Domestic Duet: Domestic Alliance & Asset (34 page)

He looked to Montage. “How many of our males are on the site?”

“Ten on the ground ready to greet the shuttle. Twenty of our younger males are waiting in the surrounding grove of trees.” He looked at Sadie. “She’s right, but what’ll keep them from doing this again? I say we let their government see what happens when they cross a karuntee by taking out the police force.”

She tensed. “Aroc, if you do that, anyone—human or karuntian—that made a living off these fuel exchanges legally, are done and will go bankrupt in a matter of weeks.”

Aroc cursed using karuntian terms she’d heard only once before and knew they were vile. He growled under his breath. “Take ten males from here to the launch site. We’ll join you after I settle some things here.”

She ran her hands up his ribcage, feeling the steady beat of his heart under his warm skin. His bare chest shined as if polished marble under the streetlights with his vest open down to his cargo pants waistband. Their bodies touching gave her a sensation she’d never felt with another man.

“I’ll take my males to the launch site. I’m in control of that, Sadie, and when I tell you to leave, you don’t argue…no discussion," he ordered.

“I can—”

“I have a lifetime of battle experience and I’m built to take the hit, you’re not,” he warned. “You did your job flushing out the thieves. And you, sweet female, have little battle skills so my words are rule, Ochi.”

She suppressed the argument welling up in her throat, wanting to join him in the fight. She resigned to his wishes, for now. “Where’s Norese?

“In your home with Ryner’s housekeeper.” He gave her that wicked dark stare that melted her fight every time, and then nodded agreement on Norese’s location.

"I have to go.” The kiss he gave her was warm and patient, tenderly tugging her bottom lip into his mouth past the tips of his serrated teeth. When they separated, she saw the man, not just the alien, in his black and burgundy eyes.

“Be careful, Sadie.” Aroc’s gentle tone held so much concern, it made her look at him a second and third time. He squeezed her and whispered that sweet karuntian word in her ear, the heat of his breath warming her entire body.

With a quick wink, Sadie took off down the alley, dodging the squad car turning the corner and prayed Farkus got out of there in time.

Chapter 19

Carnival-like music from the summer festival filled the air as cars sped away from their homes, hurrying to be first in line for the fireworks. Men filed out of the Edwards’ home like a well-tailored stream of smoke, lining the hot sidewalk down toward their cars parked along the boulevard.

Sadie crouched behind the fender of a mint-green Plymouth. Gripping the taillights, she ducked her face out far enough to see her chance and sprinted toward the fence. She hiked up the hem of her dress, hurdling over the metal fence, cursing as she skinned her shin.

“I’m too old for this.” Shoving her uniform dress down, she scanned the area before going around to the side of the house.

Another fence. Dag!

Grabbing up her hem, she wadded the cotton in her hands, hurdled the neighbor’s fence to wait for Oliver to emerge from the crowd of men on the sidewalk.

“I told Savannah you’d explain it better."

Hearing Oliver’s voice, she pivoted on her shoes. Her attention landed on Timothy and Savannah standing, with small suitcases clutched under white-knuckled grips.

“Sadie, what’s happening?”

“Savannah, whatever Oliver told you, you have to believe him. I can’t go into this now because…” She eyed Oliver. “Does she know about...the Karuntians?”

Savannah twisted her mouth in disbelief. When she spoke her words quavered on her lips. “He did and I still don’t believe him, but I’m scared for me and my boy. After everything Oliver’s said and the things I’ve noticed over the past few months, I know something’s going on.” She touched her cheek, her fingers trembling. “Sadie, I’ve always treated you with respect and honesty. Did my Richard do what Oliver said, steal from the government?”

Getting close, Sadie held her hands in hers, feeling the ache building in her chest at the anguish on Savannah’s face. “You know that file you saw in his office meant more than what he told you. I never wanted you to get hurt, that’s one of the reasons I stayed on this case. You’re a good person and I want you and Timothy as far away from all of this as possible.”

“You’re the salt of the earth, Sadie Ochi Alexander—the salt!”

A bit choked up, Sadie pivoted around to face Oliver strapping a phaser gun under his suit jacket.

“Karuntee are filling Hilden Street and Farkus is in no mood for reasoning. He’s out for blood…red blood."

Oliver’s head snapped back. "Shit!”

“The alien is down here now on Earth,” Savannah cried, her eyes stretched wide, dropping her suitcase to grab up Timothy.

Sadie nodded.

“Can you stop him?" Oliver asked, looking down the street at the men getting in their cars.

"Stop him, yes. Stop a large army of karuntee bent on revenge, not likely.” What sort of influence did everyone think she had with Aroc? She wasn’t his advisor.

“How many?” he asked in a short, clipped tone. She stared into his stern face, his chiseled features shadowed by the house, but he just repeated his words stiffer this time. “How. Many?”

She frowned, the bloody picture unfolding in her mind. “Enough to make cleanup a messy, all day job for some poor street cleaner.”

“Oh have mercy, Sadie. What’s happening?” Savannah cringed. Norma and Ernestine came around the corner in all black tucking phasers in their waistbands. The shock on Savannah’s face told her there was no way to leave her on Earth after this. “Norma…Ernestine, you ladies know about this alien thing going on with my husband?”

“Mrs. Edwards,” Norma said, “Your husband’s stealing from the government—our government.” Bracing a hand to her chest, she shook her head tilting it sideways. “The same one we all pay taxes to every month of every year from the income we earned. Stealing hurts everybody.”

Savannah’s face paled under the approaching moonlight. “I’m so sorry. I never—”

“What, never knew? You knew, Mrs. Edwards,” Ernestine said in her snarky tone Sadie didn’t care for. “You just didn’t want to get involved—self-preservation. We get it.” Ernestine added with a lift to her nose while eyeing Savannah’s attire with a disgusted frown. “But don’t worry, Sadie won’t turn you in, because you always treated her with respect. Not a quality Norma and I can say about our bosses. Don’t judge a person’s character by their profession.”

Sadie wanted to tell her to stop, knew Savannah in her own way was aware things weren’t perfect as she pretended they were.

Changing the subject before it got ugly, she said, “Let’s get off this street and go shut down this rogue.”

“Go in together—come out together,” Norma chanted, looking around the neighborhood.

Oliver took Savannah’s hand. “We have to get you two out of here, now before there’s bloodshed.”

“Damn it, Sadie. Aroc’s scent is all over you. Katherine carried that wild funky scent I hated. What is it about those freaks?”

“Can you piss on me later? Our planet is about to become the main course at a karuntee buffet.”

“Guess I lost another partner to the karuntee world.”

Sadie’s heart slowed. “Oliver, we both know Aroc didn’t kill Katherine. You need to move past this hurt and get on with your life.”

Oliver appeared to hover with information that would save the world when his eyes brightened. What would he tell her? “He never told you what happened in the hospital, did he?”

“Told me what?” she asked, her interest waning to even know. With a war about to erupt, Sadie searched the street for her karuntee—a particularly large one with an appetite for battle.

“I knew something was wrong.” Oliver’s hands on her shoulders turned her to face him, bringing her attention to see the sour scowl on his face. “The day Katherine and the baby died…in the hospital…Aroc swore our paths would cross and he’d make me pay for attacking him.”

She choked, unbelieving his arrogance. “So mating with me is his way of getting back at you for what happened in the hospital?”

Oliver set his sad eyes on her. “You mated with him—not just had sex? You went through with the ritual?”

“I’m not fighting with you now.”

Oliver spun around, shoving a hand under his hat scratching his head before he came back over. “When did Aroc become serious about you two wanting to become mated?”

The picture unfolded in color and a cloud shifted from over her brain revealing a truth she hadn’t seen. “After I told him you’d asked me out.”

“That does sound suspect, Sadie. Check him out, girl,” Ernestine commented, resting back on her heels.

“Oliver, this is my personal business you’re tossing around like front page news.”

“Don’t you see, Sadie? He’s taking you the same way he took Katherine.”

"Oliver...no, if you want a friendship with me, leave Aroc out of it.”

“You told me you slept with Aroc months ago. Why wait until now to become mated? C’mon, Sadie, open your eyes. He’s using you!”

Had Aroc misrepresented himself to her all these months to spite Oliver?

She waved off his words, shaking her head in denial. “Don’t drop this on one side. You both used my friendship to your advantage. You didn’t have a problem using that advantage when I was the maid without a voice.”

Oliver appeared to shrink some at her words. “I never used you. Think about it, Sadie. He works with Ryner and allows you access no one else has. Of course he knew we’d eventually become partners. It afforded him the opportunity to get back at me for accusing him of Katherine’s death in front of his men.”

Oliver’s words would place a reasonable amount of doubt on Aroc’s behavior if she didn’t know Aroc. But she did. Yet, their relationship, ripe with tension both sexual and emotional, didn’t require a lot to push them to the next level.

Oliver closed his hands around her shoulders. "Go change. Then make certain Aroc wants you and not just because I wanted you.”

She lowered her voice and touched his face to look into his eyes. “Oliver, please try and forgive and allow Katherine’s memories to console your heart. You have it all wrong.”

Together they spun on their heels at the cacophony of pounding footsteps on the ground coming around the back of the house. Captain Ryner emerged, strapping a belt around his waist while checking his weapon’s setting. He shook his head. "You two are going to get yourselves killed and a lot of innocent people.” He clipped his transporter inside his waistband. "You're so much alike you can't see its not romantic attraction. Cantrell, you think Aroc will hurt her so you’ve attached yourself to Sadie. Saving Sadie won’t save Katherine. Let's go help Aroc before he decides to kill the treaty and litters our streets with dead bodies."

Their problem couldn't be that easy. “Captain, how's Leslie?"

Pride burned under his features, illuminating his fierce eyes. He was a proud father. "She and our son, Ellis, are strong and healthy. But the moon is going to change soon and I can't have unrest while Sector Five’s plunged into darkness. There’ll be dead bodies floating through the atmosphere."

Oliver held up a hand. "Good to know, but, Sadie, we have a problem. Isn’t that Theresa coming down the sidewalk?"

Sadie whirled around seeing her sister. She bolted down then dragged her back into the space between the two houses. "What are you doing? Why aren't you at work at the hospital?"

"Sadie, what's going on? You've been too secretive these last few months and when I went up to your apartment you'd locked the door. You never lock your doors. And who drives the big Buick?" She nodded to Savannah and Timothy. Savannah gave her a tight smile.

"Theresa…you have to listen and trust me when I say I can’t tell you everything. Do you trust me?”

“What’s going on, girl? Are you in trouble? Need money?”

They were running out of time. “Listen to me. I’m not at liberty to give out the details. Come with me and I’ll explain as soon as I can.”

Savannah drew back behind Oliver. Timothy fought her hold, excited at seeing what had to be the equivalent of giants in his eyes. At his age, he probably believed they were in costume for a party.

Theresa stuttered. “Oh sweet Georgia, what is that…that…big thing with the chrome dome lurching down the street?" She flung her purse at the karuntees hulking down the sidewalk. Bending down she grabbed a rock, in a manic flurry of things to throw at the males. “Eat dirt and die you freak,” she hollered grabbing at Sadie’s arm urging her to run.

Aroc and his males came closer. A band of marauders dodging the flying objects. Wrenching the rock from Theresa grip, Sadie tossed them to the ground. It hit the ground with a thud.

"They’re okay. Don't freak out, that's what I'm trying to tell you. I know them. Those are male karuntee from the dark side of the moon—in outer space."

Theresa shot Sadie a hard glance. “Outer what? Are you doing hippie drugs from the beautiful people selling herbs down at the fruit market?” she said making air quotes. “You’re talking with street people now. Sadie, you’ve always been too trusting, needing to help everybody. Those are crazy’s from Eloise’s mental ward.”