Well, someone had to say something. When she couldn’t come up with a logical reason that the two of them were so heavily armed, she went for simple. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to forget you ever saw any of that.”
Doc looked at her as if she’d just sprouted a second head, while Mike snorted and shook his head. “Sorry, not happening.”
By that point, they were both laughing. As irritating as it was, she couldn’t really blame them. Nodding in their direction, she gave Eli a hard look. “They’re your friends, so you explain. They’ll come closer to believing you.”
For the first time since Doc’s phone call, Eli smiled, sort of. “Here’s the thing, guys: We’re on our way to scout out a state park looking for a bunch of sword-wielding crazies. We thought it only reasonable that we bring our own blades to the party.”
There was nothing about his expression or the tone of his voice that said he was serious, but evidently Mike knew him well enough to see below the surface. “And how many crazies does it take to make a bunch?”
Eli’s smile faded, and he looked to her for guidance. She took a deep breath and jumped off the cliff. “Tell them whatever you want. We both know they can keep a secret.”
“There were eight at last count. The number may have gone up or down since then. We promised Safara’s father, who is the chief of police for Ridgewick, that we’d take a casual look around the park. If he drove through in his cruiser, that might put innocent civilians in danger. If we spot them, he’ll bring in the authorities.”
Okay, neither man bought that story at all. Mike came back around the truck to confront Eli. “I know Safara here is a deputy, but the cops wouldn’t send a civilian like you’re pretending to be into a dangerous situation even armed to the teeth with guns, much less a sword. If they didn’t want to alarm these alleged crazies, they’d send in one of their own undercover. All of that tells me her father doesn’t want to go through normal channels to deal with the threat these people present.”
Doc was busy looking up something on his phone. “Major, there are multiple reports in the area of folks being attacked by people carrying swords. The descriptions vary in some respects, but everyone agrees the perps speak heavily accented English, making it likely they’re not originally from around here.”
Eli had moved closer to where Safara stood, maybe to present a united front to his friends. At Doc’s last comment, he leaned down to whisper, “That last bit is putting it mildly.”
Mirroring their stance, Doc and Mike planted themselves right in front of her and Eli. “Now, Sergeant, what’s really happening? No bullshit this time. That’s an order, in case you’ve forgotten what they sound like.”
“If I do tell you, Major, you have to swear to keep it a secret, no matter what.”
Mike’s chin came up in stubborn refusal. “No can do. I don’t make promises without knowing the facts first.”
Eli gave her a disgusted look when she snickered. “You’re not helping matters, lady.”
“Sorry, but as I recall, you said something similar to me when I asked you to keep your mouth shut when you wanted me to clue you in on this same subject.”
She was right, and he knew it. “Fine, but understand there are innocent people at risk if this gets out.”
Normally the more easygoing man, Doc looked serious as death. “What innocent people?”
It was time for her take control of the situation. The rogues were her problem, and the innocents Eli mentioned her responsibility. “Both the rogues and the innocents originate from Kalithia. I guess you could describe them as undocumented immigrants.”
Mike exchanged a questioning look with Doc before saying, “I’ve served all over the world, and I’ve never heard of that place.”
This time it was Eli who snickered. “There’s a good reason for that.”
When he didn’t continue, the major’s next words were heavily laced with temper. “Which would be?”
Eli held up his hand as if taking an oath. “I swear I’m not crazy, but Kalithia is another world, not another country. Evidently, I inherited my weird-ass ability to heal from some Kalithia-born ancestor.”
“Bullshit!” Doc looked thoroughly disgusted. “If there are aliens in this world, why haven’t I ever met one?”
“You have.” Safara started to hold out her hand to reintroduce herself to Doc as his first official alien. Instead, she gave him a quick hug and pecked him on the cheek. “And now you’ve been kissed by one.”
His face flushed red, whether from embarrassment or from temper it was hard to tell. He rubbed his cheek and stared at her for the longest time. Finally, he said, “Well, if you’re an alien, at least you’re better looking than E.T.”
“Thanks—I think.”
All four of them cracked up, laughing long and hard even if it had Mike wincing in pain. Maybe there was a bit of hysteria in their response, but at least they burned off some of the tension they’d all been feeling.
When the moment wound down, Doc rubbed his hands together. “Okay, I don’t know about the major here, but I’m all for kicking some alien butt. What’s the plan?”
Her father wasn’t going to be happy that she’d dragged two more outsiders into their business. But honestly, all things considered, she didn’t know how else she could’ve handled the situation. Eli was looking to her for direction.
Once again, she pointed out the obvious. “They’re your friends. You figure it out.”
