Alien Admirer (Alien Next Door) by Jessica E. Subject Read Free Book Online Page B

the guy. But he wouldn’t. Not in front of the people he loved.
    Once they’d reached the porch, Derek grunted. “You’re going to pay for this, boy. You never should have interrupted. I have a lot of friends.”
    Shoving him down the stairs, Adam laughed. “So do I. And they will beat any man who tries to rape a woman within an inch of his life. Want to meet them?”
    Derek stumbled on the walkway, searching for balance. “She’ll never be yours.”
    “I think that’s up to her. But if you ever set foot anywhere near here again, you’ll be leaving in a body bag.”
    “Are you threatening me, boy?”
    Adam stepped forward. “Yes.”
    Rushing to his SUV, Derek gunned the engine and threw it into reverse.
    Adam caught a glimpse of brown hair a few feet behind the vehicle. No!
    He bounded down the driveway. “Zach, move!” Scooping him up, Adam raced to get out of the way.
    The steel bumper slammed his knee and he fell forward, letting Zach roll out of his arms to the grass. Heavy rubber rolled over his knees, grinding his legs into the gravel. Bones snapped. His vision wavered and dust coated the inside of his mouth. So much pain. Help me.
    He coughed and his lungs burned as if shards of glass ripped through the tissue. His legs were on fire and he wanted to tear them off, get rid of the agony.
    Figures surrounded him. Faint voices buzzed, but their words remained foreign. Unable to focus, he tried to reach out, get someone to help him, but his body refused to respond.
    Save me, please.

Chapter Seven
     
    A restraining order. All she got for now. The rest took time. After Derek tried to rape her, nearly ran over her son, and left Adam in the hospital with broken legs, Sera pressed charges. More counseling, lawyers, and an upcoming date in the courtroom, though this time, she had to testify. Today, she craved a break from it all. Rob’s case had tormented her enough. She yearned for a different life, one far away from all the pain.
    She peered around her home. Could she really leave the house Rob built behind? As long as Derek stays away, I’ll be okay. And she always had Adam, the man who believed himself an alien, to look out for her. He’d promised. If she left, she’d have to leave his security behind.
    Blinking hard, she rubbed her temples. Regardless of his crazy talk, she loved him. And he’d nearly sacrificed his life to save her and her son. I need to stop hiding. Thank him, at least. When, though? Sure, she had more time with Melody and Zach in school, but she couldn’t waltz into the hospital and pretend nothing happened. All the blame for his injuries lay on her. She swallowed her guilt. He’d come back after she kicked him out and locked herself away. So, how was she going to face him again?
    Knock, knock .
    Please don’t let it be another detective. She wanted to be done with the police and the incident altogether.
    Rising from the couch, she sucked in a deep breath. A cold sweat washed over her. Why can’t things go my way for once? For every good thing that happens in my life, something worse follows. She hadn’t lost Adam, she’d pushed him away.
    With a shaky hand, she opened the front door. But, instead of a detective, she found Adam’s mom.
    “Hello, Sera.” The woman gave her a weak smile, holding onto a rolled-up brown paper bag. “I was wondering if we could talk.”
    Talk to the woman who ’d married an alien and given birth to extraterrestrial offspring. According to Adam, that is. Yet, those were her son’s crazy beliefs, not Rachel’s.
    Sera held open the door. “Come on in.” Maybe her neighbor could clear up the issue.
    “ Have a seat. Would you like some tea? Coffee?”
    Rachel sat on the edge of the center couch cushion, still clutching the bag. “No, thank you. I only have a few minutes before I have to leave for the hospital.”
    Panic, like a wave of fire, rushed through her. “Is Adam okay?”
    “Besides being anxious to leave the hospital, yes,” his