Page 7 of Her Alien Matchmaker
The lights went out, and the claxon of alarms filled the air.Pure blackness darkened the room.
“Walk straight.I can see fine in the dark, so I will direct you when to stop.Fight, and I will use this tool to slice both of your carotid arteries.”
I did as he commanded, holding a hand outward to feel my way to the door, which I knew would be on lockdown.My fingers brushed against thin, smooth metal.The collar.I took it and kept going, using my other hand to examine what was in front and placing the collar in my coat pocket.
A faint click sounded near my ear.
Did he grab his lifecord?Even if he did, it wouldn’t work, but I needed to focus on the present.What could I do to get away from him?
The cold steel of the door pressed against my fingertips.
“Turn the handle,” he whispered.
Soldiers shouted outside the room, commanding him to stop or they’d fire.
If they shoot, even with their night vision and infrared lenses, they won’t care I’m collateral damage, not when compared to losing a Volderen who could get back to his people and reveal what we’ve been doing.
My only hope of survival would be to do what Jetarin said and wait for an opportunity to escape before my use as a hostage lost its luster.
Chapter 4
Coolerairhitmyface as the door swung open.
How?With the power cut, it should’ve remained locked.
Jetarin whispered something near my ear, but it was in his language.
Is he communicating through his lifecord?My blood pounded faster, the panic a palpable thing tasting like iron my mouth.
The hair on the back of my nape stiffened, and the scent of dry air mixed with a hint of petrichor hit my nose.I opened my eyes to the bright sun of New Mexico.Rows of cars sat under the clear sky; the heavy-duty fence surrounding the complex black and stark against the sand.He took us one hundred floors to the surface in a matter of seconds.
The blade pressed against my throat a bit harder.“Which vehicle is yours?”His voice sounded strained and gruff.
I pointed two rows away to a tan sedan.“There.”I had so many questions, but I had an even bigger focus on surviving.
With the blade still at my neck and his arm firmly around my middle, I began walking to my SUV, knowing our every movement could be seen by the many cameras feeding into central command.Why haven’t the troops arrived yet?
Fifty paces or so, then I stood on the passenger’s side of my car.
“Get in.If you try to escape, I will cut your throat.Do you understand?”
“Yes.”I rummaged around in my lab coat pocket to get the key fob, relieved I hadn’t stuck it in my purse earlier this morning.I touched the handle and the door unlocked.
Jetarin moved his hand from my waist and opened the car.“Get in and slide into the driver’s seat.We need to go somewhere they would not think of right away.”
“Please.Just take my car and go.You’ll have a head start.”The thought of being kidnapped by this alien and leaving my son behind terrified me more than the actual abduction and torture part.
“Even if I were to do that,” he said, removing the scalpel at my throat and pushing on my shoulders to get in the car, “do you think you’d be immune from their wrath?As far as they are concerned, there will always be suspicion you were complicit in my escape.They would not be able to fathom I stayed in that horrible place because I wanted to.”
“Wh-what?”I scrambled into the car, crawling over the center console and twisting my body to slide into the driver’s seat, then pushed the ignition switch.The engine purred to life.
Jetarin crammed himself into the passenger space, bending his neck to keep his head from touching the overhead liner.His knees practically kissed his naked chest as he tried to cram his enormous body into the small space.“We need to find a safe space for a short time, then we are leaving.”He pointed to the front entrance, where the concrete and steel posts had risen from the ground, blocking all traffic in or out.“That will not stop us.Back out, then head straight for the fence, where that service gate is at.”
“But it’ll tear up the car.”
“No, this vehicle can withstand it.Get to sixty miles per hour and it will be enough momentum.”
I backed out and gunned the vehicle, sending the tires into a spin before blasting straight to the metal fence, gaining speed.
