Page 10 of Capture of Capricorn (The Thirteenth Zodiac #3)

The fire spread quickly, feeding on the oil, but while the hot flames provided a barrier to prevent the guards from approaching, they didn’t do much to obscure—until Zora began flinging bread buns at it.

Little yummy balls of gluten that burned and emitted smoke, providing some measure of concealment, which increased once the concrete floor began to bubble, the paint on it succumbing to the heat.

The emitting choking haze brought a tickle to the throat.

Capricorn glanced at her. “Time for us to make our escape. Keep close.”

As if she’d do anything but. The man had proven to be more than capable. Not only had he devised a way for them to escape the cell, retrieve the sphere, and make it to the main level, but he’d also shown not an ounce of hesitation when it came to using deadly force.

Exactly who was he? Because he had the skills of a mercenary or even a possible CIA agent. She didn’t really care which, since he was her ticket out of here.

They headed for the exit, the doctors in their white coats pounding and rattling it, as if that would get rid of the chain holding it shut. Talk about a fire hazard.

“Move out of the way, you morons,” he barked. At the sight of him raising his gun to take aim, the whitecoats scattered.

Hopefully, Capricorn could break the chain because, by her count, he had to be close to or out of bullets. Luckily, he had one left.

The padlock shattered at the impact, releasing the chain, which he yanked from the handle before shoving the door open. Smoke billowed through the opening, and Zora darted into that billowing cloud, followed by Capricorn.

Zora took a moment to breathe, heaving in the fresher outside air, but didn’t enjoy it for long, as a doctor shoved past her, almost sending her to the ground.

Rude.

The next whitecoat fell face-first onto the ground. Blame the foot she stuck out to trip him. She didn’t feel bad about it one bit since he’d been the one to poke her with needles and ignored her every attempt to talk.

Capricorn grabbed her by the hand. “We need to move before they realize we’re outside.” A reminder the smoke and fire screen wouldn’t hold the guards for long.

“Where to?” she asked.

“Apparently, not home,” he grumbled. “These fucking bracelets need to come off.”

“Good luck with that. I searched for a seam but couldn’t find one. It’s like they welded them on.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me. Adam was more prepared than expected.”

“If we can make it to a town, or even someone’s house, we should be able to find a tool to remove them.”

“Meaning we need to find a ride out of here.” He grabbed her by the hand, and she let him lead.

As they moved away from the smoking building, her head swiveled sideways to see a crowd of people pressing against the front of the main building. Dressed in black combat gear, wearing head coverings and balaclavas to conceal their features, several carried placards that she had to squint to read.

No more secrets.

Release the aliens.

The truth is in Area 51.

She almost laughed to realize their distraction came from activists. How fortuitous.

To her surprise, Capricorn dragged Zora at a fast run in their direction, leading her to huff, “Why. Are. We. Going. That. Way?”

“Because they obviously came here by car or bus, or something that we can most likely steal.”

Good thinking, because she’d been dreading the thought of trekking through the arid desert. When he’d told her where they’d been taken prisoner—Area fucking 51—she’d wondered how far she’d get on foot if she ever managed to escape. Probably not far, since she tended to wilt in extreme heat.

Rather than merge with those rushing the installation, and trying to push against the tide, they kept to the outskirts of those yelling.

Her heart pounded and her lungs screamed with each ragged breath.

She didn’t protest when Capricorn, in a move she didn’t think possible outside a movie, smoothly scooped and tossed her over a shoulder.

Bouncing on his brawny shoulder might not be the most comfortable thing, but he made much better time without her lagging steps, and the view of his ass was nice.

She didn’t know they’d reached vehicles until he slowed and let her slide down, his arm around her keeping her snug to his frame. A very solid frame, and as she stood pressed against him, she noticed his height. She was a good five foot nine, but he had several inches on her.

“Any preferences?” he murmured as he stared down at her.

Was he asking her favorite sexual position? Hardly the place, but tell that to her suddenly sizzling blood. “Uh…” She, the person who always had a come-back, faltered.

“Guess rather than go with a particular style we should see which one has keys.”

Wait, he was talking about a car? Damn.

He stuck his head in a battered Volkswagen. “Nothing in the ignition.” He moved to a Honda Civic next and crowed. “Fuck yeah, we have keys. Get in, Beauty. We are getting out of here.”

Some might have been appalled at how easily she agreed to abet his grand theft auto. They could stuff it. Given what she’d been through, there was nothing too extreme when it came to escape.

He spun the car around, and gravel spat from the tires as he shot in the direction of a broken gate flanked by a flattened fence.

Some vehicles had slammed into the sections of chain link, allowing entry to the agitators.

A few cars and trucks had been abandoned, leading Capricorn to weave through them to get past. As they cleared the barrage of vehicles and began to speed down the road, they passed more people arriving, flags waving from their car and truck windows, making her snicker.

“What’s so funny?” Capricorn asked.

“These folks thinking there are actually aliens inside there.”

“You don’t think space has intelligent life?”

“If aliens existed and were capable of space travel, indicating they were smart, why would they come here? Humanity can barely accept each other. I can’t see them being welcoming to actual ETs.”

“Good point. But you didn’t answer my question. Do you believe there is something beyond our world?”

“Most likely. It’s rather arrogant to think Earth is the only planet that spawned organisms.”

“You sound skeptical.”

“I’m a person who likes proof. Hence why I’m an atheist. Show me a god and I’ll believe in religion, but of course, no one can ever show proof.

It’s always ‘the Bible says…’ And to that, my response is the Bible was written by men.

Men who lived in a time where superstition ran rampant.

Everything that couldn’t be explained back then was attributed to some magical being in the sky.

Since then, science has explained much of what they considered miraculous. ”

“What if you came across something science couldn’t explain?”

“I’d say it requires more study because everything has a cause and effect.

Lights in the night sky are caused by charged particles colliding with gases in the atmosphere.

Eclipses aren’t some mystical events, but a predictable alignment of the moon and our sun.

Tsunamis, once considered a wrath of god, are the aftermath of earthquakes.

Everything has a logical scientific explanation. ”

“If you say so,” he stated with amusement. “But what about the relic?”

She’d almost forgotten about it. She eyed the bundle of fabric in her lap.

“Is simply a mystery I haven’t yet cracked.

Most likely it’s comprised of a new super alloy that would have given Crius power in the sense that if he knew how to make more of it, he could design things that could withstand just about anything thrown at it.

Can you imagine a fortress built of this material? ” She patted the bundled sphere.

“Somehow I don’t think that’s what Adam was after.”

“Guess we’ll never know, since we escaped that twat waffle. Good job, by the way.”

He snorted. “I could say the same. Smart thinking using that fire to cover our escape.”

“Team effort.” Not a phrase she’d used very often. “Now where to?” she asked. “I could use a change of clothes, but I don’t have any money.” Which made her wonder how she’d get home. Could she even go home? Crius knew where she lived.

Fuck.

“We just need to find a phone. I have a friend who can help us out with funds, but I want to be farther away from here before we stop.”

They zoomed past Rachel, Nevada, with its alien-themed shops and restaurants.

Zora tried to not freak out when they saw a series of unmarked black SUVs whip by, heading toward the base they’d just left.

They drove to the next town over called Crystal Springs, arriving just in time, according to the red light blinking in the dash warning they were about to run out of gas.

They ditched the car at the Alien Research Center, a fancy name for a shack selling all kinds of themed stuff.

Entering the store, Zora and Capricorn drew a few curious glances, given they still wore filthy hospital scrubs and slippers on their feet.

It didn’t help they stank of smoke and probably gunpowder, but then again, they weren’t the oddest folk.

The man wearing flashing antennas and contacts that made his eyes a bright slitted yellow took the prize.

Capricorn charmed the tattooed young lady behind the counter into letting him use her phone and soon returned to Zora, who browsed some metal artwork inside a glass display case.

“Get a hold of your friend?” she asked.

“Yup. He’s booking us a room at a motel nearby and making arrangements to get us some cash.”

“Did you call the cops and tell them about Cetus?”

“What would be the point?”

Her lips pursed. “Putting that fucker in jail.”

“Come on, we both know that wouldn’t happen.”

“Maybe not, but I hate letting Crius get off without punishment.”

“Don’t you worry about that fucker. He’ll get what’s coming to him.” A dark promise that gave her a shiver of delight.