by Karen Kelley
“Carly,” Ria interrupted.
“Ria, what’s wrong?”
“Immigration might be on the way to my house. Can you meet me there? I know I’m asking a lot, but can Kristor stay with you? Just for a little while. Until it’s safe. I’ll explain more later.”
“Yes, of course. Oh, God, Ria. I’m so sorry. I—”
“I’ll talk to you when you get here. Hurry.”
“I’m on my way.”
She snapped the phone closed and dropped it inside her purse. Please don’t let them already be there, she prayed. If they weren’t, she would get him into her car, and they would get away as fast as she could drive.
Then what? Shintara asked.
“I don’t have time for this,” she told her guide. “And where the hell have you been?”
I was busy.
Busy? Doing what?
Ria didn’t ask as she slid around a corner practically on two wheels.
I’m too young to die! Shintara screeched.
“You’re not going to die.”
Crap, that was it. Kristor could shift into his animal guide and fly away. If only she had a phone in her house she could call and warn him, but all she had was her cell. She didn’t think calling her nosy neighbor would work. What would she say? Could you run over and tell the alien who’s staying with me that he needs to shapeshift into a hawk and fly away before immigration arrives and carts him away? Nope, that wouldn’t cut it.
She pulled up to her house and slammed on her brakes, skidding to a stop just before she plowed into the unmarked, black government van. It had exempt license plates. What the hell else could it be?
Her heart plummeted.
There was nothing she could do. She could only sit and watch as they led him out of her house in handcuffs, wearing only a pair of jeans.
Everything moved in slow motion. She vaguely knew when she opened her car door and got out. A man in a suit hurried over to her.
“Are you Rianna Lancaster?”
Dazed, she could only look at him.
“Ma’am, I’m Agent Jack Stafford and I’ll ask you one more time. Are you Rianna Lancaster?”
“Yes,” she finally answered. “What are you doing?” She started to go to Kristor, but suit-man put out a hand to stop her.
“It’s best you keep your distance for now. We have reason to believe the man who has been staying with you is an illegal alien. He can’t produce any papers. Do you realize it’s against the law to harbor someone who is in the United States illegally?” He glared at her.
She realized just how official he looked. There were three of them. All wearing the same style dark suit, black shoes, white shirt, and black tie. And they all wore the same dead-pan expressions, except the one glaring at her right now.
“He’s not from another country,” she told him. Not exactly a lie, but she hoped it would keep Kristor out of jail. Not that she really thought it would work.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“I just don’t think he would lie about something like that.”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “Has he done anything strange or out of the ordinary?”
Her heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean?”
“We looked through our records and a woman called about a possible alien from another planet, but the person taking the report laughed it off, except there was a blip on the radar about that same time. So, I’m asking you again, is there something strange about this Kristor guy that you’re not telling us?”
She swallowed hard, then cocked an eyebrow. “Are you going to stand there and tell me you believe in aliens?”
He let out a deep breath and relaxed just a little. “No, I don’t, but there was enough evidence to at least check him out.” His expression changed to one of pity. “I’m sorry, ma’am. You need to be careful who you take in. I know you have your own business. Women like you are ripe for the picking. He’s probably a scam artist.”
“No, he’s not.”
“We’ll know soon enough.”
“But I love him.” And she did. With all her heart. Why hadn’t she just left with him in his spacecraft? She could’ve taken enough drugs to knock herself out. She wouldn’t have even known when they left the ground. Maybe.
She looked around. But could she leave everything behind? Her business, her family? She met Kristor’s gaze across the expanse of her front yard. He looked furious, but quickly masked his feelings, and smiled at her. Even now, he was trying to protect her. What had she gotten him into?
“I’ll get you out of jail,” she called to him. She turned to the agent. “How much is his bail?”
“I’m afraid there isn’t any. If he’s here legally, we’ll let him go. If not, we’ll deport him.”
“Deport him?” She’d like to see them try. “Where are you taking him?”
Before he could answer, Carly pulled up, her face as white as a sheet. Ria ran to her as she got out of the car.
“They’re taking him away,” Ria sobbed, falling into her friend’s arms.
“Let’s get you into the house.”
“They won’t let me.”
“They’re leaving.”
Ria whipped around. “No, they can’t.” She ran toward the black van, but it sped off in a small cloud of dust.
“I have to go after them.”
Carly pulled her toward the house. “It won’t do you any good. If he’s not here legally, then they’ll deport him. But I’m sure he’ll try to contact you. Besides, they’ll probably lock him up here. Heath and Neil will make sure they don’t harm Kristor.” Once inside, Carly shut the door from prying neighbors.
Ria paced the living room. “You don’t understand. There’s more to it than that.”
“More what, Ria?” Carly watched Ria with troubled eyes. “What haven’t you told me?”
Ria stopped, and looked at her friend. It was time to tell her everything. She took a deep breath. “He’s an alien.”
“I figured that one out,” Carly said. “But all they’ll do is deport him. I’ll get you a discount ticket and you can go to wherever he’s from.”
She shook her head. “Only if you can get a ticket to another planet.”
Carly opened her mouth, then snapped it closed. Her forehead puckered in thought, then her eyes widened. “He scammed you into believing he’s an alien from another planet? You have got to be kidding me.”
“He wasn’t scamming me. He’s a shapeshifting alien from the planet New Symtaria, and I’m part alien. My father was part alien; my mother was from Earth.”
“You haven’t been smoking anything, have you?” She scanned the room. “We didn’t do drugs in school. Why would you start now?”
“I’m not on drugs.”
A car pulled up out front, and doors slammed a few seconds later. She ran to the door and opened it.
“Mom! Dad!”
They rushed inside.
Ria fell into their outstretched arms. “Men in black suits came and took Kristor away. What am I going to do? What if they discover he’s an alien?”
“I’ll call Heath. Maybe we can break him out of jail,” her father said.
“I could bake a pie and hide a file inside,” her mother suggested.
“Whoa!” Carly looked at each of them. “Have y’all lost your minds? He’s not an alien from another planet and you can’t break him out of jail! That’s illegal. Do you want to spend the rest of your lives behind bars?”
Her mother and father looked at each other. “You haven’t told her?” her mother asked.
“It just never seemed like the right time.”
Carly threw her arms into the air. “Oh, puleeze! This is so not happening.”
“I have to see him. Make sure he’s okay.” Ria looked at her father. He would know what to do. He always knew what to do.
“I’ll call Heath. He’ll be able to tell us what Kristor’s rights are. I’ll hire him a lawyer. Whatever it takes.”
But before her father could make the call, Heath and Neil pulled up in the patrol car and jumped out. Running toward the porch, they took the steps two at a time, which didn’t take long to reach the top since there were only four steps.
Her father flung the screen door open. “We have a mess on our hands, fellas.”
“You can say that again,” Heath said.
Neil went to Carly’s side. “You okay?”
She shook her head. “They’ve all lost their minds.” She hiccupped back a sob.
“What are they doing to Kristor?” Ria asked.
“I don’t know,” Heath said with a worried frown.
Ria froze. “What do you mean, you don’t know? Isn’t he locked in your jail?”
He shook his head. “They took him back to their office. One of them said they’d gotten some information Kristor was more than an illegal alien. That he might be from another planet.” He shook his head. “I know, it sounds crazy. That’s the government for you, though.”
“That’s what the agent told me, too. That they got an anonymous phone call.” Ria sat down on the sofa with a hard thud. “Who would tell them such a thing?”
“Me,” Carly squeaked. “Oh, God, don’t hate me. I was desperate, and scared for you.”
“Why?” Ria asked, tears welling in her eyes. “I thought we were friends. You could’ve just come to me, not strangers.”
“I was protecting you. I’m so sorry. When I couldn’t find New Symtaria on any map, I called Donald for advice and he encouraged me to call immigration.”
Ria’s lip curled. “Yeah, I just bet he did.” It was a good thing Donald wasn’t here or she’d flatten him. She came to her feet, ready to put a stop to all of this. “Where are they taking him?” she asked Heath.
He shook his head. “They told me they were taking him to an undisclosed location. I’m sure he’ll be okay, though. The worst they’ll do is deport him.”
“No, that isn’t the worst thing. I have to know where he’s going. What direction did they leave in?”
“East. But you’ll never catch them now,” Neil said. “All you can do is wait.”
I can find them, Shintara said. After all, I have the eyes of a hawk.
Fear filled Ria at the thought of shifting into her animal guide. Could she do it if it meant saving the man she loved?
No, she couldn’t.
The thought of flying terrified her. She didn’t want to crash in a blazing ball of fire: She hadn’t married or had children or anything.
Of course, the man she loved was being carted away to God knows where, to possibly be dissected by mad scientists. If they did that, she would probably live a lonely miserable life, then die an old maid.
You can do it, Shintara’s words whispered through Ria.
I’m scared.
Face your fears. You can do it. I’ll be there with you every step of the way.
Ria had a feeling she was going to regret what she was about to do, but she couldn’t see any way around it. She took a deep breath.
“I can find him,” she said. “If I shapeshift into my animal guide.”
Chapter 27
Kristor shifted on the hard bench. They had forced him into the back of the hot stuffy van. An agent was in the back with him, the one called Jack. The guy looked nervous. Why, Kristor didn’t know.
Maybe because he was young and oozed inexperience. The older agent seemed to enjoy Jack’s discomfiture when he’d told Jack that he would be riding in the back with the prisoner.
Kristor glanced around, weighing his options. He could mentally unlock the restraints, but they had his hands bound behind his back. He had to be able to look at them to unlock them.
“So, where you from?” the young agent asked, trying for the voice of authority.
It came out more of a squeak. He might intimidate women and children, but not Kristor. He had a feeling the young agent knew that, too.
Was it a trick question? Was the young man only acting nervous? He studied him for a moment. Jack’s expression only showed curiosity.
“Not from here,” Kristor finally said.
“Yeah, I can’t really blame you for not talking.” He nodded his head toward the front of the van. The only thing separating them from the two men up front was a glass panel. “Adam can be an ass.”
“Adam?”
“He’s the lead agent. Been one for about twenty-five years. Gung-ho and all that. Agent Adam Richards.” He snickered. “He thinks you’re an alien from another planet. Can you believe the guy? I think he might be doing drugs on the side.”
“He told you he thinks I’m an alien?”
“Not in so many words, but on the way down here, he told us that was what our mission was about. To make sure you weren’t an alien. Crazy, I know.”
“Yeah, crazy.”
“So, what do you lift?”
Why did everyone wonder what he could lift? “Anything I want.” It seemed to satisfy the guys he’d played flag football with that day.
“Yeah, I kind of figured that. I’m not much for weights, but I’m a fast runner.”
And for the next hour, Agent Jack talked about running, working out, and what it meant to be an agent, and how proud his family was of him. Kristor had a feeling he could talk long enough that a prisoner would be willing to give away all his country’s secrets just so Jack would shut up.
Kristor’s eyes narrowed on the man sitting in the front seat as Jack droned on. The lead agent. Adam Richards knew Kristor was an alien. Kristor had seen it in the man’s eyes when he saw Kristor’s birthmark.
The other two thought their leader was a little crazy to think aliens might exist. He’d seen that in their body language, and the way they’d cast knowing looks at each other. But that knowledge would do Kristor no good. They obeyed their leader, and would follow his command. He respected them for that, but it didn’t help his situation.
With his wrists bound by metal shackles, it was too late for him to shift. His only hope was Rianna. But could she set him free before they found out the truth? She’d been more distraught than determined when they shoved him into the back of the van, and pulled away from her house.
There was always her father. He had come across as an intelligent man. She might be able to enlist her father’s help. He would know what to do. As they left town, Kristor knew it would be impossible if they didn’t know where he was being taken.
The glass that separated him from the front slid open and Adam shifted in his seat. His grin was mocking. “You two nice and cozy?”
“It’s hotter than Hades back here,” Jack said.
“Where are you taking me?” Kristor asked, before the other man could say anything to Jack.
Adam looked at him. “Somewhere we can question you properly. We don’t want any of those country yokels interfering with our interrogation.”
“You don’t have to scare him, Adam,” Jack said.
Adam glared at the other man. “Yeah, well we don’t know exactly what he is, now do we? I’ve been in this business a lot longer than you, boy, and I’ve seen things that would make you think twice about whether aliens exist or not.”
The man stiffened. “My name is Jack, not ‘boy,’ if you don’t mind.”
“Whatever.” Adam slid the glass closed and turned around in his seat, facing front again.
“Might as well make yourself comfortable. It’s going to be a long ride,” Jack said.
Kristor didn’t like the sound of that. There was no way Rianna would ever find him, even if she could help. His mission was in jeopardy of completely failing and his identity becoming known.
Or it could be worse. He’d heard of the secret testing they did. It was whispered throughout the galaxy that aliens from other planets had been captured and no one ever saw them again. He had thought the rumors false, a way to scare children into completing their daily tasks.
His mother had told him more than once that people from Earth would come get him if he didn’
t clean his room. When he was young, he’d believed her but, of course, as he’d gotten older, he realized Earth wasn’t nearly as advanced as New Symtaria.
But now he began to wonder. Maybe Adam was the monster from his childhood after all.
Chapter 28
“Oh, Ria!” Carly ran to her friend and threw her arms around her neck and sobbed.
Heath cleared his throat. “Maggie, Ron, you know they have some pretty decent doctors in Dallas who can help your girl. John Ratcliff took his son over there, you know. The one that’s a little touched and would throw things all the time. He’s a lot calmer now. They said the doctors were a blessing. I bet they could help Ria.”
Maggie squared her shoulders. “I beg your pardon, Heath, but our daughter is not touched. She’s only part alien. It’s not even close to being the same thing.”
“Mom, we can’t blame them for not believing.” Ria untangled herself from Carly, who then threw herself into Neil’s arms. A much better fit, Ria thought. “I don’t have time to go into a lengthy explanation. I need to follow them to see where they’re taking Kristor.”
“Are you sure, baby girl?” her father asked.
She nodded. “I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life.” Then she silently prayed she could follow through with her bold statement.
Woo-hoo! We’re going to shift! Finally!
Ria ignored Shintara for now. If she hurried, and didn’t think about what she was about to do, then she might not get scared and back out at the last second.
She took a deep breath and stepped away from everyone. “Okay, you’ll see a thick fog. Don’t worry about it. Then, if everything works out right, I’ll shift into a hawk.”
“Oh, Ria.” Carly raised her head from Neil’s shoulder and sniffed loudly.
Neil pulled a hankie out of his back pocket and handed it to Carly. She wiped her eyes, then delicately blew her nose.
“Quiet. I need to concentrate.” Ria looked at each one of them, registering their expressions. Heath looked as though he was ready to call for the men in white coats. Neil looked confused. Her mother looked worried, her father full of pride that she was facing her fears, and Carly was just plain old scared. When Ria saw her reflection in the mirror over the sofa, she saw determination.