Page 96 of Claimed by an Alien Warrior

When she was finished, she washed her hands and exited the restroom. The women were standing next to their cars with two men, speaking rapidly to one another. One of the men held up a hand to silence them. He had a phone to his ear.

Both women pointed at Zoey when they realized she’d come out. “That’s her! That one from the video with thealien,” one of them said.

“Yeah, we’re sure it’s her,” the man said into the phone.

The other man stared at Zoey. “Shit, I think you’re right. Get in the car. She’s wanted for—”

The man’s eye rounded, and looks of horror contorted the faces of his companions. Zoey knew without a doubt that Ren was next to her, and he wasn’t trying to hide.

“We should probably go, Ren,” she said, words scratching out of a suddenly dry throat.

“Yes! Hurry!” the man yelled into the phone as he tore open the driver door of his car. The other three were hurrying to their own doors, a man and woman to each car.

The other man paused, lifting his own phone to snap a few pictures.

Oh, shit.

Rendash shoved an armful of snacks and sodas at Zoey. She accepted them numbly, and only registered that Ren meant to charge at them when he lunged toward the vehicles.

The women screamed and scrambled into their cars.

Before he was out of her reach, Zoey thrust an arm forward and caught the back of Ren’s coat. Some of the snacks and bottles fell from her hold, but that was totally unimportant.

Ren halted and looked at her over his shoulder. “Shouldn’t I do something about them?”

“Like what,killthem?” she asked incredulously.

“No. There’s no honor in that. I could smash their phones, though. I have some experience with it.”

The engines of both cars roared to life, and the frantic drivers peeled out of the parking lot with screeching tires, leaving a lovely, burnt-rubber aroma in their wake.

Zoey scrunched her nose at the stink. “What’s done is done. We’re already plastered all over the internet, and they already talked to the police by the sound of it. We better go.”

“I should have cloaked. I shouldn’t have taken the chance.”

“No, Ren. This one’s on me. I should’ve guessed people would know about it, after that scene back in Vail.” She released her hold on him and rubbed her hand over her face. “God, my life is officially over. They recognized me the moment I stepped into that restroom.”

“We aren’t dead yet, Zoey.” Ren crouched briefly to gather the fallen goods and walked toward the car in long, easy strides; she had to jog to keep up with him.

They climbed into the SUV and deposited Ren’s bounty into the plastic bag in the central console. Ren placed his hand on the dash and started the engine. Zoey felt like a child; her feet could barely reach the pedals, and she had to extend her arms fully to touch the wheel. After hurriedly adjusting the seat, steering wheel, and mirrors, she shifted into reverse, looking down at the instrument panel before backing out.

“How are we at three quarters of a tank?” she asked.

“I stopped for fuel while you were sleeping.”

She frowned as she guided the car toward the interstate. “Was that one of thosedisturbances?”

“No.Thatwas rather quiet.”

The next sign declared they were approaching Kansas City. Zoey glanced at the rearview mirror every few seconds, expecting to see flashing lights behind them, or a helicopter hovering just over the road with a glaring searchlight. Her heart pounded the entire way. Despite sleeping for eight hours, she’d likely be well on her way to exhaustion before the sun came up.

They weren’t dead yet, but there certainly was no future for her after this.

Zoey stopped in Kansas City. Though it was still mostly dark, the first hints of dawn had touched the eastern sky with a gentle glow. Ren slunk off, using the lingering shadows to procure another vehicle, leaving Zoey to wait alone. She constantly checked her surroundings, scared out of her wits. If the cops found her while Ren was gone…

At the first opportunity, she’d have to do something to ensure she wasn’t so easily recognizable.

“Most people get toenjoytheir fifteen minutes of fame,” she muttered, holding her hands up to the heater.

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