“It would have to be somewhere hot,” Angela said, skeptically. “I don’t think our guys would do too well in the colder climates. Florida?”
“Done. We will go to Florida,” Kal stated.
Sev didn’t like where this conversation was going. A tight knot formed in his stomach. “No. We have to go home to Bravon. We were never supposed to stay here. Enough daydreaming, it’s time to face the real world.”
Kal and Vin both looked at him and in that moment he knew. They were not going to come with him.
“Carrie, come on, let’s go in the other room and make arrangements while they talk.” Angela motioned for the woman to follow her.
“Should I…?” Cynthia motioned toward the door, indicating that she might also leave to give them privacy.
“No, stay,” Sev said. He didn’t want her going anywhere.
“Sev, I know you’re disappointed, but please just consider the possibilities here. We don’t have to be ash miners. We don’t have to live in a dark, hot hole in the ground, scraping at rocks to survive,” Kal said. “We can have options.”
“I know it’s frightening,” Vin said. “This place is so big and so full, and I’m going to miss the settlement and our friends, but it’s time for me to grow up and move on. I’m going to be a husband now. I love Angela. I want to have a life with her.”
Sev wanted to ask, What about me? What am I supposed to do? But that would have been selfish, so he held the questions in.
“We know that you said you weren’t going to leave this planet unless all of us were on that transport home.” Kal shared a look with Vin. “So, we think you should stay.”
“No,” Cynthia interjected. “This is insane. Do you know what happens to aliens on Earth? You can’t walk into a doctor’s office. You can’t—”
“Killians don’t need doctors.” Vin glanced at her completely unconcerned. “And we’re not afraid of the risks. After hauling ash, all other threats seem trivial.”
“Life is never certain,” Kal dismissed her worry.
Cynthia went to Sev. Her eyes pleaded with him to understand and she grabbed his arm. “As much as they don’t want you taking brides off the planet, they don’t want unsanctioned aliens staying on the planet.”
“Then they need to believe we left.” Kal nodded, as if it was a simple enough thing to accomplish.
“Exactly,” Vin said. “We’ll convince them we flew away. This place is so big, we’ll find some place with hot temperatures and just disappear into the masses.”
“It’s not that easy,” Cynthia tried to reason.
Sev realized that she was arguing all the points he wanted to make for himself. The moment he accepted that his brother and cousin were really staying, his chest had tightened and he now had a hard time drawing breath. All he could do was stare at them as his entire universe felt like it was crashing all around him.
He was angry at Kal for stealing his thumbprint signature and bringing them on this trip. He hated Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides for their propaganda that first piqued Kal’s interest. And lastly, he was deeply saddened that his brother would be leaving him forever, and that he had no choice in the matter.
Who would take care of Vin? Angela? Could she do it? For a human female, she appeared very tough, but was she strong enough?
Sev looked at his brother, seeing him not as the little kid who had just lost his parents, but as the man he’d become. The playful light was not currently in his eyes as they had this serious conversation. Maybe Vin didn’t need the protection of his big brother anymore. Maybe he was ready to step up and be a man. Maybe Angela’s love had given him that last boost into responsibility.
“Sev?” Cynthia asked gently, breaking into his thoughts. “Are you all right? You’re not speaking.”
He cupped her cheek in reassurance and pulled her into a hug.
“I did say that I would not be leaving this planet unless all of us were on that transport back to Bravon,” Sev answered. “And I have never gone back on my word.”
“Then you will stay?” Vin began to smile.
“No,” Sev shook his head in denial.
“You can’t force us to leave,” Kal said. “There is nothing for me in those mines.”
“Let me finish,” Sev stated. Cynthia stirred against him.
“Fine,” Vin said.
“Go ahead,” Kal added.
“I have never gone back on my word,” Sev repeated. “Until now. I see the love you feel for your women. Kal, I know you were always dreaming beyond the mines, always talking schemes and alternate ways to make a living and contribute to the settlement. There is no room on Bravon for such realities. We’re miners. We’re good at it. It’s what we were born to do. On Earth, you will have many possibilities. It is a good fit for you. And I will miss you every day.”
“As I will miss you,” Kal answered with a stiff nod.
Sev released his hold on Cynthia and moved to stand before his brother. “Vin, you have grown into a fine man. Our parents would be proud to call you a son. Part of love is sacrifice. I know you would come home with me if not for Angela’s mother needing her here. You make that sacrifice for her because you love her. She put her life on hold for many years to take care of her mother, and that has been her sacrifice. And, I make the sacrifice of leaving my family behind because I love you and I know it is what is in your heart.”
Vin’s eyes did something very rare. They moistened with tears. He nodded. “Thank you.”
“Won’t you consider staying?” Kal asked. “Earth has mines. I’m sure they’d hire a guy like you in a galactic second.”
“I can help you disappear,” Cynthia said. “We have a very small window before they send more agents to Las Vegas after Knower and the other savants rebelled to gain their freedom. If Carrie can get you out of the city, I can tell them Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides flew you home. You’ll have to lie low and stay off the government radar for the rest of your lives, but it can be done if you have the resources, which it sounds like Carrie’s family has. After a few months, Angela can come back and transport her mother to a new facility. They won’t think anything about it, if by some off chance they happened to be watching her, which I doubt. Resources are usually pointed in other directions, not at elderly human women in nursing facilities. If you need to make money at the tables, don’t come back to Vegas, but go to smaller casinos like the ones in Kansas or Oklahoma. I would recommend finding something other than gambling, but I get it. When you can see through the cards, it’s a way to make easy money.”
“I really like her,” Kal said.
“Me, too.” Vin nodded in agreement.
“She is amazing,” Sev agreed.
“So, Sev, you’ll come with us to Florida?” Vin asked.
“Carrie won’t mind. She loves family. She’ll gladly help all of us,” Kal offered.
“Galaxy Brides—” Vin began.
“Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides,” Kal corrected as an automatic running joke between them. The company didn’t like it when you shortened their name.
Sev arched a brow. This was serious. Kal looked appropriately subdued and glanced way.
“Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides,” Vin continued, “should be able to procure any paperwork we need.”
“As much as you need to stay here, my place is back on Bravon,” Sev said. “I don’t belong on Earth. There are too many smells, too many people, too much chaos.”
“Not everywhere,” Vin denied. “There are other places to be.”
“I like being a miner,” Sev said. “It’s honest work. I like knowing that I help to secure the future of my people and that what I do everyday matters to their survival. Someone needs to check the air locks and maintain the extendable turbines to keep the settlement safe. They need me and my expertise. And, I need to train others to do it after I’m gone.”
Vin took a deep breath and nodded. “I understand. Since our parents died, there is no one who knows the air locks an
d extendable turbines better than you.”
“I’ve heard the others talking after hours,” Kal said. “You’ve protected us from some very serious near-disasters, and never once bragged about it or asked for a thank you. So, on behalf of everyone, thank you, Sev. You are a good, honorable man and I am proud to call you my cousin.”
Sev hugged his cousin and brother to him and said, “This is definitely the last time we let Kal plan anything.”
Chapter Thirteen
Cynthia watched the family conversation feeling like an outsider looking in. The love this family felt for each other, and their honorable natures were apparent with every word—especially in Sev. Whenever she tried to back awkwardly away to give them some semblance of privacy, Sev would pull her closer to keep her by his side.
Sev was a protector. He looked after his brother and cousin. He worried about the fate of his home planet. The pain of Vin and Kal staying behind was evident in his expression, but not once did he selfishly try to convince them to leave with him just to lessen his own pain. Instead, he spoke of sacrifice.
If Cynthia had ever doubted how she felt for Sev, this moment made it very clear. He was a man worthy of love. He deserved someone to sacrifice for him, to care for him, to protect him. She wanted to be that person more than anything.
“I’ll talk to Carrie,” Kal said, going toward the bedroom where the women waited. “We’ll start making arrangements.”
“I’ll call Gary and Bob,” Vin added, following Kal. “See what they can do for us.”
“Everyone should make sure their bags are packed and ready to go,” Sev ordered. “One way or another, we’ll be leaving tonight.” He gave her a meaningful look. “All of us.”
“Sev, I know what I said before about not telling anyone about my orders, but things have changed. You should make sure Galaxy Brides knows the Earth government is on to them,” Cynthia said. “They should clear the grooms out of Las Vegas immediately. It will also look better for all of you if they disappear as well. It will be more convincing that you all flew away together.”
“On it,” Vin agreed. He shut the bedroom door behind him.
“I think Galaxy Brides is already in the process of rounding everyone up,” Sev said once they were alone. “I have a feeling that after this first trip went so badly, Earth won’t be seeing much more of the Galaxy Brides folks.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Cynthia countered. “If intergalactic big business is anything like Earth, corporations don’t let go of a money making scheme just because there were a few setbacks. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing them again after they analyze and regroup, just maybe not in Las Vegas.”
Sev pulled her into his arms. “I hated that I woke up, and you were gone. Which actually reminds me. I don’t know how to pilot a car, so your vehicle is still parked at the hotel. I locked your keys inside of it, though, so you would have them. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“It’s a rental,” Cynthia dismissed, not worrying about a car that had been rented by her bosses. If they cared enough to retrieve it, they would send someone. “We have much more important things to discuss—like getting you home.”
“Come with me.” Sev held her tighter. “You said you wanted to see the planet, so come. Live with me if it pleases you, but I’ll take care of you, regardless. Move to Bravon with me. Meet your father’s people. I promise they will not care that you are half human because in our world a Killian is a Killian. You are one of us.”
She pressed her hand into her pocket, feeling the spray canister outlined by the material. As much as she wanted a future with him, she knew that was not in the hand she’d been dealt by fate. If she stayed on Earth, they would always be able to find her. Even if she managed to escape like Knower had, found some endless supply of the chemical restraint, she would constantly be looking over her shoulder for fear the government would bring her back in.
If she tried to go to Bravon, the withdrawal would probably kill her in the most painful way imaginable. She wondered if she would even last long enough to see the planet. Part of her wished she had the opportunity to find out. The other part of her, the more logical, rational part, knew her fate was sealed. She had very few options in life.
“As much as I’d like to see that world, I can’t go. I’m sorry, Sev.” She lowered her eyes, unable to take the look on his face.
She felt Sev brace himself under her hold. “May I ask why?”
Cynthia reached into her pocket and pulled out the canister. “Because of this. Without it, I don’t have much of a future. And the only way to get this chemical restraint is to obey the people who give it to me.”
“Who are these people? I will force them to give it to us,” Sev stated.
Cynthia put a calming hand on his arm. “They call themselves the government, so if anyone tries to look for them, they’ll just find the regular old government. My bosses are just my bosses. I don’t know them. I can’t find them and ask them for a supply. I could try to find Knower to see if he has extra, but really by the time I track him down, I’ll probably have succumbed to withdrawal symptoms.”
“I do not accept that there isn’t a solution,” Sev stated. “Tell me, though. If it were up to you, would you want to come with me?”
“Yes.” Cynthia nodded. “But it’s not up to me.”
“That is all I need to know,” Sev pulled her against him, burying her head against his chest. “I will figure this out. I promise. I will take care of you.”
Chapter Fourteen
“It’s Bruce,” Cynthia whispered, pushing her arm in front of the group and urging them back down the hotel hallway. Vin and Kal pulled roller bags behind them. Angela and Carrie clutched purses. Sev didn’t bring anything with him. “They must have found where you were staying.”
Sev followed her lead, knowing she understood how her employers thought better than any of them. Gary and Bob were waiting with a transport, but it was up to them to find a safe way out of the hotel.
“How? We didn’t tell anyone,” Vin answered.
“Who do you think moves your belongings each time you switch hotels?” Cynthia waved that they should move faster. “We’ve been following you through the concierge network. Each time your bags are moved from one hotel to another, someone knows about it. Secret agents you guys are not.”
“Here.” Sev ushered the group into a vending nook and gestured that they should all cram inside against the far wall.
“Let me. If they see me, I can say I was waiting for you to come back.” Cynthia pulled him away from the opening and leaned to watch the reflection of the hallway in the vending machine’s plastic.
“Hey, does anyone have a dollar?” Vin whispered.
“Shh,” Cynthia hushed him.
Sev turned to see his brother staring at the candy in the vending machine. He was about to say something about sugar when Angela beat him to it.
“Don’t even think it,” Angela warned under her breath.
“But,” Vin began.
“No.” Angela gave him a meaningful look. “What did I say?”
“I can’t have candy or ice cream or pie or cheesecake because sugar makes me crazy,” Vin grumbled.
“That’s right,” Angela said.
Cynthia held up her hand, and they instantly quieted. Sev reached for her fingers, holding her hand. He squeezed lightly.
When she turned to him, he stiffened to see the look on her face. He slowly shook his head in denial knowing before she acted that she was going to leave. Cynthia leaned toward him, pressing her lips to his before moving to whisper in his ear. “He’s not turning around. Others will come. I can mislead them. Go home, be safe.”
He gripped her tighter as an answer. He couldn’t let her go.
“I can’t go with you, Sev. I wish I could, but this is our goodbye.” She pulled back, and he stared into her eyes. “I feel.”
“I feel, too,” he answered.
“This is my sacrifice for you. Protect you
r family. Get them to safety and then get yourself home.” She pulled from his grasp and hurried out into the hallway. Her voice loud, she called, “Bruce,” as the sound of her footfall ran away from him.
“Vin,” Sev turned to his brother. “I can’t leave her. No matter what happens to me, get them to safety. I have to go after Cynthia.”
“We’re family. We fight together,” Vin stated.
“Protect your women,” Sev ordered. “I’m going after mine.”
He ran out of the vending nook toward their hotel room. He saw Cynthia talking to a man, motioning frantically. The man nodded, looking as if he would follow her directions when he saw Sev coming for them.
“What the…?” Bruce asked in surprise. He fumbled inside his jacket before producing a gun that had been hidden there.
Sev didn’t stop. He cocked back his arm and started to punch before he was all the way to them. As his fist made contact, Bruce’s jaw snapped and flung backward onto the ground. His gun flew out of his hand down the hallway. The man pushed up, charging at Sev like a feral beast. His shoulder made contact with Sev’s stomach, and Sev found himself pinned to the wall.
“Bruce,” Cynthia said evenly. A click sounded, and it was enough to make Bruce stop. Sev pushed Bruce off of him to find Cynthia holding the man’s gun.
“I feel, Cynthia, and you feel. I’m not leaving without you,” Sev stated.
“Cynthia, you can’t do this,” Bruce said. “Think about it. Not for him. You know what will happen to you.”
“I don’t want this life.” She looked from Bruce to Sev. “I’m sorry to leave you in this position, Bruce, but I’d rather be free for two painful days than the government’s forced agent for an eternity. It’s one thing to protect women from being abducted. It’s another to capture aliens for experimentation. I won’t put anyone through the hell they put me through.”
Blaze: Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides (Intergalactic Dating Agency) Page 7