Indiana: Stargazer Alien Mail Order Brides #6 (Intergalactic Dating Agency) Read online

  Indiana came back into the center of the pavilion, winking broadly at the Getty’s who were really whooping for him.

  “You see that, young man,” Marcus Getty said. “You were nervous at first. But we knew you had it in you.”

  Indiana gave an elaborate bow that somehow implied modesty and smugness at the same time. Everyone laughed and the mood of the pavilion lifted immensely.

  It seemed that only Nikki was left ill at ease.

  Indy’s performance had been unsettlingly good. She’d seen the way he interacted with people when he was supposed to be acting human. He wasn’t that great of an actor.

  No, Indiana must have some experience with betrayal.

  Nikki wished she knew what it was.

  Honey

  Honey took Kitt’s hand and stepped out of the canoe and onto the pebbled shore of the island in the middle of the lake.

  The trees on the island seemed taller and darker up close.

  They scrambled up the hillside together, Kitt’s hand strong and warm around hers.

  Although this was a brand new adventure, Kitt wasn’t his usual upbeat self.

  Honey had a nagging feeling that something was wrong.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

  He looked down at her, his gray eyes crinkling in the warm, sexy smile he saved just for Honey.

  “I’m sorry, my love,” he told her. “I know I’ve been distracted lately.”

  She nodded. There was no point pretending she hadn’t noticed.

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  “No. It’s just Indiana,” he said. “I’m worried about him.”

  “Oh,” Honey said, wishing she were better with words.

  Indiana was pining for Nikki. They all knew it.

  And Nikki was being, well… characteristically Nikki. She was pulling him closer and pushing him away at the same time.

  Honey liked Nikki, a lot. But in spite of her obvious warmth, Nikki always seemed to hold Honey at arm’s length, Addy too.

  At first Honey had thought it was because Nikki was new to the friendship and maybe she and Addy had too many old in-jokes.

  But Nikki was cool with the in-jokes, cool with their many foibles, god knew they had enough - even cool with the fact that Honey and Addy were sneaking their guys into the cabin basically every night now.

  But once in a while, a perfectly normal conversation would cause their new friend to retreat into herself, or even literally retreat, out of the room or out of the cabin.

  In the beginning Honey had chalked it all up to religion. Strict beliefs explained away a lot of the social behaviors Nikki avoided and the topics of conversation she wasn’t comfortable with.

  But lately Nikki couldn’t seem to stand even the most innocuous moments of camaraderie that the three used to engage in.

  Last night they’d had tea, as usual. Nikki had gotten out a couple of muffins she’d brought home from the restaurant. At the sight of the muffins and tea Addy predictably and loudly declared that Honey and Nikki were the best friends ever. Honey had laughed. But Nikki got a look on her face like a kicked dog and dashed to the bathroom.

  “Nikki’s having a hard time lately,” she heard herself say to Kitt, feeling a little guilty for ratting out a friend.

  Sisters before Misters had always been her policy. But this was too important.

  “Does it have to do with Indiana?” Kitt asked.

  Honey was grateful that he wasn’t pretending not to know why she had brought up Nikki when he said Indy was down.

  “I’m not sure,” she said, thinking about it. “Maybe. We probably shouldn’t interfere.”

  “We came here together, my brothers and I,” Kitt said, looking miserable.

  “I know you care about him,” she said immediately.

  “Yes, of course, but it’s more than that,” he said. “We came as a unit. I’m not sure what will happen now that Remington and I have clicked with you and Addy, if Indiana doesn’t click with anyone. I’m not sure if any one of us can truly be successful without the other two.”

  Wow.

  “Could they take you away from me?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” he replied.

  “That’s awful,” she whispered.

  “Do you think you could talk to Nikki?” Kitt asked.

  Her first instinct was that of course she would speak with her friend.

  But her sense of right and wrong precluded that.

  “I spent too much of my own life being pushed around, Kitt,” she said. “I have no right to pressure my friend into a relationship.”

  “Of course not,” he said immediately. “I only meant that it might help her to know how much may be riding on this. So if she isn’t serious about him…”

  Kitt trailed off, but Honey knew what he meant. If Nikki wasn’t serious about Indiana, then she should tell him, so that he could try to find another mate.

  But knowing Nikki, this info would only make her panic and push Indy away even if she returned his feelings.

  Honey’s consternation must have shown on her face.

  “Maybe I’m worrying for no reason,” Kitt said in a comforting way. “You said she’s not herself lately, maybe she’s doing some soul searching. Do you think she’s considering accepting Indiana?” Kitt asked.

  “Well, I don’t know for sure,” Honey replied. “But it would be hard not to think about it.”

  “Hey,” Kitt cried, pretending to be jealous.

  “I only meant that with me being madly in love with you, and Addy with Remington, it would be hard for her not to at least consider falling for Indy,” Honey laughed.

  “So you’re madly in love with me?” Kitt wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in close enough for a kiss.

  “Well, maybe a little,” she murmured against his lips.

  “Did you bring me out here so that I could make love to you in the trees?” Kitt asked, looking decidedly in favor of the plan.

  “No,” she said, desperately trying to wrench her eyes away from his. One more moment in that gray gaze and she’d be making love to him in full sight of Maxwell’s if he wanted her to.

  “Then I’d better let you go, or that’s what we will end up doing, regardless of our intentions.” He grinned and released her. As usual his thoughts seemed to mirror her own.

  “Come on,” she said, and hiked a bit further up the hillside and just into the tree line.

  It was odd to see Maxwell’s from this angle. The place looked so much smaller and quainter from across the lake - like a scene on a postcard.

  She traveled east a couple hundred feet and pointed to the restricted area of the lake.

  “Do you recognize that?” she asked.

  “Sure, that’s where the boat got stuck on the gas line,” Kitt replied.

  “Right,” she said, and pulled her phone out of her pocket.

  She brought up the YouTube video of Remington saving the day.

  “What do you notice about this?” she asked.

  Kitt shrugged.

  “Look,” Honey said, and lifted her hand up to face the lake.

  “Oh,” Kitt said.

  They were standing almost exactly in the spot where the video had been recorded. The shot was focused on the water, but it was easy to recognize by the angle of the warning signs and floating rope that marked the edge of the restricted area.

  “Whoever took this video was here, on the island,” Honey said.

  She continued to watch the screen for a few more seconds for clues, but try as she might, she couldn’t figure out anything else about who had shot it.

  When she looked up, Kitt was standing across from her instead of behind her. She hadn’t noticed him move.

  “Honey, we should go,” he said in a careful voice.

  “We just got here,” she said. “We need to look for evidence.”

  “It’s getting dark,” he said, taking her by the elbow and guiding h
er down the hillside before she could protest.

  “But—” she began.

  “We shouldn’t be on this island after dark,” he said, agitation clear in his voice. “It’s not safe.”

  Wade

  Deep inside the darkened cabin, Wade Travers smiled.

  “Gotcha,” he whispered.

  Leave it to stupid Honey McCarthy to come right into his snare and bait her alien boyfriend into giving away a major vulnerability.

  His dad told him not to buy any more gadgets, but the wireless device had done its job. He’d placed the microphone in a tree the moment he saw them getting ready to head over to the island. After that, it was easy to eavesdrop from the safety of the cabin. As a result, Wade had heard every word of that pathetic conversation about their relationship.

  If Nikki Fortune didn’t get together with that other alien, then Honey would lose her goofy new boyfriend.

  And hurting Honey McCarthy was pretty much Wade’s only goal in life these days. That and getting off this stupid island and into his dad’s car.

  The receiver for the remote listening device spluttered to life again.

  Look.

  Oh.

  Whoever took this video was here, on the island.

  Wade’s mouth dropped open.

  Shit.

  He had no idea how anyone could have figured it out. He’d been careful to shoot the water, not the mainland.

  Wade hopped out of his chair as if it were on fire.

  They might come looking for him now. What would they do if they found him?

  He bent to gather his SuperSpyKid receiver and gear. He couldn’t leave evidence of his mission behind when he hid.

  Wade wasn’t afraid, of course. Even if that alien was huge. Wade’s personal trainer had told him he was one of the best students in his cardio-boxing class. But if they found him, it would ruin his plan. And Wade couldn’t have that.

  As he straightened up, he saw the dusty lace curtain falling back in place at the window.

  Probably just the wind, he told himself.

  But for the first time since he’d gotten to this creepy cottage, there wasn’t any wind at all.

  We shouldn’t be alone on this island after dark… It’s not safe.

  The harsh whisper coming from the SuperSpyKid receiver startled Wade so much he almost dropped it.

  He shivered and headed up to the bedroom. He could keep an eye on the bank from there and hide in the closet if need be.

  When he reached the top of the stairs he peeked out the window on the landing.

  Kitt and Honey weren’t coming his way. They were boarding the canoe as if to leave, in a hurry.

  He breathed a sigh of relief and opened up a chocolate bar.

  The sugary sweetness made him feel safe. And it would give him the energy to plot.

  He pulled a notebook out of the bedside table and wrote down:

  Nikki & Indiana

  Then he made a slash through it. Excellent.

  Then next to it he wrote:

  = Honey & Kitt

  And he put a slash through that as well. Yes, this was coming together nicely.

  If Nikki and Indiana didn’t get together, then Honey and Kitt couldn’t be together.

  This was priceless information that he, Wade Travers, had obtained through a lot of skill, a little luck and expert use of technology.

  But what could he do with the information?

  He got up and leaned out the window to retrieve his phone. He had learned that if he put the phone in its solar charger on the edge of the porch roof he could charge it without even going outside.

  The island was pretty and all, but it was so dark and Wade hated bugs and wildlife.

  He texted his buddy:

  Wade Travers:

  Bring me a bottle of Scotch.

  Jim:

  They’re getting suspicious at the bar about all the missing Scotch. Can I bring something else? I don’t want to get in trouble.

  Wade sighed.

  Wade:

  Bring me something good then, I need to think. And sleep.

  Jim:

  Sure.

  Wade played a couple of rounds of BeDazzled on his phone even though it ran down the battery like crazy. Mindless games like that always helped him think.

  When it got fully dark, he wandered down to the beach, hoping to catch Jim and maybe talk to him. It got lonely on the island, but he wasn’t going to talk on the phone like someone’s grandma.

  But Jim had already been there and left without saying hello.

  A wooden crate held a solitary bottle of peach schnapps.

  Wade snarled in disgust, but he grabbed the bottle and brought it back to the cabin with him, twisting off the cap to take a gulp along the way.

  It was sickeningly sweet, but the warm feeling that spread through him as it his stomach wasn’t half bad.

  He got out his notebook again and looked at it a while.

  But he got no further than before, so he decided to try and get some rest.

  He crawled into bed and stared out the window at the lake. The moon was reflecting off it like crazy, every little movement of the water flashing bits of light around.

  But beneath the surface were all kinds of nasty things, a gas line, a bunch of gross fish, probably at least one dead body if the ghost story about this place was true.

  No, the lake was a moat, separating him from his kingdom just across it.

  The warm lights coming from the main lodge of Maxwell’s glowed like a Christmas tree. He could practically smell the good food being cooked in the restaurant kitchen.

  “I’ll be back,” Wade whispered.

  He closed his eyes and tried to drift off to sleep while picturing his epic return to Maxwell’s.

  But every little noise in the house seemed to have his eyes popping open, heart beating too fast.

  It wasn’t that he was scared. He was just a light sleeper.

  He wondered what Kitt had meant when he said the island wasn’t safe.

  Indiana

  Indiana fingered the phone in his pocket.

  He was unaccustomed to its weight, but Nikki had given it to him tonight so that he could use it to photograph evidence.

  If he found any.

  From what he could see from the entryway of Mr. Travers’s suite, it was unlikely that he would be able to find anything, and certainly he would not be able to photograph it if he did.

  Indiana had been given to believe that wealthy people had homes with many rooms. But the Crow’s Nest on the top floor of Maxwell’s seemed to be one massive room, taking up nearly the whole floor. The kitchen and dining table as well as a vast living room were all visible from the foyer where he waited to be greeted.

  And beyond it all, a gorgeous view over the shimmering lake was laid bare by floor to ceiling glass that spanned the entire space, wrapping around corners so that the Crow’s Nest felt almost as if it were floating.

  “Sit, Ed, sit,” Mr. Travers said, gesturing to the round table by the fireplace, surrounded by leather chairs.

  “Indiana,” Mr. Travers said, offering Indy his hand.

  “Hello, Mr. Travers,” Indy said.

  Mr. Travers squeezed his hand very hard when he shook so Indy squeezed hard back.

  He let go immediately when Travers winced.

  “Good grip there, son,” Travers said, shaking his head.

  “You too, sir,” Indy assured him.

  “Have a seat,” Travers said. “I’ll have the girl make you a drink. Hey, babe.”

  A busty young woman in a very small dress appeared with a tray.

  “Fix up Indy here with whatever he’d like to drink,” he told her.

  “What’re you having?” she asked, looking him up and down appreciatively.

  “Um, a Cuba Libre,” Kitt said, recalling a drink order from one of the movies he’d seen.

  “A what?” the woman asked, sounding less impressed.

  “Ha,” said Trav
ers. “Tell the bartender rum and Coke.”

  Indiana was a little disappointed. He had always wanted to try a Cuba Libre.

  “Go on, sit down,” Travers urged him. “She’ll bring it right to you.”

  “Thank you,” Indy said.

  “Be sure and sit by me,” Travers said. “I want you on the lookout, just like before, capeesh?”

  “God bless you,” Indiana said politely. “Yes, I’d be glad to sit beside you.”

  Travers chuckled.

  “You’re a riot, kid. My chair’s the big one. Sit on either side of it.”

  “Wait,” yelled the tiny old man from last night. “You didn’t take his phone.”

  “Oh yeah, right,” Travers said sounding vaguely annoyed. “Stick your phone in the bowl.”

  Indiana looked at the large wooden bowl near the front door. It was full of phones.

  He slid Nikki’s out of his pocket regretfully. He would be able to memorize any evidence he saw, of course, but she might not believe him.

  He made sure to caress the thing with his gaze before placing it in the bowl so that he would know its imperfections and be able to identify it from its brethren.

  Another player arrived and Indy went over to the table as he had been instructed. The view of the lake was so beautiful it almost didn’t seem real. But Indiana took the seat to the right of the biggest chair, putting his back to the glass.

  It was better for his plan anyway. If he wanted to sneak out of the living space and try to find another room where he could have any hope of securing evidence, he would need to be able to keep an eye on everyone.

  As Travers greeted his guests, Indy made a mental note of each person in the room.

  There were two people who appeared to be on staff. One was the server he had met already. She went back and forth between the kitchen and the living room with drinks on a tray.

  The other was a cook, who seemed to be endlessly pulling trays out of the oven and stirring something in a pot on the stove.