“No. Absolutely not. I am coming with you. What if something happens to you? What if the Torgon arrive?”
A tense silence ensued while Janaya and Hinekiri fought it out in a duel of glares.
Luke froze sure he saw a flash of purple in Janaya’s eyes. “Quit that. Hinekiri, are you sure you won’t change your mind?”
Evidently, Hinekiri caught the same warning signals he did. “All right,” she said in a snippy voice. “I’d like to point out that I’ve been managing on my own for some time. You sure know how to rain on a girl’s parade!”
“Huh?” Janaya said.
“Never mind,” Luke said. He did not want to think about his father and sex in the same sentence. “Just go. Out the back way. And take this.” He handed Janaya a gun and she tucked it out of sight. Luke opened a second door that led to a corridor and the rear entrance to the police station.
“Told ya they’d try and sneak out the back,” a short, skinny man crowed. He shoved a fluffy black microphone in Luke’s face. “Can I have a comment about the aliens? What do they look like? Is there any truth that they have green suction caps all over their faces?”
His father groaned. “For God’s sake. Will you people get a life?” He shoved past, using his superior height to shoulder the reporter out of the way.
“Don’t I know you?” the reporter asked, frowning at Luke.
“I don’t think so. Dad, I’ll see you back at the house.” His father escorted Hinekiri past the waiting reporters while Luke grabbed Janaya by the arm for a quiet word. “Please, sweetheart. Be careful. Try and keep a lid on that temper of yours. I can’t afford any more attention. We have enough to cope with now.”
“I’ll be careful. I promise.”
And Luke knew she meant it. Sincerity blazed from her violet eyes.
“I do know him!” the reporter shouted. He grabbed his photographer by the shoulder. “Turn the camera on and keep filming until I tell you to stop.”
“You’re Luke Morgan. Married to Victoria, daughter of Sir Robert Paykel.”
Aw, shit. Was his past going to follow him round for the rest of his life? Hadn’t he paid enough?
“No comment?” the reporter said, his manner arch and a trifle sly. “Detective Luke Morgan was recently acquitted of heading a drug cartel in Auckland,” he said for the camera.
“Luke?” Janaya stepped up beside him jerking his thoughts from the past and the hell he’d gone through trying to clear his name. “Should I help clear the area?”
Alarm exploded through Luke. “No.” Hell, no! “I’m fine. Just keep an eye on Dad and Hinekiri. Keep them out of trouble. I’ll be fine.”
Janaya nodded and strode off without looking back. Luke couldn’t have stopped his appreciation of the view to save himself. Sex appeal oozed from her with each gentle sway of her hips. The smooth stride and sensual flex of her butt tied his gut in knots. Man, he had it bad.
“Nice ass,” the photographer said. “Can we get back to the subject at hand?”
Luke bit back his instinctive protest. If he didn’t make a big deal then the reporter wouldn’t pay any attention to her.
“Who’s the broad? Does Victoria know you’ve replaced her already? Is it payback because Victoria played around with your best mate?”
The reporter’s raised voice attracted the attention of others. Soon there was a pack of the bloody reporters baying for his blood. Uneasiness hit him square in the gut. Luke felt the old dread, the sense of out of control and helplessness pressing against his chest. His past was about to bite him on the arse. Knowing there was nothing he could do in the way of damage control, he decided to head back into the station to face Mrs. Bates.
He’d take one knotty problem at the time and suck in the rest. Pretend he didn’t give a damn about the false drugs charges, his best friend’s betrayal and the worst thing of all—his ex-wife’s lack of loyalty when things got tough, her weird take on fidelity.
He moved purposefully inside and shut the door with a quiet click even though he wanted to slam it in frustration. At least Hinekiri and Janaya were with his father. Between the three of them, they’d keep out of trouble.
Then Luke thought about Hinekiri’s propensity for mischief, Janaya’s trigger-happy fingers and his innocent Dad. Holy shit! Luke glanced out the nearest window to check the sky for flying pigs.
“Luke!” Tony shouted. “Please, I need help. There’s so many people in the station we need crowd control.”
Luke sighed and strode into the reception area to face the fray. The first person he saw was Mrs. Bates. She chatted to a reporter, waving her hands with great animation. Of course, she hadn’t paid a blind bit of notice to his instructions to wait in the office. Too busy being nosy.
“Who are those women?” Mrs. Bates demanded when he stopped beside her.
“No one important,” Luke said. He paused waiting for a bolt of lightning to strike him down. When it didn’t happen, he gestured for Mrs. Bates to follow him to his office.
“I’ll settle Mrs. Bates and then come back to get rid of the crowd,” he told Tony. “Mrs. Bates, I promise I won’t be much longer.”
“About time! I’m a taxpayer, not a homeless dosser to brush off.” Each of her chins wobbled with indignation.
Oh, yeah. He was in for a telling off. Luke resisted the urge to fidget. He hadn’t suffered through many stern lectures recently. Last he recalled was when he and his best friend, James, had chopped off Melissa Hill’s ponytail.
His second-in-command looked distraught. His dark curls stuck up as though he’d raked his hands repeatedly through his hair while he tried to deal with the large number of complaints and UFO sightings. Six people squeezed together at the reception desk, all talking at the same time. The loudest seemed to capture Tony’s attention, a fact they’d cottoned on to since they were hollering loud enough to wake the dead in the cemetery down the road.
“Who’s the woman? The blonde? Why are you so protective?” his reporter nemesis shouted. “Is she on witness protection?”
“Witness protection? Who’s on witness protection?” another reporter demanded, thrusting his microphone in front of Luke.
Luke bit out a succinct curse. “Shut up!”
The din faded.
“What’s that the boy said?” an elderly gent asked.
“Quiet,” his wife said, “then I can hear for both of us.”
Luke resisted a roll of eyes but it was a close run thing. “We can’t attend to your problems if you’re all shouting over the top of one another. I want an orderly line and we’ll deal with you one at a time.”
“What time is the press conference?” someone shouted from the back.
Luke rubbed the sudden ache in the region of his chest and prayed for more patience.
“Tell us who the blonde bird is and we’ll leave,” a reporter said.
“My cousin,” Luke said, folding his arms over his chest.
“If she’s your cousin, then why didn’t you say so?” the smart-assed reporter retorted.
“Because my family has been through enough of your muckraking in the papers.” The ache in his chest intensified, not exactly painful but sharp enough to give him pause. Lord, he hoped he wasn’t coming down with the flu. He didn’t have time to be sick. “I wanted to protect my family’s privacy.”
“So what time’s the press conference?”
When hell freezes over. But he wasn’t dumb enough to spell that out. Past experience helped him along. “When we have anything of importance to report,” he said.
Hopefully Hinekiri and Janaya would find the parts they required and be on their way before more damage occurred. Luke sucked in a hasty breath as a jolt of pain pierced his ribs. Yep, that was the answer. He’d keep his father on the job, helping them search out the parts they required. That way they’d avoid further messy entanglements with the press.
Chapter Six
Janaya bent to study a sheet of rusted metal at closer quarters. She tu
gged it from a heap of antiquated Earth vehicle parts so she could get a better look. A sharp cramp bit into her side and she dropped the metal with a loud clatter. Killer let out a startled yelp and ran to hide behind Hinekiri.
“Are you all right?” Hinekiri asked, attracted by the noise.
“No food,” Killer said. “I’ll try over there.”
“Fine.” Janaya winced at a repeat flash but bore the pain in silence.
“Hmmm.” Hinekiri planted her hands on her hips. She cocked her head to the side, a small smile playing about her lips.
Janaya glanced over her shoulder to check Luke’s father’s location and to see what he was doing. “What does that mean?” she demanded in a harsh undertone. Her aunt had that annoying smirk on her face again. “Tell me instead of acting secretive. It’s driving me phrullin nuts.”
“Good girl. I’m proud of you for applying yourself to language studies. It’s very important to immerse yourself in local culture.”
Oh, right. She was on to her aunt’s subtle maneuvers. Janaya applauded in a slow clap of congratulation. “Very good. Now stop dodging the issue and tell me why you’re smirking.”
“How are you feeling, dear? A few aches and pains?”
“Is that another symptom of being on Earth?” Janaya said, feeling a swoop of relief clear to her stomach. For a fleeting moment, she’d worried she’d caught some insidious disease from this backward planet. “That’s reassuring. I was starting to think I was ill.”
Hinekiri’s smirk widened to display a mouthful of white teeth. “Nothing wrong with you, my girl.”
Janaya’s warning antenna extended to full length. She concentrated on her aunt’s expression, trying to read the subtle nuances. “But? There is a but, right?”
“I never liked that Santana. The thought of being related to him—” Hinekiri broke off to give a theatrical shiver.
“Not the bonding rubbish again.”
“Yep,” Hinekiri chirped. “Think about Luke and what you were doing last night.”
Heat crowded into Janaya’s cheeks in a most unprofessional way. Thank the Gods none of her fellow bodyguards were present to witness her discomfort. “No! I refuse.”
“Humor me.” Hinekiri’s violet eyes glowed with silent laughter. “Just a little experiment. Is the cramping pain still giving you problems?”
Janaya nodded, wondering how her aunt knew. But then nothing Hinekiri did surprised her.
“Think of Luke,” Hinekiri insisted.
Involuntarily, Janaya pictured Luke and recalled the strength and heat of his muscular body when he was buried deep inside her pussy. Warmth flowed like molten dragon honey through her veins. Feminine juices moistened her G-thing. Again. A permanent scenario with the enticing Earthman around, she thought with disgust. But that didn’t mean she had to like the sensation.
“Pain gone?” Hinekiri prompted in a gentle voice.
Janaya frowned. The aches and pains had eased. Could Hinekiri be telling the truth?
No, just wait a Dalcon minute! She refused to stay here on Earth for a moment longer than necessary. Not when she’d worked so hard for her promotion to captain. No way, no how was she staying here on Earth at this godforsaken outpost called New Zealand. Her hands curled to fists. Dammit, she wanted to see her father’s proud face when she received her captain’s bars.
“I’m not staying here.”
Killer tore over to them, barking insistently. “Purple people eaters! Purple people eaters!”
“Killer’s right. Torgon,” Hinekiri said in resignation. “I wish they’d take the hint and leave me be.”
Janaya wheeled around to see a purple-suited trio heading their way. “Why does this happen to me? Why couldn’t they have stayed away while Luke’s father is with us?”
“With the situation between you and Luke he was bound to find out soon. This will be easier for all of us. It’s not good to have secrets from family.”
“I am not staying on Earth!” That was not a hysterical note. Janaya sucked in a deep breath before speaking again. “I’m going home to Dalcon as soon as the ship is repaired.”
“Hmmm.”
“Too late now.” Janaya pulled out Luke’s gun and shook her arm, trying to get rid of a prickly pins and needles sensation. “Let me take care of this. And make sure Luke’s father stays out of the way.”
Luke’s father sauntered up to them, the way he moved reminding her of Luke. The aches rapidly disappeared as a vision of Luke popped into her head. Naked, cock waving like a flag in the breeze. Horrified, Janaya shook the vision away.
“Hell’s bells,” Luke’s father muttered. “Get a load of the pansy purple suits those blokes are wearing. They look like they’re going to a fancy dress party.”
“Richard.” Hinekiri batted her eyelids in a flirtatious manner. “There’s a sheet of metal down the far end of the yard. I need some help to move it.”
“I’m the man for the job.”
Janaya watched her aunt herd him away so his back was to the approaching Torgon. A nagging pain exploded through her chest, making her stagger. Concentrate, phrull it. She fixed her gaze on the three Torgon and lifted her weapon.
Another wave of pain swept her arm and her pulse rate skipped in jerky jumps. The hand holding the weapon trembled, and her fingers tightened on the gun. She didn’t need Luke. No matter what Hinekiri said or thought. They’d agreed to have a little fun while she was on Earth.
Sex. Mutual pleasure.
Warmth flowed through her veins again and her pulse slowed to normal. The hand holding the gun steadied. Control returned. Janaya stared the Torgon in the face, their intimidating stares having no effect.
“Hand over the galaxy charts and we’ll let you go.”
“I don’t think so.” Janaya squeezed the trigger. The Torgon on the right exploded into a mass of purple ash.
“Holy shit!” Luke’s father had come up behind her.
“Stay back, Richard. Let Janaya handle this.”
Janaya quit mucking around and sprang at the remaining two Torgon. A kick to the ribs crippled one while she calmly fired at the other. A third shot finished the last and piles of steaming purple goo were all that remained. Huh. Interesting. Shooting them with a different weapon produced goo instead of ash.
“It’s safe now,” Janaya said. “That seems to be the lot of them.”
“How did…? Did you…? Does Luke know about you?” his father demanded. “And who were they?”
Janaya put her weapon away and turned to Hinekiri. She winced at the arrow of pain that shot across her chest and spread down to her stomach. “What else do we need in the way of parts? I want to leave so I can take my captain’s exams. Once we depart everything will get back to normal.”
“Not so fast, missy,” Richard Morgan said. “You haven’t answered my questions.”
Janaya opened her mouth to tell him to quit giving orders but Hinekiri dug her in the ribs.
“I’ll do the talking,” she said.
“That,” Janaya muttered, “is what I’m afraid of.”
Hinekiri ignored her. So did Richard. Janaya shared her glare between the two. If he wasn’t so damned annoying and the situation wasn’t so wrong-time, wrong-place, Janaya would have felt pleased for her aunt. Instead, pissed was the Earth word that battered her brain. And it sure fitted the occasion. She was well and truly pissed.
She wanted to go home.
She wanted her promotion.
She wanted love.
“We’re ready to leave as soon as we load this last sheet of metal on your vehicle,” Hinekiri said.
“Good,” Richard said. “You can enlighten me on the way home.”
Janaya climbed into the back of the vehicle, not really listening to Hinekiri’s explanation to Richard. A steady stream of pain circled her body, making her legs heavy, her body lethargic. The need to see Luke was like a craving for a heady drug. She knew the drug was bad for her but if she didn’t have it, she thought she
’d collapse and die.
“A spaceship!” Richard exclaimed. “Where’s it parked? When can I see it? Did you make those crop circles?”
“I’d have to plead the fifth on that last one,” Hinekiri said with a chuckle.
Huh? Stupid Earth-speak. “I don’t think—”
“That’s right, missy. Don’t think. Kids these days are all the same. Luke and my daughter, Lily, are always trying to tell me what to do.”
Hinekiri sent her a speaking glare, one Janaya remembered distinctly from her growing-up years. Janaya allowed an indignant sniff to show displeasure, then she closed her eyes and started to recite the bodyguard regulations in her mind. The steady hum of anticipation that fizzed through her body ruined her concentration. The second regulation remained a mystery. All she could think was she’d see Luke soon.
“Janaya, we’re home.”
Janaya’s eyes snapped open to Hinekiri’s smiling face. Home? She focused on the strange gnarled tree and the white house with the garden of cheerful red flowers. This was not home. A shiver worked down her body.
“Janaya, let’s get you inside. You need sleep.” Hinekiri reached for her but Richard nudged her gently aside.
“You get the door, Hinekiri. I’ll carry Janaya. Poor thing looks done in.”
Janaya frowned. Something wrong. But she couldn’t keep her eyes open. At least the weird tingling and the jabbing pains had subsided. She sighed deeply and breathed in essence of Luke. It seemed to surround them as Luke’s father carried her inside. She fought a yawn. Perhaps she’d sleep after all. Hinekiri would stay safe in the house.
* * * * *
By the time Luke left the police station, it was pitch-black outside. Once he exited the township of Sloan and headed down the country roads leading to his house, the nagging headache he’d suffered lightened. Not surprising. He challenged anyone to deal with the crap he’d put up with today and stay headache free.
Two battered vans had parked on the side of the road. Luke slowed and wound down his window. “You folks have a problem?”
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