“Yes.”
“How long?” Axel asked.
Gage studied his computer screen as if for clarification and said, “Depending on absorption rate and the degree to which they are expending the chemical during any physical activity with the added complexity of the Earth’s atmosphere…” He stopped talking as everyone’s eyes glazed over. He liked to explain things, but his sister was sure she wasn’t the only one who thought he often he sounded like Charlie Brown’s teacher. “Waa, wanh, wanh, waa, waa, wanh, wanh.”
“How long? And this time say it in ten regular English words or less.”
Gage pushed out another long sigh, looked skyward and said, “I’d say a day at the most, but probably less. I won’t know until I make my changes and let the program run. Ask me again at high noon tomorrow.”
Diesel looked at his watch. It was just after midnight. “Let’s meet here in twelve hours or rather high noon, not to be dramatic.” Gage made an uncharacteristic snort as Diesel continued, “It will be daylight by then. Our search should be much easier once we find the area Gage will provide after he does his magic.
“Listen up, folks. Wewillget these last five criminals back in their pods and headed for their gulag destination well before the time the ship needs to depart.” Diesel sounded as if his decree was written in stone. Valene didn’t think it would be that easy, but kept her private thoughts to herself. She probably wasn’t the only person in the room with the same idea.
Valene squeezed Wyatt’s hand. Twelve hours to bask in his knowledge of what she’d been unable to share with him for a year. There would be kissing. And lots of it, if she had any input for the next twelve hours.
“Let’s go to your place,” Valene whispered.
Wyatt looked deeply into her eyes and nodded slightly. He released her hand and put his arm around her shoulders, pressing her to his side. Valene melted into him, slipping her arm around his waist.
They started to leave. Diesel moved to block them.
“Where are you two going?”
“None of your business.” Valene wasn’t going to be thwarted. She and Wyatt deserved time alone to discuss the revelations of this evening.
“Why don’t you both stay in Alienn?”
Wyatt opened his mouth, but Valene spoke first. “No. Thanks, Diesel. We’ll be back at noon tomorrow ready to hunt down the remaining criminals.”
Diesel pushed out a tired-sounding sigh. “Fine.” He looked at Wyatt. “It goes without saying that you will not discuss any of what you learned tonight with anyone else. Not family, not Hunter, not your mama in a weak moment, no one. Got it?”
Wyatt nodded. “I won’t even tell Valene.”
“Good.” Diesel stepped aside to let them pass, but not before giving her a stern look that seemed to say, “Don’t do anything you’ll regret, that exposes us to the humans or that your brothers will then be forced to seek retribution for.”
Valene rolled her eyes at him, knowing he hated it. He harrumphed as they left.
Valene got behind the wheel of her parents’ sedan and Wyatt took the passenger seat. She drove quickly to Wyatt’s home, passed his driveway and parked on the dead-end street.
Wyatt looked amused. “So we’re going to sneak into my backyard, are we?”
“Yep.” Valene grinned.
“I do have a key, you know. We could enter through the front door like regular people.”
Valene shook her head. “I’m not regular people, I’m alien.”
Wyatt only smiled.
“Besides, it’s a force of habit. And sneaking in the back way will be fun.”
“Awesome. Lead the way, my alien warrior princess.” He unbuckled his seat belt and got out of her parents’ sedate gray sedan, the total opposite of Valene’s flashy sports car.
They made it all the way to Wyatt’s back porch before the two Siberian huskies next door were unexpectedly let out into their fenced yard.
Wyatt was fiddling with the key in the dead bolt as the two dogs raced to the fence line. They jumped in the air, throwing themselves against the fence, barking furiously at something beyond the fence she and Wyatt had just crossed without incident.
“Boris! Natasha!” Wyatt called out sternly. “Hush.”
