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“I’m still curious what the humans know about them,” Ethan shrugged. “Knowledge is power?”
Tristan didn’t look convinced. “Your interest wouldn’t have anything to do with a dark-haired reporter, would it?”
“So what if it does?” Ethan leaned back in his chair and looked out over the water. The coast had been quiet lately. No lights. No spacecraft bursting from the waters.
For all their technology, humankind was drastically behind in the advancements other planets in this galaxy possessed. Humans regularly explored their oceans and seas but didn’t know that underwater portals existed and served as highways for intergalactic travelers and had for centuries. Wormholes connected the fabric of this reality and others, allowing beings with the right tech to travel at will.
The skwerm used the underwater portals as their preferred mode for jumping from point-to-point, and since Earth had become their favorite hunting grounds, were apparently becoming sloppy with their cloaking deployment by allowing the lights of their ships to be seen, and to some extent, the ships themselves as they burst at over seven-thousand miles an hour from the water into the sky.
For all their smartphones and high-tech cameras, humans still couldn’t capture clear evidence.
What did Kimber think? She’d implied last night that she had some experience with the grays.
Tristan stood. “In that case, I’ll find somewhere else to sit. She’s here.”
Ethan’s heart raced when he spied Kimber leaning on the bar, trying to get Belinda’s attention.
Tristan smacked him lightly on the shoulder. “Just remember, Neb is always watching. Don’t give him a reason to go to work.”
Neb the Scrubber was an obstinate life form who lived for the chance to erase someone’s memory. Sent with Ethan and his party to Earth by the king, his sole purpose was to clean up any mess the Luxx may cause while on planet.
“Noted,” Ethan replied absently as he headed to the bar.
Kimber seemed agitated. Her fingers drummed on the top of the bar, and she frequently shifted from one foot to the other.
“Come on, it’s extra cash. Who doesn’t need extra cash? I wouldn’t ask, but this is sort of an emergency.”
Belinda puffed an annoyed breath. “No amount of cash will do. Sorry.”
“Oh, come on. I didn’t even tell you what’s involved.”
“Because I don’t care.”
“I’ll pay you a hundred dollars and you get to spend the night in a castle.”
Belinda paused in wiping down the bar, eyeing Kimber with a flicker of interest. “What do I have to do?”
“You just have to pretend to be my friend. That’s it.”
“No. God, no.”
Kimber groaned. “Fine, two hundred and we don’t have to be friends. Just be my delightfully sarcastic plus one.”
Belinda nodded knowingly and wagged a finger at Kimber. “This isn’t the first time a foreign woman has tried this with me. Let me guess. You need someone to save you from Pel Cappa, just like all the others.”
Kimber bounced a shoulder. “What do you mean, others?”
“He likes to have house parties at his dump on the hill. Gets female tourists up there all the time. The smart ones want to check it out but don’t want to go alone. I must have the kind of face that says, hey, ask me to go with you. Let’s be besties. Just because I serve you a drink in my bar doesn’t mean I give a shite about your problems.”
“Actually, your face sums that last part up pretty well.”
“Good. Now leave me alone.”
“You know, bartenders in America love to hear about their customer’s problems. It’s part of the job, actually.”
Belinda’s nostrils flared. “I’m about to hit you over the bloody head with this glass.”
“I’ll buy every stupid alien tee-shirt on the rack.”
