Her Alien Savior by Elle Thorne Read Free Book Online Page B

before he called his name. “Kal, I have a few questions for you.”
    “I assumed you would. And you know that there is danger in the questions you will pose.”
    “Questions don’t pose danger. Actions do.” He argued but knew he was lying to himself. The thing was, he was certain Kal knew too, from the look in his eyes.
    “Ask them. But then I will ask you one question, in return.”
    “The women, nothing happens to them? We do not kill them?”
    “We do not kill them. But there are always things that happen in medical procedures, even when the utmost care is taken.”
    “And what will happen to 42?”
    “She will be home in four hours.”
    Finn nodded, but wasn’t completely convinced, though he didn’t know why. And he didn’t think that Kal was lying to him, but something made him wonder, gave him pause. Even concerned him.
    “My turn.” Kal rubbed his jaw. “41—she wasn’t out of town was she?”
    He wanted to lie. He truly did. But he didn’t lie to Kal. He never had. They’d always been too close. He wouldn’t start now. “Not exactly.”
    Kal flipped a one-eighty, sharp and an on his heel and marched toward the entrance. “Go get your next target. If you need anything, let me know.”
     
    ~*~
     
    Finn drove the distance back to Houston. Kal’s questions and assurances heavy on his mind. He brought the car rental to a parking spot at a truck stop and studied the files for 43. Downtown Houston. He drove the distance and parked outside her gym. He waited. Five hours he waited, but no sign of her. She should have arrived four hours ago. He drove by her apartment. Her car was nowhere in sight. Her job, the same, no sign of her.
    Should he contact the team and tell them she wasn’t around? After telling them that Marissa was gone—which Kal knew the truth about but Finn was sure Kal wouldn’t tell, even if his life depended on it—after saying Marissa was out of town, Finn didn’t think it would look so good for him to have another missed target. Maybe he should move on to 44.
    He planned to move on to 44, but for some reason, some cursed reason, he drove to 42’s apartment. It had been more than four hours. It had been seven. No. Eight.
    Her car wasn’t in her parking spot, it was empty. The lights were off in her apartment. This could be nothing. Probably was. But he wanted to be sure.
    He parked down the street and decided to walk by her place.
    He didn’t get halfway down the block toward her apartment complex when he walked by an appliance store with televisions in the window front. Televisions with 42’s picture on them.
    Finn stopped. He tried to hear the news story through the glass, but couldn’t. He didn’t really need to though. He could see what it was about when her picture flashed again and above it the word: MISSING.
    Kal wouldn’t have lied. Finn believed this with all he held to be true. But something had happened. And until he knew what—
    He tapped out a message to Kal on his phone.
    What happened to 42?
    Two minutes later a reply from Kal.
    What do you mean? The Installment team returned her hours ago.
     
     

Chapter 11
     
    Marissa
     
    Marissa picked up the package of chewing tobacco from the corner store. Her father had never liked flowers. He thought they were a waste of money. And he never saw the point of putting flowers on graves. So she wasn’t going to take him flowers. She put the chewing tobacco in the same bag that had the fishing lures she’d taken out of Dad’s tackle box. She’d also taken a moment to use a pair of snips to clip the hooks off. Couldn’t have a stupid bird or mammal seeing the lures and deciding they were lunch, only to be hooked. Now the lures were rendered useless. At least at hooking.
    Along with the tobacco, the lures seemed like the perfect thing to put on Dad’s gravesite.
    The drive was long, he’d asked to be buried near the coast he liked to fish so much. So she’d found the cemetery closest to his fishing spot, off