Maggie's Story (Intergalactic Matchmaking Services) (15 page)

“Yes. We can come back anytime you like. And, yes, we can bring your pet, too.” He chuckled at her devotion to her pet. The cat was beginning to grow on him, too.

“We should get back. Mamzell is probably wondering where I disappeared to.” She leaned in to kiss him, belying her rush to return to her rooms.

Closing her soft, emerald eyes, she rested her head against his warm chest, losing herself in the pleasure of just feeling him. She inhaled that special scent that filled her with contentment. She was surprised to find that he felt and smelled like “home” to her.

He bent his head, taking her lips gently, nipping her bottom lip, then along her jawline. With a quiet growl, Daxon rolled them over, pinning her beneath him. “I need to feel you; all of you.”

“Yes,” she said on a soft moan as that electrical current traveled along her skin. She couldn’t believe how much she wanted him. The need for him skyrocketed her to new and desperate heights.

He quickly pulled her clothes from her as she helped him lose his, too. Wrapping his arms beneath her, holding her by the shoulders, he sat up with her straddling his lap. They joined as one, each lost in the other. They drove each other to the brink, then plunged over that edge into fiery oblivion. It was a union of mind, body, and soul.

CHAPTER 21

Maggie and Daxon spent the rest of the week learning each other, emotionally and physically. She couldn’t remember the last time she had ever felt so happy and content. They spent a couple of evenings in the recreation area with the other Nordonians, but most of the evenings, he spent in her rooms with her.

Neither talked about the fact that the end of her two weeks had crept up on them. Neither wanted to break the bubble that they felt they were in at the moment. Daxon was worried she would leave and choose her life back on Earth. Maggie worried that she was making a huge decision too quickly. She wanted to stay with Daxon, but she was worried about her commitments on Earth, too. She had a career she loved and she had to see this thing with the shooting through to the end, also. Justice had to be found for the store clerk that had been killed.

That Saturday, Maggie woke to find herself alone. Knowing Daxon had already left to go to work, Maggie got up and showered after seeing to Mamzell’s needs. As she dressed, she talked to her constant companion about her upcoming decision.

“Well, Mamzell, what do you think? Would you like to stay in space?”

“
Mrawr
,” said her blue-eyed companion.

“That’s what I figured; no opinion.” Maggie sighed deeply. She was on her own with this decision. Just then she heard the beeps indicating someone was at her door.

Opening the door she found Daxon and Ambassador Pacer. Daxon had a worried expression and the ambassador was carrying what looked like an electronic notebook.

“Hi, guys. Come in,” invited Maggie, waving them inside. “What’s up? What’s with the long faces?”

“Maggie, Claire contacted me a bit ago. The police in your town are looking for you. There has been a development in your case according to Claire. I have a notebook here and you can contact Claire using Voice Over if you like.”

“Oh, sure! I wonder what happened.”

Maggie watched as Pacer docked the notebook he carried into the top of the desk in her living area. After making a few selections on the screen, he had a connection to Claire. “Hello, Claire. I have Maggie here.” He stepped aside, allowing Maggie to step in front of the screen. She sat so she would be on eye level with Claire. Maggie assumed she was in her office in Seattle, based on the office furniture around her.

“Hi, Claire, what’s up?”

“Hi, Maggie. A Detective Romano contacted me first thing this morning. I guess you left my number with them for contact purposes?”

“Um, yeah. I didn’t know what else to do. I hope that was okay.”

“Yes, it was. They would like for you to call them. They have apprehended the shooter and need you to make an ID.”

“Cool. Thanks, Claire.” Maggie signed off with Claire and turned to the ambassador and Daxon. “So now what? I have their phone numbers. Do I just use the notebook to call them?”

“Yes. If it is okay, we will stay to see what they need from you, Maggie.”

“Of course,” said Maggie. She retrieved her cell phone to look up the detectives’ numbers. After entering the number for Detective Romano, Maggie waited for the connection to go through.

“This is Detective Romano,” came the older woman’s voice over the speakers.

“Hi, Detective, this is Maggie Cline. I heard you were looking for me?”

“Yes, Maggie, we need for you to come down to the police station to identify the shooter from the convenience store holdup. Where are you? The person I spoke to this morning would not tell me where you are.”

“I’m not in town at the moment. I decided to lay low after the attack.” Looking to Daxon and the ambassador for confirmation, she continued, “It will take me a couple of hours to get back to town. I’ll be there as fast as I can.” The ambassador nodded his head that it was possible.

“Fine, Maggie, but please don’t take too long.”

Maggie signed off with the detective and looked at Daxon. He was obviously not happy with her decision. “I do not want you to go back down there, Maggie.”

“I know, but I have to, Daxon. I have to see that justice is done. He can’t get away with shooting that clerk.” She looked to the ambassador for help. “Will it be a problem getting me back to my apartment, Ambassador? I don’t want to lose my memories of being up here, but I have to see this through. Can you give us a moment, please?”

“Of course.” The ambassador left the room, leaving Maggie with Daxon. Pacer hoped Daxon did not mess this up with Maggie. He had come to care about the girl and knew they cared about each other, too.

“Please do not go,” implored Daxon.

“I have to. Don’t you understand?”

“What I understand is that you will go back down to Earth and not want to give up your life there. That is what happens every time a human female leaves our starship.”

“This isn’t the same, Daxon, you should know that. Can’t you give me time to make sure this is taken care of? I
will
come back, I promise.”

“No. Do not go, Maggie. I do not want to lose you.”

“You aren’t losing me! But I have to go, I don’t have a choice!” exclaimed Maggie.

“Of course you do. But I see you have made your choice. I need to be alone and think right now.” Daxon turned and stormed out of her rooms. He rushed to his rooms, not saying a word to anyone he passed in the corridors.

How can she leave after all we experienced together these last two weeks
, he fumed. He paced his room, angry that she would choose to return to Earth. He had opened up to her. He was sure they were soul mates, meant for each other. Why couldn’t she just let the subject drop? Why did she have to get involved in the matter again? She had given the police her statement; that should be enough. She should be able to move on and walk away. Earth laws were too convoluted compared to Nordo laws. They seemed to feel the need to drag things out.

Daxon remained in his rooms, not understanding Maggie’s need to return to Earth. No females had ever been allowed to return to Earth with their memories of the time they spent on the Nordonian vessels. He had placed faith in their connection and thought she had, too. He ignored the voice in his head telling him he was being unreasonable. This is what he had been afraid of; turning into one of the crew members that moped around after losing a human female. He had opened himself up to the pain of her departure. He wasn’t sure if he was angrier with himself for allowing the feelings in, or with Maggie for making him feel this connection.

Maggie sat at her desk, pondering the situation. She didn’t want to have her memories wiped, but she had to return to Earth and see that justice was done. Maggie went to the communication panel and entered the ambassador’s number on the keypad. His face came up on the display screen.

“Yes, Maggie?” he asked.

“Ambassador, I need to speak with you, please.”

“Of course, I shall be right there.” The display screen went blank as he signed off. A few minutes later, the ambassador was at her door. “Have you decided to return to Earth?”

“Yes, I have to. But is there a way I can keep my memories? I know Daxon is angry right now; but I don’t want to lose my memories of him. Can’t I take care of this problem with Juan Santiago and the Snake gang, then come back?” She was desperate for a solution to this anxiety.

“That is highly irregular, Maggie. The only time a female has left us with her memories intact was when she returned to Earth to pack up her belongings. And they were accompanied by their new mates the whole time. But it sounds as though you are not sure how long this will take, which means it would be impossible for Daxon to stay with you the whole time.”

“Please, Ambassador, I’m begging you. Don’t take my memories. I want to come back after this is all over. At least, if Daxon can get over being angry.” She worried that she was misplacing her faith in the bond she felt with the handsome alien.

“Okay, Maggie. This is what we shall do. I will take you back to your apartment. But I will not tell Daxon you are keeping your memories. I think this will be a test to see if he really cares about you as much as I think he does. I have not seen him this happy since before he lost his father. But you have one week. After that, I need to know if you plan to stay on Earth or return to us here. We can work with transporting you back and forth if needed. But we cannot have a human running around with your knowledge for long. You either return here to the starship or we have to take your memories. Take the electronic notebook with you; that way you can contact us with your decision in a week.”

“Thank you, Ambassador! I promise, you won’t regret it. I just need to pack and I’ll be ready to go.” Maggie rushed into the bedroom to start packing her belongings. She tried to ignore the ache that blossomed in her chest at the thought of leaving Daxon behind.
Surely he would come around and understand
, she thought.

“Okay, I’m ready to go,” said Maggie. She picked up the cat carrier with Mamzell inside and her craft bag. The ambassador was kind enough to carry the rest of her belongings.

CHAPTER 22

Maggie sighed with relief as she closed the apartment door behind the ambassador. The trip back to Earth was uneventful, but now she needed to get Mamzell settled in and then take off for the police station. She gave the cat fresh water and food, then freshened up in the bathroom. After calling the detectives to tell them she was on her way, she grabbed her coat and purse and was out the door again.

She was happy to see that her truck had not sustained any other “injuries” while she had been gone. The long scratch along the side, though, reminded her of the Snake gang’s intimidation campaign. As she drove out of the alley, she looked around. Seeing none of the gang members, she realized they must have noticed that she wasn’t home, so ended their vigil.

Maggie parked in front of the police station. After locking up her vehicle, she stepped inside. Going to the counter, she asked to speak with Detective Romano or Detective Miles. A few minutes later she was being led to their desks.

“Ms. Cline, good to see ya again,” said Detective Miles. Detective Romano nodded to Maggie from the other side of her desk.

“Hello. What do you need me to do now?” asked Maggie nervously. Now she was here, her stomach started to roil with anxiety.

“We just need you to identify the shooter and his accomplice for the record. Then we can get them booked and off the streets.” The detectives rose from their desks. “If you’ll just follow us we will get the line-up done.”

Maggie followed the two detectives to a small, cramped room. Dingy mini-blinds covered a window on one side to the right of the door.

“If you’ll wait right here, Maggie, we will get the line-up ready,” said Detective Romano. Both detectives exited the room, leaving Maggie alone.

Good thing I’m not claustrophobic
, she thought, peering around at the tiny space. It looked like the room doubled for storage space, too, with boxes lined up along the two solid walls. Maggie chose to sit in the lone chair while she waited for the detectives to return.

As much as she wanted to get this ordeal over with, her thoughts kept returning to Daxon and the
Starship Starrays
. She couldn’t believe Daxon had simply stomped off, without even seeing her away. Is that the way he dealt with problems? To run away or try to avoid them? Maggie was a firm believer in facing things head on when feasible. She decided she would get through this portion of the process, then address all the questions running through her exhausted mind regarding her future.

After several minutes of listening to people traversing the hallway, and hearing doors open and close, Maggie was relieved when the door to her cramped room opened. The two detectives stepped inside, making the room even smaller. The crowding was made worse when an older gentleman in a suit entered the room; he carried a battered briefcase.

“Maggie, this is the attorney for Mr. Santiago and Mr. Ramirez. He’s just here to witness the ID process. We’ll show you two line-ups, just tell us if you recognize anyone and from where, okay?” asked the female detective.