Page 35 of The Biker Alien

It’s not that I don’t trust Koxian technology, but I hesitate, listening.

“Excuse me?” Teri is saying. “What did you just say?”

“You heard me,” Joey says smoothly. “I know it’s a lot to process, but you are—”

“I’m bit. I’m bait for Alec—”

“Alecor,” he corrects.

I flinch.

Fuck.

Enough. He’s told her enough, and I don’t bother to try the handle of the door to see if it’s unlocked. I just kick it in. The door busts off the hinges, and I rush into the room. Jamey and another Grelite stand toward the back, and I shoot the one I don’t recognize in the shoulder and miss Jamey completely.

Joelo grins at me. “Alecor, you’re right on time. I was just about to…” He holds up a knife and turns to Teri.

“No!”

I go to take aim, but Teri is already standing. She lifts her chair and slams it straight into Joelo’s face. He crumbles to the ground, dazed at the very least if not knocked out.

I stalk forward, ready to end this once and for all, but Teri yanks on my arm.

“Come on,” she urges as Jamey rushes forward to check on his boss.

I turn to take in the desperation in Teri’s face, and I don’t have the strength in me to part from her. I nod, grab her hand, and race out of the room, directing her to the whole I made. It doesn’t take us long at all to climb onto the bike, and I drive off.

But we aren’t lone. No less than three bikes start to trail us.

“Hold on,” I tell Teri grimly, and I make all kinds of sudden turns and twists and turns, trying to shake ‘em.

But the Rebel Brothers are as good of a rider as anyone in the Armada, and they’re keeping up with me much better than I would’ve thought possible.

“You good?” I ask her.

“Uh…”

I don’t blame her for that non-answer, but I make a sharp right and head toward the dock. People have to scramble to get out of the way because I’m going down the pier straight toward the water.

“Are you crazy?” Teri shouts.

I don’t answer with words, but my actions sure as hell support her shout as I pop a wheelie and climb up the ramp of a ship that’s just starting to sail away. People are bitching at us, but I don’t care.

The three bikers have no choice but to stop on the pier right where we had just been, only one of them can’t stop in time, and his bike heads up in the water. He bobs his head up, shaking a fist and cursing at us, but I just turn to look over my shoulder and grin at Teri.

Who must certainly is not grinning back at me.

13

Teri

It’s a big deal,trying to figure out how to get off the ship with the motorcycle. Alec—excuse me, Alecor—has to do a lot of smoothing things over and making promises, and everyone seems to be willing to bend over backward for him. He climbed off the bike first to talk to them almost as soon as the ship left the dock, and I remain sitting there until I can’t handle it anymore, and I stand and walk and head over to the railing.

Staring back at the dock, I watch the Joey’s guys stare at us. They’re going to be waiting for us once we get back, aren’t they? We have to find a different pier.

My hands are shaking, and my stomach is churning so much that I think I’m going to be sick.

“This isn’t exactly what I planned,” Alec murmurs to me as he stands beside me.

---