Alien Tango

Florida.”
    “What’s his connection to the weasel?”
    “I think the weasel works for him. Shannon’s a part of Club 51.”
    “That like Price Club?”
    “No, it’s like UFO whackos who want to kill all the aliens.”
    “So, there are aliens, too?”
    “I’m not saying.”
    “How hard did you hit your head, honey?”
    “Not that hard. Look, can you please call someone for me? They’re in an SUV, and they’re gaining.”

CHAPTER 69
    THE ESCALADE WAS CLOSE ENOUGH for me to see the grillwork. “Gloria, can you please call Solomon and Angela Katt of Pueblo Caliente and let them know that I said I love them?”
    “Those your parents?”
    “Yes.”
    There was a pause. “Your name is Kitty Katt?”
    “Katherine, but they call me Kitty. Everyone calls me Kitty, though James calls me girlfriend and Jeff used to call me baby.” I sobbed on the last word but kept it sort of together, to use the term loosely.
    “James is which one?”
    “The gay guy I’d marry if he was straight.”
    “Right. We have another agent putting in a call to your parents.”
    “Thanks.”
    “No problem. It’s a slow night.”
    I got a sneaking suspicion. “Um, are the other folks over there listening in?”
    “Yes. You have seven who think we should send a helicopter, five who think you’re crazy, and two marriage proposals, sight unseen.”
    “Gee. Thanks, I’m flattered. Bad timing, let me get back to them. And, just out of curiosity, what are you doing?”
    “We’ve contacted state and local authorities.”
    I felt a bump. “Tell them to look for a smoking heap of twisted metal. The Escalade’s on top of me.” I floored it again, cacti be damned.
    “Any message for, let’s see, Jeff, the old boyfriend who proposed two weeks ago, Chuckie the best friend who proposed tonight, Jeff’s cousin, James the gay guy, or the married guy with charisma?”
    “Why didn’t anyone but Kevin listen to me?”
    “Who’s Kevin?”
    “The married guy with charisma.”
    “He listens to you?”
    “Yes. Jeff used to.”
    “But he doesn’t any more?”
    “He doesn’t love me any more.” Swerved around a saguaro the Escalade barreled over. “I am not the one who just destroyed the saguaro! I want that on record. They are our state tree, or whatever, and I respect the cactus. The Escalade ran over the saguaro, not me.”
    “Noted. I’m sure it’ll lighten your sentence.”
    “Gloria, I’m not going to live long enough to be arrested, let alone tried and sentenced. I left my purse in the hotel room, so I don’t have my gun, I don’t have my iPod, I don’t have my hairspray, nothing. And my cell died and I had to throw it away because they were tracking me with it.”
    “Seems like they found you anyway.”
    “Yeah. I liked that phone, too.” The Escalade was trying something new. It was alongside me now. It swerved at me, and I spun the wheel to the right.
    “Why are you screaming? What’s happened?” Gloria was shouting.
    “Always scream when I’m terrified, Gloria, it’s my way of sharing the fun. I’m spinning out.” Car settled a bit, it wasn’t facing the Escalade, I hit the gas. “Okay, out of the spin out. They look like more fun on TV, in case anyone wonders.”
    “Where’s the Escalade?”
    I checked the rearview. Nothing. Checked to the sides. Nothing. “I don’t know.”
    “How do you lose an Escalade?”
    “I have no idea.” I looked around again, still nothing. I turned front to see the SUV appear out from what I realized was a wash and stop dead in front of me. I screamed and slammed on the brakes. The car stopped two inches from the Escalade. I saw smoke coming out from under the hood. “Bye, Gloria, I have to run away so they can chase me on foot before they kill me. Thanks for being there.”
    I kicked off my shoes, opened the door, and leaped out. I thought I heard someone who wasn’t Gloria shouting my name from the interior speaker, but I was too busy running to stop to say good-bye to the rest of the Emergency Assistance gang.
    Running barefoot in the desert is not fun, but it’s better than running in four inch stilettos. My dress was a hindrance. I pulled it up, ripped the slit up to the waist seam and kept on running. I could hear someone behind me, breathing hard.
    I didn’t turn around. Track trained you well about that. Look behind, lose the race. This was a lot like when Alliflash was chasing me, only I’d actually had a hope of survival there. I knew without