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  “Are you just going to sit here?”

  Jack looked up with lips pursed, blinking several times. “Is there something else I should be doing?” he asked with more exasperation than he intended. “You two have had your heads together all night.”

  Ben stood beside him with elbows planted on the counter, his forehead pressed to the knuckles of laced fingers. “Darrel's just worried,” he said. “He's not comfortable with the idea of me accompanying you on this trip.”

  A yawn stretched Jack's mouth, one that he stifled with his fist. “You'll be gone for a couple weeks at most,” he said, swiveling on his stool. “Seems to me your boyfriend is a little clingy.”

  Ben looked over his shoulder with a hard frown, sweat glistening on his forehead. “Maybe,” he conceded with a nod. “But Darrel's got a lot on his mind right now, and he really needs my support.”

  “What's bothering him?”

  The other man stood up straight and folded his arms, directing a fierce scowl into the mirror behind the counter. “Darrel's family,” he said softly. “They've stopped talking to him now that he's openly dating me.”

  Jack winced, slapping a palm against his forehead. A groan that sounded like some poor squirrel's dying whimper escaped him. “Dude, I'm so sorry,” he managed at last. “I need to learn to keep my big mouth shut.”

  “It's fine.”

  “No, it's not.”

  Before he could say another word, the front door swung open to admit one very distraught-looking Darrel. The man shuffled back into the bar with his hands shaking, refusing to look up.

  Ben was on his feet in an instant and rushing across the room to meet his boyfriend. Faster than you could blink, they were wrapped in a tight hug. Jack still felt a little guilty about his comment.

  How easy it was for him to forget the struggles that men like Darrel would have to endure. No one ever snubbed him for his relationship choices. Oh his mother might get a little overprotective, but Jack could date the most horrid, abusive bitch on the planet, and his family would always accept him. Even his ultra-conservative father wouldn't kick up a fuss. But Darrel? The loneliness must be awful.

  A wave of sadness crashed over him, and it took a moment for him to recognize it as one of Summer's emotions. Nassai shared everything with each other. Loneliness was the most terrifying concept they had ever encountered. In fact, they had not known that such a thing could exist until their first encounter with humanity. At the moment, Darrel was probably as frightened of loneliness as any Nassai.

  No, Jack thought. If the guy needs a friend, he'll have one. Hell, he'll have a whole freaking lot of them.

  The hug was warm and gentle, and for a very long moment, Ben was tempted to just collapse against his boyfriend's chest and let all his concerns drain away. But this wasn't about him. Tonight, he had to be the strong one. “You're gonna be all right,” he whispered over and over.

  The other man smiled, his cheeks flushed to a deep crimson. He bowed his head. “I know,” Darrel whispered. “And I'm sorry I've been such a mess. Dad actually unfriended me on Facebook.”

  Ben winced, then rubbed his nose with the back of hand. “You've been nothing of the sort,” he said, backing away from the his partner. “It disgusts me that your family would turn their backs on you for something so trivial.”

  “Yeah.”

  Crossing his arms with a huff, Ben hung his head to avoid eye-contact. “I know we talked about this before,” he said. “But maybe it's a good time to think about leaving all this behind.”

  “You mean moving to Leyria?”

  Lifting his chin, Ben squinted at the other man. “Can you think of one good reason to stay?” he asked, shaking his head. “If the people who are supposed to love see you as some kind outcast, then what's the point?”

  Darrel tossed his head back, a rasping breath escaping him. He ran a hand over his face and through his hair. “It's not that simple, hon,” he muttered. “I mean…What would I do if we moved to Leyria?”

  “Whatever you want.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Just like-”

  He cut off at the sound of footsteps approaching. You didn't have to be a Justice Keeper to know when someone was coming up behind you; you only had to develop an attention to detail.

  Jack approached with hands in his pockets, head bowed as if he was afraid to make eye-contact. “Hey, Darrel,” he said softly. “I was just thinking. We don't get to see you all that much. You should come out with us more often.”

  The flush painting Darrel's cheeks intensified until it seemed as though he might catch fire. “Thank you,” he said. “I really appreciate the offer.”

  “I'm gonna turn in, guys,” Jack said. “Long day tomorrow.”

  They exchanged their good-byes, and then Jack went through the door, leaving Ben to sort out this latest bout of relationship drama. Right then, he couldn't have been more thankful for his friend's sensitivity.

  Closing his eyes, Ben took a deep breath. “Just promise me you'll consider it,” he said, turning away from the other man. “I think you'd live a much better life on a world where you aren't treated as a degenerate.”

  When he opened the door to his apartment, Jack found only darkness waiting on the other side. Every wall and surface was visible to him despite the lack of illumination, and spatial awareness allowed him to perceive Spock waiting just inside the front door.

  The big orange tabby sat with his tail curled around his legs, his front paws together as he stared up at Jack. Of course, he didn't make a sound; he only waited patiently with that imperious stare cats inevitably mastered.

  Tilting his head back, Jack squeezed his eyes shut. “Hey, buddy,” he said, stepping into the apartment and shutting the door behind him. “Have you been a grumpy boy? All by yourself with no one to lavish attention on you?”

  He dropped to one knee.

  Spock approached to slam his forehead into the palm of Jack's hand, nuzzling him over and over. Cats…From what Jack had read, this was actually an attempt to mark him as property by rubbing scent glands all over him. Maybe. He had a feeling that the people who wrote those articles had a distinct canine bias.

  After all, the biological purpose of sex was the exchange of genetic information for procreation, but that didn't mean the emotions involved weren't legitimate. Spock adored the humans in his life; you only had to spend two minutes with the little guy to realize it.

  He got to his feet.

  Jack marched through the long hallway with his arms hanging limp, frowning down at himself. “You're gonna miss me,” he said, glancing back at his feline companion. “I'm gonna be gone for a little while.”

  He approached the first door on his left only to find it open. Odd…he always kept it shut to prevent Spock from napping on his bed and leaving fur all over the place. So why was it open now?

  He peeked inside.

  The darkness was no impediment to a man who had Bonded a Nassai, and he could easily make out the lump lying under the covers of his bed. A moment later, his would-be girlfriend sat up with a grunt.

  Gabi winced, long black hair falling over her face. “You're here,” she said, touching a hand to her forehead. “I had intended to wait for you, but it seemed as though you were going to stay out all night.”

  She held the covers to her chest with one hand and shook her head as if trying to clear her mind of haziness. Was she naked under there? It occurred to him that he might have ruined what could have been a very nice surprise.

  Jack felt his cheeks heat up. He wiped sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. “Ben's having some troubles with his boyfriend,” he explained. “Seems the guy descends from a long line of bigots.”

  “Is there anything we can do?”

  Jack winced, shaking his head. “Doubtful.” He strode past the foot of the bed to the window, pausing there for a long moment. “We can be there for Darrel when he needs a friend, but nothing really makes family drama any easier.” />
  In his mind's eye, he saw his partner hunched over with long dark hair framing her lovely face. “It's a sad thing,” she murmured. “And difficult to wrap my head around. I've read about such prejudices.”

  “But never lived them?”

  “No.”

  Jack spun around to stand before the window with hands clasped behind himself. Cold rage pushed the bile right to the tip of his tongue. “Funny thing about living on this planet,” he said. “When you're a bit of a freak, you learn to sympathize with all the other freaks. Even the ones who aren't like you.”

  Gabi looked over her shoulder with a sad expression. “And is that how you see yourself?” she asked with obvious sympathy in her voice. “You really think of yourself as a freak?”

  “Well, a freak of the super variety.”

  He dropped his jacket to the floor and watched as Gabrina settled back against the pillows, a soft sigh escaping her. It occurred to him that he should stop thinking of her as his girlfriend – she hadn't ever agreed to any such thing – but they'd been growing closer for three months, and it was hard to resist the temptation.

  Crawling onto the bed, Jack smiled down at her. “Well then,” he said, shaking his head. “What can we do to relax before the long, annoying flight tomorrow. I can think of a few ideas.”

  Chapter 5

  A black asphalt driveway cut through a lush green lawn to a small house with blue aluminum siding and black shingles on the roof. Sheltered in the shade of a tall oak tree, it was a quaint little residence.

  A man in blue jeans and a gray flannel shirt stood at the foot of the driveway with his head poked into the back door of his car. From this angle, it was impossible to see his face, but Anna sensed tension.

  She walked along the roadside in jeans and a white shirt with a frilly neckline, her hair done up in its customary ponytail. “Trevor Harmon!” she called out. “Mr. Harmon! I was hoping I could speak with you!”

  The man stood up straight.

  When he spun to face her, she saw that he was a handsome fellow in his middle years with a dark complexion and black hair that was only starting to turn gray. “And who might you be?”

  Anna grinned, bowing her head to him. “Special Agent Lenai,” she said, stepping onto the driveway. “I'm with the Justice Keepers, and I was hoping I could ask you a few questions about your son.”

  She used her multi-tool to project a hologram of her badge, a four-pointed silver star on a field of blue. It rippled in the air before her, and by the expression on his face, she could tell that Trevor Harmon was impressed. “We need to talk about your son, Mr. Harmon,” she said. “He's in trouble.”

  The man lifted his chin to squint at her. “Is that fact?” he asked, coming closer. “I don't know where the boy went. He didn't come home last night, but when he does, the word grounded won't begin to cover it.”

  “You're aware that he skipped school yesterday?”

  “I am.”

  Anna closed her eyes, sweat prickling on her forehead. The days here got very hot very quickly. “Are you also aware that he's in possession of one very dangerous piece of alien technology?”

  The man pursed his lips, staring at her. “No, I wasn't aware of that,” he muttered, leaning his shoulder against the side of his car. “What exactly can this thing do? Is Kevin going to be all right?”

  Crossing her arms with a heavy sigh, Anna frowned down at herself. “We honestly don't know,” she admitted. “Overseer technology is highly volatile. It could be harmless, or it could be killing him right now.”

  Trevor Harmon shut his eyes, fat tears rolling over his cheeks. “God Almighty…” He buried his face in both hands, trembling as sobs ripped through his body. “Can you do anything? Can you help him?”

  “We'll try. I promise.”

  She tapped at her multi-tool, opening the app that forwarded contact information. Then she sent out a pulse. A soft buzz from the man's pocket indicated that his phone had received the data. “If he comes home, contact me right away,” she said. “We're going to want to run some tests to make sure he's all right.”

  “I will,” Harmon replied. “And thank you.”

  Her attempts to find Kevin were less than fruitful. After talking to his father, Anna went back to the school with some faint hope that maybe, just maybe, she would find him in his first-period science class. Reality had a frustrating propensity for crushing dreams. Kevin hadn't come back to school, and worse yet, Amanda Simmons – the only person who might have caught a glimpse of whatever he had unearthed – was still absent.

  Something felt off there.

  School officials insisted that Amanda's father had kept the girl home to help her get over the ordeal, but did anyone really need two days to get past the sight of a hole in the ground? Maybe some people really were that fragile, but four years as Jack Hunter's best friend had trained Anna to assume there was more going on beneath the surface.

  She went back to the skate park, hoping to find Kevin or his friends. Sadly, there was no sign of them. That left her with only one option, and she was pretty damn sure that pursuing it would make waves.

  Amanda Simmons lived in a small house with white aluminum siding and black shingles on its slanted roof. A large porch with a rocking chair and a love-seat completed the picturesque setting.

  Knocking on the blue front door with her fist, Anna waited patiently for someone to answer. Nothing about this house raised any red flags, but she reminded herself that she wasn't all that familiar with Earth culture.

  The door swung open.

  A tall man in gray pants and a blue polo shirt loomed over her. He had a stern face with wrinkles in his forehead and curly gray hair. “Who are you?” he asked in tones that conveyed his hostility.

  Anna stood upon the porch with hands clasped behind her back, bowing her head respectfully. “Mr. Vic Simmons, I presume,” she said. “I'm Special Agent Anna Lenai with the Justice Keepers. I was hoping I could talk to your daughter.”

  The man's face hardened until it seemed like he could stop bullets with his skull. “We've got nothing to say to you,” he muttered, backing away. “Amanda wasn't involved with whatever that delinquent dug up.”

  Anna looked up at him. “I wasn't accusing her of anything.” The teachers she had spoken to were right; this man was going to make himself an obstacle in her path. “I want to know what she saw.”

  Mr. Simmons thrust his chin out and studied her with hard gray eyes. “I won't have you filling her head with nonsense,” he barked. “She gets enough of that from the school. Sinful ideas breed sinful behaviour.”

  “What exactly do you think I'll tell her?”

  In response, he spun around and turned his back on her. “Follow me,” he growled, moving deeper into the house. “Keep your questions short and to the point, and we can get this over with.”

  The front hallway led to a kitchen with a sliding glass door that looked out on the patio. A yard with lush green grass stretched on to a wooden fence, and she could see a bed of dirt that would no doubt be used to grow flowers.

  Simmons opened the door.

  Anna stepped through with arms folded, pausing to inspect her surroundings. “You have a lovely home,” she said, trying to sound cordial. “My mother keeps a garden in our backyard. I've got no talent for it myself.”

  In her mind's eye, she saw the man standing in the doorway behind her, watching her like a hawk. “The garden was my wife's,” he grumbled. “She died several years ago, and we haven't used it since.”

  “Why's that?”

  Before he could answer, a young woman in a blue dress with short sleeves came around the side of the house. She was taller than Anna – not that there was much chance of her being shorter – with dark curls that fell to her shoulders.

  “Amanda?” Simmons barked.

  The girl jumped at the sound of his voice, placing a hand over her heart. She froze in place, then turned her head to look at him. “I'm sorry. Timmy was here, and I
tried to shoo him off before he made a mess.”

  “Timmy?”

  “Mrs. Hammond's cat.”

  An icy lump settled into the pit of Anna's stomach. The girl's reaction…Amanda was genuinely afraid of her father, and that was never a good sign. Very few things could elicit that kind of response in a child, and none of them were pleasant.

  “Amanda, this is-”

  “A Justice Keeper.” The girl stood with a hand pressed to her chest, refusing to look up. “She probably wants to talk to me about what I saw yesterday. I'm guessing they still haven't found Kevin.”

  Tilting her head to one side, Anna replied with the warmest grin she could manage. “Hey, look at you go!” she said, her eyebrows rising. “With deductive skills like that, you might want to consider a career in law-enforcement.”

  “She'll do no such thing.” The silhouette of Mr. Simmons stepped through the door with a harsh growl, directing most of his anger her way. “Amanda will grow up to find a good husband, and take her place at his side as God intended.”

  Anna glanced over her shoulder, squinting at the man. “Silly me,” she said. “Here I am trying to corrupt her with my evil feminist ways. I should have realized that you have divine intervention on her side.”

  “You won't influence my daughter.”

  Grinning ferociously, Anna let her head hang. She brushed a strand of hair off her cheek. “I don't know. Have you seen our pamphlets? Two or three of those and she'll be a full-fledged lesbian socialist who can't wait to swear herself to the goddess Athena.”

  Only then did she notice the expression on Amanda's face. The girl was wincing with tears glistening on her cheeks. Clearly witnessing this conflict had left her feeling uncomfortable. “I'm sorry, Amanda.”

  “It's okay.”

  “What can you tell me about Kevin? Did you see whatever it was he dug up?

  Amanda scrunched up her face until it seemed as though she'd been kicked in the stomach. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I only saw the hole. He told me to get help, and I ran inside.”