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Chapter 1
Giannahadpacedformore than forty minutes. Back and forth, she walked in front of her bed, clutching the little card in her fingers like her life depended on not letting go.
She’d run across it when walking by the marquee that held the farmers market. She had been trying to find her brother and was scanning the area. She didn’t expect her eyes to land on the little flier taped to the tent.
Reading the words of the investigation service, she scoffed. She couldn’t afford the price of hiring a private investigator. She was going to walk away until she noticed the bold letters right below it that read PRO BONO in all caps. She stood an extra few seconds staring at the flier, nibbling her lower lip.
She didn’t have the money to hire anyone to find her brother. Heck, she didn’t have much to her name, at all. But she needed help, and if it was pro bono, she wasn’t saying no. She’d beg if necessary.
So, she had entered the open space and walked toward the bulletin board in the back. In the mess of fliers and cards tacked to the wall, she found the same one from out front and grabbed a card with the name and number of the investigative service.
Gianna surveyed the shop before she slipped back out to the streets. Suddenly, she felt a little hope that she had a possibility of finding her missing brother.
She had walked home and, upon arriving, had the urge to call the number. She had clutched the card like it was gold the entire way, so it was only natural she made the call.
But she couldn’t.
Instead, she paced back and forth in front of her bed as she second-guessed whether sheshouldcall or not. It was odd to find a flier with an offer like this. She knew that, yet it had to be true. She prayed it was true.
She typed out the number and quickly hit call before she could stop herself. She stopped pacing as it rang. Once. Twice. Three times.
“This is PAPS private investigation service. Kozien speaking. How may I help you?”
Gianna stood frozen, unable to answer. She opened her mouth but snapped it shut when she realized she didn’t know what to say. How did she make herself sound trustworthy enough for this person to believe her? How did she make herself sound like a case he wanted to do for free?
“Hello?” The man on the other end spoke up again, causing Gianna to sputter for something to say.
“Hello,” she said too loudly. “Yes, I’m, um…” She looked down at the card, quickly searching for the right words. “My name is Gianna, and I just found your flier out at the marquee. Where they have the local farmer’s market?” She wet her lips, “and it said pro bono below it.” The ensuing pause made her wonder if he had hung up. She glanced at her phone, seeing that the call was still connected. “I called the right number. Right?”
“Yes,” he grumbled. “Yes, you did. Sorry, you caught me at an odd time. Yes, we certainly can do that. But I think that this would be better if we talked in person. Could you meet up, say Thursday at Stardust at three? It’s on the corner across from the farmers market. Can’t miss it.”
Gianna nodded, a smile bursting over her lips. “Yes, that’s perfect. I’ll see you then.”
“Sounds good. I’ll wait for you in the back corner.”
She nodded again, ending the call. A burst of happiness hit her, and she squealed. She was one step closer to getting her life back on track, and that’s what mattered.
Three days later, Gianna went down to Stardust. She entered the small bar, taken aback at the place’s busyness. She shook it off, wanting to hold on to her happiness. She was a step closer to finding her brother. All she had to do was convince this person to take her case.
She stood by the entrance for a moment, looking over the crowd. She tried to envision what the man would look like by his voice, but she knew voices could be deceiving. She lived on a planet withaliens, after all.
But her eyes landed on a person sitting in the back, away from the crowd, and she suddenly knewthatwas her guy. And to her surprise, he wasn’t at all how she thought he’d look.
He was a Darzios alien, indicated by his violet skin color and bulkier build. Scales covered his body, catching her attention. They were eye-grabbing for sure.
Ram horns curled out from his dark silver hair, and his bright purple eyes scanned the room. His aura certainly demanded attention, and several people were glancing at him as he sat there.
She felt intimidated, too scared to approach him, but at the same time, her legs moved on their own. She strode up to his table, watching as his gaze landed on her.
She swallowed and tried to harden her voice. “Hello.” She held her hand out. “I’m Gianna, and I called you for the meeting today.”
His eyes took her in before he shook her hand, and she felt her body grow intensely hot.
She slid into the chair opposite of him and crossed her legs, feeling like the air had been kicked out from under her. She didn’t know what it was, but the way his eyes bored into her twisted her up inside in a way she never thought possible.
Kozien Lorrz was sure he was seeing things wrong. The person he talked to the other night didn’t match the girl standing in front of him. On the phone, she sounded strong and confident, but she was only a fragile human.
Yet, when she spoke, her voice sparked something deep inside Kozien, setting his entire body aflame. His heart ached like someone had grabbed hold of it and ripped it to shreds.
