Leila was a survivor and a warrior, even if she didn’t recognize it.
And she wanted him.
He’d kind of hoped she did, but when she made that comment about them watching a sunrise together in bed? He almost said fuck the mission.
Alas, Grayson had always been the responsible sort. Just ask his coaches. He never missed an early practice. Never got sloshed the night before a game. Always put in the work and never slacked.
This mission was more important than any hockey game, even the Stanley Cup—which the Leafs’ fans might disagree with, but they were a rabid breed of their own. People counted on Leila and Grayson to maybe find a way to stymie the aliens, to ensure humanity didn’t become food for their hungry, ugly, four-armed asses. Would this lake hold the key? They’d stopped to get the permit needed to visit and were now minutes away from possibly finding out.
“There it is.” It appeared suddenly, a vast expanse of pink that seemingly undulated because of the hundreds of flamingoes standing in the shallow parts. In the distance, a dark mountain rose, making the rose color even more distinct.
“It’s beautiful,” Leila exclaimed.
“And toxic,” he reminded. “No drinking or swimming.”
She snorted. “As the scientist, I’m well aware. Shall we get started?”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Put on some protective boots, for one, and gloves. While I collect samples, why don’t you see if you can spot the meteor that hit in the area?”
His brows rose. “And how am I supposed to recognize it? Seems to me like there’s lots of rocks lying around.”
Her grin proved wide as she said, “It won’t be easy, but some things to look for would be a rock with a black crust, which would have formed around it during its passage through the atmosphere. Most are magnetic, but since this one was of alien origin, not sure if that still applies. Oh, and they’re usually heavier than they look.”
“Shouldn’t I be guarding you?”
She arched a brow as she looked left then right. “I’m pretty sure we’ll have time to see any threats coming.” The flat area would make it easy to spot anyone.
It didn’t take long for her to collect samples—bending over to scoop the water, looking cute in her knee-high galoshes with her hair tied back—but Grayson had yet to find a rock that might be the meteor. Freaky animal statues, though? He’d seen more than a few.
“I’ve got everything I need,” she chirped after they’d been there just over two hours.
“Should we head back?”
She planted her hands on her hips and chewed her lower lip. “While I want to say yes, we should probably try to find the chunk of asteroid, if only to verify that it’s inactive because of the lake and not something else.”
“Won’t exactly be able to find it if it sank,” he observed, glancing over the vast expanse that appeared to shift in hue from light pink to dark.
“While the lake isn’t very deep, ten feet at the most, I agree it isn’t clear enough to see the bottom.” She frowned as she stared across it.
“How about we walk the shoreline together to see if anything stands out.”
“I’ll join you in a minute. I want to properly pack my vials and jars so they’re ready if we need to make a quick departure.” Her gaze went to some people arriving on foot, tourists by the looks of them, given their cameras and the pointing. No doubt, she feared the asshole might have followed.
Grayson couldn’t properly keep an eye on her and scour the beach. He did his best, though, gaze scanning the ground then turning back to look at her, standing by the trunk of their vehicle. The tourists had their cameras out and pointed excitedly, especially when the flamingoes suddenly took flight, a pink wave that rose into the sky and flapped off. For a second, he thought they caused the sudden brisk breeze that arose, but thetugging air grew stronger. The sky darkened as dark and heavy-looking clouds replaced the lighter gray ones of the morning.
An empty-handed Grayson headed back for Leila, stating, “Storm rolling in. We should probably head out.”
“Not quite yet. Check out what I found in our supplies.” She held up a metal detector.
“Looking for treasure?”
“No,” she laughed. “But remember how earlier I said some meteors have a high metallic content?”
“You also said this one might not.”
“Doesn’t hurt to try.” She waggled the device.
