Page 45 of Alien Mine

Dyuvad had a plan for that, too, if they became trapped, butit was a failsafe only. Best to try to make it to Fate’s truck first. “Follow me.”

“Any time, ol’ son.” Fate raised his voice over another short barrage from Dyuvad’s ship. “Any time.”

They left Ramirez’ office and wound their way through shouting men without being challenged, then got into Fate’s truck and sped down the driveway far more quickly than when they’d arrived.

Chapter Twelve

That night, they all gathered around a bonfire in Rachel’s back yard under a black, star-studded sky. Rachel sprawled in a lawn chair between Yasmin on her left and Dyuvad and the girls on her right. As they usually did, Kelly and Tiny had crawled into his lap at the first opportunity and coaxed him into telling a story about some myth or other.

Rachel hadn’t asked what her brother and her renter had been up to that day. She hadn’t had to. They’d picked her and the girls up before supper, and the matching grins on their faces had painted a pretty telling story, even before Fate let it slip that they’d confronted Miguel Ramirez on his home turf.

She slouched lower in her seat and fixed her gaze on a red glinting star twinkling above her. Idiot men. They could’ve gotten themselves killed, and for what? So she and the girls might maybe be safe for a little while longer?

Yasmin poked her bare toe into Fate’s leg. “Tell me you didn’t really waltz into that viper’s nest by yourself.”

Fate shot a grimace at her. “You act like I ain’t got no courage a’tall.”

“Courage, I never doubted,” she retorted. “But taking on Miguel Ramirez head to head? That’s pure foolishness.”

“Leave him be,” Rachel said mildly. “What’s done can’t be undone.”

Yasmin sat straight up in her chair. “That man could come after you again!”

Dyuvad broke off his story and said, “He may, but it will be along while yet before he dares.”

“A really long while.” Fate relaxed into his seat and grinned. “What ol’ Dyuvad there means is that Miguel Ramirez got his pants scared off of him today. How’d you do that anyhow?”

“Do what?” Yasmin asked.

“Lay down a world of hurt, that’s what.”

Dyuvad shook his head. “No real damage was done. The house remains intact and no one was injured.”

“That’s a crying shame,” Rachel muttered.

Kelly shifted on Dyuvad’s lap, facing him. “But what did you do?”

“Nothing he didn’t deserve.” Dyuvad tweaked her nose. “Fetch a blanket and we’ll learn another constellation before bedtime.”

“Sweet.”

She wiggled down and raced toward the house, a jabbering Tiny right behind her.

As soon as the door slapped shut behind them, Fate leaned forward and speared Dyuvad with a speculative look. “What exactly did you do at Ramirez’? For the life of me, I can’t figure out how you set off so many bombs without getting caught planting them.”

Rachel slumped lower in her seat. She didn’t want to know. She really did not want to know.

“Bombs?” Yasmin asked.

Dyuvad shook his head. “Not bombs. Beyond that, I can’t say.”

Fate slapped his thigh and chortled. “I knew it. I just knew you was military.”

“Cut it out, Fate,” Rachel said. “What really matters is whether or not Miguel is gonna come sniffing around my girls again.”

“Not for a long while,” Dyuvad repeated, and held his hand out to her, palm up.

If that wasn’t an invitation, she didn’t know what was. She placed her hand in his, palm to palm, and let his comfortingstrength chase the questions right out of her head.

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