Page 32 of The Biker Alien

He and Alec both are.

“Ah, Teri Fletcher, we finally meet,” he says, holding out his hands. “What’s this? Why is she so heavily tied up? My apologies.”

He yanks the knife from Jamey’s hand and comes at me.

I can’t help flinching, and Joey’s upper lip curls back.

“I will not hurt you.”

I glance at Jamey, who mouths, “Yet.”

With ease, Joey has me free from the ropes in seconds. “You can sit still,” he says, “or you can stand. Whichever would make you most comfortable.”

“I would be most comfortable anywhere else but here,” I say.

“Ah, you.” Joey grins, pointing the knife at me, not threateningly, at least not yet. “I like your spirit. I can see why Alec admires you. But you see…”

I remain sitting and stare straight ahead as Joey lazily circles around me, holding the knife in front of him, the pointer finger of his left hand on the end of the hilt, the other pointer finger on the sharp tip. His casual disregard for how sharp the weapon is, how comfortable he is with the weapon, all make me feel even more uncomfortable.

“You see,” he continues after a long enough pause that I have to fight the urge to squirm in the seat, “Alec doesn’t just admire you. Do you even realize just how important you are to him?”

I swallow hard. “We hardly know each other.”

He snorts and points the knife at me, again not threateningly, but who can feel comfortable when there’s a knife in your face?

“I’ll tell you just how important you are to Alec, but first, how about I tell you a little bit more about him? Just how open has Alec been to you about his past?”

I inhale deeply and sit there quietly, refusing to admit that Alec hasn’t been all that forthright at all with me.

“Did you know that Alec is out of this world? Literally. He’s not an Earthling. His name isn’t even Alec. He’s actually Alecor, and Alecor is a Koxian. He’s a Koxian, which is the humanoid species that comes from the planet Vukox. Not only that, but—”

“Wait, what?” I blurt out. “What the hell are you talking about? What do you mean he’s not an Earthling? Are you high or something?”

He laughs and laughs and laughs, and there’s something about it that makes my skin crawl even though the sound isn’t sinister or anything like that.

“I figured he didn’t get around to telling you that, but it’s the truth, and you want to know how I know? Well, that’s simple enough. I won’t jump ahead just yet, though. I wasn’t done talking about Alecor and the rest of the Armadas. You see, the rest of them are all Koxians from Vukox, too, and you want to know how I know all of that?”

I shake my head. “I don’t believe a word you’re saying.”

“Well, I’ve just been getting ahead of myself this entire conversation, haven’t I? I haven’t even introduced myself to you, but then, I believe you know who I am, don’t you?”

He’s giving me such a pointed look that I have no choice but to answer him. “You’re Joey.”

“Do you know my last name?”

“Joey Carpenter,” I spit out. “You’re the head of the Rebel Brothers gang.”

“Everything you just said is true. Yes it is, but just like Alec is actually Alecor, I’m actually Joelo.”

“Joelo? What kind of a name is that?”

“It sure isn’t an Earthling name, I’ll give you that,” he says with a shit-eating grin. “Me and the boys, all of the Rebel Brothers, we’re all Grelites from Grel.”

“You expect me to believe that you’re an alien? You don’t look like one!”

“You think all aliens have huge heads or bug eyes or blue skin? No, that isn’t the case. But what I do have is this.”

Joey pulls down his pants slightly, and I look away.

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