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“Where is what?” I croaked. The arm banded around my throat barely allowed me to breathe. I had no money. We were an electronic, cashless society. Jewelry? I had some pretty stuff, but nothing valuable. “How did you get in here?” How had he breached the security? The front entry, the elevators, my apartment all required passwords.
The arm tightened. “Don’t lie to me. You have a handheld. Where is it?”
Handheld? How would he know about that…unless he was LOP. But why would someone from the galactic oversight organization break into my apartment and accost me? Wouldn’t they confront me directly?
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Turning my head to ease the pressure on my airway, I tried to pry his arm from around my throat. I groped for his hand, seeking the weak link of his pinky. If I snap his little finger…
“I want the device. Give it to me!” He shook me.
Motion created space and opportunity. I rammed my elbow hard into his gut, and he let out an oomph. Twisting, I drove the heel of my palm upward into his nose, following up with a jab at his eyes. His forearm came up and blocked the blow. A powerful shove flung me away to fall against the bed. I tore open the nightstand drawer and grabbed the antique single-action revolver, smuggled over from Earth by a colonist centuries ago. I’d found it at a flea market.
The weapon itself worked; however, the centuries-old ammo that had come with it had degraded and could be hit or miss. During target practice, I’d gotten some duds. I aimed, cocked the hammer, and squeezed the trigger.
Pop! The gun went off, and a red stain appeared on the sleeve of his tan hoodie.
Amber eyes widened with shock.
“The next time I shoot, it won’t be to wound,” I threatened. A single bullet remained in the five-chambered gun. One centuries-old bullet, possibly the only one left on the entire planet, since I’d shot the rest during target practice. I’d never expected to need a weapon. However, one carefully targeted bullet would do the job. “Get out.”
He hesitated for a second, and then, clutching his arm, skedaddled out of the bedroom. I heard the front door snick shut. I ran after him to verify he’d left. To my relief, the living room was vacant.
I checked that the door had locked automatically behind him—for all the good it would do. He’d already gotten in once. Except now he knew I had a gun and wouldn’t hesitate to use it. He didn’t know I only had one bullet left or that it might not work.
I undid the cover plate on a fake electrical outlet. In the tiny safe was the handheld, containing vids of an LOP spaceship and its crew. Millie Rogers had shot the vid and slipped me the device before I’d boarded the vessel headed for New Terra. I replaced the cover, thankful I’d had the wherewithal to hide the comm device before getting James.
As I scanned the living room, I detected subtle differences I hadn’t noticed before—a sofa afghan and pillow askew, a couch cushion jutting out, a kitchen drawer ajar. I’d left my apartment in tip-top shape before departing on the space cruise. He’s searched my place. How long was he here? Could he have been inside when I first got home and stashed the device? I could have become the lead story on New Terran News.
How had he managed to get in? How had he known about the handheld? Why did he want it? Who was he?
He’d spoken perfect, fluent Terran Universal without any trace of an accent. A hoodie jacket had covered his head so I couldn’t see his hair color, but I’d noted swarthy, unblemished skin, and a nose that was probably quite ordinary when it wasn’t gushing blood and leaning to the left. No scales. No tail. No horns or antenna. Standard appendages. Five fingers on each hand.
Seemingly human. Except no human had amber eyes.
So, alien.
My hands shook as reaction set in. I couldn’t have hit the broad side of a barn now. I returned to the bedroom. The bullet was embedded in the wall next to the open closet door. Apparently, I’d only nicked his arm. I did a quick check to verify no more aliens were hiding in the wardrobe then shut the door and sank onto the mattress before my trembling legs gave out. I set the gun on the nightstand.
“Meow?” James Bond wound around my ankles then jumped onto the bed and head-butted me.
No wonder he’d hissed and hidden. He’d sensed the intruder. “Next time, be a little more specific when you try to warn me.” I hugged my purring cat.
Chapter Two
Maxx
With my handheld, I bypassed the rudimentary security and ascended in the vertical transport. Fortunately, no residents were around to notice my bloody nose and bleeding arm. Once on the roof of the building, I leaped into my hovercraft and zoomed away.
Would she have followed through on her threat and killed me?
The weapon had been primitive, but effective. My arm throbbed. I hadn’t gotten a chance to look in the drawer, or I would have confiscated the firearm. I’d been about to search the bedroom when she’d come home. Unarmed, she’d done enough damage. My face hurt fiercely, and my eyes were tearing. I had a hunch she’d broken my nose.
Once inside my apartment, I strode to the mirrored cleansing room to examine my injuries. My nose was indeed broken. I peeled off my jacket and long-sleeved tunic. The arm wound was superficial. I’d gotten lucky there. The projectile had only grazed me.
Taking a deep breath, I manually pushed my nose back to the center. Blinding pain shot through my face. I gripped the edge of the sink until the discomfort receded enough to enable me to dig out a portable med device. I aimed the healing beam over the affected area.
Next, I used the scanner to mend the gash in my arm.
Now for a shower. Injury, pain, and blood didn’t faze me. Water? Different story. The icky sensation was bad enough when I had fur. After shaving my coat to enable me to pass for human, the wetness against my skin was more pronounced. Unfortunately, humans lacked the ionizing technology everyone else had. They relied on bathing for sanitation. It was like the entire planet had gone camping.
