Again, not the response Jaxon had expected. He shrugged to hide his surprise. “Never heard of it.”
Nolan gave a shrug of his own. “That does not mean we do not exist.”
The beers arrived. The waitress, a hard-looking bleached blonde with smeared lipstick and large br**sts not held up by a bra, paused to caress Nolan’s jawline. “Is there anything else I can get you?”
“No, thank you.”
The woman sighed in disappointment, her expression almost trancelike.
“Leave us,” Nolan said, and she did.
Jaxon swallowed a gulp of beer, eyeing Nolan over the rim. “Been here long?”
“Only a few weeks,” was the reply.
“Having fun?”
Something almost sad coasted over the Schön’s pretty face. “No. Leaving one’s home is never fun.”
“Why come here, then?” Jaxon posed the question as simple curiosity, yet he was on high alert. Was Nolan telling the truth or acting? And if he was acting, why? Did he suspect something?
Nolan’s eyes met his. They were illuminated by hundreds of tiny stars, stars that seemed to be dulling with every second that passed. “Sometimes a location change is the only way to survive.”
Survival.
“Was your planet dying or something?” Le’Ace asked as she leaned forward, propping her elbows on the tabletop. She appeared enthralled by Nolan’s words.
“Or something.” Nolan mimicked Jaxon’s earlier swig and tossed back the contents of his bottle. “Tell me about the two of you. I am most interested in all things dealing with love.”
“I don’t love him,” Le’Ace said, staring down at her hands. There was a twinge of uncertainty in her voice, a shake that told of inner torment and confusion. “I can’t.”
Well played. Perhaps she was a good enough actress to fool him in bed; perhaps she had never been sexually assaulted and just liked to pretend. Jaxon knew she didn’t love him, but the uncertainty in her voice, as if she possibly could love him but didn’t want to, was masterful.
“She saved my life,” Jaxon said. He stayed as close to the truth as possible. Less chance of a slipup that way. “Pulled me from the wreck, made sure I got medical attention.”
Nolan frowned. “So you have not known each other long?”
“Sometimes it only takes a second,” Jaxon said. Sadly, the words were not a lie. One look at Le’Ace and he’d become an obsessed man. From the beginning, it hadn’t just been her delectable appearance that drew him, but her complexities, the mystery of her.
Nolan’s frown eased. “You speak true.” Surprised?
“You have a girlfriend?” Le’Ace asked the alien, once again staring at him as if she were enraptured.
Jaxon’s punishment, he supposed, for not claiming to love her. “Jane,” he warned.
She batted the long length of her dark lashes innocently. “What?”
“Trying to make me jealous is not wise.”
“Trying?” She laughed, and the sound of it was airy, though she could not hide the sharp gleam in her eyes.
Nolan, too, laughed. “You will never be bored with her, will you?”
“No.” She was as high maintenance as a woman could be, more so than Cathy, yet he wasn’t running in the opposite direction this time. He constantly ran toward her, trying to piece together the puzzle of her. “Unfortunately.”
Nolan’s grin grew wider and wider, until it stretched over his entire face. “I had wondered how long it would take A.I.R. to come to me. I had wondered what agents they would send after me. I am pleased with their selection.”
At the mention of A.I.R., Jaxon stiffened, unable to control or stop the action. Nolan knew then. Had known all along. Le’Ace, too, had stiffened and stilled.
Jaxon could deny it, could act confused. In the next instant, however, he decided Nolan was too intelligent to believe him. He’d have to attack. As he stealthily reached for the knife strapped to his waist, he said, “Why are you here? Why aren’t you running from us? You intentionally sought us out, didn’t you?”
Nolan pierced him with a look of pure determination. “Why am I here? Let’s just say I’m weary of my life and my brothers’ actions. Why aren’t I running? The same reason applies. Did I intentionally seek you? Yes.”
“Your brothers?” Jaxon asked, tackling one thing at a time. “By race?”
A nod. “They are the other men you are after. The men killing your women.”
“And you, what? Want to help us find them?” Le’Ace laughed without humor.
“What I want to do and what I am going to do are not the same. So yes, I will help you.”
Le’Ace rolled her eyes. “Please. I might have been stupid enough to think I’d tricked you, but I’m not stupid enough to believe you’re going to help us out of the goodness of your decayed heart.”
“Prove you want to help us. Start by answering some of our questions,” Jaxon said, ignoring Le’Ace’s outburst. He would rather do this without her, but knew there would be no getting rid of her. “Why are you infecting our women?”
Nolan released a mournful sigh. “We cannot help ourselves.”
The table shook as Le’Ace slapped her hands on the surface. “Bullshit.”
Jaxon shot her a dark look. Calm down, he projected.
Now she ignored him. “Tell us where the others are, these brothers of yours. That’s the best way to help us.”
Nolan laughed bitterly, revealing teeth that looked a little sharper than they had a moment ago. “You think it’s that simple? You think you can waltz into their midst and take them captive?”
“Yes.”
Jaxon gripped the hilt of his blade and slid it atop his knee. He twisted his body ever so slightly, positioning himself just in front of Le’Ace. If Nolan made a move in her direction, the alien would die. No question, no hesitation. But a moment later, Jaxon realized Le’Ace had done the same. That she’d had her earlier outburst so that she could better reach into her boot and withdraw a knife. She was subtly moving in front of Jaxon. To protect him.
There was no time to ponder his unadulterated response of shock and pleasure. Nolan pushed to his feet. Jaxon and Le’Ace did the same. No longer trying to hide his blade, he allowed the silver to flash against the bar’s light.
Le’Ace one-upped him, aiming a pyre-gun at Nolan’s heart. She fired. The blue stun beam flew over the alien’s shoulder as he ducked.