Chapter 8
Colette woke before her alarm went off and immediately wondered if she’d dreamed up the blue aliens. In the light of day, it seemed far-fetched. Probably a vivid dream, because, hello, why would some ETs be coming to her to set up an interplanetary dating service?
Utterly ridiculous.
She hopped into a shower and quickly readied herself for work, despite not actually having anything on the agenda for the day.
Days until Christmas and she’d be the only one attempting to work.
Her staff would be off until January third, barring any emergencies.
They no longer put on any events between Christmas and New Year due to a lack of attendance, as many chose to be with family during that time—and the fact those who did appear emitted a stench of desperation that never boded well on the dating scene.
So why leave the comfort of her home at all?
She could technically work remotely. Why did she wear matching bra and panties, as well as her most form-fitting pencil skirt with matching flared blazer?
Because a teeny tiny part of her kind of hoped she’d not dreamed up the blue hunks.
Guess she’d soon find out, given she’d asked for a morning meeting with them.
Colette ran into her first dilemma getting to her office. When she arrived at her parking spot in the underground garage, she discovered her car missing. Her lips pursed, she pulled out her phone, loading the app for her Lexus, which, in turn, provided its current location—at her office.
The fact she’d not driven home didn’t mean she’d actually been beamed aboard a spaceship and then teleported into her condo, though. More likely, she’d drank a little too much and called a taxi, even if she didn’t remember it. Guess she’d have to catch another ride to fetch it.
A dial into the car service she used when not in the mood to drive herself had the operator promising a luxury SUV would be out front within the next ten minutes, which gave her enough time to get out of the garage and grab a coffee at the shop attached to the lobby of her condominium building.
The steaming cappuccino kept her warm as she stood on the sidewalk, grimacing at the light snowflakes daring to fall.
She’d never been keen on winter weather.
The dimness caused by the cloud cover had the dusk-like gloom triggering Christmas lights strung up and down the street, their golden glow actually pretty.
She never decorated herself. Why bother when it would just be her on Christmas Day?
A blacked-out Suburban pulled to the curb, and a woman dressed in a black uniform popped out of the passenger seat.
“Ms. Wilson?” she asked.
“That’s me,” Colette replied, even as she wondered when the luxury taxi service began sending two people on jobs.
The woman opened the rear passenger door, and Colette slid into the sleek leather interior, carefully placing her coffee into a cupholder before she buckled in.
The big SUV pulled from the curb, and Colette resumed drinking her cappuccino while catching up on the news on her phone.
It was only as she finished her cup and looked away from the screen that she frowned.
“Excuse me, but this isn’t the way to my office,” she stated, noticing they’d reached the outskirts of the city and were heading onto the highway.
“We’re not going to your office,” the woman in the passenger seat replied.
“Excuse me?” Colette didn’t immediately panic, but she did bring up the phone pad and had typed in the number nine before the woman replied, “Don’t bother trying to call anyone for help. It will be intercepted by one of the team.”
Okay, that didn’t sound good, as it implied an organization with resources. “What’s this about? Am I being kidnapped? Are you looking for money?”
“You’re being brought in for questioning on a matter of national security.”
Colette’s heart stuttered. “I’m not a terrorist. I run a dating service.”
“We’re aware.”
“Then how can you think I’m a threat? Is this because we’re looking to expand into Russia?” Colette hadn’t yet decided if they would, given the volatile relationship between the USA and the communist country.
“As if you don’t know the real reason,” scoffed the driver, a male with a square head that screamed military.
“I don’t.”
“We know about last night.”
At his words, Colette’s mouth went dry. Had she actually been visited by ETs?
Colette didn’t ask. Couldn’t. Because what if she were wrong?
She’d end up sounding foolish. Instead, she tucked her hands in her lap and eyed the passing scenery.
Whatever this concerned, she’d handle it. She’d done nothing wrong.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The man driving snorted.
Asshole.
The trip lasted just over fifteen minutes, and Colette tensed as her ride slowed at a checkpoint for a military base. Guess the kidnapping pair truly did work for the government, but she still had yet to figure out the reason for her detainment.
Did I really meet aliens, or is this about something else?
The guard at the gate let them through, and the Suburban moved past hangars and square buildings as well as uniformed soldiers marching in cadence.
They drove through what appeared to be a warehouse unloading door and almost immediately began to descend.
The utility elevator went down several floors, and when it stopped, her stomach clenched.
The man and woman exited the truck, with the latter opening the rear door and saying, “Get out.”
“I’d like to call my lawyer before speaking to anyone,” Colette stated without moving.
“Not happening,” barked the man. “This is a matter of national security, which means you move your ass out of that truck and do what we say.”
Colette never did like bullies and arched a brow. “This is a country of laws, and I’m pretty sure they don’t allow you to abduct citizens and force them to do your bidding, especially when they’ve committed no crime.”
“You don’t call treason a crime?” he spat.
Colette huffed. “For god’s sake, it’s a dating service. If it’s that big of a deal, I’ll skip whoever it is you have a problem with and open an office elsewhere.”
“Playing dumb ain’t gonna save you.” The man reached in and grabbed Colette’s arm in a tight vise before yanking her. The slippery leather seats sent her flying, and she only barely managed to plant her feet to avoid falling.
Once she did have her balance, Colette pulled free from his grip and hissed, “Touch me again and I will sue you for assault.”
“You’re assuming you’ll ever leave this place,” he growled right back.
“Sergeant Kilmer, stand down,” a firm voice ordered, and immediately the bristling fellow took a step back, clicking his heels together and standing at rigid attention with his hand angled at his temple. “Yes, General.”
“I’ll handle Ms. Wilson. You and Corporal Johnson are dismissed.”
“Are you sure, General?” the one called Johnson queried.
“I’m pretty sure I can handle Ms. Wilson on my own. If not, then I really should turn in my bars,” was the dry reply from the steely-haired woman wearing a military uniform, the emblems of which indicated she was a general of long standing.
“Yes, ma’am.” Johnson saluted before pivoting and walking away, soon followed by a sullen Kilmer.
“Hello, Ms. Wilson. I’m General Davis.”
Colette perused the woman who stood an inch shorter but a few inches wider, not from fat but what seemed to be muscle. A woman who didn’t have a hint of softness in her demeanor. Colette pursed her lips. “Are you the reason I was kidnapped off the street?”
“Yes.”
“Why? Your goons claimed I was some kind of national security threat, which is absurd. I run a matchmaking service. And as I told them, while we’ve been scouting Russia as a possible location for expansion, it’s more because it’s a huge dating market and not for any nefarious reason.
I will add that I love my country and would never do anything to harm it. ”
“This isn’t about Russia. If you’ll follow me, let’s go somewhere we can speak privately.
” The stocky general set a brisk pace that Colette easily matched.
She noticed the underground installation they’d entered appeared to be a massive open space, if one ignored the towering concrete supporting pillars.
Desks abounded, topped with computer monitors and keyboards, manned by people in uniform.
Huge screens hung on the wall, depicting everything from satellite images of various spots on Earth to ever-changing images of space.
The one screen that gave her pause appeared to be an aerial view of her office building.
Why would the military be spying on her?
The general led Colette to an office made out of smoked glass that, once entered, cut off the hum of machinery and people.
A long table flanked by chairs waited inside, along with a man in uniform, bald and with crabby features set in a scowl, as well as a woman in a lab coat, her gray hair pulled back in a tight bun that accentuated her angular features and the glasses perched on the end of her nose.
“If you’ll have a seat.” The general indicated a chair at the far end of the table.
Colette kept her spine rigid as she seated herself, projecting an outward calmness she didn’t feel inside.
The general waved to the pair sitting and introduced them. “If you don’t mind, Colonel Pratchett and Dr. Ouellet will be sitting in on this meeting.”
“Do I have a choice?” Colette’s sour reply.
“No,” snapped the colonel.
This would be a pleasant meeting. She crossed her legs and kept her tone firm—despite the butterflies in her belly. “Care to explain why I’ve been unlawfully abducted?”
“Seven days ago, NASA detected a UAP, which stands for an Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon, entering our solar system. Three days ago, the UAP settled into orbit around Earth and cloaked its presence.”