Page 13

“Come, Peanut. My vessel is this way,” Ash rumbled in his natural deep, growly voice which was translated a moment later. He pulled his hood low and headed toward the river beyond the houses at the end of the lane.

“You want me to go with you?” She stared at the giant alien man.

“Yes. It isn’t right for you to be out here alone, especially with those warriors on the hunt. I do not appreciate the way they fired their disrupters at a female. Dishonorable,” he snarled, surprising her with his vehemence.

Abby nibbled her lip as she considered Ash. Granted she helped him evade the military, but she wasn’t sure if going with him was the smartest option. Then again, Ash was her only link to Providence, and he was alone with an army of hostile men after him. She couldn’t just abandon him. As frightening as all this was, that would be a supremely shitty thing to do to him.

“Okay.” She nodded.

She double-checked to make sure she had her purse then noticed her phone.

Crap! She grabbed it, quickly yanked the battery and SIM card, and stuffed them into her purse. Hopefully she hadn’t jeopardized everything.

Abby glanced around, nervously looking for Spec-ops hiding in the shadows as she followed Ash. It was weird creeping between the houses. She’d been a teenager the last time she did something like this, sneaking into the neighbor’s pool with her girlfriends. They’d been caught.

“What’s the plan?” she hissed when they reached the shore.

“Follow the river.”

She cast Ash an incredulous sideways glance.

“How far? All these yards back up to the river, and some of them have fences.” She pointed several houses down.

“We get wet.”

“What?” Her hand flew to her mouth when she realized how loud she was.

Ash wasn’t joking. He waded into the water, then looked expectantly at her.

“Do you have any idea what’s swimming around in there? And you’re bleeding,” she pointed out.

“I do. I met your not so friendly scaly beasts on the way to your house. He wasn’t too pleased when I refused to relinquish my arm.”

“An alligator tried to take your arm?” She gaped at the giant man. “How the hell did you get away?”

“I’m the bigger predator.” Ash shrugged. “Come on. You can swim like your sister, yes?”

“No one can swim like Pro,” Abby laughed incredulously. Providence was damn near a fish, with her search and rescue prowess. “You really do know Providence.” She smiled.

“I do not lie. Now come. I will guard you against the curious reptiles.”

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she mumbled.

She didn’t even like wallowing in the Banana River during the day. Ash watched keenly as she tied a knot in her purse strap and slung it around her neck to keep it dry, then waded in.

“Holy fuck, it’s cold.”

“I would carry you on my shoulders, but that would be conspicuous.” Ash looked toward the homes on shore. “We will get dry when we reach the cruiser.”

“I’ll be fine.”

She trudged along with the water lapping at her midriff, while Ash swam beside her in silence. It was rough going in the dark, especially once the mangroves got thicker. Her foot got tangled in a root, and she pitched headlong into the water. Large, strong arms encircled her, plucking her up before she took in a lungful of murky water.

“Dammit,” she sputtered.

“Are you all right, Peanut?” Ash pulled a bit of reedy grass from her hair.

“Yeah.” She wiped her face.