Chapter Fifteen
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Lucy pointed the flashlight into the face of her father’s treasured hunting beast. He was mostly awake and already fighting the ropes the sheriff had trussed him up with.
The species wasn’t a traditional choice for a hunting companion, but her father enjoyed the risky pet being part of his life. The looks of fear and admiration from his hunting friends probably were another reason he kept the dangerous beast.
“Eugene,” Axel repeated. “Your pet?”
“My father’s pet.”
They heard the loud rev of an approaching vehicle’s engine. Seconds later, Cam’s vehicle came into view. He skidded to a halt, with his car’s headlights pointing directly at the struggling beast about to break free.
Cam leapt out of his vehicle and approached at a jog as he opened a bag and pulled out a large silver, disc-shaped circle. He raced up to Eugene, who’d managed to get his hind legs free from the ropes. Fearlessly, Cam fell on Eugene’s muscled shoulder and pressed the disc to the animal’s neck. Abruptly, Eugene stopped struggling.
Lucy moved closer. “Eugene.” Cautiously, she touched the top of his head.
The beast lifted its head and looked at her. “Besh-topp-liey!” It was a universal command to settle the animal. She wasn’t certain what a shackle sticker did, but hopefully the command would help calm her father’s pet.
“Eugene? Do you know this beast?” Cam asked.
She nodded. “He’s my father’s hunting pet.”
“Why is Eugene loose on Earth? No, wait. The more important question is why Eugene is on Earth at all?”
She shrugged. “I swear I don’t know. I thought he went back to Alpha-Prime with the staff who didn’t stay behind to help with the wedding.”
“This animal belongs on Alpha-Prime. It should never have been brought here.”
“I agree. But my father didn’t ask me. He rarely asks anyone for permission to do exactly what he wants. You’ll have to take it up with him.”
Cam paused, looking skyward as if he tried to remember something. “I heard a couple of employees of Astro Pet Care whispering this morning like something was wrong with a pet in their care. I meant to go ask for more details. I just realized I never did.”
“Whispering?” Axel asked, brows narrowing. “You think it had to do with Eugene and his Earth adventures.”
“Maybe. They looked pretty unhappy.”
“If I’d allowed an illegal sand-claw beast from Alpha-Prime to escape on Earth—that my super rich employer paid a bunch of money to keep—I’d be very unhappy.”
“I should have remembered to ask.” Cam looked at Axel. “Help me get Eugene into the back of your truck.”
“Wait. What? Why my truck?” Axel asked, obviously unhappy with the idea of serving as beast transportation.
“Because he’s not going to fit in the back of my SUV. Besides, I don’t want sand-claw beast slobber in my primary vehicle.”
“Like I do?”
“You can wash it out during your next car wash. If even a small drop of that vile substance hits any sort of fabric or upholstery, I’ll have to sell my SUV at a loss or just set fire to it, because one whiff of dried sand-claw beast spit is disgusting.”
Axel rolled his eyes, but didn’t protest further.
Lucy gave Eugene specific commands so he’d follow them and climb into the back of Axel’s truck. Cam pulled out a dark green tarp and covered Eugene for transport.
“Meet me back at the basement area loading dock.”
Axel traded a look with Lucy. “I need to drop her off first.”
Cam looked around the area. “What were you doing out here anyway?”
“Like I explained before, Wyatt brought us here.”
“Oh, yeah? What was he doing out here?”
“Before I shot him with the Defender, he told me he comes out here regularly to chase away the couples parked here with romantic intent.” Axel crossed his arms, his expression disapproving. Lucy wondered if he was thinking about Valene and Wyatt together.
Lucy thought they made a very cute couple. Valene had hinted to Lucy over the past week about having a certain secret someone in her life. To find out it was a human law-enforcement official…how about that.
Cam eyed the two of them, as if trying to judge for himself whether that’s how this evening had come about. Lucy wasn’t about to mention Valene and hoped Axel wouldn’t, either.
“Okay. Drop Lucy off, then go find Wyatt and ensure he has no memory of this beast.”
“I think I should go with you,” Lucy said to Axel.
“Why?”
She glanced at Eugene’s tarp-covered figure. “My father is rather fond of Eugene. I expect he will be very upset about his escape and, maybe more so, his capture and shackling.”
Cam’s face morphed into a mask of determination. “You are welcome to join the conversation, but I am not happy about a sand-claw beast set loose on Earth regardless of your father’s fondness or intent. They are not allowed. Everyone knows it. The folks on the airship all sign documents promising not to bring such animals to Earth. That means that there are also culpable members of the airship staff and I’d imagine Director Patmore had to know or have heard rumors that he ignored. Anything to keep the clientele happy.”
“What will happen?”
“I will be forced to issue a reprimand.”
Lucy mentally sighed. Her father would be highly insulted to be called out for this, even if he was in the wrong. “Be that as it may, I suspect my father will expect special treatment since we are about to be family and all.”
Cam’s expression hardened. “That’s unfortunate.”
Lucy nodded. “So, I’ll go with you and warn him up front. Hopefully he’ll be more gracious.” He’ll be furious. I hope I can calm him down.
“Gracious?”
“Well, someone on staff is likely to lose their job and be sent home to Alpha-Prime because of this.”
Axel said, “That’s harsh, since he shouldn’t have brought the animal in the first place.”
Lucy shrugged. “That’s my father. Often, he and his friends have very firm attitudes in certain circumstances about what they are or are not allowed to do, regardless of whether they’ve actually done something wrong.
“He doesn’t like to be embarrassed. He doesn’t like to be crossed. He expects everyone to give him any available advantage in whatever situation he finds himself. I know you have a job to do and Eugene being here at all breaks the rules, but you should be aware that my father won’t see it that way.”
Cam seemed to ponder her assessment before he said, “Okay. Come on along with us. I don’t want an interstellar incident or for anyone to get fired. I’ll do my best to break it to him gently. Perhaps we can resolve this issue quietly and without further family turmoil.”
Lucy released a breath. She didn’t expect her father to make things easier or handle the coming confrontation quietly, but perhaps she’d be surprised.
“At least the animal didn’t terrorize the town, nor did you have to wrestle it to the ground after chasing it for a mile to get the shackle sticker in place like last time,” Axel said.
Who was she kidding? Sure, her father might not be completely obnoxious about this coming incident. However, she should likely be prepared for it.
Her father didn’t like to be told what do to. And he especially hated being informed by those he considered lesser that he’d done anything wrong. What might he do in retaliation? A crazy thought occurred to Lucy. Would her father be angry enough to call off the wedding? Could she somehow use this situation to her advantage?
Lucy hated to be glad about something like that, and it wasn’t like the moment Axel’s wedding to Francine was called off, she got to have him. It was better if neither of them married Axel than for her to live with her sister married to the man she loved.
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Axel drove back to the Big Bang Truck Stop without rushing. It was a good thing the beast could leap into the back of his truck on its own while under the influence of the shackle sticker, because it probably weighed a quarter of a ton.
He and Cam wouldn’t have been able to lift the beast’s tranquillized dead weight. If they hadn’t had the shackle sticker to make it compliant, not to mention Lucy’s assistance, they would have had to call in an elite squad of specialists. That would have generated a whole bunch of paperwork and necessitated a report to Alpha-Prime. This way, things would be much quieter and more controlled. Better.
Perhaps an interstellar incident could be avoided.
Axel’s truck drove like it had a full capacity load. Lucy sat in the center spot of his back seat with the window to the truck bed open. She talked softly to Eugene to ensure he stayed calm. Cam’s shackle sticker likely did the lion’s share of that chore, but Lucy seemed to feel badly about her father’s pet being loose and obviously wanted to help as much as possible. She was sweet that way.
Cam followed Axel’s truck in his pristine SUV with not a single drop of sand-claw beast slobber inside. Axel hoped it would wash out of his truck’s unlined bed. Did sand-claw beast slobber eat through auto paint? He didn’t know.
“Are you okay?” Lucy asked.
Axel startled. He thought she was totally absorbed in Eugene and had forgotten all about him while he obsessed over getting the beast back to the way station without attracting human attention, digested the knowledge of Valene’s secret romance with Wyatt and mentally prepared for the coming confrontation between Cam and Harrison Duvall.
He was living in a circus. “Sure. Why?”
“I’m sorry our book club got interrupted.”
He flashed her a smile, catching her gaze in his rearview mirror. “Me, too. Maybe we can reschedule.”
She nodded and uttered a quiet, “Okay.” It was almost like she had to convince herself it was going to be all right.
“Is it?”
Lucy watched him. He kept looking forward out of the windshield.
“Is what?”
“Is it okay?” He turned his head only briefly, gazing at her perfection in the rearview mirror for a moment before turning back to the road. They both knew what he was talking about.
“It has to be okay. I don’t know what else to do.”
Axel nodded. “Me neither.” There was more left unsaid than spoken aloud, but at least he knew she was in the same place he was, and it made him feel a little better. Their lives were taking a fast path to an unwanted goal that neither of them could stop or slow or change.
“I know you are close to all your siblings. Francine is the only sibling I truly care about. I just… I can’t hurt her. I hope you understand.”
“I do. I don’t have to like it, but I get it. I can’t say I wouldn’t do the exact same thing in your position.”
“Thank you, Axel.”
“For what?”
“For being my friend anyway.”
“We’re about to be family. I’ll forever be your friend, I promise.” And he would. He had to. He made a note to make a better effort to be strong for her sake.
She nodded and gazed out her window.
It didn’t take long to get to the hidden loading dock behind the Big Bang Truck Stop leading to the basement facility. He backed his truck up to one of several dock doors and parked. Cam parked next to him, got out and went inside, presumably to get help unloading the sand-claw beast.
Axel and Lucy got out of the truck and met at the back on the passenger side.
“Eugene,” Lucy called.
The tarp moved like something big had sat up. Axel pulled the tarp back to see a perfectly docile sand-claw beast, seated like a dog given a command, tongue hanging out, slobber pooling on the bed of his truck, unevenly placed, glassy, soulless black eyes staring at seemingly nothing.
Before Axel could say anything, and he didn’t know what to say to Lucy anyway, the metal door beside the loading dock’s roll-up entry burst open. Cam strolled outside, a very hostile and angry Harrison Duvall close on his heels to see his precious pet, the one he wasn’t supposed to have on Earth, sitting in the bed of Axel’s truck, slobbering like it was his job.
The owner of Astro Pet Care, wearing a T-shirt with the company logo and looking rather mortified followed him out.
“What is the meaning of this interruption? I was about to retire for the evening,” Duvall complained. Must be nice to retire before nine o’clock at night. Lucy’s father wore an open-necked shirt, casual, though expensive, slacks with no belt and a fancy silk robe slightly open in front. It was common attire on Alpha-Prime for the rich elite who liked to lounge around after dinner. Duvall also sent a rather irate gaze to the Astro Pet Care owner, but didn’t say anything to the man.
“The meaning is sitting in the back of my brother’s truck.” Cam pointed to Eugene.
Duvall squinted in that direction.
“Dad, it’s Eugene,” Lucy announced. “He got loose.”
“Lucinda?” Apparently, her father hadn’t seen her standing next to the truck, either. He reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled out spectacles. “What are you doing out here, Lucinda? Get back to your room this instant.”
“Why did you bring Eugene to Earth?” Lucy asked, ignoring her father’s commandment to “go to her room” like an errant child up well after bedtime. “He’s not allowed here or on the airship.”
“I beg your pardon. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Duvall sent his furious gaze in Axel’s direction and a more repugnant expression shaped his features. Before he could comment on Axel’s presence, Lucy pointed to the sand-claw beast.
“Right there. It’s Eugene. I can’t believe you brought him.” The beast released a loud snort and then made a horrid sound, part grunt, part squeal and part noise typically only found in nightmares.
The owner of Astro Pet Care paled. “I’m so sorry Mr. Duvall, sir. We didn’t realize he was missing until this morning. We thought he was just in his hidey-hole sleeping. When he didn’t eat his morning food, we checked his cage and found he’d chewed through the back wall of his hideaway and also the metal wall to the outside.”
Duvall pursed his lips and shook his head saying nothing.
Cam gave Axel a look that clearly expressed his anger, then motioned for Duvall and Mr. Astro Pet Care several steps away for a discussion.
Axel heard furious whispering from Cam and only a few stray words from Lucy’s father, none of which made sense, but after a tense discussion, the three men separated. The Astro Pet Care owner walked away, shoulders slumped as if he carried the weight of the world. Maybe just a Designer’s disapproval, which probably weighed the same.
Duvall looked even less happy than when he’d arrived. He gave Axel another dirty look before turning his ire on Lucy.
“Lucinda. Why are you out with your sister’s bridegroom?”
“We were discussing a book in a café until a local sheriff interrupted us because of Eugene.”
Axel lowered the gate on his truck. The noise seemed to distract Duvall from his line of questioning.
Cam grabbed the rope Wyatt had secured around Eugene and led the subdued beast off Axel’s truck and onto the platform in front of the rolling dock door. He pushed the automatic button and the door rolled open.
“Remove the shackle,” Duvall commanded.
“Not a chance,” Cam shot back. “Come on, Eugene. Follow me.”
The beast stared with sad little misaligned eyes at its master as it walked by him. Duvall started back, then turned and walked away as if he didn’t care one whit about the illegal animal he’d brought along and then abandoned the moment it was discovered by Earth authorities. Eugene followed Cam into a hallway that led to where they kept cages for animals such as these, dangerous unshackled beasts.
Poor Eugene. Betrayed by his master and likely bound for the next gulag ship headed back to Alpha-Prime to be released into the harsh wilderness of the Outer Basin.
Axel snapped his rear gate into place and eyed the generous puddle of drool Eugene had left behind. “I’m going to run my truck through the car wash.”
“I’ll come with you,” Lucy said, walking to his front passenger door.
Axel didn’t refuse her. He wasn’t ready to end his evening with her anyway.
Normally he would have done the self-wash, but with Lucy in his vehicle, he decided to do the automatic one. He even spent extra for the deluxe wash with all the soapy bells and whistles. He drove his truck slowly into the wash bay, stopping when the lit-up sign told him to.
Lucy looked around like she was on a ride at an amusement park, watching everything as though she’d never ever get a chance to see it again. Maybe she wouldn’t.
“Thanks for not insisting I go back to my room.”
“You’re old enough to make your own decisions.”
The electronic car wash sprayed the entire truck with pink, blue and green foam, enclosing them in the cab of his truck. She looked at him and he stared back. He offered his hand, which she took. He sandwiched her fingers between his and drew them to his face.
He kissed the back of her hand, gently, and promptly withdrew, placing her hand on the center console. She was not his. She was not going to be his. He needed to keep things on a friendly basis. Friends only. That’s it.
If she was moved by his action, she hid it well. She startled when the automatic car wash arm sprayed several jets of water over the vehicle to scour off the melting foam wash.
They didn’t speak. Axel simply watched her enjoy the car wash. He breathed in her sweet scent and shoved his feelings way down inside, as deep as possible. The time they had left was dissolving, swirling away like foamy soap melting in an industrial-sized car wash drain.
And then everything would change forever.