Page 24 of Her Alien Beast
Chapter 15
VLANN
“Boss,I heard you didn’t take the reward. It’s been on the newsfeeds,” says Owen, peering into the video comm with a quizzical look.
My hands tighten into fists. “No, I didn’t take the reward. But I do appreciate all the help you gave me.”
“Something wrong, boss?”
“No, things are fine,” I lie. “I’ll contact you in a few days. I’m sure there will be something I need your help with by then.”
I disconnect the call and push away from the video comm. A short while ago, I’d come across an article about Amira in the newsfeeds.Swan-Whitworth Human Wedding Rescheduled. On the third day she was missing, her parents had gone public with the news of her disappearance, opening up the reward beyond the jurisdiction of Enforcers. The article claims she spent almost six days lost in the forest and that she’s overjoyed to finally be marrying the man of her dreams—a quote that’s credited to her mother.
Even after running away and trying to escape the union, Amira is going to marry Gregory anyway. I think of the report about Gregory that had revealed his serious crimes. Amira had mentioned the bastard treated her with disdain, but does she know about his criminal history?
I slam a fist on top of the video comm, cracking the device in two. The monitor splits apart, falling to the floor. I curse and pace back and forth. I hadn’t mentioned Gregory’s crimes to Amira because I’d also done a background check on her and her family, a fact I’d wanted to keep a secret, as I’d feared it might upset her.
She has to know, I must tell her. Even if she’s not with me, she can’t marry Gregory. Her life will be ruined.
Using my wrist comm, I enter the video comm number for the Swan residence, as I picture Amira sitting inside the resplendent brick mansion. No one answers, so I try Amira’s personal wrist comm number, another piece of information provided by Owen’s research. My heart leaps when I hear her voice.
“Hello?”
“Amira, this is Vlann.”
“What do you want?” Her tone is cold. “Oh, let me guess…the reward money.”
“No, that’s not why I’m calling,” I reply quickly. “It’s Gregory.”
“What about him?”
“You can’t marry him. He’s a dangerous criminal. All of his charges have been dropped or expunged, but…”
“What kind of charges?” she asks, cutting me off.
“Assault, bribery, rape, driving a hovercar while intoxicated…”
She’s quiet for so long I fear she’s disconnected the call, but a glance at my wrist comm shows the call is still active.
“I-I have to go now. Good-bye, Vlann.” Before I can reply, I hear the low-toned beep that indicates she’s disconnected the call.
Fluxx. Why is she still planning to marry Gregory? I don’t understand, but I know one thing for certain: I must prevent the union from taking place.
I transmit all the damning evidence Owen has collected about Gregory’s criminal habits onto a tablet and shove it into my pocket, then I bolt out of the house and head for my hovercar.
Once I’m flying down the road, I use the tracking locator on my dashboard to pinpoint Amira’s location using her wrist comm number, just in case she leaves her house. To my shock, the map shows she’s on the move, traveling on the same mountain highway as I am, though she’s headed in the opposite direction. Toward me. My heart nearly stops. Is she coming back to me?
But the screen soon shows she’s taking an exit and heading for the Tressik Lake area. My spirits plummet. She’s not coming back to me, after all, but I don’t slow in my travels as I guide my hovercar toward her location, zipping past other vehicles and not giving a care for the posted speed limits.
Finally, I reach the Tressik Lake exit and I take it, determined to track Amira down. One way or another, I’m going to find the little human. And once I find her, I’m going to make her mine.
