Deeper than the Night - By Amanda Ashley Page 0,40

creature from a distant planet.

He had lived on earth for two hundred years. Shades of Highlander, she mused ruefully. Alexander was a real-life immortal, and she had fallen in love with him.

For the first time in her life, she had fallen head over heels in love with a man who wasn't a man at all. It would have been funny if it wasn't so tragic.

She hit the brake when she reached the bottom of the mountain, shrieked as the car fish-tailed, then shuddered to a stop. Her hand was shaking as she turned off the ignition.

She was away from him, she thought bleakly.

Now what? When she'd left him, she had every intention of getting in touch with Dale Barrett and telling him everything. Even if he didn't believe her immediately, she was certain he was the type of man who would check it out anyway. All she had to do was find a phone, put Barrett on another trail, and maybe her own life would return to normal.

All she had to do was find a telephone.

There was a gas station about ten miles down the road. No doubt she'd find a phone booth there.

With a sigh, she folded her arms over the steering wheel, rested her forehead on her arms, and cried. In spite of what she'd said to Alex, she knew she wouldn't betray him to Barrett. In every movie she had ever seen Starmanand E.T quickly came to mind aliens had been badly treated by their human captors. She had no doubt that Alex would find himself locked in a laboratory somewhere, the victim of numerous experiments. He would not go peacefully, of that she was certain. What if he killed someone when they tried to capture him? What if someone killed him?

She couldn't turn him in, and she couldn't go home, not until she knew it was safe. So, she thought again, what was she going to do?

Lifting her head, she stared into the darkness. It was raining again, as if the heavens and all the angels shared her sorrow.

Resolutely, she turned the key in the ignition. She couldn't just sit here all night. She had to do something. Find a motel. Get some rest. That was what she needed, she thought, a good night's sleep. Maybe then she'd be able to think more clearly.

She checked into the first motel she came to, carefully signing a phony name.

In her room, she locked the door, then dragged a chair in front of it as an added safety precaution.

She washed her face, undressed, and slipped into bed.

The sheets were cold, as cold as the ache in her heart.

She wouldn't think of him. She didn't want to think of him.

She could think of nothing else. Only Alex. The sound of his voice. The touch of his hand in her hair, his lips on hers. The way he looked at her, as if she were the finest, most precious thing he had ever seen.

It wasn't fair! She wanted a home and a family. She didn't even know if it was possible for a human and an alien to conceive a child . . . A harsh laugh escaped her lips. What was she thinking? There was no way for them to have a life together, no way at all.

Pulling the covers over her head, she cried herself to sleep.

It was late afternoon when she woke. For a time, she stared up at the ceiling, wondering what she should do.

Forcing herself to get up, she fished through one of the shopping bags, then went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She flipped on the TV while she combed her hair, then gasped as she saw her face on the screen.

". . . Crawford, who left a medical facility in Grenvale several days ago. Crawford has been infected with a rare blood disease that is virulent and highly contagious. Anyone with information on Crawford's whereabouts should contact . . ."

Kara switched off the TV. She needed to call home, to assure Nana and Gail that she was all right. She reached for the phone, her finger poised over the keypad. What if Barrett was behind this? What if he had found a way to tap the phone . . .

Think, Kara.She had to get in touch with Nana. With a smile of satisfaction, she dialed Mrs. Zimmermann's number. Elsie Zimmermann had been their neighbor for the last ten years. She was a feisty elderly woman who was renowned for her oatmeal cookies