“Of course,” he said. “All the humans will be free to leave.”
There was a hardness in his tone and a glee in his eyes at the discovery he was on the verge of.
“I need the artifacts Andron took from my partner back,” he said. “And I want that orchard and that family studied first. According to the pictures he took, that place has an otherness that had been unlike the rest of the town until now.”
“Like what?” Jarvis asked curiously.
“A cliff similar to this one, but the rock is harder, similar to granite, and its banded with red, green, and some speckles of blue. There was a creek out there too that wasn’t on the original plans of this town you showed me.”
“Someone mentioned it to me, but I didn’t think much of it,” he said. “More of them could be coming.”
“Yes, and that was the fear years ago when they were first spied in Montana. Signs of two ships were found, but only three groups were ever discovered. Two of them were killed. They must have been trying to get here.”
“What if there are more towns like this?” Jarvis asked.
“It’s possible, and when we capture them, we’ll ask them,” Gavin said. “Both of our grandparents will be so happy to finally be proven right. Their careers ended in disgrace, but ours won’t.”
He nodded. He could write a book about this town.
“We might need your expertise in handling these people. You’ve lived among them for years. You know their secrets.”
“And I have a piece of the puzzle in my office.” He hadn’t taken the one journal that had been recovered from Judge Logan’s home to his home. He knew there was at least one more because the one he had had ended with a promise to write more tomorrow.
He’d hidden the book in his office in the government building and planned on taking it into the city in a few hours and making copies of it. He knew the feds would take it, and he wanted his own copy in case something happened.
“What do you have?” Gavin asked curiously.
“A journal on part of this transformation, but I’ve yet to read more than a few pages.”
“Turn that over to me,” Gavin insisted. “We’ll need it in our study here.”
“I have it hidden,” he said. “I have to be careful of how I retrieve it or they might take it from me.”
“Mail it to my post office box.”
“I’ll do that tomorrow,” Jarvis said. “I need to get to work.”
* * * *
Ashley’s killer watched the meeting of the two men with keen interest and knew something was up. He’d suspected the three strangers in town weren’t just tourists out traveling the south as they’d said.
He had no concrete proof other than what he’d heard about the joker who’d managed to slip onto the Androns’ orchard. One was dead and the other had attempted to slip out of town last night, but he would never be found again, and neither would this man, Gavin, whatever he called himself.
His gut had warned him Jarvis had some secret agenda and he was going to get the truth out of Gavin as soon as he could.
He waited until Jarvis was out of sight before he moved in closer to the target.
The man made his way to the Barrian redstone that was about six feet tall and a mile and a half long. It could be climbed and used for a resting place if one desired.
The man ran his hand along the stone. “I can’t wait to send a few samples of you back home to the boys.”
“You might have to wait a little longer than you planned,” he said, striding toward the golden-skinned Gavin whose blue eyes were suddenly filled with questions. “Hi.” He put on a congenial smile. “This town is amazing. I didn’t see this a few days ago when I had lunch here.”
“And I just bet you want to take a few pics to send the family,” Ashley’s killer murmured.
“Sort of, yeah.”
“Which family would that be? The FBI or some other government agency?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Gavin said carefully.
“That’s okay,” he said quietly. “I know someone very skilled in extracting information from human minds.” He punched the man, knocking him out before catching and lifting him in a fireman’s carry. Then he strode for his car.
* * * *
Cade was glad he hadn’t been made to stay behind, but he suspected Keyos didn’t fully trust him. So he headed to the office Jaxon had rented to house their offices. He unlocked the door and headed inside, turning on the lights as he went.
Surveying the space, he found a nice-sized reception area and a corridor which he quickly went down. Four offices and one conference room with a small area at the very back that could be used for a break room comprised the place.
It wasn’t all he could have hoped for, but it would do. The door opened, and his heart stopped as concern snaked through him. He wasn’t prepared for another confrontation, but he’d defend himself against whoever Jarvis had sent.
“Cade?”
“Danten?” He went back to the front of the building to find the older man standing there in a suit holding a small box.
“Good morning,” he said. “I called the orchard and Jaxon told me where to find you.”
“Oh.” Oh, yeah. The man had mentioned wanting to talk to him.
“Have you seen any of the changes in the town this morning?” he asked, an excited edge to his voice.
“A few. I couldn’t really miss them,” he said, thinking of the trees he’d passed on his way into town.
“Well, I don’t know if that’s all that’s coming or if there’s more,” he said and moved toward him. “I guess Jaxon hasn’t had time to get this place in shape yet.”
“Not yet.” He smiled. “So what’s that? An office-warming gift?”
“This is from your parents,” he said. “Your father was like me, Zytenian rather than Barrian. His family was one of the original settlers that came here. He wasn’t a scientist, so to speak. He was a geologist and stones and sand were his expertise.”
His father had never told him that, though he’d found a few items that supported Danten’s story.
“Your mother was a Barrian scientist which I’m sure you guessed since she taught science.”
“I knew my parents were of two different races,” he murmured. “Why did you come here?”
“My uncle was one of the original settlers and he asked me to move here. He didn’t have any family. I came from the planet when I was a child. One of Zytena’s moons slammed into the planet after a group of us children and adults were shipped off. They tried to reverse the problem, but weren’t able to in time.”
“Wow,” he murmured. “Do you know what the solar system is like now?”
“No, but I do know there were other planets in the system that could support human life with some minor alterations.”
“How long did it take to get here?”
“A few years. We had the equivalent to Star Trek’s warp drive. The technology is still several years away from what exists here I suppose. It would take humans seventy-five years to get to my planet without it. The scientists never passed on their knowledge, but they were agriculture and environmental specialist.”
“Hence the crystals being planted?”
“That was to transform the town’s soil, air, and water quality at first, but they realized in time, the crystals would transform the town into a replica of both Zytena and Barria in looks and climate to a great degree. Judge Logan was the only other person I know of who might know if this is all or if more is coming.”
“How much more could come?”
“I don’t know. My planet had eight months of cold and four months of tropical weather.”
“The weather seems to be transitioning to that,” Cade murmured with a frown. “Will the changes harm human life?”
“They shouldn’t, haven’t in all this time.” Danten held out the box to him and Cade took it hoping that wasn’t true. “Maybe there is something in here that tells the s
tory. Logan had journals of the coming change that could help. I’ll suggest to Dade that he search his place.”
“Probably a good idea,” Cade agreed with a nod. “Thanks for bringing this to me. I’ll talk to you later.”
Danten smiled then. “Yes. I expect so.” He tipped his head and retreated.
Cade took the box to the office he thought could be his and set it on the floor. He noticed the lock and wondered where the key was. He sighed and put his hand flat on the top and the lock clicked.
In amazement, he lifted the lid. He emptied the contents on the floor and found a photo album along with four small journals. He selected the photo album and opened it expecting to find pictures of his family. And he did, but as he neared the end of the book, he found text that told the story of his grandfather’s life on Zytena.
The planet was beautiful and the redstone structures set against the backdrop of the trees were beautiful.
At the end of the journal, he found an envelope affixed to the last page and he removed the pages. They resembled newsprint and they were all stories of the impending death of Barria and then Zytena, as well as the Zytenian plans to send several of their young to six other planets, and Earth was one of them.
He read over several of the last pages which detailed information on how to make Earth habitable for them without destroying it, and the final analysis included a permanent change to the towns they’d inhabit.
He unfolded one last sheet as his phone rang and he absently tugged it free of its holster on his belt loop. The drawings were yellowed with crease lines, but the final product of transformation was before him in clean black lines with a few notes on the side.
“Hello?”
“Hey, where are you?” Jaxon asked.
“The office,” he said, reading over the notes.
“Okay, listen, I’ve got a guy coming with office furniture, so let him in?”
“Yeah. I’ve got it,” he said. “Find anything else?”
“You’ll have to see it to believe it,” Jaxon told him. “I’ll be there in a few hours.”
“I’ll see you then,” he said and his draw dropped as he scanned the notes.
Chapter Twenty-One
Zaria smiled when Zan arrived at the office two hours later. She’d gone home to change this morning and her mother had given her a look but said nothing. She’d wondered if it showed on her face how full of hope she was.
She was certain she had a chance with both Cade and Zan.
“Hi,” Zan said quietly as he came to perch on her desk facing her.
She smiled. “How’d the meeting go?”
“Good.” He reached out to caress her cheek. “Are you feeling okay? I mean, about this morning?”
She nodded. “Something happened and I think we joined, like mated,” she said. “I’m not sure. I’d have to talk to my parents, but I’m not going to rush anything.”
“That’s wise. Even if we are joined, we still need time to get to know each other. A sexual connection doesn’t make a relationship.”
“I know, and you and Cade already have one.”
“That comes first right now,” he admitted.
“Could you fall in love with me?” she asked. “I know you like me.”
“I hope Cade gives us all the chance to find out,” he said softly.
“Me, too.” She reached out and touched his arm. “Don’t forget about lunch.”
“I won’t,” he said. “At the Cat’s Meow.”
“Yes,” she said.
He stood and bent to cup her face before brushing a kiss over her forehead. “I can see you as my wife, my lover, my friend, Zari.”
He released her and went into his office before she could reply and her pulse rushed while her stomach felt funny.
Hope was the substance of dreams. She just hoped hers weren’t dashed.
* * * *
“It’s about time you got here,” Jarvis snapped.
“What’s your problem?” Anthony demanded.
“Nothing,” he muttered. “I just won’t be able to carry out the rest of my plan.”
“Why not? Everything is set. The strike against the cats took out over half of them. ”
“That’s good, but it doesn’t matter,” he said. “I spoke to Gavin this morning, and he thinks we should clear out.”
“When?” Anthony asked tightly.
“As soon as possible, but I’ve just spent the last hour or so going over the journal taken from the judge’s place last night. I know there’s at least one more, but this one talks about a power surge in the anchors that will make them more powerful.”
“Who are they?”
Jarvis swallowed tightly. “Without at least four anchors, the crystals will cause this town to burn, thanks to the firestones. One of the anchors was the judge. The cat anchor maintains the proper moisture level in the atmosphere and without at least one of them, the town will ignite into wildfires.”
“That means at least one of them has to still be alive,” Anthony said. “But if one isn’t? We’re getting the hell out of here, right?”
“Yeah.” He shook his head. “But first I’m going to make sure the rest of the cats are dead so this town can burn.”
“Gavin is going to bring in the feds. He’ll be furious.”
“They’ll salvage something,” he said. “Anyway, Logan’s journal made note of seven more towns like ours populated by pure aliens. I’ll give them the names once I’m out of here, and they’ll have them as proof aliens exist.”
“Which towns?” Anthony asked. “Which states?”
“Montana, Maine, Arizona, Colorado, Arkansas, and Connecticut. There is one more in this state, too.”
“We have to expose them,” Anthony said.
“And we will.”
* * * *
Cade left the office thirty minutes before the planned date with Zaria and Zan. His hands were a little damp as he headed outside. The day had warmed up some, but it was still a little chillier than normal.
He walked to the diner wishing for his coat, but it didn’t take long to get there. It wasn’t as full as usual, so that made it easy for him to find Zan and Zaria seated at a table next to a window. The window shades were all pulled down and half of the patrons were quietly talking.
Alice didn’t call out a greeting to him, neither did Alicia. The rays of sunshine were missed. He didn’t miss the way Zaria leaned forward to hear what Zan was saying to her or how close her hand was to his on the table.
He felt a pang of jealousy, but he didn’t want to cause her harm. In fact, he realized as he hurried to the table, the jealousy was only because she’d beat him there.
Would that always be a problem or would he mind her having time with Zan alone?
“Hi,” he said and Zan got up. Cade slid into the booth so he was seated across from Zaria.
“Hi, Cade.” Zaria moved her hand so her fingers brushed his.
Electricity jolted through him, and he wondered if that was how her touch would make him feel now that they’d had sex.
“Hi.” He gave her a smile and saw her eyes light up. He made her happy?
Something unnamable stirred in him at the thought.
“Hi, guys.” A tall male whipped out a pad. “You ready to order?”
“We’d like to extend our condolences to your community,” Zan told him.
“Thanks,” he said quietly. “We all thank you for your help last night.”
“It was our pleasure,” Zan told him. “If you need anything, we’re here.”
He nodded, his expression somber. “Everything is on the house today.”
“Jim, has your community’s landscape changed?”
He shrugged. “Just a little. The redstone is gorgeous, isn’t it? It grew up near the lake just this morning.”
“Next comes the weather changes,” Cade said quietly. “The winter is going to be colder than we’ve ever known. It’s going to be like living in the north.”
“I know,” Jim said. “Humans might not be able to live here during the early winter months.”
“We’ll have to wait and see,” Zan said. “What are you guys in the mood for?”
They each ordered and Jim brought their drinks a few moments later. Cade watched Zaria during the meal. He loved the way her eyes danced when Zan made her laugh and how she kept touching him with her leg beneath the table.
She wanted him and it still shocked him. What was even more of a surprise was that he wanted her, too. As crazy as it sounded, sex had fundamentally changed something between them, but it wasn’t just that.
Last night, holding her, soothing her, had opened a door to a part of him he hadn’t known existed. Instead of closing it up, Cade wanted to walk through it.
“Why don’t we get some ice cream later this evening?” Cade asked when they exited the diner.
Zaria smiled. “Why don’t I just come out to the orchard and we can have dessert there? My parents are a little worried about my safety after last night. They don’t want me out more than necessary.”
“Do you always do what they want?” Cade asked.
She shrugged. “Most of the time.” She caught his hand, and his heart sped up. “They told me to be careful with you, but I’m going out on my own on this one.” She looked up at him. “I’ve been attracted to you for too long to let any chance with you get away.”
He frowned. “Me?”
She laughed. “Zan is gorgeous, but it’s you I’m half in love with. I love the way you frown when you’re concentrating and the way you laugh. You just have no idea how hot you are, do you?”
“I—no, I guess not.” He looked at Zan who shrugged. She was half in love with him?
That was too much.
“Give me a chance, Cade,” she whispered. “The three of us can be happy together.” She kissed his cheek and headed to her car.
“Zan?” he asked, heart beating fast.
“I mean, you two have that weird crystal connection thing, but I think her feelings go beyond a chemical attraction.”
“Wow. I had no idea.”
Passion’s Brewing Storm [Alien Passions 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 12