Dawn Autumn (10 page)

Just as she was biting her nails, trying to decide if she should call 911, Fred stepped out of her apartment and looked up at her. “Come on down. The place is empty.”

Cautiously, she eased down the stairs, still gripping her bat, just in case. Ignoring Fred’s half smirk, she edged into her apartment, looking warily around.

He slammed the door behind her, making her jump. “Like I said, they’re gone. Left an almighty mess in the bathroom, though.”

Wide eyed, she glanced at him, tiptoed to the bathroom and peeked inside. It looked like something had dumped tobacco juice all over the toilet and half of the wall. She gagged as the smell hit her.

Fred looked casually over her shoulder. “Must’ve eaten at a fast food joint. Probably couldn’t hold it in until the next pit stop.”

“That does it.” She was starting to hyperventilate, which only drug the smell deeper into her insulted lungs. Slamming the bathroom door shut, she hurried into her room and rummaged in her closet for a duffle bag. “I’m leaving.”

Fred considered her for a moment and then laid his rifle on the bed. He started to help her. “Good idea. You can move up to my place for the night.”

Startled, then indignant, she rounded on him. “Oh, no. I’m not staying in this zoo another minute! You’re crazy if you think I’m going to stay with you.”

He didn’t pause his packing, casually dumping her drawer of socks and underwear into her bag. “You ran right to me when you were in danger.”

“So? I couldn’t run into the ally. Who knew who might be lurking down there at this time of morning? I couldn’t go running through the streets in my pajamas.”

Shrugging his bare shoulders, Fred shoved some pants in her bag. “Get some shoes on and grab your guitar. You won’t want to leave it.”

“Fred—”

He grabbed her chin, not roughly, but his grip got her attention. Quietly, in a tone she’d never heard before, he ordered, “Get anything you can’t bear to leave. You’re not walking out of here alone, not tonight. You’re sleeping with me.”

Her lips parted on a protest.

“In my home, not my bed. Tonight, at least.” Releasing her, he stared her down until she grudgingly backed out of the room and got her guitar.

“Tyrant,” she muttered under her breath, keeping a wary eye on the fridge. She tried not to think about that tiny part of her that was relived. It was rough and ready, but he was coming to her rescue. Granted, it looked like he wanted to seduce her at the earliest opportunity, but he hadn’t hesitated to search her apartment. If something did jump out of the fridge right now, she knew he’d jump to take it on. He was the type of guy to stand between her and danger, and she was smart enough to appreciate that.

That was the only reason she was going with him.

He came out of the bedroom with the duffle strap slung over one bare shoulder and the rifle in the other. “Ready?”

She wasn’t, but she carried her guitar and amp up to his room anyway. Uneasiness swamped her as she set the amp down. Nothing about this felt natural.

Fred strode in and dumped her bag at her feet. She hadn’t noticed he was barefoot until he pulled his boots on. Mercifully, he also grabbed a black t-shirt, but it didn’t seem to be for her benefit. With one glance at her, he went to the computer in the corner and flipped a switch. A glowing doorway blinked into being in front of the far wall.

Until that moment, Jay hadn’t taken the whole alien thing completely in. It was a lot harder to dismiss with a glowing white portal, complete with elaborate arch, right before her eyes.

Fred hit a few keys, then walked to her side and retrieved her bag. “Ready?”

“What? I’m not going in there! Are you crazy?”

Steady as a rock, he looked at her with implacable calm. “I want you safe, and my place is much better than here. Security has been breached, and this place is going to be crawling with technicians and officers soon. You need to rest, and you won’t be comfortable in a hotel.”

“I need to work tomorrow.”

“I’ll call in for you.” He placed his hand on the small of her back and gently pushed.

She moved forward a few feet and then resisted. “I agreed to stay the night here, not in some...wherever it is you live. I thought you lived here.”

“Think of this place as my office.” His hand slid down lower and caressed her behind. “Did I ever tell you that you’ve got a luscious …?”

“Hey!” Jay jumped forward and turned, keeping her hinny protectively out of his reach. Unnerved by the purposeful way he eyed her, she backed quickly away. “That doesn’t belong to you.”

“That’s debatable.” Unholy humor lit his eyes as he stalked her. “I think you like it.”

“You—” She took that fatal step too far and blinked as dazzling light blinded her. The smell of chemicals assaulted her nose.

Fred’s hand closed around arm, steadying her as he moved her forward.

They exited at a skewed version of an airport. Lines of travelers stood at various portals as the attendants checked their identification and permits before allowing them to move forward. A few of them glanced idly at Fred and Jay as they stepped through, then lost interest. There wasn’t a line waiting to go through to Earth’s portal, and the tall octopi who greeted them seemed supremely bored. Fred nodded to the green attendant, and then took Jay’s slack arm as he towed her on.

Dazed, Jay let him, too busy staring around the huge building to protest. It looked like they’d dropped in the middle of a
Star Battlefield
convention, though she doubted the pointy ears on the bug-eyed, warty blue midget were of the stick-on variety. Only waist high, the creature bounced by, wearing only a brown loincloth and clutching a matching satchel.

Fred shook his head. “I wonder if her parents realize she’s wandering loose.”

Bewildered, Jay just looked at him, but his attention was fixed on a door across the room. Slipping his sunglasses in his pocket, he assumed a bold expression and slid his grip down to twine with her fingers. “Just play along.”

Before she could ask any questions, he strode through the door and surveyed the room. Subtly, his attitude changed. A lethal swagger replaced his usual stride as he prowled up to the desk of a cool blue lady with coal black hair. “Lezza.”

Lezza raised a peaked black brow at his seductive purr. Twisting her pen slowly in her fingers, she looked skeptically over the top at him. Her eyes flickered to Jay, then back to him. “What is it this time, Kutlazx? Another stray you want me to shake up papers for? Can’t you find your sweet-tarts in a respectable sector for a change?”

Fred smiled toothily. “She’s a witness. The papers will facilitate matters.”

Lezza gave him a sour smile and reached for her computer keys. “You’re such a bad liar.”

Triumphant, Fred glanced at Jay, sobering a fraction at her suspicious, edgy expression. When she glanced at Lezza, he knew the reason why. Adopting an innocent expression, he reached for Lezza’s comm and dialed for transportation.

The machine behind Lezza spit out some papers. Reaching back, Lezza tossed them to Jay, along with a pen. “Sign it, make your mark, whatever.”

Jay’s brows lowered ominously. “What is it?”

“Necessary,” Fred said, handing her the pen. “It’s like a passport; nothing major.”

Distrusting his smile, she slowly signed her name where he indicated. The papers were whisked out of her hands as he quickly signed, then handed it back to Lezza, who eyed him with dark amusement. Tapping her pen against her lips, she asked, “How long should I issue the papers for? Two weeks is usually your limit, isn’t it?”

His teeth appeared in a shark-like smile. “Sign the papers, Lezza. I’ll take care of the dating later.”

Her brow quirked, but she half shrugged and made a quick scrawl. Her mouth turned up in a sardonic smile as she glanced at Jay. “Have a pleasant stay.”

Fred snatched up the papers and quickly folded and tucked them away. “She will.”

Jay didn’t appreciate being towed behind Fred—or whatever his name was—at a near jog. It was also a nasty shock to remember she was still dressed in her pajamas and shoes with no socks. No doubt her hair was a wreck, too. As they neared the glass doors to the exit, she noticed that the light looked like mid-morning. Unfortunately, her body still said it was the dark side of four AM. She was tired, crabby, and she felt whining coming on. “Where are we going?”

“My place.” He held the door for her as she trudged through. A sleek orange hover car was waiting for them at the curb. Handing her in, he tossed her stuff beside her and joined her in the backseat. “Complex Seven,” he told the driver.

Edgy, increasingly irritable, Jay watched as the car rose and jetted toward what looked like a royal traffic jam. “This is not where I planned to be this morning.”

Head up, eyes on the traffic, he spared her a look. “You’d rather be serving stale biscotti and third rate coffee to a bunch of grumpy yuppies?”

“The coffee’s not third rate.” She glanced back at the rapidly diminishing transit building.

“Forget it. You’re on vacation. For the next few days, all you have to do is have fun.”

“I’m going to loose my job.”

“You don’t even like that job.”

“It pays the bills,” she said stubbornly.

He just looked at her.

“I can’t just run off and ... and ....”

He kissed her, cutting off her tired tirade. Since they weren’t alone, he reluctantly eased back after a bare moment. “You’re tired. Think about it all later. Rest now,” he whispered against her lips. Settling her against his shoulder, he kissed her hair, then went back to watching traffic.

It was an old habit, one that had saved his life more than once.

The city flashed by, and he glanced at Jay, wondering how she was seeing her first alien metropolis. She was fast asleep. With a grin, he returned to watching for assassins.

* * * *

Jay stirred sleepily as Fred helped her out of the cab and then swung her into his arms. Too tired to care if they were making a spectacle, she let him carry her past the fish-like doorman, across the lobby and to the elevator before she stirred. “Put me down,” she said fretfully.

He smirked, but complied as the large rodent who’d served as their cabbie set her gear inside the elevator. Fred paid the creature, then hit the button for the top floor. As soon as the doors shut, he pulled her into a long, hot kiss, plastering her limp body against his hard length. Only when her knees went limp did he ease back. “Still want to walk?” he whispered against her lips.