Chapter Sixteen
The spaceship growled as it landed, and so did her stomach. Playing it safe because the commercial spacecraft had no doctor aboard, she hadn’t eaten anything on the long flight home.
As they waited for the disembarkation announcement, Ruyn suggested, “How about I place an order at Mama Murta’s. We can pick it up on the way home—unless you’d rather eat there.”
“No, that sounds perfect.” She smiled at him. He took such good care of her. He’s so darn sweet. And attentive. He’d hovered over her the entire trip. In solidarity, he’d skipped eating on the flight, too.
Almost dying hadn’t been fun, and they faced serious business with Korsan, but the trip had been worth every second because their connection had deepened and solidified. He’d been so calm, concerned, and helpful during her little crisis.
She glanced at him as he transmitted their food order. I think I love him. Mama Murta would gloat and say, “I told you so,” but Michaela would accept the smugness with good grace. What could she say? The restaurant owner had called it.
She never expected to find love through GAL Friday. Until Ruyn, she’d never met an extraterrestrial she’d ever consider as a potential mate.
From the start, Ruyn had aroused her professional interest, which quickly turned personal. She couldn’t believe he’d be willing to relocate for her and couldn’t wait to introduce him to her parents and brothers. He and her brothers would hit it off.
The conflicting parts of her life were dovetailing now—she could have the man of her dreams and the career of her dreams. She’d be back with her family. Life couldn’t get any better than this.
The allergic reaction already seemed less worrisome. She’d follow up with a local physician—Ruyn would insist on it—but she wasn’t too concerned. The attacks had been super scary, but something on Elyxis 4 had caused the problem. As long as I stay away from that planet, I’ll be fine.
Adanna insisted she wasn’t allergic to the food—so maybe the detergent used on the bedding? The reaction had occurred at night both times.
Possibly pollen or spores in the air were the culprits.
Elyxis 4 had been terraformed with alien flora transplanted from hundreds of planets.
The most violent attack had occurred after spending several hours in the botanical garden.
No doubt they’d returned to the hotel covered in spores and pollen.
The announcement to disembark came, and they filed off with the other passengers.
With only carry-ons and no luggage to retrieve, they sped through the spaceport. They caught a public transport and instructed it to take them to Mama Murta’s.
“Ruynko, Michaela, I have your order ready!” Mama Murta greeted them. Her cheerful pink headscarf complemented her apron, the vibrant hues matching her vivid personality. She eyed their rolling bags. “You went on a trip together?”
“A little junket,” Ruyn answered.
Mama nodded, smugly beaming from ear to ear. “The passion of young love…” She sighed dramatically.
“I’m over forty. I’m not so young,” Ruyn said.
“But you are in love?” Mama leaped on what he didn’t say.
Michaela felt her face heat. They’d discussed a future together, but they’d never told each other, I love you.
She was falling in love, and figured he was, too—why else would he relocate— but the sentiment should be exchanged in private, not in front of Mama and an audience of customers.
The café was packed, and she noted the interest of one regular in particular. He sat alone at a table for two, eating his meal, but the tilt of his head suggested he was eavesdropping. We’re the entertainment. Dinner and a show.
Fortunately, surprise of all surprises, Mama moved on. “Did you enjoy the last box dinner?”
“Yes, it was delicious!” Ruyn said.
“Excellent,” she seconded. “We got stuck in the booster during the solar flare, so it came in handy, too—oops! We should have brought back your utensils, but we came straight from the spaceport.”
“No problem. The next time. This dinner is even better than the last one, I promise you.”
“I’m sure it is. You’re a wonderful cook,” Michaela said.
“I love feeding people and making them happy. Cooking is my passion.”
“It shows.”
They’d dismissed the transport, figuring they could hoof it home from the café.
With Ruyn handling their rolling bags and Michaela carrying the dinner boxes labeled with their names, they walked toward home.
Her stomach let out a loud growl caused by the mouthwatering aroma wafting from the cartons.
“Somebody’s hungry.” He chuckled.
“That somebody would be me. I’m ravenous. You didn’t eat either. I’m surprised your stomach isn’t growling.”
“Oh, it is. You just can’t hear it. It’s a polite growl.”
Upon entering their building, they rode the booster to their floor. It’s great to be home.
The building and Luturna did feel like home.
Ruyn was her home. If not for her big dream of opening an agency, she could live happily on his planet forever.
She’d miss her parents and brothers, of course, but with visits home—and visits from them—she could make it work. But she was glad she didn’t have to.
“Your place or mine?” he asked.
“Either,” she replied. “But would you mind if I took a quick shower before we eat—if you’re famished, you can start without me.”
The appetizing aroma of the dinners tempted her to dig in immediately, but after a seven-hour space flight, she felt grungy. The decontamination spritz passengers had to pass through before and after flights coated her skin.
“No, that’s a good idea. I’d like to clean up, too. I’ll pop into my unit and meet you at yours in a few minutes.” They’d reached his apartment.
“Good plan!” she said. “You want me to take both meals?”
“Can you handle the two boxes and your case?”
“No problem.” She stacked the meal cartons and grabbed the handle of her bag. “What else you got for me?”
“Just this.” He kissed her. “See you in a few.”
“I’ll be ready. If I’m not, let yourself in.”
He went inside, and she wheeled her case to her unit. Balancing the boxes in one hand, she palmed in with the other then pushed the door open. Keeping it open with her body, she kicked her case inside. She entered and let the door close.
Why is the coffee table upside down?
A hard band clamped around her neck, cutting off her air. A string of guttural gibberish growled in her ear. Against her back, she could feel the bulge of a weapon.
Instinct and training kicked in. Food splattered as she dropped the boxes to free her hands.
“Don’t hurt me.” She feigned compliance while tucking her chin low and relaxing to create space between her body and the attacker.
Then she drove her elbow hard into his gut.
He let out an oomph. The band around her throat eased, and she twisted and slammed the butt of her palm into her attacker’s nose.
His face was covered by a mask, but she heard a satisfying crunch.
Another quick blow under his chin knocked him into the wall.
His jacket parted, and she spotted the weapon tucked into his waistband.
He reached for it, and she delivered a swift kick to his nether region on the hunch alien gonads were as sensitive as human ones.
With a high-pitched squeal, he doubled over.
More gibberish spewed from his mouth, and her translator finally caught up.
His curses weren’t very complimentary toward her.
She drew her weapon from its thigh holster under her skirt.
Eyes widened in the masked face, and then he bolted, yanking the door open and charging into the hall. She watched him skip-hobble to the stairwell.
How had he breached security and gotten in?
Keeping her weapon at the ready, she did a quick search of the apartment, careful not to touch anything.
The unit had been ransacked, tables overturned, drawers yanked out, contents flung around.
Clothes had been pulled from the closet and tossed onto the floor.
She holstered her weapon and called Ruyn.
“I just got out of the shower,” he said. “I’ll be on my way in a few.”
“Um…I have bad news…and worse news.”
“Are you having a reaction?”
“Nothing like that. The bad news is, I had a visitor.”
“What do you mean?”
“I walked in, and there was an intruder in my apartment.”
“Phuk! Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. I handled it. He ran away. He made a mess of my apartment though.”
“I’m coming over—phuk, that was the bad news? What’s worse?”
She eyed the mess on the floor. “I dropped our dinner.”
He arrived in a flash. “Are you all right?” He hugged her.
He smelled good, and she was still grungy, but she hugged him back, absorbing his strength. Reaction had set in, and she felt shaky, but part of that could have been due to not eating. She eyed the food on the floor.
“He was behind the door when I came in. He grabbed me. I delivered a couple of blows and broke free. When he went for his weapon, I pulled mine, and he ran. I let him go rather than engage in a shoot-out.”
“He was armed?” Ruyn swore.
“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” she downplayed the incident. The intruder had underestimated her and the situation. If he’d had his weapon out, the outcome could have been different.
“Did you call the police?”
“Not yet. I called you.”
Ruyn notified the police who arrived within minutes.
Inspector Nsia introduced himself and his partner, Puul, and she gave him their names. “What happened?” Nsia swept his gaze over the mess before focusing on her.
She reiterated what she’d told Ruyn, how the intruder had been inside when she’d walked in.
“Can you describe him?”
“He was behind me most of the time, and I couldn’t see his face. He wore something like a black ski mask.”
“Skee mask?”
“Sorry. Skiing is a sport on Earth. A ski mask covers the entire head with cutouts for the eyes, nose, and sometimes mouth. His mask covered his mouth.”
“Eyes?”
“Dark,” she said, then added, “Two—that I could see.”
“Height, clothing?”
“He was taller than me, but shorter than Ruyn. My head bumped his chin.”