Lucy fidgeted with the seat as Jerry drove them to Erodicilee`s last location.

　　They`d borrowed the station`s van; the younger officer nearly threw the keys at her from the desk to get them out faster. He hadn`t liked the way Julep stared. Not that she blamed him. Lecorondia, to Lucy`s relief, hadn`t complained about sitting in the holding pen in the back.

　　"It`s better for my tail," she confessed while lounging against the wall.

　　Julep was the opposite. He crouched in the middle, hanging onto the seat, eyes locked out the back, occasionally turning to examine the rest of them. Anytime Lucy`s eyes met his, she shied away to stare out the window. She hated how he looked at her—like meat. None of the normal hints of lust or romantic attraction flickered in his eyes. No, this was worse. She spotted barely constrained violence there. A hunger ready to be unleashed upon the world.

　　It made her wonder if that was why he was so quiet. How much energy must it take to control that level of violence? However, she preferred the near-naked hostility to what she got from Lecorondia—the so-called galactic ambassador.

　　While Julep reminded her of a crocodile, all primal power, Lecorondia brought to mind a snake. A dangerous serpent, brightly colored to attract the eye of some unwitting tourist. Pretty? Undoubtedly. Dangerous? Absolutely.

　　Lucy couldn`t deny the gut feeling she got from the alien. A sense of wrongness pervaded the entire interview. Lecorondia appeared to be the perfect ambassador: personal, adaptive, and friendly. All traits you`d want in someone in her career. The issue was the way she carried herself.

　　When she`d trained in Canberra, she`d met multiple ambassadors for short stints. Men and women both smiled and acted politely, but she didn`t get a genuine feeling from them. They faded into the background, used to being ignored when they weren`t required.

　　Lecorondia was the opposite. She moved as though she not only desired the world`s attention but also expected it. Lucy admitted it may be a cultural difference, but she doubted it. There was something else there. A background she didn`t know. It made her nervous.

　　The single time her attitude changed was when they spoke about Erodicilee. Her desire for their reunion was genuine and a touch overwhelming. She lit up as she spoke about her pet. Even the brief discussion proved she adored him.

　　Lucy both appreciated and hated that fact. While it made her seem more human, she knew humans reacted poorly when their pets were in danger. The last thing she needed was a diplomatic incident because the ambassador`s pet got bitten by a wild animal, or worse, shot by accident.

　　That thought made her wince. She held no illusions that whoever managed that feat wouldn`t see the next day. No. The ambassador required a careful touch and maybe additional firepower—a thought that made her slip her phone from her pocket.

　　Careful to keep the screen hidden, she sent a quick text to Bob. She kept it brief, not wanting to reveal anything ahead of time.

　　McCloud: Mr. Black. Have the guests. May need backup with hardware. Opinions?

　　As she waited for a reply, she thought about the chances he might send Jeff. A smile tugged at her lips at the image of him nicknaming the ambassador. Scalie? Serpent Queen? Knowing him, it would be something with a double meaning. Her own nickname referred to the doll and the cooking equipment, thanks to her additional meat.

　　The attempted smile died at that thought, a fact noticed by Jerry.

　　He glanced away from the road, eyebrows raised. "You doing okay, lass? Car sick?"

　　"Oh, no. I was thinking about what might happen if Jeff got sent here as backup."

　　Jerry slapped the steering wheel and laughed. She heard Lecorondia and Julep shift. A glance at the rear-view mirror caught Lecorondia watching the small window between the back and the cabin with interest. Julep`s hand slowly drifted away from the camera-like device on his arm. She wondered what it was for.

　　"Ha! Yeah," Jerry said, robbing her of the opportunity to ask. "Though maybe it`s a good thing. I`d hate to watch the idiot get eaten by Julep here for his brand of charm."

　　Lucy failed to restrain a giggle, and shock ran through her when Lecorondia joined in. It appeared that sarcasm was a universal concept.

　　"Oh, he`s one of those. For Balblaxis, have I met enough in my time. A friend?" Lecorondia sounded genuinely curious.

　　"Coworker," Lucy worked to keep the frustration out of her voice. "He`s the type to give affectionate nicknames."

　　She watched Lecorondia`s smile grow in the mirror, a nasty thing, holding none of the previous warmth.

　　"I take it he`s targeted you? Hardly a surprise. You are quite the beauty."

　　"Thank you." Lucy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It wasn`t the first time someone had tried that line on her.

　　As though sensing her thoughts, Lecorondia leaned forward, meeting Lucy`s gaze. Her expression turned serious. When she spoke, it was in an almost lecturing tone, as though she was giving hard-earned advice.

　　"No, that wasn`t flattery. It was a statement of fact. As one person who grew up with it to another? You are pretty. While you may attempt to hide it, you can`t. I take it this Jeff focuses his attention on that."

　　A shiver ran along her spine at the way she said Jeff`s name. It made her think of a Hollywood hitman talking about targets. A cold dismissal. The moment passed when Jerry laughed again.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

　　"Damn right! Poor boy has it bad for our ambassador here. I swear, I saw him almost trip over a cabinet the day she walked in. Never seen someone so dazed."

　　Lecorondia laughed as well, any hint of the previous chill gone. Once again, she was all smiles.

　　"Fantastic," she said, returning to her lounging position, though she didn`t stop watching the rear-view mirror. "But, seriously, Lucy. Don`t be frightened of what you have. Use it! Make it work for you. Believe me. I have."

　　Lucy coughed, unsure exactly how to respond. "I`ll keep it in mind. Is that why you have two bodyguards? Julep and Erodicilee, I mean."

　　It wasn`t the most subtle change of topic she knew. However, she was desperate to get away from the previous conversation. There was no way she could misconstrue Lecorondia`s statements as flirtatious. No. This was worse—total honesty. The type given as a warning or lesson to a friend. It made her wonder what the alien had in mind.

　　To Lucy`s relief, she took the bait.

　　Lecorondia`s tail flicked as she shrugged. "It`s one reason."

　　When she failed to elaborate, Jerry filled the conversation hole with his own question. Though not to Lecorondia.

　　"So, how long have you been in the bodyguard business?"

　　Julep grunted, and briefly, Lucy thought that would remain his answer. Then she finally heard him speak. His voice was deep—the type she remembered her parents talking about being suited for the radio.

　　"I do not know the time ratios of this planet. A long time, however. It is a good job. Pleasent. Unique challenges that keep my skills sharp."

　　Lucy let her attention drift to Lecorondia and the pleased smile she wore.

　　Jerry nodded. "Same reasons that I`m still working here. Let me tell you about keeping skills sharp. Finding this hole isn`t the weirdest runaround that this jobs sent me on&"

　　***

　　After arriving at the spot where the teens had fled, Lucy wasn`t sure that statement would remain true.

　　She crouched beside the dark entrance, peering into the shadowed tunnel. It was clear why Stacy had been in such a state. This place was a mess. Blood spattered the ground all around the entrance. Grooves of claws surrounded the entrance to the warren. A sign that the wombat had desperately tried to escape its fate.

　　Lucy tried to picture the animal slowly being pulled away from the entrance. What did Derrick say? Missing an ear? She suppressed the shudder that overcame her as she spotted the drag marks. Each dirt scrape was a sign of how unwilling Erodicilee was to let potential prey escape.

　　A glance toward Jerry told her he thought the same thing. This was a mess. She couldn`t help but be grateful that it was an animal. If this had been a human crime scene, she doubted anyone could have kept it under wraps. Not with this kind of blood loss. Plus, Stacy had mentioned the sounds of chewing.

　　Bile rose in her throat, and she stood up abruptly. Julep took her place, and she moved away from the scene, leaving the two aliens together. She needed space. Jerry joined her and fiddled with the car keys he clutched.

　　"Thoughts?" He asked.

　　Lucy shrugged and kept her voice low. "If it was here, it isn`t now. If she`s right about its sense of smell, I bet it would have come running."

　　"What if it`s dead?" He threw a meaningful look towards Lecorondia, who was speaking with Julep in a language Lucy didn`t understand.

　　"Then hopefully they leave?" Lucy rubbed the back of her neck. "I doubt it. Her guard is meant to be a tracker, right? If Erodicilee was dead, I think we`d know by now."

　　"Agreed. What do we do then? If he`s not here, I mean."

　　Lucy checked her phone again, hoping Bob`s name was flashing on the screen. No luck.

　　"I told Bob we might need reinforcements. As for our current problem, she mentioned it was tracking Arnold, right?" Her words were slow as a thought hit her.

　　Jerry caught it. "What?"

　　"We know where he lives, right? I doubt he`d appreciate being bait, but there might be a way to convince him."

　　Jerry snorted. "Taking her advice already?"

　　"Not that." Lucy swatted his arm, which caused him to laugh again. "What do you reckon he`d do to meet an actual alien for twenty minutes?"

　　"A lot," Jerry admitted.

　　"Exactly."

　　"And what about our guests?" He asked. "Thoughts on them?"

　　"Lecorondia is up to something. I don`t think Julep cares much past protecting her," Lucy answered without hesitation.

　　Jerry watched their guests without speaking before giving her a so-so motion with his hand. "Close. You`re right about our dear ambassador. She`s a conniving one. Julep, though? He`ll do whatever she tells him. If she says kill, he`ll ask how deep to dig the pit."

　　"Oh." Embarrassment flooded her at getting the read so wrong.

　　As though sensing her feelings, Jerry shook his head and waved a hand through the air.

　　"Time and experience, girl. You`ll see henchmen in this job who are far less competent than him. Now, as the team`s leader, what do you want to do? I`m going to confess; I doubt you`ll get a message back from Mr. Black soon."

　　"Stick to them like glue. I don`t want to know what trouble Lecorondia will bring down on her own. She seems the type to revel in attention, and we don`t want it. As for tracking the beast? No idea. We`ll have to hope she wasn`t lying about Julep`s skills."

　　Jerry raised an eyebrow. "You think she was?"

　　"Maybe? There`s something off about it. A gut feeling." She felt silly admitting to it, but Jerry nodded.

　　"Trust the hunch, lass. Alright. Stick with them; I can do that. Let`s go see if they`ve found anything worth worrying about."

　　When they returned to the hole, Lecorondia appeared concerned as Julep poked the dirt. They both turned their attention to Lucy as she cleared her throat.

　　"Found anything?" She asked.

　　"He was here. Recently. Don`t know times," Julep said.

　　Lecorondia nodded along to her bodyguard`s words. "We had a question about the local wildlife, if we may?"

　　"Of course."

　　"This creature that my baby defended himself against here. Did it steal this tunnel or make it?"

　　Lucy didn`t miss the implication that this was self-defense, even if she wasn`t sure she agreed. Still, she answered. "Wombats are fairly proficient diggers. Why?"

　　"The designers of my baby gave it certain features." Lecorondia spoke slowly. "It can adapt to circumstances, a way to protect me from hostile worlds. If this creature can dig..."

　　She trailed off, and Jerry finished for her. "Then Erodicilee can too?"

　　"Better, potentially. His form is more adaptable."

　　"So you can`t track him?" Lucy asked.

　　Julep grunted. "Not underground."

　　"Would he still be hunting his original target?" Lucy gestured back to town. "Arnold, I mean. We know where he lives."

　　Lecorondia brightened. "He might be!"

　　"In that case, let`s get going. We may not have a lot of time to save his life," Lucy said as she herded everyone back towards the van.