Chapter 12
Twelve
Ronan cocked his head to the side and looked at Caleb, before snapping his eyes back to the man.
“You mean to tell me this is Autumn’s father?” Ronan assessed him from head to toe. He wasn’t at all what he expected considering how innocent and doe-like Autumn was. This man was a red-hot mess. And he stank to high heaven .
“Yes, I’m Autumn’s father,” the man growled.
“I see,” Ronan muttered, eyes unmoving. “I’ll let you down if you promise to behave yourself.”
“I can’t make any promises, alien. Where’s my daughter?” He ground his molars together. He could hear the enamel cracking.
Ronan released his grip and set Mr. Ramon down on the ground. His knife shook in his grasp.
“What are you doing with all these people? Are you abducting them too? And why am I not surprised that you’re somehow involved, Caleb? You never had my daughter’s best interest in mind,” he glowered. “I’ll ask you again, where’s my daughter? And where’s Dante? When I find him, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.”
Caleb stared at his palms as if ashamed.
Ronan crossed his arms, spine snapping straight. “I’m not at liberty to tell you, but I can say that you’re coming with me.”
“She’s in outer space,” Marcela blurted.
Ronan whipped around and glared at her. He was practically ready to scream. He’d had enough of the drama. The clock was ticking, and he needed to find Sean and get off this planet and back home to his own world.
“I don’t give a damn,” Marcela continued. “Tell the man where his daughter is, or I will. I know what it’s like to be a parent. We invest everything into our children only for them to go out and disappoint us.”
Tyler glanced away. His deep brown eyes wavered on the verge of tears.
“Autumn would never disappoint me,” Mr. Ramon countered. “She’s a fine young lady. Now tell me where she is.”
“It’s a long story that I don’t have time for right now,” Ronan insisted, checking the clock on his communicator.
Mr. Ramon held the knife again. “Then make time. I’ve waited long enough to see her.”
His mouth curved. “You know what? You’re right. Follow me, I’ll bring you to her at once.”
He led Mr. Ramon back to the destroyer, still hidden in the dead of night. He disengaged the forcefield. The door opened and steam seeped into the humid forest. He gestured for Mr. Ramon to enter. At the last second, he sealed the spacecraft airtight, leaving him trapped and with no choice but to wait patiently for his return.
Mr. Ramon kicked and pounded against the door. With a wave of his hand, Ronan concealed the spacecraft from plain sight. The trees swayed in the warm summer breeze.
It was good enough for the time being.
“Is everybody ready to get going? My time and patience wear thin,” Ronan checked his communicator again. Dante and Autumn were counting on him to come through. At least he had her father in tow. It would save him a trip.
Everyone in the group nodded. For the first time, nobody bickered or protested. He put his human disguise into place and grabbed hold of his charge. Misty rode piggy-back, Marcela and Tyler sat in his arms, and Caleb dangled from his boots.
Four more stops, he reassured himself. Four more stops until he could see Sean again and wipe his hands clean of this situation. He’d deal with Mr. Ramon when he returned.
Ronan raced into the skittering stars. This was going to be a long night.