Page 10 of Alien's Heart
“But you will grab a stranger by the throat and threaten to rip his ears off.”
“He spat at you,” he said, his tone implying that to do otherwise would have been unimaginable.
Ruth raised her cup to her mouth to hide her smile. “So why did you swap places with Distinction, Mr. Just Nox?”
“I stole something of value that certain people are unhappy about. I needed a way off the station. The opportunity suited us both,” he said in a tone so smooth it was easy to just nod along and miss his confession altogether. He stole from people he oughtn’t. Age-old story.
Oddly, she believed him. About not being a murderer. He was a thief who swapped places with Distinction…and now he needed a place to lie low until the heat died down, or whatever the kids were calling it nowadays.
“So why not hire someone local? Or do you enjoy propositioning strangers?” he asked, not taking his eyes off her.
She blushed. She shouldn’t, but she did. His smooth, purring voice just got to her.
“I have a proposition that will suit us both,” she said. “You may have noticed that I’m not exactly popular around here.”
“What did you do, my ruthless doctor?”
She pressed her lips together to resist smirking because that was not a cute nickname, and she absolutely did not wantruthless doctoron a coffee mug. “Nothing.”
“I doubt that.”
“I came to Corra two years ago to work with Professor Herrec. He’s doing—he was doing—amazing research on…you don’t care about the research,” she said. It was so easy talking to Nox that she almost got carried away on a tangent.Focus. “The point is, he died three months ago and left me everything.”
“Distinction said you were a wealthy widow.”
“I worked for the professor. We weren’t married, and I’m hardly wealthy. I got this farm I don’t know how to run, a crop growing in the fields that’s the culmination of the professor’s research, and his son is making my life hell. I need someone—you—to keep Geral off my back so I can finish the research.”
His ears went back, pressing against his skull. “What has this male done?”
“Geral…he contested the will, had me all tied up in the courts. I wasted a lot of money because of him. Fine. It’s whatever,” she said. All the money she had was in her personal account. The contract with the food corporation wouldn’t pay out until she delivered a final product. Expenses related to running the farm she took from her savings. Not her salary, though. Thankfully that still came in. “He’s mostly been spreading rumors around town that I seduced his father to change the will and stole his inheritance, which makes no sense because the land’s not valuable and Geral isn’t interested in farming. I mean, maybe he’s motivated by spite and xenophobia.”
“Did you seduce his father to steal his inheritance?”
Ruth snorted in amusement. “Obviously, because there’s nothing I want more than an old farmhouse with a leaking roof in the middle of nowhere. Look, I just need you to hang around until the harvest. Once I get my specimens, I can take them anywhere.” She looked at her empty cup. “Preferably somewhere with actual coffee.”
“I am not a farmer,” Nox said, leaning back. His posture relaxed. “I think this Geral has done more than spread rumors and create legal problems. You would not need himoff your backfor mere rumors.”
She eyed his purple velvet jacket, completely unsuitable for the summer heat and any type of hard labor.
“I don’t need a farmer. There was some vandalism,” she said, hesitating to say more. Discovering the graffiti and disabled security system had left her shaken. “I don’t have proof it was Geral, but who else? He hasn’t escalated, but I’m out there on my own.”
“You require someone who is not afraid to inflict pain.” A vicious grin spread across his face. “I am very skilled at inflicting pain.”
That should have terrified her, but it didn’t, which was further proof this was a terrible idea. He was clearly a dangerous person.
“I won’t be able to pay you much, but I can do room and board, and it sounds like you need a place to lie low,” she said. Then, for insurance, “And there’ll be a bonus after the harvest. So, you know, no murdering.”
This seemed to amuse him. His tail twitched. “I accept. Whatever you require,” he said.
Just until the harvest. She could do this.
ChapterFour
Ruth
Ruth gripped the steering wheel.Technically, the vehicle’s AI could drive, allowing her to relax, but she didn’t trust it. Like most of the things on the farm, it was worn and near the end of its usefulness. The air conditioning barely worked, blowing out tepid air rather than an arctic chill. She drove with the windows down to get some fresh air. Sweat collected at the small of her back, making the fabric cling.
Despite all its faults, the vehicle ran. It wasn’t luxury but got her from point A to B. She might not trust the AI to avoid driving off a cliff, but she trusted it enough to not break down.
