Page 14 of Grumpy Alien Boss

CHAPTER 14

DAR

" Y our performance was exemplary, Miss McGee." Pyke's hologram flickers with approval. "The podcast has already gained significant traction."

My claws dig into the leather armrest. The silver tracking choker gleams around Olivia's neck, a small comfort given what Pyke suggests next.

"Make contact with this group. Find out what they know."

"Like hell she will." The words escape my maw. "At least let me shadow her."

"Dar." Pyke's voice carries that edge of command. "You know better. The Grolgath's bio-sensors will detect any Vakutan presence within half a mile."

"Then we send in human agents-"

"Who lack the necessary clearance for this operation." Pyke cuts me off. "Miss McGee has proven herself more than capable."

Olivia straightens in her chair. That fierce determination I love blazes in her eyes. "I can handle this, sir."

"Excellent." Pyke's hologram winks out.

The silence weighs heavy. I shift back to human form, my scales melting away to skin. Olivia's perfume fills my nostrils - jasmine and vanilla mixing with her natural scent.

"Olivia." My voice cracks. I reach for her hand across the desk. "Promise me you'll be careful."

She threads her fingers through mine. "Darwin, I-"

"I'd die if I lost you." The words pour out raw and honest. "I love you."

"I love you too, you big scaly doofus." Olivia's voice trembles with emotion.

My heart stops. Then soars. I pull her into my arms and press my lips to hers, savoring her sweetness. The kiss remains gentle, tender - everything I feel for this remarkable woman poured into this moment.

Breaking the kiss, I cradle her face between my palms. "Promise me something."

"Anything." Her green eyes sparkle with mischief.

"No unnecessary risks. No playing hero." My thumb traces her bottom lip. "Come back to me, Olivia. You have to come back to me."

She rises on tiptoe and plants a soft kiss on my cheek.

"Face it, boss man. You're stuck with your bratty pet human now." Her fingers trail down my chest. "Nothing's gonna change that."

I force a smile, pretending her words ease the knot of dread in my gut. They don't. But hearing her say she loves me... that makes everything brighter. Better. Even as my heart races with fear for what's to come, it also swells with joy at finally having those words from her lips.

Olivia pulls the crumpled note from her pocket. "Should I call now?"

Every instinct screams at me to wait, to plan, to protect her. But Pyke's orders echo in my head. We need results.

"Do it." The words taste like ash in my mouth.

"Shh." Olivia's finger presses against my lips as she dials. Her hand trembles slightly.

"They probably won't even answer-" Her eyes go wide. "Hello?"

My enhanced hearing picks up a faint voice on the other end, but the encryption scrambles it beyond recognition. I grip the edge of my desk, fighting the urge to snatch the phone away.

"Yes, that's right... No, I understand... Now? I can do that... The ferry terminal, got it."

Each word from her lips tightens the knot in my stomach. The silver choker catches the light as she nods, reminding me I can track her anywhere. Small comfort.

She ends the call and meets my gaze. "Staten Island Ferry. In one hour."

"Olivia-"

"Don't start. We both know I have to do this."

The determination in her voice only makes me love her more, even as it terrifies me. She's right, of course. Doesn't mean I have to like it.

"Take the Rolls," I say, tossing her the keys. "I'll tail you in the Lexus."

"A Lexus?" Olivia catches the keys with a snort. "Only you would think a hundred-thousand dollar car is 'discrete.'"

"It's the least conspicuous vehicle I own."

"True. Better than the Lambo or that ridiculous gold Bentley."

Her fingers trace the grolgath poison coating her manicured nails. The explosive polish gleams under the office lights. My stomach churns at how casually she handles deadly weapons.

"This is so cool." She grins, examining her nails. "Like being James Bond."

"This isn't a game, Olivia." The words come out sharper than intended. "The Grolgath are killers."

"Relax, big guy. I've got this." She taps her silver choker. "Besides, you'll be watching my every move."

"That's what worries me." I pull her close, inhaling her scent.

The elevator descends to my private garage. I grip the Lexus keys so hard they bite into my palm. Olivia slides into the Rolls Royce with practiced grace, and my heart clenches.

"Ancient Precursors, watch over her," I whisper in Vakutan. The words taste bitter - prayers won't keep her safe from the Grolgath.

I force myself to wait until her taillights disappear before following. The drive to the ferry feels endless. Every fiber of my being screams to catch up, to snatch her away from danger.

I park the Lexus on South Street, scanning the crowd. Olivia's red hair catches the sunlight as she approaches a man in a neat business suit. My enhanced vision picks out the telltale signs - slightly too perfect posture, measured movements that betray military training.

Grolgath. Has to be.

The tracking choker's signal pulses steady on my wrist display. I watch them talk, keeping my breathing even. Everything seems fine until Olivia follows him toward the ferry gangplank.

No. She's supposed to make contact and leave.

I burst from the car, shouldering through the crowd. Tourists and commuters block my path like a living wall.

"Move!" I snarl, but more people flow between us.

The ferry horn blasts. The gangplank starts to rise.

Without thinking, I sprint and leap. My fingers catch the railing as the ferry pulls away. Salt water sprays my face as I haul myself up, muscles straining.

I roll onto the deck, immediately shifting to blend with the crowd. But Olivia and the Grolgath are gone.

The choker's signal leads below deck. Time to hunt.

The isotope's faint radiation signature leads me deeper into the ferry's maintenance corridors. My boots echo on metal grating as I descend another level. The air grows thick with diesel fumes and salt.

Two figures materialize from the shadows. Their movements are too fluid, too precise. No human moves like that.

"Going somewhere?" The taller one's arm elongates, sprouting bone spikes.

I shift to Vakutan form, my clothes shredding as I grow. "Where is she?"

They attack in perfect sync. The shorter one's fingers stretch into whip-like tendrils that slash at my face. I block with my forearm, but the crystalline edges slice deep.

The taller Grolgath drives his bone spikes toward my gut. I grab his mutated arm and snap it, but he just laughs. The broken pieces melt and reform.

"The girl is none of your concern anymore." His face ripples, features flowing like wax.

I roar and charge, slamming him into a bulkhead. Metal crumples under the impact. The whip-fingered one wraps tendrils around my throat.

My claws rake across his chest, drawing alien blood. He screams but doesn't let go. The tendrils tighten.

The bone-spike warrior reforms his arm into a serrated blade. It plunges into my shoulder, grinding against Vakutan armor plates.

Pain fuels my rage. I grab the tendril-wielder and use him as a club, smashing him into his companion. They tumble together in a writhing mass.

Before they can separate, I tear into them with fang and claw. Their shape-shifting flesh tries to adapt, but I'm too strong, too furious.

Blood sprays across the walls. The Grolgath's death screams echo through the corridors.

When it's done, I lean against the wall, panting. Deep gashes cross my chest and arms. The shoulder wound throbs.

But Olivia's signal pulses stronger now. She's close.