As for him, the nanites had saved her life after they pulled her from the ship near death, so they were all buds—as long as they played least in sight when they were making love. As if she heard that thought, he saw her lips curve up in that way they did when he moved in for some loving. Now he knew why dudes tried to write poetry after they fell in love—not that he’d tried. But he did find his thoughts straying to flowers opening in the sun and crap like that. Because that’s what it felt like Arian was doing. Opening to him. And he was opening to her. And he didn’t mind one bit. Now he understood what his married buddies meant when they’d told him to “wait until it happens to you.” He didn’t mind if he sometimes had a stupid smile on his face. Or he’d rather be with Arian than with them. If his buddies wanted time with him, they had to take Arian. They were a team now.
Not that any of his buddies seemed to mind. They’d fought with him to rescue her, and now they were happy for him. It was all good.
Well, except for the part where they were still lost in space.
Did Arian know her clasp tightened as they got closer to that dining room with the stopped clock?
The big doors swung wide. The table was gone. Birds, the guard kind, lined each side, like an honor guard for the clock. It looked bigger than he remembered and closer to their level. Arian drew a deep breath and then approached it, pulling him with her. Without touching it, her hand hovered above it, her fingers extended.
“Can you start it?” Hoteimai asked.
Arian gave the bird a “who knows” look, but Coop wasn’t sure the bird realized it.
Carefully, lightly, Arian touched a spot, and the glass front swung open. Still without touching the clock face, she pointed at each of the seven symbols. Her finger shifted back until it hovered over just one symbol. Coop tipped his head to the side. The symbols sort of reminded him of kanji, the written form of Japanese. He’d learned a bit when he’d been stationed there.
He saw her take a breath, felt her tension through her hand. She reached out and touched the symbol with the tip of her finger.
He wasn’t sure where the light started, with her or with the clock. Maybe it flowed both directions. Into the clock and through her, lighting up her skin so that she glowed.
Meta.
He wasn’t sure why he heard the word. Her hand felt the same, maybe he felt a kind of tingle, but that was all. Still had to keep himself from shifting uncomfortably. But he didn’t, he wouldn’t let go. Ever. Whoever, whatever she was, they were a team, a couple, lovers. All he had to do was hold on.
And then, in the deep silence, he heard it.
Ticking.
No one spoke. It seemed to Coop that Hoteimai stared at the clock as the ticking, slow at first, began to increase.
Then one of the other symbols began to glow.
“The tangram is forming.” Hoteimai lifted its head and honked once.
Coop considered this for several seconds. “So that’s a good thing?”
Arian half shrugged, but there was a little “I hope so” in her eyes.
He looked at Pappy. “We’ll be home for Christmas, sir. No problem.”
Chapter 34
Xaddek sat unmoving in the low light most suited to his species, several of his legs resting on his work station. At his feet was the crewman who had brought him the report on Trajan Bester. He should have transmitted the report. He was new and did not know. Now he would never know.
So Trajan Bester had missed his date for delivery of the item. There were rumors he was dead. If he weren’t, he would be.
Of more concern was the loss of the item. It was relatively rare. Possibly irreplaceable.
Was the disappearance random? The arrival of the ship indicated competition for the item, but he had not sensed other interest when he carefully and quietly began assembling this particular collection. Of course, there were always those who watched him. They knew he sought only the most interesting, the rarest pieces for his collection.
The loss of the item on Bosakli had caused him to restart his research. Why had it been warm? The pieces he’d acquired so far were all in cold sleep. What did it mean that one was aware? Did that mean others out there were, too? Could the items in cold sleep be backups? Or, troubling thought, decoys?
His legs curled in frustration. Documentation about the items was as rare as they were. And in the fragments of data he’d found, the important information had been in code. The holder of the key to the code had been most reluctant to give it up, but being slowly eaten…
Xaddek smiled, all his eyes soft with remembered pleasure. A most tasty species.
It was only later he had cause to wonder if the holder had held something back.
He pulled up the data, deeply hidden and code-protected. The only thing new was the anomaly that had snatched the item from Bester’s incompetent grasp.
It had most unusual properties, not the least, the inability of anyone to track its movement. Its movement was not as random as most believed. Was he the only one who knew this?
Who else knew that the items were pieces of a puzzle that once solved, would lead to great power?
All eight of his legs curled in longing.
There was nothing he desired more than great power.
* * *
Thank you for reading Found Girl. I’m working on the next book in the series! While you’re waiting, I hope you’ll check out my other books. And there is a connected Project Enterprise story called Time Trap.
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Project Enterprise The Big Uneasy Lonesome Lawmen
Browse my complete backlist by visiting my website. :-) I have some stand alone novels, too.
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Also by Pauline Baird Jones
Available in print, digital and audio.
* * *
Science Fiction Romance/Paranormal
Project Universe Series:
The Key (book 1)
Girl Gone Nova (book 2)
Tangled in Time (book 3)
Steamrolled (book 4)
Kicking Ashe (book 5)
Found Girl (book 6)
Lost Valyr (book 7)
Project Enterprise: The Short Stories
Time Trap: A Project Enterprise Series Short Story
The Real Dragon
Nebula Nine (time travel adventure)
Open With Care (Christmas collection that includes, “Riding For Christmas” and “Up on the House Top”
Specters in the Storm: A paranormal/steampunk/science fiction romance novella
Out of Time (World War II Time Travel Romance)
* * *
An Uneasy Future
(A science fiction romance mystery series set in future New Orleans)
Core Punch (1.0)
Sucker Punch (2.0)
One Two Punch: An Uneasy Future Bundle
* * *
Short Story Collections
* * *
Project Enterprise: The Short Stories
Do Wah Diddy Delete
Let’s Fall in Love
The Real Dragon and other short stories
* * *
Romantic Suspense
* * *
The Big Uneasy Series:
Relatively Risky (1)
Family Treed (1.5)
Dead Spaces (2.0)
Louisiana Lagniappe (2.5)
The Big Uneasy Bundle
* * *
Lonesome Lawmen Series:
The Last Enemy
Byte Me
Missing You
Lon
esome Mama (Bonus short story)
(The Lonesome Lawmen is also available as a digital bundle)
* * *
Do Wah Diddy Die
The Spy Who Kissed Me
Perilously Fun Fiction Bundle (includes The Spy Who Kissed Me and Do Wah Diddy Die. Bonus: Do Wah Diddy Delete Short Story Collection)
A Dangerous Dance
About the Author
Pauline never liked reality, so she writes books. She likes to wander among the genres, rampaging like Godzilla, because she does love peril mixed in her romance.
To find out more about Pauline or her books:
http://paulinebjones.com
[email protected]
Acknowledgments
There are a lot of people who helped make this book possible, but you’ve already read a long book, so I’ll try to keep this short.
People who encouraged me when I was afraid I wouldn’t get my writing mojo back:
* My sister, Marilyn, who kept me supplied with flamingos, food, and fun;
* My sweet husband, children, and grandchildren, who keep believing in me even when I embarrass them on Facebook;
* Alexis Glynn Latner, my first reader and wonderful editor, who holds my feet so gently to the fire that I don’t feel heat—just lift off;
* Narelle Todd and S.E. Smith, who provided support in so many ways, there aren’t words;
* Veronica Scott, who sailed with me in Pets in Space, who is willing to take that journey again in Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2, and became a dear friend and still takes my whine-one-one emails;
* Nathaniel Jones, my space battle consultant. The military missed out when they let him get away (Haha);
* My cover designer, Melody Simmons, who did the cover before the book was started and sent my imagination soaring. And to Paula Proofs for her keen eye and attention to detail.
Thank you. Thank you. And thank you.
Copyright © 2017 by Pauline B Jones
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover art by Melody Simmons
ISBN: 978-1-942583-55-4
Created with Vellum
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