“Do you need a hand?” I called out to him, but he waved me away.
“Got it under control.”
A couple of people from other departments wandered in. They gave us grim smiles.
“How’s it looking out there?” asked the male half of the pair.
“Not good,” I replied. “Any news from your department?”
He shook his head. “No, sorry.”
“At least we’ve still got power and the communications are working,” the woman pointed out.
“Don’t know how long that will last,” his companion said glumly.
“But we’re alive and we’re safe,” I replied. “We need to be grateful for what we have because there are a lot of people out there today who don’t even have that.” My tone came across sharper than I’d intended. I was still feeling bad for abandoning people in the city, and the last thing I wanted to hear were people complaining. We were sitting pretty here, at least for the moment.
I was never one hundred percent sure what the other pockets of teams did in the Observatory. They weren’t as hands-on as us. Most dealt with things like admin and IT.
The scent of coffee and bacon drifted out from the industrial kitchen, and I realized Aleandro had started cooking.
Before long, he handed me a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon, all on top of hot, crispy toast.
“The eggs were dried,” he said. “Sorry.”
My stomach gurgled appreciatively. “Don’t be sorry. This looks amazing.”
He’d made enough for everyone, and he put a separate plate under the heater. “That’s for Casey.”
We sat down to eat, and I watched Mike and Aleandro, realizing how little I knew about them—Aleandro in particular, though Mike had always been private about his home life.
“Have you been able to get in touch with your families?” I asked them between mouthfuls.
Aleandro shook his head. “My mother and sisters are down in Phoenix.”
“How badly was Phoenix hit?”
“Same as everywhere else, from what I can tell.”
I reached across the table and took his hand, squeezing his fingers. “I’m sure they’re fine.”
His chin went to his chest and he nodded, and I could see he was hiding his dark eyes from me, glassy with unshed tears. I’d been lucky that I’d been able to grab the people who were important to me, and bring them with me, and the only other important people in my life were right here already. I couldn’t imagine them still being out there and me, unable to find out if they were alive or dead.
“What about you, Mike?” I asked my other colleague.
He shrugged and ran his hands up and down the tattoos on his forearms as though comforting himself. “I don’t really have anyone, so it’s not a problem.”
I blinked in surprise. “You don’t? Why not?”
It wasn’t any of my business, but the question had left my mouth before I had the chance to stop it.
“I was adopted. Wealthy, older couple. They didn’t really know how to love with anything other than money. I should be grateful. They paid for my education and got me here, but I always knew I was a disappointment to them deep down.”
“Shit, I’m sorry. What happened to them?”
“They died a few years ago. My adoptive father died of heart failure and my adoptive mother had a stroke not long after. I don’t think she really knew how to live without him. Honestly, I don’t think either of them should have tried to be parents. They were more than happy just with each other. I came between that love, and I knew it.”
My heart went out to him. “Shit, I’m sorry, Mike.”
“It’s fine. I ended up here, didn’t I? I didn’t have to grow up in the system. I shouldn’t complain.”
I gave him a smile. I’d been lucky with my family, and even though it was only me and Molly now, we’d had a happy childhood growing up. That happiness had been brought to an end when we’d lost both our parents in a car accident, but I’d been an adult by that point and had been made legal guardian of Molly, so we’d been able to stay together. It hadn’t been easy—far from it—but it made the two of us closer than we’d ever been.
I got to my feet. “We should probably get back upstairs, give Casey a chance to come down and eat.”
Mike swallowed his last mouthful of food. “I expect your sister and friend will be hungry when they wake up, too.”
My thoughts had been so caught up in the men, I hadn’t thought about them for the moment. I hoped neither Molly, but especially Tara, set their sights on any of the guys. I didn’t know why I felt so protective over the men, but I did.
Protective, was that the right word? Or was it more possessive?
“I need to go and do a patrol of the building,” Aleandro said, rising to his feet. “And check the security cameras, too.”
“We’ll come with you on the way back up to relieve Casey.”
He gave me a look that flipped my insides. “Thanks, Camille.”
I helped clear away the used dishes and stacked them in the industrial dishwasher. When we were done, we headed back up to ground level, nodding goodbye to the other people we’d shared the cafeteria with as we went.
Mike and I waited while Aleandro went over to the security desk where a number of screens showed live feed of the exterior of the building and the surrounding area. The moment Aleandro glanced down at the screens, he frowned, and my stomach knotted.
He looked back to where we were standing, his lips thinned. “We’ve got company.”
Chapter Seven
I rushed over to join Aleandro behind the security desk so I could see the footage for the security cameras on the outside of the building. Several large, black SUVs had pulled up outside, and now a number of men were climbing out.
“Do you think these are the people sent to coordinate the rescue effort?” I asked our head of security.
Aleandro shook his head. “They don’t look military to me. They look more like government men.”
I didn’t like the sound of that.
Mike pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, swiped the screen, and placed it to his ear. “Casey, you’d better get down here. We’ve got visitors.”
All of a sudden, the idea of hunkering down here with my sister and Tara and the guys seemed like a pipedream. That was never going to happen with strangers coming and going. This place was going to end up filled with testosterone, and often, too much testosterone in an already tense situation wasn’t a good thing.
“What about our supplies?” I asked. “The cafeteria is stocked for the moment, but it won’t last long with an influx of new arrivals.”
Mike put the phone back in his pocket. “If they’re government, they should be able to get a fresh shipment in. One thing you can count on for their kind is that they’ll always make sure they take care of themselves first.”
Aleandro nodded down at the cameras again. “Looks like they’re not alone.”
In the distance, a different kind of vehicle came into view—what appeared to be light-armored versions of a Humvee.
“Now that’s the army,” he said.
I gritted my teeth. I was going to have to get used to this. As much as I wanted this to be our little sanctuary, we needed to come together now and use our expertise to put things right again. We still hadn’t heard from any alternate races claiming responsibility for the attack, and neither had we been given any sign that more was coming. It was strange not knowing, and the wait was making me anxious.
Movement came from behind us, and I glanced over to see Casey hurrying toward us. His brow was furrowed, his hazel eyes sharp behind his glasses. “We should go and greet them,” he said as he approached. “They need to know who we are and why our presence is important here.”
I glanced between the men’s faces. “Do you think they’re going to blame us for not spotting the asteroid strike?”
Mike shrugged. “No one else in the world predicted it either, so I can’t see
why we should be singled out.”
“But people act in strange ways when they’re frightened,” I insisted. “We can’t predict how anyone is going to act.” The men outside looked like they’d been sent here by a higher power, but how did we really know we could trust them?
Aleandro stepped up. “I’m armed. If things start to go awry, I’ll fire a couple of warning shots.”
I twisted my lips in worry. “They’re going to be armed, too. I don’t want this to end up as a shooting match, especially if they see you’re the one armed, Aleandro. I don’t want you shot.”
“It won’t come to that,” Casey said. “We just need to play it cool and make them understand that we’re all on the same side.”
Mike nodded. “Agreed.”
Together, we made our way to the front of the building and stopped in the entrance foyer while Aleandro opened the huge metal shutters that had been in place when I’d arrived with Molly and Tara. The shutters rattled their way up over the massive glass doors that made up the entrance, revealing the men and vehicles beyond.
Aleandro stepped forward and unlocked the doors.
A man in his forties, wearing an army combat uniform, nodded his greeting to us as he stepped through into the building. His men followed, and quickly we went from being only a handful of people in the big space to feeling overcrowded. Wanting to take control of the situation, I stepped forward to greet the man who appeared to be in charge of the new arrivals.
“Hi, I’m Camille Harran, and I’m one of the scientists based here. We got word that you were coming.”
The soldier glanced down at my offered hand and then shook it. “Sergeant Simon Byrd. Thank you for accommodating us.”
The tension inside me unwound a fraction. “You’re welcome. Anything we can do to help. Are you going to use the Observatory as a base?”
He nodded. “Yes, it makes the most sense. We’ve been instructed to bring anything useful we find back here to you.”
“Sounds good.” I glanced over his shoulder to where more than twenty men awaited a command. “Please, make yourselves comfortable while you’re here.” I didn’t know why, but something about the way the men he had with him were standing together made me think they didn’t know each other. “Is this your normal unit?”
He shook his head. “No. We’ve had to pull men in from different units from all over. We lost a lot of men during the attack.”
Both Molly and Tara must have become aware of the new arrivals, and had made their way down to join us. If I’d thought there was any possibility of danger from the men, I’d have sent them both upstairs again, but everyone seemed to be as relaxed as they could be, given the current circumstances.
“You think that was what this is?” Mike asked him. “Definitely an attack, not some freak natural disaster?”
“If we’d seen it coming, then maybe I’d say it was a freak of nature, but the way those things appeared with no warning, I can’t believe it wasn’t intentional. I only wish we had some idea who was behind it and what the fuck their plans are next.”
I nodded in agreement. “Me, too.”
Sergeant Byrd motioned over his shoulder for his men to move deeper into the building. He frowned at one of the soldiers passing and lifted a hand to tell him to halt. “Soldier, what did you say your name was again?”
I took in the sight of the man he’d spoken to, and my breath caught. He was beautiful, there was no other word for it. His deep-brown eyes had flecks of gold around the pupils and were framed by thick, dark lashes. He had a face blessed with high cheekbones, a square jaw, a strong nose—all the type of bone structure you’d see on a catwalk model. But it was his mouth that drew most of my attention. His lips were full, the bottom one almost pouty, and the thought of running my tongue across the seam of his mouth flashed into my head.
My cheeks heated, and I forced myself to glance away, fully aware that I’d been staring. Suddenly, all my nerve endings felt like they were on fire, and my breath was tight in my chest, my heart racing. I’d never had a man make such an impact on me before, as though simply being face to face with him was enough to act like a physical blow.
“It’s Private Dean Lambert, Sergeant.”
“Of course. Find us an area of this building we can use to coordinate from, and then come and report back.”
He ducked his head. “Yes, Sergeant.”
“I can show you an area that might work,” I blurted at the beautiful man I now knew was called Dean. “Come with me.”
He nodded and then followed as I led him through the Observatory. We were down to skeleton staff, due to it being a night shift on when the attack had happened. Almost all of our colleagues were based in the city, and though we’d tried to contact them, they were unreachable. I didn’t know if that was simply that they hadn’t had their phones with them when the attack had started, or their phones had been destroyed, or perhaps they were simply fleeing with loved ones, though I had no idea where they thought they’d go. I preferred thinking that was what had happened to them, rather than the other option, which was that they were all dead.
I could feel the gazes of the other men on me as I walked away, with Dean Lambert following. I knew each of them would be shooting me a knowing look if I dared to glance over at them. Had I been that obvious? It had been obvious to me—like a thunderclap going off inside my head—but I hoped I’d hidden it well.
Molly and Tara got busy inviting the other new arrivals inside as well. They were all going to need feeding, and I guessed eventually would need somewhere to sleep as well. The army men were probably happy on the floor with a roll-out mattress, but the government officials would expect something more highbrow. Tough shit. They’d have to make do with the couches like the rest of us.
I noted how both Tara and Molly watched the new influx of people. There seemed to be men from all walks of life—rougher, tougher army boys, to suited, serious officials. There were plenty of gorgeous men among them, and excitement fluttered at my insides. I knew I really shouldn’t be thinking about that right now, and there were far more important things to be doing, but Tara and Molly exchanged a knowing glance with each other, and I hid a smile. The male company was a welcome distraction, and if they were going to be based here for the next few days, or perhaps even longer, depending on what unfolded, I was fairly sure they’d appreciate a few women around, too.
I led Dean to the offices based at the rear of the Observatory. Glass walls and doors separated each of the rooms from the main area. I hoped it would be enough space for them all. I wondered how long it would take for the government or army to decide we weren’t of much help, and kick us out completely. We needed to move forward with whatever was happening and prove that we were of use to our country. I didn’t want to get fired for missing the first strike. But our country needed us to watch the skies above more than ever, and we definitely needed Mike to monitor communications. News of what happened here would get back to inhabited planets sooner rather than later, and I felt sure someone would reach out to us. We wouldn’t be in the dark forever.
“What’s your name?” Dean asked from over my shoulder.
I turned to him. “Camille.”
My heart raced at his smile.
“I’m Dean.”
“Yeah, I know.” I gestured in the direction we’d come. “I overheard you tell your sergeant.”
“Oh, right.”
“Have you traveled far to get here?” I asked him, trying to sound nonchalant and as though I was just being polite, rather than wanting to know every little detail about who this beautiful man was.
“A little distance,” he said. “I was stationed outside of the city, but we got hit. Lost a lot of men. I wanted to be able to make a difference, so when I heard soldiers were needed to work out of here, I hiked and hitchhiked my way over and met up with Sergeant Byrd and his unit.”
“I’m so sorry you lost men. I was in the city when it started. I managed to get out and brought my fri
end and sister with me, but I saw a lot of horrible stuff along the way. Have you got family who might have been affected?” What I was really asking was ‘Have you got a wife or girlfriend?’ but I didn’t intend on being so obvious.
But he shook his head. “No, it’s just me.” A frown tweaked his smooth brow. “There have been times when I’ve felt jealous seeing the other men getting letters and photographs from home, thinking it must be nice to feel as though someone is missing you, but right now I can’t imagine how hard it must be. Most of them have no idea if their loved ones are alive or dead.” He looked to me, locked me in his deep-brown gaze, and I felt like I was falling, drawn into the circle of gold around his irises. “What about you? Have you got anyone out there?”
I had to break myself from the whirlpool of his stare to focus enough to answer his question. He did strange things to me, and I wasn’t sure how much I liked it, that lack of control.
“I was lucky,” I said finally. “It’s only me and my sister, and I managed to rescue my best friend.” I looked back in the direction we’d come. “That’s who was behind me in the foyer.”
He gave me a smile, and it lit up his face. “You’re lucky you have them with you.”
I nodded in agreement. “Yes, I really am.”
“So, you’re a scientist here?”
“That’s right. I’m a planetary scientist with a special interest in extraterrestrial life.”
“And those other guys with you? Are they the same?”
I shook my head. “No. One is a meteorologist, and the other is in communications.”
“And the big guy?”
I laughed. “Aleandro is head of security here.”
“Small team,” he pointed out.
“We were hit in the middle of the night, so most of us weren’t here. I’d finished for the night myself when it happened, and was at home in bed.”
“You managed to get back in, though.”
I nodded. “Yes, I felt I had to. I don’t know what happened to the others. Most of the staff here lived in Las Vegas, so there’s a good chance they were killed.” My eyes blurred with tears at the thought, and I turned my face away, not wanting this stranger—however gorgeous he might be—to see my grief.
Their Invasion- Planet Athion Page 5
