Star Mother's sentries might come back."
"But
what if Jake comes here looking for me? He needs me. I can finally talk him
into coming home."
Aggravation
sharpened Sam's features, making his jawline rigid and his eyes hard. The scowl
he gave her sent warm shivers down her spine. "It's too dangerous. You don't
know these people like I do."
She
swallowed, a sense of apprehension forcing her to rethink her decision. But no,
her mind was made up. She couldn't risk missing Jake if he came. "I'm
staying."
He
gritted his teeth. "You're damn stubborn." He glanced quickly at the
coyote in his arms. "Look, I don't have time to argue with you, and I won't
force you to come along. If anything happens while I'm gone, my cell number is
programmed into my phone. Just dial star five, and I'll be here in no time. The
vet's in town so I won't be far." He hesitated, his brow furrowed. "Have
you ever used a gun?"
She
shook her head.
Frustration
roughened his voice when he said, "My .38 revolver is loaded and in the
nightstand drawer in my bedroom. Use it only as a last resort."
Holding
the coyote firmly against his chest with one arm, he reached out and touched
her cheek. His fingers lingered there, causing her blood to rush more swiftly
through her veins. He slowly withdrew his hand. "Don't open the door to
anyone, understand? Not even the Avon lady."
She
nodded and followed him to the front of the cabin, where he gingerly laid Cody
on the backseat of his Jeep.
"Is
there anything I can do while you're gone?" she asked. "Make phone
calls, check the Internet...?"
He
looked thoughtful before saying, "That could save us some time. Do an
Internet search for UFO chatrooms and message boards to check for recent
discussions associated with Star Mother. If you find anything, I have a hacker
friend who can track down the IP address of the user and give us the sender's
location."
"What
about Consuela?"
They
both turned to peer at the deck, where Consuela stood watching them. When their
gazes met, she disappeared back inside.
"I
think she's okay for now. This behavior isn't new for her. She's always aloof
and withdrawn. But I'll have a talk with her when I get back." Sam took
hold of Kelly's hand and said, "Remember what I said about not opening the
door for anyone."
She
grinned, appreciating his concern. That wasn't something she was used to, and
it felt good. Damn good. She squeezed his hand, and his calloused fingers
scratched her palm, their roughness making her skin tingle. "You just go
take care of Cody. Consuela and I will be fine."
****
After
an hour of searching UFO websites on the Internet, Kelly came up dry. She sat
at a small desk in the corner of the cabin's main room, Sam's laptop open in
front of her. She sipped from the cup of coffee Consuela had made for her and
blew out a frustrated sigh. There were thousands of Internet sites associated
with UFOs, but of the two dozen she'd visited so far, there were no recent
discussions about Star Mother.
She
stood and stretched to release the ache of tension in her shoulders. The chill
in the small room didn't help. What she really needed was a good run. She was
used to running three miles every morning, and her legs felt antsy with pent-up
energy. But Sam had said to stay inside, not to open the door to anyone. She
would obey only because he had agreed to let her join him on Jake's
intervention and rescue. Besides, there was something about Sam that made her
want to listen to him. This was new for her. She had never been good at
following anyone's rules, much less the rules of some guy acting as a superhero
for ex-cultists.
The
walls of Sam's cabin were mostly bare but for a large painting of the desert
that hung above the flagstone fireplace. She drew closer for a better look,
standing on tiptoe to study the beautiful detail of this lone piece of art.
The
canvas was as wide as the fireplace mantel and reached almost to the ceiling. A
desert scene at sunset portrayed the landscape's
"But
what if Jake comes here looking for me? He needs me. I can finally talk him
into coming home."
Aggravation
sharpened Sam's features, making his jawline rigid and his eyes hard. The scowl
he gave her sent warm shivers down her spine. "It's too dangerous. You don't
know these people like I do."
She
swallowed, a sense of apprehension forcing her to rethink her decision. But no,
her mind was made up. She couldn't risk missing Jake if he came. "I'm
staying."
He
gritted his teeth. "You're damn stubborn." He glanced quickly at the
coyote in his arms. "Look, I don't have time to argue with you, and I won't
force you to come along. If anything happens while I'm gone, my cell number is
programmed into my phone. Just dial star five, and I'll be here in no time. The
vet's in town so I won't be far." He hesitated, his brow furrowed. "Have
you ever used a gun?"
She
shook her head.
Frustration
roughened his voice when he said, "My .38 revolver is loaded and in the
nightstand drawer in my bedroom. Use it only as a last resort."
Holding
the coyote firmly against his chest with one arm, he reached out and touched
her cheek. His fingers lingered there, causing her blood to rush more swiftly
through her veins. He slowly withdrew his hand. "Don't open the door to
anyone, understand? Not even the Avon lady."
She
nodded and followed him to the front of the cabin, where he gingerly laid Cody
on the backseat of his Jeep.
"Is
there anything I can do while you're gone?" she asked. "Make phone
calls, check the Internet...?"
He
looked thoughtful before saying, "That could save us some time. Do an
Internet search for UFO chatrooms and message boards to check for recent
discussions associated with Star Mother. If you find anything, I have a hacker
friend who can track down the IP address of the user and give us the sender's
location."
"What
about Consuela?"
They
both turned to peer at the deck, where Consuela stood watching them. When their
gazes met, she disappeared back inside.
"I
think she's okay for now. This behavior isn't new for her. She's always aloof
and withdrawn. But I'll have a talk with her when I get back." Sam took
hold of Kelly's hand and said, "Remember what I said about not opening the
door for anyone."
She
grinned, appreciating his concern. That wasn't something she was used to, and
it felt good. Damn good. She squeezed his hand, and his calloused fingers
scratched her palm, their roughness making her skin tingle. "You just go
take care of Cody. Consuela and I will be fine."
****
After
an hour of searching UFO websites on the Internet, Kelly came up dry. She sat
at a small desk in the corner of the cabin's main room, Sam's laptop open in
front of her. She sipped from the cup of coffee Consuela had made for her and
blew out a frustrated sigh. There were thousands of Internet sites associated
with UFOs, but of the two dozen she'd visited so far, there were no recent
discussions about Star Mother.
She
stood and stretched to release the ache of tension in her shoulders. The chill
in the small room didn't help. What she really needed was a good run. She was
used to running three miles every morning, and her legs felt antsy with pent-up
energy. But Sam had said to stay inside, not to open the door to anyone. She
would obey only because he had agreed to let her join him on Jake's
intervention and rescue. Besides, there was something about Sam that made her
want to listen to him. This was new for her. She had never been good at
following anyone's rules, much less the rules of some guy acting as a superhero
for ex-cultists.
The
walls of Sam's cabin were mostly bare but for a large painting of the desert
that hung above the flagstone fireplace. She drew closer for a better look,
standing on tiptoe to study the beautiful detail of this lone piece of art.
The
canvas was as wide as the fireplace mantel and reached almost to the ceiling. A
desert scene at sunset portrayed the landscape's
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