The sound of movement came from behind a blanket. Frost appeared, his eyes searching until they landed on Ice. He didn’t speak as he rushed forward to take his brother’s hands. They pressed their heads together and Ice took a deep breath.
“I have found you,” Ice whispered.
“I am sorry I insisted we come to this place. The women are not what they promised us, and Earth is not friendly to aliens. I feared my decision had lost you to us forever.” Frost leaned his head back. “Did those men harm you?”
Ice wanted to tell them of Elle, and how she’d saved him, but a scraping noise interrupted them.
“Tell us when we are on the ship,” Snow said. He went toward the material curtain and tugged it off the pipe.
His brothers had an alien tied to a chair. The stocky creature wore a skin suit over his alien form, but his large head would make it impossible to blend with the humans effectively. His black hair was the same length all around as it hung over his forehead and the tops of his silicone human ears. His hands were pulled out to his sides, tied with rope to pipes to keep them apart. The skin suit hung from his wrists in tatters, showing yellow alien flesh. It was possible the alien had tried to escape and shed part of his disguise in the process.
But it was the silver uniform with the Galaxy Alien Mail Order Brides’ logo that gave away who he was.
“This is how you convinced them to help us,” Ice concluded with a nod of approval.
“It seemed only fair. One of their brothers in exchange for mine,” Frost answered. “The Federation watches bridal procurement very closely and a missing worker would be noted.”
“It’s time, Gary,” Snow stated. “Call the ship and take us home.”
Chapter Sixteen
Elle heard movement before she managed to open her eyes. Someone walked around her hospital room. She tried to lift her hand, but a restraint limited her mobility. The sound of a metal cuff clanked.
She was under arrest.
Elle inhaled sharply, fighting to clear her head.
“Give us a moment with her,” someone said.
She knew that voice. Dr. Hanklen.
Her blurry eyes took in the situation. Larson stood in a police uniform. The material stretched on his larger frame. Next to him, Dr. Hanklen wore a suit.
“Fine, but she’s still recovering. Don’t do anything to rile her up. She’s still my patient until I discharge her, Detective.” The doctor spoke to Hanklen.
Detective?
“Don’t leave,” Elle tried to say, but Larson coughed to cover her voice and Hanklen ushered the doctor out and shut the door.
Elle pushed up on the bed and tugged at her handcuffed wrist. There was no freeing herself. She looked for the call button for help, but Larson swooped forward and pulled the wire. The clip on the button holding it to the blanket snapped as it was jerked out of her reach. He threw it aside.
“Where is he, Elle?” Hanklen demanded.
Elle pressed her hand against the bandage on her side to give the wound support and refused to speak as she inched up on the bed. She knew Ice would go looking for his brothers, but she would never tell them that.
“I know the ship is coming back for them,” Hanklen said. “There is no use denying it. Where are they meeting it?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She turned her eyes accusingly to Larson. “Someone shot me. I’ve been in the hospital.”
“Casualty of war,” Larson stated, not remorseful in the least. If he wasn’t the one who’d shot her, he wasn’t about to censure the person who did.
“This isn’t a war,” Elle stated, just to be defiant. She wanted to buy some time so the doctor would come back. She tried to scream, but Hanklen was close enough to grab her mouth to shut her up.
Elle hoped they’d reveal what they had discovered about Ice’s whereabouts. If it was true that a ship was coming back for him, then she wanted to make sure he got on it.
“Of course it’s a war,” Larson countered. “Aliens can’t just land on our planet without our permission.”
Elle chose to ignore him as she turned her attention to Hanklen. Larson might be two hundred pounds of pure muscle, but Hanklen was the real danger in the room. The scientist was cunning and smart and had shown a blatant disregard for anyone who was not in line with his personal goals.
