She stood and reached down to take his hands, tugging until he got to his feet. "I know we've only known each other for one day, but I want you to know how special you are. I appreciate everything you've done for me, and for my brother."
He smiled, his tension easing. "It's been my pleasure."
She smiled back and lowered her eyes. "You're a terrific guy, you know that?"
He stepped forward until they stood toe to toe. He hoped she couldn't hear his pounding heart as her sweet scent drifted through his senses and ignited the desire he'd tried to resist since the moment they met. "You're not so bad yourself."
He wasn't sure how he expected her to respond, but her next move caught him completely by surprise.
She gazed up at him, her eyes filled with ardent promises that sent his imagination in a tailspin. Rising up on her toes, she tilted her head to the side, and her lips met his in a chaste yet provocative kiss.
Every nerve in his body jumped to attention, and he fought a yearning to pull her close, to fully taste her mouth and explore its sweetness. It had been a while since the last time he'd been with a woman, but he defied the impulse to sweep her up in his arms and tumble them both to the blanket in a rush of passion. He had to keep his mind clear for the job Kelly had hired him for. As much as he wanted her, now wasn't the time to show it, at least not like this. Why had she chosen tonight to lure him over the edge? His breaths came hard and fast, and the sweat of his resistance dampened his neck and forehead.
****
Kelly's lips lingered against Sam's, craving his response. Kissing him had been impulsive, but she couldn't help herself. She wanted to show him that even an independent woman was feminine, affectionate, filled with desire. She couldn't deny her attraction any longer, and she hoped he felt the same. But his lack of reaction was answer enough. So she'd been right all along; she didn't measure up to his need for a woman as deep and adventurous as himself. She meant no more to him than any other paying client.
She started to pull away, but Sam caught hold of her arms and firmly pressed his lips to hers. He moaned then gently pushed her away. "I'm sorry."
What was he sorry for? Kissing her back? She gazed up into his unreadable gray eyes that glinted in the starlight. She lightly touched his forearm, her fingers tingling from his warmth. "Sam, I—"
"I can't..." He heaved a breath and stepped away from her. "I've got to keep a clear head when I go into Star Mother's camp."
Ashamed of acting so forward, Kelly turned away from him to stare out at the hilly landscape beyond the rise of Keys View. He sure had a convenient excuse for keeping his distance. Through a constricted throat, she said, "I understand."
"I don't think you do."
He came up close behind her, his breath rustling the hair on top of her head. A shiver ran up her neck when he stroked her arm, a slow caress that had her holding her breath. His lips close to her ear, he said, "You're special to me, Kelly, but the timing's all wrong."
What a sweet man for trying to let her down easy. "It's okay, Sam. I told you I understand. I'm the one who should be sorry for throwing myself at you. That's not like me." She forced out a laugh that sounded way too bitter. "I'm a fool who has limited experience with men. Let's just pretend it never happened, okay?"
Blinking back tears of humiliation, she shrugged off his hands and headed for the Jeep.
"Kelly, you don't get it. I want you, but you couldn't have picked a worse night to show me how you feel. Please don't be upset—"
"Save it, Mr. Arrow." She climbed into the passenger side. "No need to rub salt in the wound."
He slid in beside her and gripped the steering wheel with both hands. "You're not listening."
What was it with this guy? She felt like climbing under the seat to hide. Controlling the quaver in her voice, she practically shouted, "Just drop it!"
The silence between them grew thick and cold, broken only by the sound of four trotting feet. Cody hopped into the back and whined. Sam turned around and scratched the coyote's ears.
"Can we leave now?" Kelly asked, the beauty of the park now branded with disappointment and rejection. She never wanted to come here again.
Sam faced forward and turned the key in the ignition. His voice close to a growl, he said, "Yes, ma'am. Whatever you say."
****
"Check the map again," Sam commanded. He stood beside the Jeep and stared out across acres of empty desert. "We must have made a wrong turn somewhere."
Kelly shook the map in his face. "We've driven around this exact same spot for over an hour. I can count every single yucca between here and the highway, and Cody has marked so many trees he's dehydrated himself. Star Mother's camp isn't here." She threw the map to the ground and stomped away from him, her heart-shaped bottom bouncing with each step.
He watched her then shook himself of the distraction. Focus. Must stay focused. Using the flashlight, he scoured the ground around him and spotted a coil of rope a few feet away. He stepped toward it, waving the flashlight from side to side, and found two tent stakes. Crouching low to the ground, he ran his hands over deep tire tracks that had been made by something heavy, like a trailer. The tracks were fresh.
"They were here," he whispered to himself. He grabbed the rope and stood then flung it to the ground. "Those whacked-out, ET-loving bastards were here."
Kelly trotted up to him, her eyes fixed on his with laser intensity. "What?"
"They've already packed up and moved on."
"But they couldn't have been here more than a day. Why would they leave in such a hurry?"
He should have known they'd do something like this. Sam cursed and kicked one of the tent stakes. "They're desperate now."
"Because of the comet?"
He nodded. "The comet will cross the sky for the first time day after tomorrow." He checked his watch. "I stand corrected. Make that tomorrow. It's already past midnight."
"Then we've got to hurry." Kelly started for the Jeep. "Come on, Sam."
He trailed wearily behind her then stopped. "We have no idea where they've gone."
She cast him a puzzled look. "So? We'll find them, just like we did this time."
A sudden ache thrummed against Sam's temples, and he rubbed them, exhaustion threatening his ability to think. Where had they gone? There were way too many possibilities to guess. "There's miles of desert throughout the state, and we don't know where to start."
She squinted in thought. "They can't have gone far. I'll bet we find them somewhere along Highway 62. If they're hauling trailers, they won't be going very fast. It's worth a try."
If it were any cult other than Star Mother, Sam would agree with her. But these people were experienced nomads, familiar with side roads and back routes because they sometimes had to elude the law or someone like him. "That won't work."
"Why not?" she asked, her voice rising. "We have nothing better to do. Let's go."
He shook his head. "A waste of time. They've taken great pains to leave a campsite they hadn't settled into yet. They don't want to be found. A major highway is the last place they'll be."
Kelly left the jeep and stood in front of him, less than a foot of space between them. Her hands clenched into fists, she said, "I don't understand why you won't even try. Don't you care? Don't you realize how much my brother means to me?" She crossed her arms. "And what about all those innocent people? They'll go to their deaths believing a lie, thinking they'll be swept away in a starship to another planet."
He gritted his teeth against the urge to shake some sense into her. He'd never met such a stubborn woman. He slid into the Jeep behind the steering wheel. "Get in. Please."
She offered him a triumphant smile. "Thank you for listening to reason."
He snorted.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He didn't answer. What was the point? She'd just argue with him anyway.
As they drove down Highway 62, Kelly said, "Wait a minute. Aren't you going the wrong way?"
<
br /> "Nope."
"But this is the way we came."
He nodded. "Yes, it is."
"Why would Star Mother head away from the desert?"
"Who said they would? We're going back to Big Bear. We'll regroup, make some calls, search the Internet again."
Her shocked expression didn't last long. It was replaced with haughty indignation. "You're a coward."
"Excuse me?"
"Are you still afraid of them? You're not sixteen anymore, Sam. They're not going to hurt you like they did when you were a kid."
His blood chilled, partly because she was wrong and partly because she was right. He wasn't a coward, and he had no qualms about confronting the evil couple responsible for his mother's death, but he was uncomfortable with his connection to the cult. He’d once been drugged, tortured, and humiliated into being a good little Star Mother disciple, but that part of his life had ended well over a decade ago. He suffered an occasional nightmare, which was the only side effect he was aware of, but if Valya or Von actually got their hands on him again... He wasn't sure how he'd react. He wondered if a trigger from his past would stop him from doing the job he had to do.
"Sam?" Kelly said softly and touched his arm where his tattoo used to be. "Oh, Sam, I didn't mean that." She swallowed. "I could never think of you as a coward. You're the most courageous man I've ever known. You've overcome a lot and helped hundreds of people escape mind-controlling freaks like those Star Mother people. I was angry, and what I said was out of line. I apologize."
Sam eyed the dark miles of highway ahead and kept his silence. He felt too edgy to get into this conversation now. It was time to reexamine his most disturbing memories and prepare himself for the worst.
Valya's ivory hands cupped his face as she brought her lips to his. "This is what Star Mother wants from you, Sam," she said. "She brought you back to us, to me. You have a duty to ensure the future of my people, and your seed holds our destiny for a better world."
The memory bored into him, a firebrand of deceit and illicit acts that would haunt him the rest of his life.
Chapter Eight
"Mommy?"
Valya leaned forward and gathered the little girl into her arms. "What is it, Lynette?"
"I don't like this room," the child said with a pout. Her brown hair was so dark it looked almost black, and it hung in long, fleecy waves down her back. She pulled a lock of it over her shoulder and began twisting it around her index finger. "It wobbles too much."
Only four years old, and already, her youngest and most favored daughter had the observant nature typical of their superior alien race. "That's because we're moving," Valya explained.
"I liked that other place. Why couldn't we stay there?"
She hoisted her child onto her lap and snuggled her face into the little girl's sweet-smelling hair. She gave Lynette a light kiss on the nose and said, "Because a couple of confused people are trying to stop our trip. You want to travel to the stars, don't you?"
The girl bobbed her head while hugging her stuffed white bunny close to her chest.
"Not everyone understands how important our mission is, Lynette. If they believed, they could come, too."
"So will everyone else stay here when the earth blows up?"
Valya grinned and lifted her brows in an expression of mock sadness. "I'm afraid so."
"My daddy, too?"
Valya's grin faded. She'd always told her children the reason they must leave this planet was because it would soon be destroyed by nuclear war. The lie wasn't that far from the truth, considering the television news they often caught while stopped at roadside diners along the way to a new camp. But it was necessary for her children to understand the importance of leaving this festering, violent world behind. They could fathom an escape from destruction, but a journey to a better life light years away from the one they knew was tough to justify to a child. The doomsday theory worked much better.
"Mommy? You told me Daddy was coming with us. Why isn't he here?"
An image of Sam floated briefly through Valya's mind, and she sighed. "I couldn't change your father's mind about staying. He doesn't believe. And you know what happens to nonbelievers."
Lynette nodded and looked away.
"That's a good girl. Now run along and play with your sisters." She gestured to a group of young girls gathered on the bed at the back of the camper. Lynette slid from Valya's lap and tottered down the narrow hall, holding on to the camper's walls to keep her balance while avoiding stepping on the hem of her oversized nightgown.
Damn these rutted dirt roads. They had separated the caravan of trucks, vans, and trailers, and their group now traveled through the Sheep Hole Mountains. They would soon reach Amboy then cross over to Essex, backtracking to a road that would lead them to Kelso and to their destination, Devil's Playground.
Valya sighed with weariness and watched her youngest children play together on the bed. It was way past midnight, and though they would normally be asleep by now, she had made an exception tonight. She didn't like to disrupt their routines, but what other choice did she have? The Arrow was close on their heels. Or he had been until they’d hastily abandoned camp and set off across the desert for a new home, their last home, where they would leave their empty body-vessels behind.
She'd given up on Kelly. The woman was way more trouble than she was worth, and Valya didn't see the sense in sacrificing their mission just for one reincarnated crewmember. But she truly regretted having to give up on Sam.
Star Mother herself had come to her in a dream last night and told her she must leave Sam behind because her congregation was running out of time. Forcing him to see the truth would have been difficult to accomplish within the two days they had left on this world. He needed long-term conditioning, like the kind he'd had in his youth. She hated to lose him, but he had left something of himself behind that was almost as good.
****
Kelly and Sam arrived in Big Bear driving two separate cars. They'd stopped in Yucca Valley along the way so that she could retrieve her rental car from the truck stop. It was now two o'clock in the morning, and she should be exhausted, but she wasn't. Must have been all that adrenalin built up from the day's adventure, not to mention her misplaced anger at Sam for giving up the search. She deeply regretted the stupid things she had said and was eager to mend the rift she'd created between them.
She pulled in behind Sam at the end of his driveway. After parking her car, she got out and stepped up to the Jeep's driver's side window. "What a relief not to be followed anymore, huh?"
A sober look on his face, Sam nodded and climbed out. Cody hopped out of the backseat and darted toward the thick woods behind the cabin, where he disappeared into the dark.
"They've obviously given up on us," she said brightly, hoping to get a response from him, but he only shrugged.
"I bet they think they're safe from us now, but we'll prove them wrong, right?" she asked.
He silently trudged up the stairs and crossed the deck to the front door.
While waiting for him to unlock it, she tried thinking of a way to snap him out of his funk.
"Want some coffee?" She passed him on her way to the kitchen. "I could use some."
"Sure. Thanks."
Maybe if she cooked something for him, he'd open up. "Hungry? I make a mean omelet."
"Okay." He crouched in front of the fireplace and started crumpling newspapers to line the hearth before adding kindling and a few pine logs.
When he didn't say any more, Kelly got busy in the kitchen. She had only been in the room twice, neither time to cook, so she began familiarizing herself with its layout. She was impressed by how neat and orderly everything was. It was nothing like what she'd expect of a bachelor's kitchen. Clean and functional, it had high-tech gourmet gizmos like a cappuccino maker, a sophisticated food processor, and even a grill set into the computerized range. The man evidently liked to cook.
She opened the door of a stainless steel r
efrigerator the size of a small car. Instead of a barley pop six pack and a lonely package of hot dogs, she discovered a wide array of healthy groceries. No junk food. And lots of eggs.
Her omelets turned out fabulous, if she did say so herself. It wasn't often that she had such prime ingredients to work with. The scent of fresh bell pepper and green onions cooked with the eggs and cheese smelled heavenly.
A few minutes later, she and Sam sat side by side on the hardwood floor in front of a blazing fire. They nibbled fluffy omelets from the plates in their laps while sipping from mugs of hot coffee.
"Okay," Kelly said, shoving her half-eaten omelet onto the coffee table behind her. "I've had enough of the silent treatment, Sam. I told you I was sorry for calling you a coward. What more do you want from me?"
He looked at her, his gray eyes glistening in the firelight. "I want you to stop apologizing."
She threw up her hands in frustration and stood. "I don't know what else to say to you. Would you rather I praise your bravado? Bow to your nerves of steel?"
"Knock it off, Kelly."
She sighed. "Sorry."
He leaned back on his hands and stared up at her. "Are you always this abrasive?"
She hesitated while trying to think of a good answer, but the truth was always best. "Yes."
"Is it a new form of birth control?"
Shocked by the question, she gasped before noticing the restrained smile on his face. She kicked his arm, which folded beneath him, and he fell lightly on his back. The joke had stung, but at least it got him talking. "You can have that one, Sam, but just this once. Make a joke like that again and you're toast."
The corner of his lip curled up in a grin. "So tell me, Miss Bancroft. Where did you get the chip on your shoulder?"
"Who says I have a chip on my shoulder?"
"I do."
Okay. So he was right. Damn him, he was almost always right when it came to reading her. "My father put it there. You can add in all my male cousins, too. But not Jake. He was the only one who ever gave a damn."
"I'd think you hated men, but after last night I know that's not true." He gave her a knowing look.
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