by Smith, S. E.
Mike chuckled and sat back in his chair. “No, I’m not dead,” he agreed, lifting a hand to run it across the back of his neck.
“Did you find the missing women?” Asahi inquired.
Mike was silent for a moment. His mind replaying everything that had happened. If Marina hadn’t been standing there looking at the photos on the wall, he would have thought he’d dreamed the entire incident.
“Yeah, I found them. Carly Tate and Jenny Ackerly are safe and happy,” Mike replied.
“Can you tell me where they are?” Asahi persisted.
Mike’s head was shaking even as he realized that Agent Tanaka couldn’t see him. “They won’t be coming back,” he replied with a sigh.
“And you, Detective Hallbrook. What about you?” Asahi asked in a clipped tone.
“I won’t either,” Mike answered.
Silence greeted his response. Mike knew Asahi was still on the other end. He could hear the sound of traffic in the background.
“Are they real?”
Mike debated on how he should answer Asahi. Did he tell the government that, yes, there are alien worlds out there, just not as far away as they thought, or did he just hang up and not say anything else? In the end, he compromised, the pen in his hand flowing over the words he had written.
“Yes,” Mike replied. “Goodbye, Agent Tanaka.”
The last sound that Mike heard was Asahi’s breath. He hung up the receiver. He was pretty sure it would be prudent for him and Marina to make a hasty departure. If he had been in Asahi’s position, he knew he’d be on the phone already.
“Time to go,” Mike said, closing the file again and rising from his seat.
He walked over to the door and turned out the light. Turning to the left, he headed for the back entrance. He knew where the cameras were, but it wouldn’t make a difference. By the time Asahi figured out what was going on, Mike and Marina would be long gone.
“Are we going home?” Marina asked, resting her hand on her stomach.
Mike threaded his fingers through her hand and nodded. “Yeah, we’re going home,” he said.
“Good. I would not want our child living in this foggy world,” she said, following him out the door.
Mike had been looking up at the surveillance camera but quickly turned back to her, Marina’s words echoing in his ears. She was waiting for him. The sound of the door closing behind him echoed loudly in the early morning fog, and a new sense of urgency filled him. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her down the alley.
“You could have told me this when we got back,” he said, opening the door to the truck and waiting for her to slide across the seat.
“What fun would that have been? Now, your selfie will look like this,” she laughed, scooting closer to him and making a funny face. “Plus, I wanted to make sure you would come back before I told you.”
Mike cursed and backed out of the parking space, glad that there was no traffic behind him since he forgot to look first. Pressing on the accelerator, he mumbled for her to fasten her seat belt. The drive back to the State Park felt like it took forever.
A few minutes before seven, Mike replaced the keys under the seat of the truck and tucked the note he had written to Marty in the sun visor. This time they parked in the parking lot near the beach.
Sliding out of the truck, he turned to help Marina down. He wrapped his arms around her and held her for a moment. He never wanted to let her go.
She reached up and touched his cheek when he closed his eyes for a moment. “Are you sure you want to do this?” she quietly asked.
Mike pressed a kiss against the center of her palm. “I’ve never been surer of anything in my life,” he said. “How are you feeling?”
“Good. The trees here are very talkative,” she said, touching her forehead. “They have so much to tell.”
Mike looked at her with a startled expression. “You can hear them?” he asked in surprise.
Marina nodded. “Ever since we got here. They remember you. They said you are the man with the animal that waters many trees,” she chuckled.
Mike’s gaze moved to the trees in wonder. Shaking his head, he gathered the backpacks from the back of the truck, picked up the box, and he nodded to her.
“Let’s go home,” he said, tucking the box under his arm and gripping her hand tightly in his.
Coming next: The Sea Witch’s Redemption:
Seven Kingdoms Tale 4
Off the coast of Yachats, Oregon:
Gabe grabbed the net and began pulling it in. He enjoyed the peace and quiet of working offshore. The sound of the motor, the waves slapping against the hull of his boat, and the high-pitched cries of seagulls hoping for an easy meal were his companions. He preferred them above anything else.
He frowned when he felt the net shift. Afraid it might have caught on something, he looked over the side. The last thing he wanted to do was take a chance of it snagging and tearing. It was a pain in the ass to patch. Shifting, he pulled again. This time it wasn’t the strange weight in it that concerned him, but the low moan.
“What the hell?” he muttered, pressing on the winch control button. “Shit!”
Gabe’s eyes widened when he saw a person in the net. Moving swiftly, he finished pulling in the net and lowered it to the deck of the rocking boat. Grabbing the side, he released it from the rigging and knelt next to the still body.
“Damn it,” Gabe muttered under his breath. “I don’t need a dead body on my boat.”
He rolled the figure over and drew in a shocked breath when he saw that it was a woman. Yanking off his gloves, he carefully brushed the long tangle of midnight hair back from the pale face. He cursed again when he touched the icy cold skin of her neck. He was trying to find the vein in her neck to see if she was still alive when he jerked back as another moan escaped her.
“Hey, lady,” Gabe said in a rusty voice. “Can you hear me?”
He watched in fascination as the thick black lashes of her eyelids fluttered for a moment before she opened her eyes. He stared down into the crystal clear green depths, wondering who in the hell she was and why she was miles off the Pacific Coast in freezing water. He was just about to ask her that when she rolled to her side and threw up all over his rubber boots.
“Ah, hell,” he muttered, looking down at the heaving figure.
To be continued: The Sea Witch’s Redemption
Seven Kingdoms, eight amazing love stories! Collect them all….
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Dragon Lords of Valdier Novella
For the Love of Tia (Book 4.1)
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Night of the Demented Symbiots (Halloween 2)
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A Mate for Matrix
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Curizan Warrior Series
Ha’ven’s Song (Book 1)
Dragon Lords of Valdier Series
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Tracking Trisha (Book 3)
Ambushing Ariel (Book 4)
Cornering Carmen (Book 5)
Paul’s Pursuit (Book 6)
Twin Dragons (Book 7)
Jaguin’s Love (Book 8)
The Old Dragon of the Mountain’s Christmas (Book 9)
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Star’s Storm (Book 2)
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Ristéard's Unwilling Empress (Book 4)
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Alexandru’s Kiss (Book 3)
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Choosing Riley (Book 1)
Viper's Defiant Mate (Book 2)
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Razor’s Traitorous Heart (Book 2)
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Challenging Saber (Book 4)
Destin’s Hold (Book 5)
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About the Author
S.E. Smith is a New York Times, USA TODAY, International, and Award-Winning Bestselling author of science fiction, romance, fantasy, paranormal, and contemporary works for adults, young adults, and children. She enjoys writing a wide variety of genres that pull her readers into worlds that take them away.
