Page 53 of Whisked Away By the Alien

I don’t give in to bullies, but I’m starting to suspect Mr. Kelly never told Mr. Jenkins something fishy might be going on with his business and this is all connected. What if Mr. Kelly is a part of this?

Mr. Jenkins won’t drop by until after the holiday. Hopefully, he won’t turn on me and fire me. I have no idea what if anything Mr. Kelly’s said to him at this point. I’m debating how to handle my situation, especially if Mr. Jenkins doesn’t drop by for a while. I don’t know where he lives, to approach him discreetly. If I remain on Earth, I’ll need this job.

My stomach turns at the thought of not going with Sten. I want him, with all my heart and soul. Being with him is easy to think about, even though it means traveling to a distant planet that might be exceedingly different from Earth. But leaving my family and possibly never seeing them again. That’s the part I can’t wrap my head around.

My mother is right about one thing; I shouldn’t pass up a good man. Not because I need to get married, but because I love him.

I sit back in my chair as the realization sinks in. I really do love him. Why did it take so long to see that?

Because he misled me.

Maybe he didn’t. Maybe I only heard what I wanted to hear, because I was looking for problems where none existed. Because no one has ever been that into me before and I expected something to go wrong, as if I’m unworthy of love. But I’m not, damn it. I deserve to be loved the same as anyone else.

I need to find Sten and figure out if he really loves me.

As I yank my coat off the peg on the back of the office door, I glance at the wall clock. It’s two p.m. I have five minutes before the next bus. The next one won’t be for another two hours.

I race down the steps, glancing at the industrial clock over the front entrance as I reach the warehouse floor. 2:02. Fuck. Once out the front entrance, I’ll have to loop around the length of the shipyard to reach the bus stop. That’s a fifteen-minute walk. I’ll never make it in three minutes, even if I run.

The fence! If I can squeeze through the hole in the fence by the docks, that will place me right by the bus stop! I hope I can fit through with all my winter layers on.

When I exit the back door of the warehouse, I see Wilson, Ridge, and three men I’ve never seen before gathered around an open crate of guns. Blasters, to be precise. Illegalalienweapons that will crush law enforcement and the military alike.

Ridge looks up and spots me. He slams the crate closed. “It’s the office girl. Get her!”

I run back into the warehouse, laser focused on making it to the front entrance. I’m hundreds of feet from escaping when the sound of gunfire erupts all around me. The window above the main door explodes and glass rains down in front of me. They’ve cut off my escape.

My feet take over, racing into the belly of the massive warehouse. Fleeing is instinctive at this point, but I need to think strategically.

Pallets of shrink-wrapped products stored floor-to-ceiling in a hodgepodge of shelving units dominate half the warehouse. The other half consists of wooden and metal crates of all sizes forming haphazard paths. I’m like a mouse in a maze, trying to find my way out. Except there is none. Wilson and his men guard both exits.

“Spread out! Find that bitch and kill her!”

There are a thousand places to hide in here, but I’m not exactly a skinny person.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sound of footsteps grows louder. I need to hide!

This is a make-it-work moment. No time to be strategic. I squeeze between a crate and a shrink-wrapped pallet of glass pickles. If I can fit behind the pallet, they won’t see me. It’s a tight fit and I make it… barely.

“Look up, too. She could have climbed.”

The warehouse falls completely silent except for the rhythmic tapping of heavy boots approaching. I slap my hands over my mouth, trying to stifle my heavy breathing. My heart’s racing. I can’t calm down.

Close your eyes, sholani. Relax.

Stenikov’s words reach me. I picture him, calm, patient, full of strength and confidence. No matter how much I wish he were here, he’s not. But thinking of him calms me, allowing me to regain control of my breathing and stay as quiet as possible.

What do I do next? I can’t stay hidden forever. There are five men searching for me, and it might take them a while, but time is on their side. No one will miss me or come looking for me here, especially on a day we’re officially closed for Christmas. And why did I drink so much damn coffee this morning?

Gotta pee. Gotta pee.

Focus, Golda!

“Sholani? Are you here?” Stenikov’s voice echoes through the warehouse.

OMG, he’s here! Relief squashes all the fear and I start to squeeze my way out from behind the pallet of pickles. That’s when I hear footsteps close by. I can’t leave my hiding spot or call out to Stenikov.

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