Alien Tango

years’ worth of planning in two days. Two days! Centaurion Division was going to be destroyed, and instead you caused the arrest of over three hundred operatives, killed my right-hand man, and stole my secret weapon. Not to mention whatever voodoo you did with the astronauts that has the highest levels of government suddenly kowtowing to that miserable space trash.”
    “What was your ultimate goal with all this? I’m not clear.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Why the extensive network of coconspirators, the triple plans going at the same time, all the destabilization attempts? I mean, is it all just an elaborate ruse to cover up a huge heist? Did you just love Ocean’s Eleven a bit too much?”
    He laughed. “Not money. Power. Whoever controls the space trash controls the world.”
    “Taft said he wanted them to be his slaves.”
    “A good word. They aren’t human; they don’t belong here. They use resources; have power and respect in the highest levels of world government. And why? For no reason other than they have some knowledge we don’t.” He put his face near mine. “Understand me. I will bring them down, under my heel. They will be mine to control, or I will destroy every last one of them.”
    I slammed my forehead into his nose. It hurt, but my head hurt already, so who cared. He fell back and I wrenched out of his grasp. I rolled and scrambled to my feet.
    “Freeze.” Shannon’s voice. I froze, turned around. Sure enough, he had a gun trained on me. Of course, being shot to death sounded infinitely better than what Reid had planned. I took off to my right.
    I heard car doors slam. They were coming after me in the Escalade.

CHAPTER 70
    THE SUV WAS ALMOST ON ME , but just before it ran me down, it circled and came at me. Oh, they were playing a new game, Kitty Herding. Fine.
    Played this for a bit, spent a lot of time diving one way and then the other. Of course, I was exhausted, and they were going to win. I decided to stop playing. I stood still facing the car. It was heading toward me, full speed ahead. Maybe ACE was watching and would join me into the group consciousness.
    I could see Shannon and Reid’s faces. I flipped them the bird. And then something hit me, but not the Escalade.
    Suddenly I was a mile away, up against a rock hard body I knew well. Martini’s arms were wrapped around me, and his hearts were pounding more than I’d ever felt, even after an adrenaline harpoon.
    He let go of me and stepped back. His chest was heaving, his shirt was pretty much shredded, and he looked crazy. My ex-boyfriend, the Incredible Hunk. “You couldn’t stay around Pueblo Caliente?” he gasped out.
    I was going to answer, but the Escalade had found us. “Jeff, we need to run.”
    “No.” He grabbed me and shoved me away, hard. I went flying, but I landed on something soft. I chose to believe he’d aimed me that way. He was in front of the car now, and he wasn’t moving.
    I screamed as the car hit him. Or at least, as I thought it hit him. Because from what I could tell, he moved at the last moment, grabbed the side of the bumper and the driver’s door handle, and flung the Escalade over to the side, as if it were just a large toy truck. Okay, he was the Incredible Hunk.
    The SUV landed, bounced, and rolled, ending up on its side about a hundred yards from Martini. I scrambled to my feet and ran to him, but he was heading for the car. He got there and ripped the undercarriage out with his bare hands. I was clear on how he’d gotten out of the restraints in the isolation tank.
    Martini grabbed Reid and pulled him out, along with the lead pipe. “I know what you wanted to do to her with this,” he snarled.
    Reid opened his mouth, and Martini punched it. I saw shattered teeth and blood. Martini took the pipe, slammed it against the back of Reid’s neck, and then twisted it as if it were a licorice stick. He pulled it tight, then lifted Reid up like a rag doll, and slammed his head into the body of the Escalade. Repeatedly. I had to look away.
    I saw movement. Shannon had climbed out; he was behind Martini, and he had a gun trained on Martini’s back. I started running again. “Jeff!” Martini spun, and I threw myself at Shannon, achieving the best tackle of my limited football career. The gun went off, but the bullets missed Martini.
    Shannon was attacking me now, and I realized he was using martial arts. Fine, I was tired of not getting to hit back. Kung fu maneuvers all have peace