Read Online Alien Tango by Gini Koch - Free Book Online

like ice. “I’ll be the last person you want to thank when my report’s in.” He looked behind him, and I did, too. There were four A-Cs waiting. “Take him back to Home Base.” They nodded, grabbed the cop, took his gun from Gower, and went off, back into the bathroom.
    Martini hadn’t moved. I went to him. “Jeff, it’s okay.” I stroked his arm. Christopher and I exchanged worried glances. This really wasn’t like Martini, and Christopher looked as confused by it as I was.
    Martini shook his head. “No. It’s not.” He turned to Gower. “Thanks.”
    Gower nodded. “Since I’m here, let’s get the five of you onto your plane.”
    We moved on, but I kept my badge out. “Since when are you a federal agent?” Reader asked me quietly, while Martini and Gower strode on ahead of us, both radiating a lot of anger. Christopher stayed on my other side, and Tim was to our rear.
    “My mother thought it would be a good idea and a useful tool.”
    “Oh, you’re not a federal officer, just playing one on TV.” Reader chuckled.
    “Whatever works. Besides, Mom gave it to me.”
    “I suppose if the head of the P.T.C.U. gives you a badge, you’re allowed to use it. Even if it’s illegal,” Christopher said thoughtfully.
    “Um, what we did with that cop’s illegal.”
    Reader shrugged. “They’ll take him back and do a short-term memory wipe.”
    “How, by knocking him out?”
    “No, we have the technology to do that.”
    “Love your planning,” I said to Christopher.
    Reader coughed. “No, that’s American government technology, girlfriend. Our brothers from another planet hate using it, but it comes in handy when something goes down like it just did.” Christopher gave me a rather smug look.
    “Good point. Any idea of what’s wrong with Jeff?”
    “No more than what’s wrong with Paul.”
    “Christopher? You’re not nearly as pissed off as those two. What’s going on?”
    “No idea. I haven’t seen Jeff this mad in a long time.”
    I remembered the last time I’d seen him that mad—it was when Christopher and I had sort of made out while Martini was unconscious. I didn’t want to be the reason for that kind of anger ever again.
    “Sucks to be us, I guess.” I didn’t know what else to say.
    “Maybe it’ll calm down once we’re in Florida.” Christopher didn’t sound as though he believed it, but then, neither did I.
    I was going to ask why going to Florida was such a big deal—I mean, both sets of my grandparents had lived there for a while and seemed unscathed by the experience—but we reached our intended gate.
    Martini and Gower went to talk to someone who looked official, and I looked at the flight information board. The plane going to Florida had been delayed. For two hours. I sidled up to hear what the others were talking about.
    “. . . been holding this plane for you for over two hours,” the official airport employee said, sounding more than annoyed. “The other passengers are still on board.”
    Gower nodded, and Martini didn’t argue. But before I’d joined up with the boys from A-C, I’d been a marketing manager, and I’d done a lot of traveling. And this was making what Martini called my feminine intuition nervous.
    “Excuse me, are you saying that you’ve held a full commercial flight for five passengers?”
    The woman looked at me. “Yes,” she snapped. “And I’ve had to field an unbelievable number of complaints about it, too.”
    “Sorry. And, sorry to ask, but are we in first class?”
    “No.”
    “So, um, why did you hold this particular plane? Is it the last one going to Florida today?” I knew it wasn’t—it was just after noon. There would be at least a dozen choices between now and midnight, probably more.
    “No, we have three more going before nine this evening. One’s already left, but I wasn’t able to move any of this plane’s passengers to it.” She seemed frustrated and frazzled.
    “Wow, that sucks. They didn’t let you move