“Yes.”
“Do you have transportation? Or are we hitching a ride with Cyberpunk Chick, wherever she is?” He turned his head, searched over his shoulder.
Her gaze narrowed in confusion before she smiled in understanding. “Oh, Seraphina. No. I have my own ride, a rental. And she’ll close up this house when she leaves.”
He watched as she squeezed the hand he’d held into a fist. Maybe she wasn’t unaffected by a mere handshake. Still, his guard went up and stayed in place.
“Let’s go.” Jack wondered if he should contact any of his brothers regarding this sudden trip he was about to make to Suspicion and the Secret Keeper to help an old flame.
No. Better to ask forgiveness than seek permission. Aunt Dixie’s favorite credo came in handy for more than just her fundraising needs and the trouble she always seemed to get into with his eldest brother, Diesel.
Because of tonight’s bachelor auction, Jack had taken the next three days off. Jack figured—depending on who bid on him—he might need a few days to recover from the trauma. Now, that meant he’d be able to go on this unexpected trip to Suspicion without having to alert anyone to his plans or his general movements.
Little did he know when he booked the time off what kind of ordeal he’d face, spending time with someone he loved, but couldn’t have.
Jack shoved that notion to the back of his head and thought about the trip. He and Madelaine could drive straight through to Suspicion and make it back to Alienn before he had to ask for any more time off.
Since his immediate supervisor, Cam, was on leave for several more days, Jack would have to get permission from Axel if he needed more time off.
That meant he wouldn’t have to explain as much. Axel would likely grant him the vacation without a single question, instead of the third-degree Cam usually gave him for any request, no matter what it was.
“We’ll need to swing by my house so I can pick up my go bag,” Jack said.
Madelaine, clearly surprised, asked, “You already have a bag packed for this trip?”
“Not exactly. I just have a standard bag packed and ready to go, in case of sudden travel, like an unexpected trip to Suspicion.”
“Oh. Okay. Good.” Madelaine moved through the living space into the hallway and toward the front door. He followed her out to the porch, noting her movements seemed different than when he’d known her.
She moved like a soldier, silently marching, instead of the slower, easy gait she used to have when they lingered in the hallways on their way to and from classes.
Interesting.
Once out on the porch, he saw that Seraphina was seated on a comfortable-looking padded wicker chair he hadn’t noticed on his way inside.
“Are you all set?” she asked Madelaine, her violet-lensed spectacles perched on top of her head. She got to her feet.
“Yes. We’re headed out. Thanks for being my proxy.”
“You’re welcome. Call me if you need anything else. I’ll stay in Alienn for a few days, just in case you need me before I head back home. All right?”
“Yes. Thank you, Seraphina.” The two women hugged quickly and parted just as fast.
“Is home for you on Ichor-Delta?” Jack asked, surprising himself.
“Perhaps,” Seraphina said. “Why?”
Jack shrugged. “No reason. Just making conversation.” He knew someone from Ichor-Delta. Axel’s brother-in-law, Raphael Boudreaux—the bounty hunter married to Lucy’s sister, Francine—was from Ichor-Delta.
When the man wasn’t out being an intergalactic bounty hunter, Raphael sometimes worked for Cam in the same belowstairs security office where Jack worked.
Violet diamonds found on Ichor-Delta helped keep Earth’s bright sunlight from harming individuals from there. He suspected the violet lenses of Seraphina’s spectacles were made from those rare diamonds or coated with violet diamond dust in some form.
Seraphina waved as they walked down the porch stairs.
Jack followed Madelaine to the side of the house, where a silver luxury sedan was parked beneath a sizable, but weathered, carport. Given this area of Arkansas, he was surprised the local car rental businesses had anything besides trucks and SUVs to rent out.
She unlocked the vehicle with a couple of clicks from a key fob and they both got in. He adjusted the front passenger seat so his knees didn’t press into the glove compartment and soon they were headed back down the long, tree-lined driveway.
