was legally binding. I haven’t had time to look into it yet.”
More uncomfortable silence. What had happened to his normally cheerful employees?
“But if you don’t marry her,” Keri persisted, “what happens to Earth?”
The fear in the woman’s voice was unmistakable. Slowly, he looked up from the mail. It finally hit him that his employees were concerned about their basic welfare, their own situations; they weren’t thinking of him other than they were glad he’d stepped up to the plate to save Earth. Except he’d never said he was going to save the planet. He’d never agreed he’d be the one to sacrifice everything to save everyone else. Maybe if someone had asked him, but no one had. It had been shoved down his throat.
He’d left Kentucky with the full intention of forgetting about the whole thing. Cavin and Jana would have to think of something else. They’d fool the Coalition the way they’d fooled them before, and that was that. Jared had done his part. The way he saw it, he was done. Now he was going to resume his life.
Was he in denial?
No, damn it. He just wanted to go on with his life.
“What will happen?” Keri prompted. Her fingers worried the hem of her sweater as she held up her phone.
Jared opened his mouth to answer, but he didn’t know what to say. His gaze fell down to the screen, and the screaming headline:
EARTH SAVED!
Washington (AP)—Jared Jasper weds queen of galaxy in a move claimed as a victory by both sides.
President Ramos today declared April 12th to be Jared Jasper Day, a national holiday celebrating Jasper’s marriage to Queen Keira. “A more selfless, brave and amazing man does not exist on this planet,” the president said. “Although it is difficult to do, we must let him go off to a faraway world where I have no doubt he will positively impact his new society with his unmatched heroism.”
“Bite me,” Jared said under his breath. Every source of news around the world would be saying the same thing. How could he not go through with the marriage now? If he walked away, he walked away from seven billion people who were depending on him to save their sorry asses.
Outside the window, two mothers cruised by, wheeling their jogging strollers. Their babies kicked their legs, clearly having a good time. One, a little girl, shook a stuffed animal. She noticed Jared watching her from the window. Her blue eyes opened wide. Open and innocent. She held his gaze, even craning her neck as the stroller passed. The baby was utterly vulnerable, utterly at the mercy of the adults on this planet. Utterly at his mercy.
A suffocating, infuriating sense of inevitability swamped him. He didn’t want this, he’d never wanted this.
But how could he refuse?
He flattened his hands on the desk. One by one, he looked into the concerned faces of his employees. “I’ll talk to my attorney and discuss the options for D-Squared. I’ll take care of you.”
He grabbed his car keys and cell phone. He took a couple of steps and stopped. “And I’ll take care of Earth too.” Making that promise was like running the final mile in a marathon—he had to do it, but it hurt like hell.
Jared drove his truck the way he flew his F-16. Speeding, he careened around a bend on the highway. The tires skidded off the paved surface and onto the gravel. He recovered, fishtailing back onto the road. How far could he push it? How far until he no longer skated along the edge of danger and plunged into it instead?
He had no destination in mind. He’d simply escape to the mountains the way he always did when he needed to unwind. But with no snow left on the slopes, he couldn’t snowboard and burn off some of the frustrated energy pulsing off him in waves.
He took another turn, hard, and accelerated as the road straightened. An air horn and siren sounded above the thump-thump of his blaring stereo. Jared narrowed his eyes at the rearview mirror. It was a police car, racing to catch him. It was about time. He couldn’t believe he’d made it this far into the Sierras without the feds trailing him.
Was Sarto on his ass again? He didn’t really care anymore. Somewhere between Kentucky and here, the fight had gone out of him. Somewhere between Kentucky and here, a little girl had looked into his eyes and asked him not to forsake her.
He slowed and pulled