Page 74 of Alien Rescue

She shook her head at the man who was not her father. “You are responsible for the superman crack being on the street. What happened? Did you become greedy?”

He lifted his chin, raking her small figure with a contemptuous up-and-down gaze, sure he was untouchable, even confronted with Zanr. “It was an accident. A technician fouled up one of the processes. But then we discovered what the drug did to people, and we refined the addictive aspect of it and sold it as a drug that gave you superpowers.” He smirked. “The name caught on quickly.”

Rose shook her head. “I can’t believe you can brag about doing something so awful. Don’t you have any conscience?” No, he didn’t, she answered her own question. A man who could kidnap a child, even if she was the result of his wife’s affair, had no conscience.

She moved closer to Zanr. “I’m done here. I’ll find my brother later.”

Zanr moved so fast, she didn’t see it happen. One moment he stood next to her, the next her father dangled in the air, Zanr’s fist in his jacket holding him off the ground. “We will shut down your company until new management can be brought in,” Zanr said.

He struggled in Zanr’s iron grip. “You can’t do that; the police are on their?”

“The police do not rule this planet—Zyrgin warriors do—and we do not tolerate drug dealers.”

“How dare you.” The man who was not her father raised his legs and tried to kick Zanr with no success. “I’m a businessman.”

Zanr shook him like a rag doll. “I am the warrior who you answer to, human. You will be taken to a camp and given work to do. If you do not become a productive human, you will be put to death.”

Rose stared at them. She should be horrified at Zanr’s actions, his threats, but she didn’t care. What did it say about her character that she was willing to go along with the aliens punishing this man? Because of her own grievance?

Zanr dropped him, and taking her hand, they walked to the door. She heard a distinctive click behind them, the sound of a laser pistol’s safety being removed. Zanr turned smoothly and at the same time, he stepped in front of Rose. “Pull that trigger, human, and I will tear you apart slowly. I will enjoy doing it.”

Slowly, the man she never knew lowered the pistol. By the time they reached the gate, a shuttle landed, and Zyrgins marched out of it and through the broken gates. A week ago, she’d have been furious at the thought of aliens taking command of the law in her country. But at that moment she just didn’t care.

And she didn’t want to think about her family. About the right and wrong of her own choices. She turned to Zanr. “Let’s go home and go at it like bunnies.”

He blinked. “How do bunnies go at it?”

Rose laughed and hoped he didn’t hear the hysteria. “It’s a saying—it means making love a lot.”

He stared at her.

She threw her hands in the air. “I thought you read all the best romances and watched them on the TC. I’m talking about many hours in the sleeping place.”

Behind them the Zyrgins marched her father out the door and she turned her back. She didn’t need to see him ever again. Didn’t want to know anything about him.

Zanr smiled at her, that awful-looking smile she’d come to love. “I am superior at going at it like a bunny. For many hours.” He drew her closer to him, then abruptly he stiffened and his eyes became fixed, the way he did when he talked to the others.

“What?”

Zanr remained statue still; he held her close to him, a finger over her mouth while he did a lot of grunting, then at last he looked down at her. “That was Viglar. He found a way to get the nanos out of your system.”

Rose nearly collapsed with relief. They went to the hoverbike and then to the shuttle they’d parked on one of the tall buildings in the city. The doctor waited for them outside their dwelling. Rose trembled when they walked inside. She went to the couch and sank down on it.

“Are you sure it will work?” she asked the doctor.

“It is the best chance,” Zanr said. “And you do not speak to other warriors.”

Rose rolled her eyes, but didn’t protest.

“I will give her a treatment that will force the nanos to leave her body,” the doctor said in English and Rose smiled at him.

Zanr turned her face to him. “You do not smile at other warriors.”

“All right. Am I allowed to breathe?”

“Only at me,” he said and she had to laugh despite the hope and fear that made her insides tremble.

Chapter Twenty-Two

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