Page 86 of Kissed By the Alien
Lexi bites the hand covering her mouth.
“You bitch,” he yells as he pulls his knife hand away.
I wrench his knife arm back and down, dislocating his shoulder, before I drive my knee into his abdomen. Another hand rises, but it’s too late. I drag the sharp blade of my knife against his throat, drawing the first drops of blood.
“Enough!” a deep voice booms behind me.
“Daddy, McCauley attacked me. He’s the one who arranged my kidnapping.”
“Are you positive, Lexi?”
“I saw him arguing with Moses where they held me. I couldn’t see his face, but I recognize his boots.”
“That asshole wanted to give you back before I was ready,” McCauley spouts.
Barrington approaches but doesn’t try to disarm me. Instead, he focuses on McCauley. “Do you know what happens to people who betray me?”
“I was helping you! You want us to keep her alive. We can’t keep her from sneaking out and if anything happens to her out there, you’ll hold us responsible. You demoted me when I lost her the night of the Valentine’s Day ball even though it wasn’t my fault. That asshole,” he says, pointing to me, “got in the way. I should be head of security by now!”
“You had her kidnapped!” Barrington raises his voice with restrained ire. He has not earned my respect yet, but I’m starting to see that he cares about Lexi.
“I only wanted to scare her into staying here. But the alien screwed everything up when he killed Virtue and took her. I was in the process of organizing a team to go in and rescue her.”
“I would have been gone by then.” Lexi shudders where she leans against the wall.
I’ve had enough of holding this sartog. I shove him toward her father and his bodyguards to handle. Lexi’s already told me the type of man her father is. Good or bad, the male won’t let McCauley near her again.
In two strides, I stand in front of my sholani, blocking her view of the sartog who attacked her. Blue eyes look up to me, and then she whispers. “He didn’t do it, Lutan. My father didn’t do it.”
“No, my sholani. He didn’t.”
She launches herself into my arms.
Instantly, I’m at peace. My Lexi—my sholani—is safe.
* * *
LEXI
“Where are you going, young lady?”my father says as Lutan and I head down the stairs. His men have removed McCauley. I don’t know what will happen to him and quite frankly, I don’t care.
Lutan follows behind me, my bag of clothing slung over his shoulder. “I need a few days to think, Dad.”
My father’s lips thin as his gaze moves from me to Lutan and back again. He doesn’t like losing control of a situation. That’s on him. Letting him control me… That’s on me. “I’ll be back. I promise.”
“First, we talk.”
“I’m not ready to talk.”
“This is important, Lexi. Five minutes. Then you can leave.” His gaze returns to Lutan and his lips thin. “I presume with the warrior.”
He’s accepted Lutan. That surprises me enough that I nod and turn to Lutan. “I’ll be right back.”
Lutan doesn’t look as certain. “I will guard the door. Call out if you need me.”
He still doesn’t trust my dad, not fully. I understand that.
When I follow my dad into his office, he shuts the door behind me. “We have to discuss this zyanthan.”
