Chapter Nineteen
Juliana raced toward Alienn, hoping she wouldn’t get pulled over for speeding, and terrified that Diesel wouldn’t even see her so she could warn him. Perhaps she needed to sneak inside his office and wait it out. Would he even be in there? Could she get past his sharp-eyed receptionist? She’d be the biggest challenge.
As Juliana pulled into the parking lot of The Big Bang Truck Stop, she saw Mr. Harriman race out of the convenience store and leap into his car. He sped away as if his life depended on how fast he departed the area.
He was likely here trying to prove aliens existed in a last-ditch effort to put what he wanted in the Finder’s book. He was probably racing away to file the alien story and ruin everything.
Juliana needed to go in and wait for Diesel in his office so she could explain Mr. Harriman had likely stolen the article from her and she was sorry. She just had to sneak inside.
She parked at the side of the building, turned the ignition off and worked through a quick plan. Juliana rifled through her purse and found some large sunglasses, slipping them on. In her trunk, she grabbed a straw hat she’d used once during a day in the sun picking strawberries. She also had a flowered scarf in the back seat that she wrapped around her neck in her best effort to be incognito.
Juliana strolled slowly to the doors of the convenience store and walked in. The clerk was a young man she’d never seen before. He greeted her politely. She didn’t speak, just lifted her hand, waved her fingers in a regal way and moved toward the back of the store in a leisurely fashion, picking up a few things from the shelves and putting them back as if uncertain what she intended to buy.
She made her way to the hallway where Maxwell the Martian resided in his box, sliding quickly down the hall when she didn’t see or hear anyone around. Her big plan was to slip quietly into Diesel’s office and wait for him to arrive. She could tell him about her stolen article, but more than that, she wanted to assess his feelings for her. Was he finished with her just like he had been with Adele after a couple of days, like in the letter she’d written? Or had those letters been phony? Juliana wished with all her heart for the latter.
She peeked around the corner. Miraculously, Nova’s desk was empty, but she heard voices approaching from somewhere. Juliana darted toward the hallway leading to Diesel’s office and knocked quickly, not waiting for or expecting an answer.
Juliana didn’t even have her hand off the doorknob when Diesel said, “Juliana?” She jumped at the sound of his surprised voice, spinning in place to see him seated at his desk.
“Diesel.” She almost asked him what he was doing in here. Duh. It was his office.
He stood and came around the desk. She backed up into the door, unsure of what to expect. Would he be angry? Would he throw her out?
In two strides he loomed over her, not smiling exactly, but not frowning either. He leaned close and whispered, “Why did you turn in the bank robber story when Pete so desperately wanted an exposé on aliens to put in his Finder’s special edition?”
Juliana swallowed hard. “Even if you don’t want me anymore, I didn’t want your family to be hurt. And…well…I guess I didn’t want you to suffer either.”
“You think I don’t want you anymore?” he asked, sounding truly puzzled. “Why?”
“I read the letters Adele sent to you.”
“What letters?” His brows furrowed. She’d never seen him look so fierce.
She swallowed hard again. “Well…the ones on your secret desk, in the secret place in your home office right behind the Maxwell the Martian picture.”
He leaned closer, but they still weren’t touching. He smelled great. She was still worried that the letters were accurate. He hadn’t kissed her yet.
“How did you find my hidey-hole anyway?”
“Your Maxwell picture wasn’t straight. So I leveled it and, voilà, the door released like I’d said abracadabra or open sesame or whatever magic alien phrase you use. Because you are an alien. Right?”
He pushed out a deep breath. “I am.”
“From a place called Alpha-Prime?”
“Yes.”
“I have to know something else.”
“What?”
Tears welled up in her eyes as she asked, “Do you want me anymore? Or is telling a girl you plan to fall madly in love with her just part of your smooth alien moves to lure women into bed?”
“You didn’t get my phone message this morning, did you?”
“No.” But she’d woken up to the sound of a phone ringing. He must have been the one who called this morning, but when she’d gotten home and saw the article missing, she ran out and hadn’t stopped to check her messages.
“I just found out less than ten minutes ago that the note on the flowers I sent you Monday also never made it.”
“Flowers? A note?” She shook her head. “I didn’t get them.”
Her gaze lifted to his eyes and she saw only love and desire in them. He leaned in close and kissed her like his alien life depended on it. His arms wrapped around her and he lifted her off her feet, kissing her deeply and thoroughly.
He broke the kiss only long enough to say, “I have fallen madly in love with you, Juliana.” His luscious mouth pressed to her lips, kissing her until she thought she might faint without any help from a Defender.
Her back was pressed to his office door, so when someone started pounding, it felt like it went all the way through her body.
“Who is it?” Diesel demanded.
The only response was further pounding. It made Juliana think about the day Axel had taken her to Diesel’s house. Someone had been pounding on his door that day, too.
“Do you think it’s the apple menace?” she whispered.
“No. That has been resolved.” Diesel lowered her feet to the ground, stepped in front of her to snatch the door open wide enough to peek out.
“What are you—” Diesel’s question was cut off when a Defender came through the opening. Juliana saw a female hand around it and a finger on the trigger, which was pulled just as Diesel grabbed it.
There was no noise. No pop. And no gunshot sound. Just silence. Diesel had tried to save her, but Juliana knew how the Defender worked now and how it impacted her in particular.
She waited for the weapon to render her unconscious. She’d hit the ground, and then not remember anything that just happened for several days. Not their exuberant kisses moments ago. Not that he’d told her he was already madly in love with her. Nothing.
Hopefully, the memories would show up in her dreams eventually and after that they’d become memories. Or perhaps she’d hit her limit of remembering things.
What if being Defender-blasted so many times finally made her lose her memories forever?
<^> <^> <^>
Diesel snatched the Defender out of Adele’s hand, but not before she managed to pull the trigger. He turned to catch Juliana but something unusual happened. She was still standing. She looked at him quizzically as if she was also shocked to find herself still on her feet.
“Juliana? Are you okay?”
“I think so. Did she not pull the trigger?”
“I thought she did. Perhaps it wasn’t charged or something.”
“Can that happen?”
He shrugged as a ruckus started out in the hallway beyond his door.
Cam said, “Drop your Defender, Adele.”
“No! He’s better off with me. We’re at least the same species. She’s an earthling and inferior!”
Diesel peeked out just as Cam grabbed the young woman by the wrist. “Let go of me,” Adele squealed. Cam put a shackle sticker on her wrist and she immediately stopped thrashing around and became compliant. It was the same thing used to subdue the alien in the Boogieman Affair a while back.
Cam said, “Come along, Adele. Be quiet for now. We’re going downstairs to talk about all of this.”
She didn’t say anything, but allowed Cam to lead her downstairs.
Nova popped into the hallway as soon as they were gone.
“Gage is still waiting to see you.”
Diesel looked at Juliana. The choice between kissing Juliana senseless and having a conversation with his brother regarding scientific analysis wasn’t even a difficult one to make.
“Tell him—”
Gage appeared behind Nova with an expression that was ninety percent excitement and ten percent best day ever.
“I need to talk to you, Diesel. You’ll never believe what the results turned up.”
“The person who took the bite out of the apple was Adele, right?”
He expected Gage to deflate.
His brother’s eyes narrowed for a second. “Yes, but that’s not the exciting news.”
Diesel pushed out a sigh. “Come on in then.” Kissing Juliana would have to wait for scientific analysis courtesy of Gage, his semi-nerdy brother, who lived to explain things.
“Juliana, this is my brother, Gage.” She smiled at him. Diesel still hadn’t figured out why she hadn’t fainted when Adele had fired the Defender.
“Gage, this is my girlfriend, Juliana.”
“Really pleased to meet you, Juliana,” Gage said with a grin. “I have some news you should also hear.”
They all sat down, Diesel and Juliana on his sofa and Gage in a chair.
“The analysis showed not one but two samples on the apple you gave me to test. One was Adele’s DNA, as you suspected.”
Diesel didn’t mean to be impatient, but he was. “And the other turned out to be mine?”
“No.”
“It was mine, right?” Juliana said.
Gage nodded. “It was yours, Juliana. Once I figured that out I ran the test five more times to be certain.”
“Five more times,” Diesel said. “Why on earth would you do that?”
“Because she’s part Alpha.”
“No way.” Diesel was shocked.
“Way.” Gage showed him a piece of paper that meant nothing.
“How is that even possible? Tell me.”
“I can’t prove it yet, but my theory is she’s a descendent of the Lost Colony from up in the Northwest.”
“What makes you think that?”
“She’s got Alpha-Prime royalty in her system.”
“Royalty.” Diesel looked at Juliana, not smiling exactly, but almost in awe.
“Yep. Isn’t that awesome?”
“Sure, awesome.” Diesel snapped his fingers. “It that why you think the Defender hasn’t worked on her very well?”
Gage nodded. “Probably and once her body gets used to it, likely it will stop working on her altogether. She’ll adapt.”
Diesel nodded. “She already has.”
“I’m part alien,” Juliana said and laughed.
“Where are your parents?” Gage asked. “Maybe they just didn’t tell you yet.”
She sobered immediately. “I don’t have any. I’m an orphan.”
“Not anymore.” Diesel pulled her close and kissed her. He kept kissing her until Gage excused himself and left the room.
Minutes later, Cam barged into his office. “Did you hear what Gage discovered?”
“Go away,” Diesel said.
“If what he says is true, she’s part of the Lost Colony and the rumors were true. There were survivors from that ill-fated group that landed here so long ago.”
“I repeat, Cam. Go away!”
“Aunt Dixie will be euphoric. She’s always loved that legend.”
Diesel rolled his eyes. “Heaven help us. I can only imagine what schemes she’ll come up with to promote Legends of the Lost Colony here in Alienn.”
Diesel turned to Juliana. “You know, if what Gage says is true, it’s likely you’re still considered royalty on Alpha-Prime.”
“So?”
“Are you going to want to visit Alpha-Prime, find your kin and possibly marry someone more important than a lowly truck stop manager on a backwater colony planet?” Diesel asked.
“Well, if my choice is limited to some fabulously wealthy, very handsome prince or you, I’ll have to think about it, won’t I?” She grinned. “Or is that your backhanded way of proposing to me?”
“I want to marry you. I know this is fast, but I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.” He stared deeply into her eyes. “I think we’re meant to be together.”
“Can we elope?”
“Elope?”
“Yes. You know, get married quickly?”
“Why are you in a hurry?”
“Well, if we elope then I don’t have to worry about some archaic arranged marriage on Alpha-Prime, because I agree with you. We are meant to be together. When we are apart, I don’t feel like a whole person, like I’m cold and forgetting something every time I move. Is that strange?”
“No. That’s the way I feel, too.”
“Is there a justice of the peace in Alienn?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
“Now?”
“What are we waiting for?”
“Good point.”
They were married before anyone could stop them so that they could live happily ever after in Alienn, Arkansas.