“Earth to Paige,” Josie said, snapping her fingers in front of my face. “You with me, girl?”
I shook my head and tried to clear my thoughts. The last thing I needed to be thinking about right then and there were alien assassins. I had work to do and needed to focus on that. I looked around the club and saw the staff bustling about, getting ready for another night of music.
“Yeah, sorry,” I said and gave her a smile. “What's up?”
Josie looked at me and raised an eyebrow. “You okay tonight, Paige?”
I nodded. “Of course,” I lied. “I'm fine. Just a little distracted. No big deal.”
Josie looked at me a moment longer, and I cringed inwardly. She knew me better than anyone and always knew when I wasn't being honest. I could tell by the look on her face that she didn't believe me, but she seemed willing to let it go for now. But knowing her as I did, it was only a matter of time before she came back and tried to force me to talk.
“I was just asking how your date with Baz went,” she said and smiled.
Oh yeah, it was a great date – if by great, you mean a date filled with UFOs and alien assassins. It was great if you watched the man you were interested in kill two strangers, self-defense or not, I thought to myself. Though, I was smart enough to keep that to myself and not give voice to those thoughts.
I shrugged. “It was okay, I guess.”
She looked at me. “Just okay?” she said. “You guess?”
I gave her a laugh I hoped didn't sound as forced as it was. “Yeah,” I said. “It was fine. It was good.”
“He seemed like an interesting guy,” she continued. “Absolutely gorgeous, but way the hell awkward.”
I laughed. “He is interesting. And he's a very different guy in a setting that isn't so public. He's a little more reserved in social settings.”
Josie laughed. “It's hard to believe that somebody so gorgeous, who obviously has his pick of the women, could be socially awkward.”
I shrugged. “Being beautiful doesn't necessarily mean you're not shy,” I said and grinned at her. “Not all of us can be like you, Jo – a knockout and great in social settings.”
“Obviously,” she giggled. “They did sort of break the mold after me, didn't they?”
“Obviously,” I said and smiled.
If there was one person I could tell about all of this, it was Josie. She might not understand, but she'd listen. She'd try to counsel me as best as she could. Which, given the fact that I was talking about a space alien, I wasn't sure how good her best was going to be. It was all sort of uncharted territory.
But I knew what I'd seen and knew what I'd experienced. However, I was still having trouble wrapping my mind around it all. It didn't seem real. Surreal perhaps, but definitely not reality based. UFOs and aliens weren't something I'd ever given conscious thought to. If I had thought about it, I probably would have scoffed at the idea.
I knew I could talk to Josie and spill my guts, but I also knew I couldn't. The last thing I needed at the moment was for my best friend to think I'd lost my marbles. If I told her my story, I couldn't blame her if she thought I'd lost it, but that wasn't what I wanted.
Besides, what was I going to say? “Oh yeah, the guy I was into turned out to be an alien prince from another planet. And by the way, he killed two guys who tried to assassinate him down on the beach. Cool story, right?”
No, this was something I had to deal with on my own.
“Hey, did you hear that some meteor or something crashed on the beach yesterday?” Josie asked, abruptly changing the subject.
Or at least, she thought she was changing the subject. Little did she know, that meteor wasn't a meteor at all, but was something else I couldn't – or rather, wouldn't – talk about. I merely shook my head.
“No, I didn't hear about it,” I lied, and immediately felt bad about doing so to my best friend.
“Yeah, I guess it hit near Hadley's Cove,” she said.
I immediately thought about Baz and the bodies. Surely, if two bodies had been found, it would have been big news around town, right?
“Did they find anything?” I asked almost hesitantly. “Like the meteor or whatever it was?”
Josie shook her head. “Nah, I don't think so,” she said. “Heard a couple of geeks saying it probably disintegrated on impact or something. Whatever. It put a little jolt of excitement into this town for a day or so, though.”
“Yeah well, something has to,” I said, a nervous laugh escaping me.
“Anyway, I should probably go check in with Jerome backstage and see if he needs anything before he goes on.”
I nodded absently. “Yeah, probably a good idea.”
Josie stood there and looked at me for a long moment. “You okay, hon?”
Her voice snapped me out of my head and I looked over at her, giving a faint smile. “Yeah, I'm fine,” I lied. “Just tired, I guess. Haven't been sleeping all that well lately.”
Josie arched and eyebrow at me, and I saw that familiar suggestive smile touch her lips. “Oh really now?” she said. “Would it by chance have anything to do with a certain tall, pale stranger?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, of course. We've been banging like rabbits every night since I met him.”
“Believe me, hon,” she said. “I wish you were. You need to get laid more than any woman I've ever known. Possibly more than any woman in the history of the world.”
I shook my head as a small flash of irritation shot through me. Josie meant well and always had my best interests at heart. She just didn't quite understand that when it came to love and relationships, my experience was radically different than hers and not quite so wonderful. I was slower and more cautious than she was, and my view of love and relationships was quite a bit more complicated than hers.
“Hey, listen,” I said. “You think you can handle things here? I'm thinking about going out of town for a couple of days. Would you mind holding down the fort?”
Josie looked at me, and her grin widened. I knew exactly what she was thinking.
“No,” I said. “I am not going out of town with Baz. I just need to take care of a few things.”
She looked disappointed, but nodded. “Yeah, of course. I can handle things here.”
I reached out and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Thanks, Jo,” I said. “I owe you one.”
“No problem,” she said. “Where are you headed? If you don't mind me asking.”
I gave her a small grin. I had no idea where I was going at the moment. I hadn't realized I was going to take off for a few days until I'd spoken the words aloud. The idea had just popped into my head and then had come flying out of my mouth with no conscious thought or decision.
But the instant I said it, it felt right. It felt like something I needed to do. I needed to get out of Sapphire Bay for a few days to clear my head, to sort through things, and try to accept this new reality I'd been exposed to, or find the lie behind it all. Either way, I couldn't do any of those things if I stayed in town. I needed a break.
But I couldn't tell Josie that I had no destination in mind. I couldn't tell her that I just needed to split for a while. That would put her on instant alert that something was going on with me, and then she'd hector and badger me until I gave it up. And I wasn't ready to give it up just yet. I couldn't. So as much as it bothered me to do it, I had to lie to her again.
“Yeah, I have to head down to Big Sur,” I said.
She immediately looked sorry for asking. “Everything okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, everything's fine,” I said. “Just a little family deal. No biggie.”
She squeezed my hand and gave me a gentle smile. “No sweat, Paige,” she said. “You just go do what you have to do, and I'll look after things here.”
“Thanks, sweetie.”
Chapter Four
Of all the places I could have gone, I made the trip down to Big Sur. It was only an hour and a half away from Sapphire Bay, but it s
omehow still felt like another world. The house had been in our family for a long time. It belonged to my grandfather, and my parents used it as a summer home, or just when they wanted to get away for a long weekend.
My father didn't often take off from work for very long. Even when we were at the house in Big Sur, he was still reviewing and preparing cases. The man never stopped working. But my mother never seemed to mind. She was happy and content to be married to one of San Francisco's top prosecutors, and she enjoyed her role as a housewife and mother.
I had a lot of happy memories of the house in Big Sur and had always enjoyed my time there as a kid. It was a beautiful place, and it made sense that my folks would retire to the house after my father quit practicing law.
What didn't make sense to me was that I would run there as a first choice when things around me had been thrown into chaos. It wasn't like I had the best relationship with my folks. I certainly never confided in them, nor had I ever sat down and discussed all of my life's woes with them. We didn't have that kind of relationship. Not anymore, anyway.
At one time, I'd enjoyed talking to my parents. My mom and I had been especially close. I could always talk to them about anything and everything, and I often did. My parents would often give me fantastic advice and a very friendly shoulder to cry on when needed.
At least, until the Big Disappointment, anyway.
The Big Disappointment – and I always heard it in my mind with a capital B and D – was me giving up my career in law to pursue my dreams. I blamed it in part on a generational difference between us. My folks grew up in an era where hard work was rewarded, and following your heart was something only degenerates did.
Ever since the Big Disappointment, our relationship had cooled. But every once in a while, I got a little glimpse of how things used to be, mostly from my mom. I got the feeling that deep down, she was happy for me and didn't carry the deep disapproval that my father did. But I supposed that out of deference to him, she toed the line.
They never outright shunned me, but they made it clear that they were not happy with my decisions, which always made for fun holiday dinners.
But at the end of the day, they were my parents for better or for worse, and I had to believe that when the chips were down, they'd be there for me. Perhaps things wouldn't be like they were – maybe they never would be again – but they would never turn me away and would always be willing to talk.
I pulled into the driveway and parked my car. Sitting behind the wheel, I looked at the house and the soft glow in the windows. It looked so warm and so welcoming. So inviting. Yet, everything in me was resisting getting out of the car and going inside.
“Get a grip, Paige,” I said to myself. “It's for a couple of days. You can deal with it for a couple of days. You can do that standing on your head. Pull up your big girl panties.”
I sighed and grasped the door handle, giving myself one more mental kick in the ass. Getting out of the car, I shut it again and took a deep breath. The aroma of the pines blended with the sea air, creating a heady, intoxicating mixture. It was one I never grew tired of. That was part of the reason I settled in Sapphire Bay – it was very similar to Big Sur in terms of climate and that wonderful scent. The best part of course, is that it wasn't Big Sur, and I wasn't living too near to my folks.
The front door opened, spilling soft, yellow light onto the driveway. Silhouetted in the doorway was my father. He stared out into the darkness that had wrapped itself around me. They didn't get visitors very often, and my father was usually a bit suspicious when somebody rolled into their driveway unannounced. He always had been. I figured it was thanks to his job. As a very successful prosecutor, he'd received plenty of death threats throughout his career. Call it professional paranoia.
“Paige, is that you?” he called.
“Yeah, dad,” I said. “It's me.”
I crossed the driveway and stood at the bottom of the porch steps, looking up at my dad. He was getting older, that was for sure. But he still had plenty of fire left in him. I wouldn't completely count him out of a fight.
My father looked down at me from his position on the porch. “What's going on, Paige?” he asked. “What brings you all the way out here? No customers? Your club not playing music tonight?”
I caught the cold, disapproving tone in his words – not that it was all that subtle to begin with. I got the impression from his tone and the look on his face that he'd half expected me to tell him I was going under and I needed some money from him to help bail me out. Money, I knew, that would not be forthcoming since they'd never approved of my decision to open the club in the first place.
“No, dad,” I replied, trying hard to keep the pride out of my voice. “Business is booming and our audience is growing exponentially.”
“Huh,” he said. “Well, I suppose that's good news.”
I nodded and a smile touched my lips. I so badly wanted to throw an “I told you so” in his face. He'd never believed in the Mahogany Tavern. He was never afraid to express his belief that we'd be belly up in a year. He'd never believed in my dream, and he'd never believed in me.
I kept trying to tell myself that it was a generational thing. That we didn't speak the same language. But that didn't take the sting out of it any less.
“Yeah, it's going really well,” I said. “I'm really happy about it.”
My father nodded. “So, what brings you all the way out here?”
“I was hoping I could crash here for a couple of days,” I said.
He looked at me, an inscrutable expression on his face. “Something wrong with your place? Did you get evicted or something?”
I sighed. “No, I didn't get evicted,” I said. “I just needed to get out of Sapphire Bay for a couple of days. Decompress a bit.”
“You okay? Something going on?”
There was a hell of a lot going on. But nothing I was able – or willing – to share with my mom and dad. If I couldn't tell Josie, there was no way in hell I was going to tell them.
“Nothing's really going on,” I replied. “I've just been swamped lately and wanted a couple of days to get away from it all and get my head back on straight again.”
My father looked at me and scratched at the light stubble on his chin, making a dry, scratchy noise. It was his one concession to retirement. He was meticulous about his appearance and back when he was practicing law, would sometimes shave twice a day to avoid stubble. These days, he might go a full day or two between shaves. A regular wild man, my dad.
“Get away from it all, huh?” he said, that tone of disapproval and judgment back in his voice.
“Yeah, dad,” I said. “I've been working seven days a week, thirteen, fourteen hours a day. I just wanted a little time off to catch my breath.”
To my father, taking time off from work was a decadent luxury. One he'd never been a fan of while he was working. And now, even though he was retired, he still kept very busy. He wasn't one for idle time and didn't do well doing nothing. The idea of taking a break from working was anathema to the man.
He shrugged. “Yeah sure,” he said. “Guest room's all made up. You can stay.”
He gave me one more long look before turning and walking back into the house, leaving the door open behind him. Yeah, I was getting all warm and fuzzy inside and felt so welcome.
“What did you expect, Paige?” I muttered to myself.
With a sigh, I turned and got my bags out of the car and walked into the house. This was going to be a fun couple of days.
Chapter Five: Baz
Unable to bear being caged in my room like a common animal, I walked around the city of Sapphire Bay. The sky was dark, the stars were glimmering, and the thin sickle of the Moon high overhead bathed the world around me in a soft, glowing, silvery light. It was beautiful.
I'd had no charted course or plan when I'd left my room at the lodging establishment. I had just wanted to get out and walk, figuring that, eventually, I would find a quiet place on thei
r ocean's shore and indulge myself with a swim in the waters.
But when I looked up, I found that I was nowhere near the shoreline. I stood across the street from Paige's Tavern. The doors were open, and the music flowed out of it, soft and gentle, like the light from the moon.
“Your destination seems to be a very odd coincidence,” Anjol said. “Don't you think?”
I ignored my computer companion and took a seat in front of the shop I was standing at before. From where I sat, I had not just a clear view of the Mahogany Tavern, but could hear the music clearly. Just as every time I'd listened to this human music before, I was enchanted and mesmerized by it. It was unlike anything we had back on Optorio.
Oh, we had our forms of music, and they could certainly be beautiful. But what I was hearing was breathtaking. Moving. It really reached in and touched something deep within me. Nothing I'd heard back on my home world had ever been able to do that before.
“I have been doing some research on this species,” Anjol said. “And while they are peculiar, I will grant you that they are fascinating.”
“Yes, they are,” I murmured, trying to focus on the music.
“They have a number of interesting sayings, I must tell you,” Anjol rattled on. “Some of which come out of laws they have enacted.”
“Do you have a point?” I asked. “I am trying to enjoy the music.”
“Only that, understanding you as I do, I know that you are seated across from that musical establishment with the hope that you will see her,” Anjol said. “Further, what you are doing, the humans would refer to as ‘stalking.’”
“I am not stalking,” I said. “I am simply listening to the music and enjoying it.”
“Uh huh.” For a computer system, Anjol had seemingly mastered the art of sarcasm. “Oh, I am sure that's it.”
“You know, I am strongly considering deactivating you for the duration of my stay here,” I said.
“You could do that, of course,” Anjol said in a tone that implied he knew I wouldn't. “But if you do, you will be utterly alone here with no source of information.”
Rocor (Dragons of Kratak Book 5) Page 20