Saved by the Alien Crime Boss (Aliens Among Us #4)

Chapter 1

ONE

“Should’ve closed up earlier,” Mina mumbled as she turned her car into Cornerstone’s parking lot.

She should’ve known. Winter storms on the forecast always got people out for some last-minute shopping. But instead of taking that into consideration, she’d kept The Bookish Bean open until seven, like usual, and hadn’t skipped even a single part of her closing routine afterward.

Now it was already seven thirty-five, and Cornerstone—the only grocery store within fifty miles—closed at eight.

Twenty-five minutes is plenty of time to get my groceries.

She rolled past the parking spots in front of the entrance, all of which were taken. Big snowflakes drifted lazily through the orange glow of the building’s floodlights, adding to the layer of white that had already gathered on the ground. According to the weather forecast, the snowfall would worsen overnight.

She pulled into an empty spot at the far end of the row, just outside the building’s light. The clock changed to seven thirty-six.

Though she knew they wouldn’t shut off the lights and lock her in the store the instant the clock struck eight, she hated the thought of inconveniencing the employees by making them stay past closing. She could imagine the angry glares they’d give her, could imagine the sound of their feet impatiently tapping the floor, could imagine the things they would be thinking but not saying out loud.

But she wouldn’t have to worry about that, right? Because twenty-four minutes was still more than enough time.

Mina switched off the headlights, killed the engine, and grabbed her purse and canvas grocery bags from the passenger seat before stepping out of her SUV.

Winter air swept in to replace the warmth of the car’s heater. Her first inhalation stung her nose, making it feel like shards of ice formed in her lungs. If living her whole life in Alaska hadn’t been enough to get her used to the cold, she probably never would be.

Mina looked up at the sky and smiled.

She wasn’t a fan of the cold, but the snow… She loved watching it fall. Loved watching the flakes dance toward the ground, loved the way they sparkled, loved that each and every one of them was unique. And she loved how the snow transformed the landscape into something magical.

Groceries, Mina. Remember? Before the store closes.

“Right,” she said, bumping the car door closed with her hip.

Shouldering her purse and tucking her tote bags under her arm, she hurried to the building. The ice melt on the concrete walkway crunched under her boots in a quick rhythm.

Strings of colorful lights illuminated the store’s entrance. The air smelled of fresh pine from the wreaths on display and cinnamon from the bin of scented pinecones, and she gladly breathed it all in. Mina loved the holiday scents that were prevalent this time of year.

The automatic door slid open as she approached. Just as she was about to step inside, an older man turned the corner with a bag-filled cart, nearly colliding with her. They both drew to abrupt halts.

“Whoa!” the man said, shifting his cart aside. “Sorry, Mina. Didn’t see you there.”

Mina smiled at him as she crossed the threshold. “It’s okay, Mr. Stevens.”

“Well, you’re such a tiny thing, and my eyes ain’t what they used to be.”

“Really, it’s okay.”

Before she could continue onward, Mr. Stevens asked, “Say, how’s that little coffee shop of yours doing?”

Grinning, Mina unzipped her coat and shook off the bit of snow that had accumulated on it. “Busy enough that I’m still in business.”

Mr. Stevens chuckled. “You do make a good cup of coffee.”

“I’m glad you enjoy it.”

“I’ll have to drop by soon. The missus loves your Danishes. Would be a nice treat for her.”

Mina nodded and took a step deeper into the store, just as eager to escape this conversation as she was anxious to get her shopping done before closing. “Make sure you come in early to get them fresh.”

He glanced around before he lowered his voice. “Don’t tell no one, but yours are better than Randy’s.”

She chuckled. “Well, I learned from the best.”

“You did, you did. Your mother made a fine baker, too. Too bad it wasn’t enough for her to avoid all that…other business.”

Mina’s smile faded, and she curled her hands into fists.

Steady breaths. Stay calm.

Clenching her jaw, Mina drew in a deep breath. “Mr. Stevens, I?—”

“I miss that old man though. Randy was a pillar of this community. Guess I understand him going somewhere warmer and all, but I can’t imagine living anywhere but here.” Mr. Stevens reached out and patted her shoulder. “But listen to me, jaw-jacking over here. I’ll let you get going. You take care now, Mina.”

Mina ducked out of his touch and stepped back, offering another, albeit forced, smile. “You too, Mr. Stevens. Drive safe.” She turned away but paused to look back at him. “Oh, and could you let Mrs. Stevens know that a couple more of the romance books she requested came in?”

The way the old man’s face reddened and fell was almost satisfying after his comment about her mother. Almost . Mr. Stevens stammered a reply and rushed out into the cold.

Mina exhaled.

Suddenly quite exhausted, she walked to the carts, tugged one free, and dropped her bags into the top basket. Opening her purse, she pulled out her phone.

Twenty-one minutes until closing.

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” she muttered, unlocking the phone to bring up her grocery list.

Her confidence in those words was sorely tested when she glanced over to see only a single register open with a long line of people waiting. Cornerstone’s owner must’ve loved this time of year.

Quietly humming along to the holiday music playing on the overhead speakers, Mina moved through the aisles, placing items into her cart. As she did so, she couldn’t stop her thoughts from returning to her conversation with Daniel Stevens.

Mina had opened her coffee shop and bookstore, The Bookish Bean, seven years ago. Before she’d owned it, the place had been the Thomas Bakery, owned by Randy Thomas. Mina’s mother had worked there for years before Mina joined the staff at fifteen.

That time of her life had produced some of Mina’s favorite memories. Some of her best memories. Randy had always been supportive, basically filling the role of grandfather for Mina, but working there had only brought them all closer together. He’d taken her and her mom fishing in the summer, baked them personal birthday cakes every year, and would close the bakery early for private little celebrations. It had been the first time in a long while that she’d felt secure, safe, happy…

But that had been so long ago. Now, it was just her. Randy had retired, sold Mina the shop, and moved to Arizona. Her mother had passed almost twelve years ago, and her father…

It would be twenty years next year.

Everyone Mina loved had been gone for years. She’d be thirty in six days. Thirty years old, and just as alone as she’d been at twenty-two.

Thirty years old and still a virgin.

How sad was that?

Well, that’s quite a turn in my train of thought.

More like a derailment.

Mina wrinkled her nose as she turned down the pasta aisle. There were…reasons for her celibacy, but the main one had been the fact that she’d never felt that spark, that ember of desire, for anyone. Not once.

As much as she loved reading romance books, she’d never met someone who’d made her feel even the slightest hint of the yearning those stories described. She knew those books were fictional, that her expectations were probably too high, but she was supposed to at least feel something, right?

And it wasn’t that Mina had no interest in sex. She did. She really, really did, especially more recently as it seemed her libido had kicked into overdrive. But her own fingers and the toys tucked away in her bedroom drawer weren’t enough. Self-pleasure dulled the urges, but afterward, when the high wore off, there was always an emptiness. A deep, ever-expanding loneliness. She longed to feel another person’s arms wrapped around her in a tender embrace, to feel their warmth, their breath on her skin, the beat of their heart beneath her palm.

She longed to simply feel…loved and wanted.

The few guys she’d dated had been physically appealing, but there’d been nothing more there—no chemistry, no substance. A bit of attraction simply hadn’t been adequate to sustain anything lasting.

There just hadn’t been enough to make Mina want to open herself to anything physical. Especially sex.

It didn’t help that most of the townsfolk were so judgmental when it came to Mina’s mother, even all this time after her death. Sullford was a small town filled with people who did nothing but gossip and whisper behind each other’s backs. The only thing Hannah Walker’s passing had changed was that the judgment more often came with pity rather than disdain.

Anger simmered in Mina as she dropped a couple boxes of spaghetti into her cart.

Let it go, Mina. Don’t let them get to you.

She released a heavy exhalation as she continued down the aisle to the sauces, where she looked up and groaned. Not only was her favorite sauce on the top shelf, but the jars were pushed toward the back, barely within sight and completely out of her reach.

She hopped in place, catching a glimpse of three remaining jars.

“Dang it.”

Mina glanced around. There was no one in sight, and given how short-staffed this place always seemed to be and how close it was to closing time, she doubted she’d find an employee to help.

She sighed, faced the shelves, and pursed her lips to the side.

Looks like I’m on my own.

Nothing she wasn’t already used to.

It wasn’t like this was the first time she’d have to scale the shelves to get something she needed.

Taking hold of a higher shelf, she stepped onto the bottom one. “They seriously need to provide step ladders if they’re going to stock things so high.”

Mina released the shelf with one hand and reached for the jars. They were still too far back. Flattening her palm on the top shelf, she climbed up onto the edge of the next, pulling herself higher. She stretched her arm. The tips of her fingers brushed the side of a jar.

“Just a little more…” Determined, Mina pressed her lips together and stood on her toes, extending her reach.

Her wet boot slipped.

She gasped, and her heart stopped. Mina flailed for purchase, but she’d already lost her grip, was already falling backward.

Her back hit something solid but yielding, and a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind, fingers gripping her tight.

Fall successfully halted by the stranger, Mina looked down to find herself hanging in his arms, the toes of her boots inches above the polished concrete floor. Only those arms and the big body they were attached to supported her.

Somehow, she felt more secure and stable than she had with her feet on the ground.

I must’ve lost my mind, because this is kind of…nice.

The rich, woodsy scent of teakwood enveloped Mina. It was accompanied by leather and cloves, and something earthy, smoky, and musky. She inhaled, drawing that masculine fragrance in deep. It spread through her languidly, heating her, arousing her.

Had any man ever smelled so divine?

Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You blasted over the store’s sound system.

Warmth suffused Mina’s face.

“Umm, thanks,” she said, offering the man’s arm an awkward pat.

His chest rumbled with a grunt, and he gently set her onto her feet, let her go, and stepped back.

Mina steadied herself, tugged her coat back into place, and took in another deep breath, once more filling her lungs with that heady fragrance.

Nope. No man has ever smelled this good.

Smiling, she turned, intending to thank the stranger again for saving her from what would’ve been, at best, a bruised backside. At worst, they would’ve needed to call for a cleanup on aisle three for her brains being spattered across the floor.

She froze.

Her eyes settled on the broad expanse of his chest and shoulders, which were covered in a long-sleeved black shirt that didn’t do much to hide the muscles beneath. She dragged her gaze upward. He was tall enough that she had to tip her head back to fully see him.

His black hair was drawn into a thick bun atop his head, with long wisps dangling to either side of his face and behind his ears. His features were sharp—a chiseled jaw, high cheekbones, and a straight, narrow, pointed nose that led up to thick, arched eyebrows. But it was his silver eyes that held her captive. They were so ethereal, so mesmerizing, that she wondered if they were even human.

Mina’s heart quickened.

Viktor Novak.

He was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen.

Not that this was her first glimpse of him. Mina had seen him around town a few times since he’d moved to Sullford a year ago, whether in a fleeting glance as he walked past her shop or the occasional sighting here at Cornerstone. She’d thought him handsome from afar. But this close, he was utterly breathtaking.

And everything within her body was reacting to him.

“Are you all right?” Viktor asked, his deep, gravelly voice bearing a thick accent she couldn’t quite place.

Mina started. “Oh! Um, yes.”

Smooth, Mina. Real smooth. Just keep staring, because that’s totally normal.

“I…don’t normally make a habit of falling for men—er, I mean, onto men…” Mina cringed. “Okay, that didn’t sound any better.”

The corner of his mouth ticked up, adding a wicked edge to his features.

Oh God…

Mina cleared her throat and shifted on her feet. “What I’m trying to say is thank you for saving me. They, uh”—she gestured to the shelves—“don’t make it easy for shorter people.”

His gaze flicked to the shelf. He stepped closer, and that masculine scent wafted over her anew as he reached up and effortlessly plucked down one of the jars of sauce. He held it out to her.

Mina stared at his hand. Why was she only now realizing how sexy hands could be? Was it simply because it was Viktor’s hand? Its size, its long fingers, its defined knuckles and tendons. There was strength in it, undeniable strength.

“This is what you want, isn’t it?” he asked.

Oh, it was definitely what she wanted. Those hands all over her, caressing her flesh, those fingers slipping between her?—

Viktor chuckled. It was a low sound, rumbling and gritty like his voice, with a dark allure that teased at unspoken promises. She watched, unable to process what was happening, as he took her wrist and lifted her arm.

His big hand completely encircled her wrist, even with the padding of her coat. She yearned for him to slide that hand under the cuff of her sleeve and…

He placed the jar on her upturned palm.

The touch of the cold glass snapped her out of her trance.

Were you really just standing there staring at his hand that whole time? What is wrong with you?

“Oh! Yes, thank you.” She snatched her arm out of his hold. Clutching the jar to her chest, she looked down at it and let her short, curly hair fall forward to hide her blush from him. “I guess I could’ve picked one of the others, but it’s not the first time I’ve had to do that. Climb the shelves, I mean. I’ve never fallen before. I just… I hate to trouble the employees and feel like a burden when there are twenty other sauces within reach just because this one’s my fav?—”

Mina snapped her mouth shut and wrinkled her nose. “I’m sorry, I’m rambling.”

“Do not apologize,” he said. “There’s no shame in taking what you want.”

What if I want you?

Her cheeks burned hotter.

She peeked up at Viktor to find him staring at her. “Could you…get another for me? If you don’t mind? I probably shouldn’t try climbing again.”

Those otherworldly silver eyes lingered on her for a moment, his expression unreadable, before he took another jar down for her. As she turned to place the sauces in her cart, she willed herself to calm.

Chill, Mina. Just be chill.

You live in Alaska. When are you not chill?

When I’m speaking to an insanely attractive man, apparently.

Straightening, Mina faced Viktor. “So…you’re the new guy, right? The one who bought the cabin out on the lake?”

He narrowed his eyes and slowly tilted his head. “Yes.”

“People have been talking about you since the day you moved in. You’re kind of a mystery around here.” Mina clasped her fingers against her belly. “Sorry if that comes off a little creepy? I own the coffee shop bookstore, and people come in all the time with gossip, so I just hear things.”

“The Bookish Bean.”

“That’s the one!” Lips stretching into a sheepish smile, she gave him a little wave before extending her hand. “Hi! I’m Mina Walker. Usually I start with the ‘hi’ part, but I was a bit busy falling for— when , I mean falling when—you showed up, so…”

His gaze fixed on her mouth, and he remained unmoving.

Mina leaned closer and playfully lowered her voice. “You’re supposed to take my hand, shake it, and tell me your name.”

Viktor drew in a breath, and his pupils expanded. His eyes only grew more focused, more intense, and something sparked in their depths. That spark caused heat to curl low in her belly and made her sex clench.

Is this what real attraction feels like?

Viktor’s hand engulfed hers. His skin was rough and warm, and his hold was firm yet gentle. And that touch, that skin-to-skin contact, sent a rush through Mina that made her flesh prickle in awareness and her heart pound wildly.

He shook her hand—not up and down, but side to side. “You already know who I am, Mina.”

How could a name be said so seductively? How could her name be said that way?

Mina chuckled a little breathlessly. “It’s nice to finally officially meet you, Viktor.”

He dipped his chin in a shallow nod. When she withdrew her hand, he released it, though she sensed a slight reluctance from him. The air felt colder in the absence of his touch.

Mina curled her fingers against her palm, sorely tempted to take his hand again. “So, what brought you to Sullford?”

“The quiet.”

“It is pretty quiet here. I’m sure it’s even more so at your cabin. I’ve never been there personally, but I saw pictures of it on the flyer board right here in Cornerstone when it went up for sale. It’s a beautiful place, and the scenery is gorgeous. Though the pictures were taken in summer, when everything was bright and green. I bet it’s?—”

Mina pulled her lips in and bit them as she thrust her hands into her coat pockets. “Sorry. You were just helping me get something down and here I am babbling away, taking up your time.”

“It is,” he said, his eyes again on her mouth.

“It is…what?”

Viktor met her gaze. “Beautiful.”

Heat swept through Mina. “Oh.”

The cabin. He’s talking about his cabin, Mina. Not you.

Static crackled over the PA system before an employee, voice muddied by the speakers, announced, “Attention Cornerstone shoppers, we will be closing in five minutes. Please bring your items to the front now so we can get you checked out.”

Mina’s eyes widened. “Shoot!” She grabbed her cart with one hand, her phone with the other, and quickly unlocked the screen. “I still have some things to grab. I’m so sorry!”

“Find me if there’s anything else you can’t reach,” Viktor replied. “But it might cost you next time.”

Mina chuckled. “You should come by the café. I’d love to give you a coffee, or a pastry, or even a book to thank you.”

Viktor offered another small nod, and it made her belly flutter when the corner of his lips again curled upward.

As she walked away, pushing her cart ahead of her, she felt his gaze upon her back like it was a physical touch. Though the sensation faded when she rounded the corner, it took a few more steps for that fluttery feeling to pass, and even then, she still felt like he was close.

Mina rushed through the store, tossing the rest of her groceries in the cart. The deli was already closed, so she settled on prepackaged cold cuts before making her way to the front.

The line at the register had dwindled to only two people. Mina drew her cart to a stop behind them.

It took everything inside her to keep from looking around for Viktor. Was he still shopping, or had he already checked out? Had he left?

Would he actually visit her café?

He came for the quiet, but you stood there yapping his ear off.

But...he listened to me. Smiled at me.

That’s called being polite. You should be able to recognize it, you have to do it every day.

Her mouth fell into a frown as a new realization struck her. Viktor wasn’t local, but he’d been in town for a year, and he knew of Mina and her café. What had he heard about her and her family?

She tightened her grip on the cart’s handle.

Let it go, Mina. Just let it go.

When she reached the conveyor belt, she stacked her items atop it. By the time she was done, the person in front of her had finished paying, allowing Mina to step up the keypad.

The cashier, an elderly woman, glanced at her and asked her about her day. The conversation was awkward but thankfully brief as the woman rang everything up.

Once Mina had paid, she returned her cart to the front of the store and grabbed her bags and purse. She offered a smile to the employee at the door before stepping outside.

The cold struck her immediately. She shivered, wishing she’d zipped her coat.

“Just need to make it to the car and then you can be nice and toasty with the heater again.”

A lock clicked behind her. Mina glanced back to see the employee walking away through the glass doors. A moment later, the interior lights dimmed.

Snow drifted down around Mina as she walked to her car. The parking lot was much emptier and eerier than it had been when she’d arrived. Every sound was muffled by the snowfall, even that of the ice melt breaking under her boots and the rasping of her coat’s material. The world was preternaturally quiet.

Upon reaching her car, she slid the handles of the bags higher up her arm so she could reach into her purse.

Her brow furrowed as she searched for her keys. “How do they always disappear when there’s hardly anything in here?”

Down in the deepest, farthest corner of the purse, her fingers touched the metal of her keys. She felt for the key fob and pressed the button to unlock the car. It beeped, and the lights flashed.

Mina opened the rear driver’s side door, deposited her bags on the seat, and shut the door.

Snow crunched behind her.

Before she could turn, something heavy collided with her, violently shoving her forward. She slammed into the side of the SUV. Her bare hands struck the frigid metal, the air burst from her lungs, and her purse was crushed between her body and the door. Snow fell from the roof, dusting the top of Mina’s head.

A gloved hand roughly covered her mouth, and something sharp pressed into her side. Mina whimpered, trying to shift away from it, but the hard point dug deeper into her skin through her sweater. She cried out, but the hand muffled her voice.

“Not a sound,” the man growled into her ear as he pinned her against the car with his body. “Don’t you make a fucking sound.”

Terror flooded her as she stared, wide-eyed, at the reflection on the car window before her. She could vaguely make out the shadow of the man behind her, but nothing more. The image became distorted as tears welled in her eyes. Her breath sawed in and out through her nose, and her heart raced. With this side of her car facing away from the store’s entrance, toward the blank brick wall of the neighboring building, no one would see them.

The man squeezed her face, crushing her cheeks against her teeth. “Did you hear me?”

Trembling, Mina nodded as much as he allowed her to.

He removed his hand from her mouth and held it out to the side. “Give me your purse.”

She turned her wrist. Her knuckles scraped the side of the car as she curled her fingers around the handles of her purse. She tried tugging her arm free, but it was tightly wedged between her and the vehicle.

“I said give me your fucking purse!” The man dug the knife more firmly into her side. The tip broke her skin with a flaring sting that was followed by a bloom of heat.

Mina clamped her lips together to hold in a cry of pain as her tears spilled.

“I-I can’t,” she whispered raggedly.

With a curse, he withdrew the blade, grabbed a fistful of her hair, and bashed her head against the window.

Pain exploded through Mina’s skull, and the world went fuzzy. The man thrust his hand between her and the car and grabbed the strap of her purse, ripping it from her grasp.

Something growled—not quite human, not quite animal, but wholly unsettling.

The man withdrew so abruptly that Mina staggered backward. Her head was spinning, her legs were wobbly, and her backward steps somehow turned her around. Just as her legs gave out, her back hit the side of her car. She slumped down onto the cold, snowy pavement.

The pressure in her head increased, and her sight dimmed around the edges. Two men struggled before her—one lying on his back, the other straddling him. Though they were only feet away from her, their shadowy forms were indistinct amidst the falling snow. Their snarls, grunts, and curses were so faint, so distant…

She strained to bring the men into focus, but the harder she tried, the more the darkness encroached on her vision.

Her eyelids fell shut. As her body grew heavier and colder, her head felt lighter, and her mind grew oddly detached, as though her consciousness were floating away. The quiet around her expanded. She felt the delicate, icy kisses of snowflakes lighting upon her cheeks and nose, and she caught a hint of the most delightful smell—teakwood and cloves.

Then she succumbed to the serene embrace of darkness.