Yes, this was definitely a threat. Savants didn’t normally retire. There was usually only one way out for people like her, and the hidden desert graveyard was just one of such retirement villages.
“I suppose you heard about what Knower and the other savants pulled at the casino?” Bruce gave her an expectant look.
She nodded. “Something like thirty million dollars in ten minutes?”
“You know anything about that?”
She shook her head in denial. “I wasn’t there. You know that. You were with me that night.” She wished she had been there. Cynthia would have loved to see the bosses’ faces when they heard the news.
“Yeah, well, the bosses wanted me to remind you that you shouldn’t get any ideas. They’re going to be locking down all the active agents. Things are about to get a whole lot more structured around here. It would be in your best interest to deliver on this Blaze guy. I have to admit that I’m impressed. I knew that Knower kid was special. He pulled off the impossible. He’s getting out, and he’ll become a freaking legend to your kind. Makes my job harder, but it is impressive.”
The waitress came back with a piece of pumpkin pie, and Bruce stood as if to leave.
“Hey, wait, I need a ride back into the city,” she said, moving to follow him.
Bruce gestured out the window. “I saw a bus stop right out there. I think you’ll enjoy the ride. Will give you plenty of time to soak in the beauty of the desert. Who knows, maybe you’d like to make this your permanent home someday?” He threw down a stack of money on the table and smiled at her. “Now be a good girl and eat your pie. You need to take care of your blood sugar.”
“You know I can’t eat this much processed sugar,” she answered, pushing the pie plate away from her.
Bruce lifted it and made a show of taking a big bite out of it. The sugar wouldn’t do anything to him. “We wouldn’t want anything to happen to you. I’ll see you when you get back into the city. You have a job to finish, and I have a feeling they’re about to move up our deadline.”
Chapter Eleven
“I had to go. The room is paid for. Enjoy the breakfast buffet downstairs. Leave the car in the garage when you get back to the hotel. Don’t try to follow me. I’ll find you.”
Sev frowned at the note. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like it one bit. If Cynthia left, it was because she had to meet with her bosses. He didn’t want her anywhere around those blistersacks.
He went downstairs with every intention of taking a stiff drink off the waffle bar, but couldn’t locate it. All he found were strange round pastries with little grooves in them and a wide array of tiny kettles filled with a sweet, sticky substance. He watched as a group of children poured it on the pastry discs and then slowly became hyperactive. Not wanting to risk a reaction to sugar like Vin had, he skipped the buffet and left the hotel.
Unfortunately, he had been distracted by Cynthia’s presence and hadn’t bothered to watch how to pilot the vehicle. He had no way of knowing how to drive back to the city with it. Instead, he was forced to call Galaxy Brides and request they send him a ride.
Reading the note again by the pink light in the back of the bus, he sighed heavily. He shoved it back into his pocket. The vehicle had seats lining each side with a pole in the middle. It smelled peculiar, the combination of old liquor and cleaning solution. Aside from Gary piloting the vehicle, Sev was alone.
Gary was a short, stocky creature with a head that looked a little too big to be a human. Combine that anomaly with the fact his skin suit pulled a little too tight over his alien form, and you had yourself a really bad disguise. The smooth, black hair was the same length all the way around his head and was probably as fake as the rest of his outfit.
Leaning over, Sev detected a pair of discarded underwear on the floor. “Gary, what exactly is this transport?”
“Stripper bus,” Gary shouted over his shoulder. “The businessmen group took it out last night and didn’t return it. I was sent to fetch it, and then you called needing a ride. Bob is currently leading the efforts to round them up. You don’t happen to know where they might be hiding, do you?”
“Gary, I mean this will all politeness, but maybe you all need to find another line of work. I’m not sure this Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides career choice is going all that well for you.”
“You may be right,” he said. “It is not as exciting as they promised in the employee handbooks.”
They rode in silence for a long while. Sev watched the countryside pass by the tinted windows. “Hey, Gary?”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry for threatening you all those times. I know you’re trying your best. I’m not going to blast you into a solar flare. I just want to get off this planet,” Sev said.
“To tell you the truth, Mr. Blaze, so do I.”
Chapter Twelve
“So, tell us, where have you been hiding, oh responsible one?” Vin teased. He sat with Kal on the couch watching some kind of show where two men beat on each other. They were dressed in the same working class human costumes as Sev—jeans, t-shirts, and sneakers.
“Where are your women?” Sev asked, glancing around.
“They have left to do women things,” Kal answered with a shrug.
Sev didn’t ask for details beyond that statement.
“But don’t worry, they’re not getting Vin ice cream.” Kal snickered as he stood to show Sev his phone. “Have you seen the video yet?”
“Put that away,” Vin demanded.
Kal didn’t listen as he pushed play. The image of Vin appeared on the tiny screen. He was behind the counter of a kiosk dipping both hands into tubs to shovel mounds of ice cream into his mouth as if he couldn’t eat it fast enough. When he turned toward the camera, ice cream dripped over his chin and chest, and his wild eyes darted around like a beast. Kal paused the video and started laughing so hard he gasped for breath.
“Oh, shut up already,” Vin grumbled. “I learned my lesson. No more ice cream. I get it.”
“No more sugar whatsoever,” Sev corrected.
“You look like an idiot,” Kal said as he once again sat back down on the couch and turned his phone so Vin could see his picture. When Vin tried to take it from him, he drew it quickly away. “Nom. Nom. Nom. Nom. Ice cream. Ice cream!”
Vin slugged him in the arm, forcing him to drop the phone.
“Hey, don’t break it.” Kal scrambled to pick the device back up.
“So, Sev, you never answered. Where were you hiding?” Vin asked.
“Yeah, Sev, where were you hiding?” Kal repeated, as he scrolled through his phone.
“I was not hiding,” Sev denied. Something in his tone must have tipped his cousin and brother off because both men turn to face him fully. Vin arched a brow. Kal grinned.
“You sound defensive there, cousin,” Kal said.
“And you are looking a little guilty, brother,” Vin added.
Sev diverted his attention as he looked over the new hotel suite. Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides kept moving them around to different hotels. Sev found the constant change annoying. This new room had a red theme, with cream and gold accents. The thick chairs had bold stripes down the center, with pillows of contrasting colors. Close-up photographs of gambling chips were framed on the walls.
Crystal decanters and glasses lined a self-serve bar. The backlit glass bar top glowed in sophistication. It was in stark contrast to where Sev had just come from. And by the looks of half empty bottles scattered around the room, his family had already indulged in the lavishness that surrounded them.
Sev missed the simpler room he’d shared with Cynthia, and would gladly have turned around to go back there with her. He did not need all of this finery. All he wanted was a simple life—a comfortable bed at the end of a hard day, the sound of laughter in his house, and Cynthia by his side.
When Sev didn’t answer, he heard the television click off.
“That’s funny, cousin, because by the looks of
your video you’re trying to hide something.” Kal tapped his phone and turned it so that they could see an image of Sev kissing Cynthia on the walkway by the dam.
Sev automatically jumped for the phone. Kal pulled it out of his reach.
“Who is she?” Vin demanded.
“Give us a name.” Kal made a slow approach around the couch toward him.
Sev took a deep breath, knowing that they were not going to let up until he confessed everything. Still, something inside him wanted to keep Cynthia as his secret.
“Come on, all we want is a name.” Vin started to circle him from the other side. “It’s that chick who has been following you, isn’t it?”
“Chick?” Sev frowned. “I have not been followed by poultry.”
Of course, he knew what his brother meant, but he was being obtuse on purpose.
“It is that girl,” Kal laughed. “Look at his face. It’s the girl who has been following him all lost.”
Sev knew what they were doing as they went into attack formation. “I think the Earth television has gone to your heads. You are clearly delusional if you think you can take me on.”
He lowered his chin and readied himself for the attack.
“You can end this,” Vin said. “All we want is a name.”
“Catch a solar flare,” Sev baited.
Vin and Kal instantly sprung into action. Kal grabbed his arm, trying to throw Sev off balance, as his brother kneeled to hook his waist with his shoulder. Vin hoisted Sev into the air, running under the momentum of his weight toward the couch. He launched him over the back onto the soft cushion.
Sev landed and rolled off the furniture to regain his footing. His heart rate quickened at the sport. Taunting his brother, he said, “You fight like an Earthling.”
“That was just a warning shot,” Vin answered.
“Tell us her name,” Kal demanded.
Kal gave a battle yell as he dashed forward. Sev managed to block the attack and threw Kal over his shoulder onto the couch. The furniture slid on the marble floor under the force.
Their mock battle became a flurry of missed punches and lightened kicks until Sev found himself pinned on the floor grunting loudly as a knee pressed into his shoulder. He swung, but a chair leg pinned his movements and he couldn’t quite get the momentum he needed to wiggle free.
“Sev!” Cynthia charged into the room with her arms raised and ready to fight. He heard more than saw her approach as she flung herself against Vin’s shoulder, knocking him off of Sev.
“Are you kidding me? We just moved to this suite,” Angela said from the doorway. Up until she’d met Vin, she’d worked as a security guard for a major casino. She had an authoritative stance that easily dominated the room. “Vin what did you do?”
Vin instantly let go of his brother and made evasive maneuvers as not to hurt the female trying to attack him. Cynthia rolled on the ground back onto her feet in one swift movement as she turned on Kal. Vin backed away with his arms lifted in defeat.
“Oh, hey, easy,” Kal said in a rush as he let go of his cousin. “Everything’s fine here.”
“Fine?” Carrie demanded, eyeing her new husband. Like Angela, she was a pretty woman with dark brown hair and brown eyes. However, unlike Angela, she was normally fairly soft spoken so to hear her lecture Kal sounded odd. “Kal, we were gone for like two seconds. This room is a disaster. If the maids see this, they will report us, and we’ll be kicked out. I’m tired of playing musical hotel rooms.”
“No, you were gone for longer than that,” Kal countered. “Did you warp time?”
“You are adorably literal,” Carrie dismissed. “Now pick up your mess. The maids are not here to be your personal servants.”
“Vin, you too,” Angela said, before adding, “Please, hon.”
“Anything, my darling moonbeam,” Vin answered, completely besotted.
“Wait,” Kal said. “But first, who’s this?”
Cynthia had pushed to her feet and studied the room in confusion as if she was only now realizing the threat had not been real. Sev hurried to go to her. He cupped her cheek, turning her face to one side and then the other to make sure she hadn’t been hurt in the scuffle.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I heard the fight and…”
“How did you get in?” Carrie asked.
Angela picked up a keycard from the floor, and held it up as she read, “Maid service.”
“Oh, hey, we’re sorry,” Vin said. “Don’t worry about a thing. We will pick everything up. We didn’t mean to make extra work for you.”
“Would you like to sit down and relax?” Kal offered he pushed the couch back to its normal location and lifted the pillows off the floor to place back on top.
“Guys, I don’t think she works here,” Angela said.
“But…?” Kal and Vin said in unison, looking at the keycard.
“I borrowed the card,” Cynthia said with a light shrug. When Sev continued to try to examine her, she pulled her head back. “Sev, I’m fine. That was hardly a fight.”
“So are you the one who has been following my brother around?” Vin asked. He came closer to her as if he could direct her attention away from Sev.
“You are, aren’t you?” Kal nodded. “I’m glad you finally got the nerve to talk to him. I know he’s all scary and tough on the outside, but on the inside he’s—”
“Touchy feely emotional,” Vin exaggerated.
Sev arched a brow.
“Or not,” Vin laughed.
“You knew I was trailing you?” Cynthia seemed surprised by this news.
Sev nodded. “Sure. I saw you a few times.”
“But I’m an excellent tracker,” she defended. “How…?”
“We’re Killi—Canadian,” Vin answered.
“It’s fine. She knows what we are,” Sev stated. “She’s a friend.”
He wanted to say that she was more than a friend, so much more, but he wasn’t sure how much she wanted the others to know. He wasn’t used to laying voice to his emotions.
“I came to warn you,” Cynthia stated. “My employers aren’t happy with me. I suspect they know that I’m holding back. I think you need to go home. That is the only safe bet for you. Go, tonight, and be careful. Make sure no one follows you to the pickup site. I don’t want to know where that is, but you have to go. All of you.”
“What is she talking about, Sev?” Angela asked. “I’m not going anywhere. We’re staying here on Earth. Vin? I can’t leave. Not now. Not with my mother who needs me more that ever to take care of her. Please don’t make me choose between you and my mother. She’s sick. She can’t take care of herself. I’m all she has.”
“Shh,” Vin hushed, going to hold her. “It’s all right. We’re not going anywhere.”
“You have to,” Cynthia insisted. “They know you’re not from here. I don’t think you’re safe.”
“Kal? Do we need to go? If it’s not safe for you…” Carrie dropped the shopping bag she held and crossed to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I know that I said I wanted to stay here and so did you, but not at the risk of your life. I can go anywhere as long as we’re together and you’re safe.”
“We’re not going anywhere,” Kal reassured her. “Sev, what is this? What’s going on?” Then to Cynthia he inquired, “Who exactly are you?”
Cynthia took a deep breath before reaching for her t-shirt. She lifted it up to show the three bumps on her hip. Vin and Kal gasped in shock. Dropping the shirt, she stated, “I was born half Killian and half human, and when the government found out I was made to be a savant. I believe you already met my friend, Knower. I’m like him, only I carry different DNA and a very different skill set.”
“Yeah, how is Knower, anyway?” Kal asked.
“Probably in trouble for that little rebellious stunt he and the other savants pulled in the casino the other day. I heard a group of them gamed the system and won over thirty million dollars within a ten minute span. What
ever happens, he’ll be fine. They won’t do anything to him if they catch him,” Cynthia said. “The man is a genius. Besides, I heard a rumor that he and some of the others are getting out. I don’t know what prompted him to do it, but he’s trading the cash for all of their freedom. I only wish I had been there with them.”
“Good for him.” Kal nodded in approval.
“Because of it, though, they’re locking us down,” Cynthia said. “My handler warned me today that I don’t have much time before they flood Las Vegas with agents.”
“Are you sure you can trust him?” Sev unconsciously moved closer to her. His instinct was to protect her.
“I think so. Bruce is a company man, to be sure, but he’s not as bad as the others. He’s always been good to me, at least, as good as he can be. I met with him this morning. He gave me extra medicine and left me to find my own way back to the city. He also warned me that the bosses are stepping up security and their timeline with the Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides investigation. It was his way of buying me a little time. If I had gone back with him, they would have known I was in his car when he checked the vehicle back in. I’m pretty sure someone is ordered to keep tabs on him, just as Bruce is suppose to follow me.”
“I can’t leave,” Angela repeated.
“They don’t know about you,” Cynthia said. “They only care about the aliens. They know the guys are here looking for brides and expect them to be talking to several females. But that’s not all. If they can’t use you to get information about Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides, then they will look for other ways to use you. They’re very interested in alien life spans all of a sudden. If they thought they could get away with it, they might try to keep you here. My guess is they have a lab up and running somewhere looking for test subjects. I have no proof, but that would be like them. It’s not safe, and the longer you stay the more unsafe it becomes.”
“Then we leave,” Carrie said. “All of us. My family has money. We can go to one of the homes—the cabin in Montana, the beach house in Florida, New York, working for the charity in the Philippines. There are great facilities all around the country for your mother to move to. She will be taken care of.”
Blaze: Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides (Intergalactic Dating Agency) Page 6