richard replied.
Kate stood off to one side, hugging Rachel against her legs. Rachel’s muffled sobs made my heart ache. I battled Bill’s arm with both of mine, inching it away just enough to suck in a desperate breath before he tightened his grip again.
“Well?” Bill prompted. “If you don’t drop it, I’m going to shoot him.”
“You shoot him, and I won’t have any reason not to shoot through him to get to you. This is a high-powered rifle, loaded with full metal jacket cartridges. I could shoot through a bear and still hit you.”
Bill barked a laugh. “So why haven’t you? Go on, shoot him!”
I braced myself for the searing flash of heat of a bullet tearing through me.
But Richard didn’t shoot.
“That’s what I thought!” Bill said. “You’re bluffing! FMJ rounds are a dumb choice when it comes to bringing down a target. A survivalist asshole like you would buy only the deadliest rounds he could find.”
“Are you willing to stake your life on that?” Richard challenged. “Drop the gun, and we can all still walk away from this.”
“I don’t think so. I have a counter proposal. You’re going to come out here, unarmed, and with your hands up.”
“If I do that, you’ll just kill us anyway. You can’t risk any of us leaving here and reporting you to the police. And speaking of the police, they’re already on their way, so if I were you, I’d get a head start.”
Hope surged inside of me, and I struggled to stay conscious despite the steady pressure on my windpipe.
“You called the police?” Bill asked, his voice quavering. “Oh man, oh man! Shit! I guess your cell phone gets better coverage than mine! Or maybe your land line
is underground, right? That’s why I didn’t see one. No, wait, I know! You used the shortwave antenna on the roof of your tower! I saw it when I was up there yesterday on your ladder.”
Dread sliced through me. If he knew about the antenna, then he’d already cut it off.
“What ladder?” Richard demanded.
“The one you left around the back of that shack at the end of your driveway,” Bill said.
“What do you want from us?” Kate cried.
Bill glanced at her, and I caught a peripheral glimpse of him looking her up and down slowly. “Maybe you and I can talk about that a little later.”
“Go fuck yourself!” I gritted out, struggling to elbow Bill in the gut.
“Why would I do that, when your whoring wife can lend a hand instead? Right, Kate? You know what I’m talking about.”
Horror stabbed through me again.
“How do you know my name?” Kate asked in a trembling whisper.
“Oh, sweetheart, I know a lot more than that. For instance, I know what your ass looks like when that dress comes off.”
“What?”
“Oh yeah, you’re a real tease. You shouldn’t fuck the neighbor with the blinds open.”
“What is he saying?” Richard called down to us.
I didn’t have the stomach for a reply.
“You’ve been stalking me?” Kate asked.
“Surveilling—let’s keep it classy—and don’t make yourself feel too special. I’ve been watching all of you. It was just a job, and they paid me well. Don’t you think I’d have shown my face sooner, otherwise? I’m not some psycho stalker.”
Distracted by the conversation, Bill had eased his grip around my throat enough that I could breathe.
“Who’s they? Who paid you?” I asked.
“Who knows? They closed up shop after all this shit started to go down, but if you ask me, that says it all. Richard told you on the phone that the government wanted to keep him quiet, right? I was the threat in case he didn’t. Someone disposable that they could burn if they had to.”
“Is that what this is? Revenge for Richard warning us about what was coming?”
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