This new knowledge brought more questions to the surface. Were these “moles” in the AARO truly after me for something I knew, or were they in truth seeking to retrieve hidden intelligence from their own director? I was not aware of any sensitive information in my possession, but the director could easily have intelligence that either side, human or Xalanite, could covet.
I pondered this a few moments before speaking again.
“You are the one these moles seek.”It was not a question but an affirmation of my own conclusion.
Ann nodded, though she kept her eyes focused on the road ahead of us.“That’s our best guess. Word from Xalan is that you’d left the military before the new king made sweeping changes to the government’s structure, so it’s unlikely you’d know anything worth all this trouble.”
So, my mate being in danger was not my fault? A small consolation.
Her grip on the navigation wheel tightened, and her knuckles turned white.
“I’m sorry for this, T’raat. I hadn’t known we had a mole—or possibly multiple moles—when I came to check out yourpresence on the farm. I never would have put Leigh at risk like that intentionally. To be honest, I’m not sure what it could be that I might know that would be of value. It could be they want me for something else. There’s just no telling until we regroup and find a safe place. People we can trust.”
Timber nodded.“I have some contacts out in Iowa. We could turn south next chance we get, head there. They’re former CPD, and I haven’t spoken to them in years. I doubt whoever’s after us would make the connection, let alone track us down there.”
“Sea pea dee?” Her words were not Xalanite, but my nanites did not have ready translations for them, or at least none that made sense.
“Chicago Police Department. It’s an acronym.”
Leigh’s voice is hoarse and groggy. I help her to sit up and rub her back, checking her face for signs of discomfort.
“Oh! They are letters!” I pause as the strange images my nanites gave me scroll through my mind. “Odd that some of your letters are also words. And some of them are multiple words! A versatile language for certain, though quite confusing.”
“Yep, that’s English for you.” Leigh yawns and stretches her arms. I watch her chest expand with the intake of air, and suddenly I wish to be separated from Ann and Timber.
“Hey!” Ann’s sharp outburst draws my attention away from Leigh’s hooters. “Eyes up front, sir.”
So, we were back to English. Pity. I enjoyed speaking my own language again, if only for a short while. Though Timber and Ann had fairly thick accents, the exchange had briefly reminded me of home.
Maybe, when we were safe, I could convince Leigh to accept some nanites …
“Well, since you’re up, Leigh, we’ll stop with the Xalanite. Did you have a good nap, sweetie?”
Leigh rubbed the back of her neck and groaned. “The road’s a bit bumpy, but I’m okay. I wish I had gotten a bit more sleep, though. I was having a nice dream.”
Ann’s shoulders tensed. “Pleasedon’t tell us what it was. I’m the closest thing you have to a mom, and I don’t want to have to explain any alien sex dreams to your father when we get out of this mess.”
Timber and Leigh erupted in a staccato of giggles, and I grinned.
She was dreaming of me. This pleased me.
“So where in Iowa are we headed?” Leigh asked. “Anywhere fun?”
“Leigh, nowhere is going to be ‘fun’ while we’re on the run from rogue government turncoats. We’ll be lucky to get to Timber’s contacts and figure out our next steps.”
I frowned at this. “Why will this require luck? Does Timber not know their location?”
Timber turned in her seat. “Oh, I know where they live, but we’ve got two unmarked cars following us. Have been for, what, about an hour?”
Ann nodded. “Yep. They’re staying pretty far back, but this late at night, with the roads almost empty, it wouldn’t be too hard to follow us wherever we go, even if I take some weird turns. There are only so many places we can go out here.”
Followed? I turned around in my seat, but even my eyes could not discern which of the pairs of headlights in the distance behind us might belong to our pursuers. I counted a half dozen sets, more than I would wish given the situation. We needed to find a safe hiding place. Someplace secure, easily defensible.
Someplace where I could acquire a weapon.
Chapter 13
Leigh
