Page 33 of Claimed By the Alien Warlord

Seabus nods, puffing out his chest. “Damn right. We’ll have the element of surprise.”

Gary’s eyes narrow. “This isn’t a hunting trip. These men—whatever they are—are dangerous. I’ll handle it.”

Clem looks at me, his brow furrowing. “He’s not exactly the stealthy type, Reily.”

I reach over and pat Gary’s massive arm, feeling the tension coiled in his muscles. “Trust me, Clem. Gary can handle it.”

Clem looks skeptical, but he doesn’t argue. Susan closes her notebook, her expression thoughtful. “Just be careful, all of you. Whatever’s going on with Cold Slither, it’s bigger than we think.”

Gary nods once, his jaw set. “We’ll find out soon enough.”

"I'll take three orders of buffalo wings," Seabus announces, slapping the table. His grin turns wolfish as he eyes Gary. "Unless ourwealthy friendhere ain't interested in feeding the troops?"

Gary exhales sharply through his nose, but pulls out a black credit card. "Order whatever you want." His fingers brush against mine under the table, sending a spark up my arm.

"Boss Hoag floated the idea of getting another dam investor," I say, keeping my voice low. The smell of fried grease and whiskey sticks to the air. "What's our play if he does that?"

Gary's grip tightens around his untouched beer, knuckles white. "I have considerable influence in financial sectors. Any investors that Hoag finds will face a thorny path indeed to their dreamed-of riches."

Seabus leans forward, squinting at Gary like he's trying to solve a puzzle. "You talk funny, Irons. Where you from?"

The temperature at our table drops ten degrees. Gary's crimson eyes lock onto Seabus, unblinking. "Lots of different places."

"Will you knock it off?" My boot connects with Seabus' shin under the table. He yelps, rubbing his leg. "Gary is on our side now. He's seen the light, so stop treating him like an enemy."

Susan twirls a pen between her fingers, grinning. "Oh, it'sGarynow," she sing-songs. "But Reily's right." She flips her laptop around, showing us a spreadsheet. "I’ve done a little digging into Irons Enterprises. Turns out Mr. Irons is pulling his funding like he promised."

Gary's fingers flex against the table. "You spied on me?"

Susan shrugs. "Wouldn’t you, if you were me?"

For a second, I think he's going to flip the table. Then his shoulders relax—barely—and his lips twitch. "I suppose I would." His voice drops into a growl that resonates in my bones. "But this is more dangerous than any of you—except Reily—realize. You’ve done your part. Now let me handle the heavy lifting."

The way he says it, like he'salreadyplanning how to dismantle Hoag’s schemes brick by brick?—

Christ.

I cross my legs, suddenly hyperaware of every shift of his massive frame beside me.

A waitress drops off the wings, and Seabus immediately shoves two in his mouth, sauce dripping down his chin. "So what's step one, boss?" He gestures at Gary with a drumstick. "You gonna buy out the whole town next?"

Gary catches my eye, his smirk doing things to my pulse. "Something like that."

CHAPTER 15

GUVAN

The sun hangs low over Mirror Lake, painting the water in streaks of amber and violet. I lean back against the hood of the Range Rover, the metal warm beneath me, and Reily sits next to me, her legs tucked up under her. The air smells like pine and the faint tang of the lake, , the world feels still. Peaceful. Something I haven’t felt in a long, long time.

“I’ll save this lake,” I say, my voice low but firm. “It’s a treasure. I’ve seen wonders across the galaxy, but this… this is unmatched. Well, almost.”

Reily tilts her head, her red hair catching the last rays of sunlight. “Almost? What’s more beautiful than this?”

I don’t hesitate. “You.”

She snorts, a little laugh escaping her, but there’s a flicker of surprise in her eyes. “Smooth, alien boy. Real smooth.”

“I’m not trying to be smooth,” I say, my tone serious. “I’m stating a fact.”

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