Trace

Trace

Series: Cosmos Resort and Dating Agency

Cosmos Resort and Dating Agency, a place where aliens come to win the heart of a beautiful and rare human mate.

Or that’s what the brochure says.

The Intergalactic Intelligence Agency isn’t so sure since humans are being sold on the black market. They send Trace and his team undercover to the primitive world of Earth as potential customers to investigate the resort. But the universe has a sick sense of humor, because the first human Trace meets seems closer to cracking the case than his team, and also cracking the cold walls surrounding his heart.

Working together, he and Lily discover they have a lot more in common than a mystery to solve.

Lily Johnstone is an investigative journalist on the hot trail of a slave trafficking ring based on a remote island in the Pacific. When she arrives, she’s shocked not to find pirates or terrorists, but a luxury resort run by…wait for it…aliens. Nobody will ever believe her story except for the tabloids. Unless she brings home proof like a certain sexy alien named Trace.

Available from: Amazon. iBooks. Kobo. Nook.
Published: 09/23/2019
Genre: Romance. Science Fiction Romance.
Keywords: aliens. first contact. novella.

A spaceship descended toward the island at incredible speed. Lily backstepped and bumped into a woman passing behind her. “Do you see that?” Lily pointed at the sleek, dark vehicle that suddenly hovered over the jungle canopy. There were no engine sounds or high winds, like from a plane. It just stopped midair and turned, not even affected by the breeze from the ocean.

The woman tilted her head, her brows furrowed. Not at the UFO but at Lily. “Is this your first shuttle?”

Lily gave her a slow blink, not knowing what to say. Her first shuttle? That implied more than one ship had landed on this remote island. She bit the inside of her cheek to prevent a hysterical laugh from escaping. Letting her cover slip now could mean her life.

She had thought she’d hit the news-story-jackpot-of-a-lifetime by stumbling upon clues pointing to a human trafficking ring. A giggle leaked out and she clapped her hand over her mouth. Other people strolled on the walking path that connected the buildings of this luxurious resort and none of them were gawking at the sight.

“Maybe you should head over to orientation.” The woman pointedly stared at the folder clutched in Lily’s arms.

Adrenaline coursed through her veins. “I was on my way when I spotted the spaceship.” The words tripped over each other. She had purposely avoided the orientation by taking the wrong path to explore the vacation area. No evidence of human trafficking so far. She’d been shocked to find an actual resort on the island and that her informants had been wrong. So very, very wrong. Until the spaceship, Lily had decided the place was a legit singles resort where the beautiful met the wealthy. As advertised.

“Shuttle. The correct term is a shuttle. The real ship is up there.” The woman pointed at the sky. “You shouldn’t be here. Not until after orientation. They’re going to be upset that you’re late. The landings are purposely scheduled at this time to avoid panic from newbies.” She rested a kind hand on Lily’s shoulder. “Like what you seem to be experiencing. Take deep, slow breaths. In and out. That’s it.” She leaned forward and peered at Lily’s nametag. “Lily Elms.”

For her false identity, she had kept her first name so as not to make the error of missing a cue when someone said it. She was a reporter, not a spy. Her lack of training luckily hadn’t been so obvious until now. “Are you going to report me?” Lily didn’t have much money left to bribe the woman. She’d used the last half to secure a ride home on the next boat and needed the other half to ensure they allowed her onboard.

“I don’t have to.” The woman glanced behind Lily.

She turned to find two security guards standing at her back.

“Miss Elms, we were worried when you didn’t arrive at orientation.”

Heart racing, she swallowed with a throat gone dry. “I overslept,” she lied. The shuttle had disappeared behind the trees and she hadn’t thought to take a picture as proof. “I better hurry.”

Oh, she was in over her head. Come meet rich singles had been the sales pitch. The application process hadn’t been easy either. Her internal alarms had rung louder when nobody had asked about a passport or any other forms of identification. They had been more concerned about her connection to family and friends.

In other words, how much would she be missed if she disappeared? Something human slavers would be concerned about.

“Too late for that.” The dark-haired security guard grasped her upper arm. “Come with us.”

Lily glanced at the woman then back at security. Her whole career had hinged on exposing this story. Well, not this story. She’d been expecting slave pits or cages. Instead, she’d witnessed a UFO landing at a five-star resort on a private island in the Pacific.

It had to be aliens because Earth didn’t have space shuttles that could hover midair. Or did they? This could be a secret military base, testing experimental planes.

Oh, please, please, let this be an Area 51 satellite island.

Security tugged on her arm and she didn’t resist. Playing stupid was her best strategy. Escape wasn’t an option since the boats had departed after she and the others had disembarked, stranding them until the ship returned with another deck full of people. Originally, she hadn’t planned on leaving the ship. Snap some photos, maybe interview dock crew, and that was it. When they’d landed at an actual resort, she’d taken the risk to look at it closer because no one would believe her if she accused the resort of kidnapping people.

Her heels clicked on the brick path as security led her away from the luxurious buildings used to house those who’d come on the boats.

Seeing the resort had been her first clue that she had made a mistake. The second was the signed disclaimer within her folder. The one where she’d sworn not to disclose what she learned on the island on the pain of imprisonment. Criminals wouldn’t have cared about imprisonment.

Tropical vegetation brushed her shoulders. It grew thicker the farther they moved away from the resort buildings and pool. Were they taking her into the jungle to permanently silence her? She glanced back but they were alone. “Where are you taking me?” Her voice remained steady though sweat trickled down her spine.

“To a private orientation.”

“There’s always one in the bunch,” said the other guard.

“What is that supposed to mean?” she asked. “And what are you implying by private orientation?” Her vivid imagination played terrible scenarios. Maybe the resort was a front for the trafficking ring? She was about to find out, but what did aliens have to do with it?

Oh no…

“There’s always somebody who can’t follow the rules. If you had gone to orientation like everyone else in your group, Miss Elms, you’d be in the process of understanding what you had just seen.”

“You mean the spaceship—shuttle?” She pointed behind them.

They guided her into a golf cart, then drove out of the jungle to an area of office buildings. A man in a casual button-down short-sleeved shirt and navy shorts met her outside one of these buildings.

“Lily Elms, I presume?” He held out his hand. “I’m Pete Peterson, owner of Cosmos Dating Agency. I understand that you never reached orientation.”

Lily climbed out of the golf cart, her hand still within Mr. Peterson’s. “I woke up late.”

He pulled a small packet from his front pocket. Inside was a dime-sized reflective disk. He opened the packet and allowed the disk to land in his open palm. “This is a translator device. It will help with what I’m about to explain to you.”

She eyed it. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Everyone who stays at the resort wears one.” He showed her the one behind his ear then held up the disk. “It sticks to your skin.”

Lily moved her hair away from her ear and allowed Mr. Peterson to apply the translator.

“She saw the shuttle landing.” The dark-haired guard leaned against the steering wheel.

“Ah, a troublemaker.” Mr. Peterson shook his head, his mouth downturned. “Unfortunately, this means you have no choice but to join the program.”

“No choice?” She jerked her hand free. “Last I checked, I was an American. I have the freedom of choice.”

“You are no longer in America. Not even on Earth soil.” He raised an eyebrow. “Want to hear more before you get really angry? You might like what I have to say.”

Duh, as a reporter that was like offering a child candy. Of course, she wanted to learn more. Exposing that aliens truly existed was every reporter’s dream. Better yet, she might find the missing women and men. Stop the disappearances. She lifted her chin. “Very well.”

Pete flashed her a smile. “This way.”

A refreshing blast of air-conditioning greeted them as they entered Pete’s office. She took the chair he offered while he sat behind the clear glass desk. At his touch, the surface came to life with both English and another alphabet she didn’t recognize. He swiped across it and the data vanished.

“What soil am I on if not Earth’s?” She didn’t recall any periods of time lapses or blackouts where they could have transported her unawares. The sky was blue and she breathed the air. It looked and felt like home.

“This island is owned by Cosmos, a conglomerate of Intergalactic Dating Agency. Human laws don’t apply here.”

“Human,” she whispered the word as reality sank in. “You say that as if you’re not human.”

He nodded.

“But you look just like us.” Boy, were those alien theorists going to be disappointed. Pete could pass as a middle-aged soccer dad who worked out a lot.

He tapped a silver metal amulet hanging from a chain. “Hologram sleeve.”

“You’re wearing a hologram like a costume?” She recalled touching his hand and rubbed her fingertips together. She hadn’t registered anything weird like scales or only three fingers. “May I?” She reached for his hand again, sliding her palm into his. “You feel like you’re human.”

“Observant. It’s a hard-light hologram. We look and feel human.”

“Oh…” How much longer before the invasion started? How much longer before she lost her cool and became hysterical? Because humanity hadn’t a chance. Internally, she gasped. Maybe aliens were already living among them.

“You look pale. Would you like a drink?”

“No, thank you.” She wouldn’t make it easy for him to drug her. “I’m pale because aliens disguised as humans live on a resort in the Pacific.”

“Easy, Miss Elms.” He rose, poured her some water anyway, then set the sweating glass in front of her. “We mean you no harm.”

“Said every evil villain in existence.” She didn’t touch the glass.

He threw back his head with a laugh. “I like you. Too bad I’m already taken.” He winked. “Did you not read the brochure?”

She had, but assumed when it referred to rich aliens, they meant people from other countries. Why the hell would she think from other planets? “If you have hard-light holograms, I don’t see why you need a place like this. Couldn’t you fake identification papers and live among us?”

Pete leaned his chin on his palm. “I don’t understand. Maybe there’s a problem with my translator.” He tapped a finger against his ear.

“Why would aliens need a singles resort on Earth?” She gestured toward the window and the resort in the distance. “Why not live on the mainland?”

“Oh,” he said with great relief. “Nobody wants to live here. This world is pretty and your people are beautiful, but the lack of basic technology makes it unbearable to stay long. Think of this place as a camping trip for the rich and famous who want to meet humans.”

She gave Pete a long, silent look. “Why do they want to meet us?”

“Honey, you didn’t read any of that packet, did you? We explained everything and even hinted at the alien connection. The big reveal is during orientation, which you missed.”

She had read the packet, gleaning what info she could to find out what happened to the missing girls that had led her to this place. Her brain had rejected the obvious information, bending it to her reality. How many others on the boat had done the same?

Pete leaned across the desk, hands clasped. “During orientation, the potential brides and grooms are—”

She raised her hand. “Stop right there. Brides and grooms?”

“Yes, the purpose of this resort is to match our alien clientele with their perfect human mate. Now, those who attend orientation are given a chance to reject the offer of dating aliens. Their memories of this experience are erased and they are sent to a different resort for human singles. For those few who accept, they remain on our resort for as long as they like. They are introduced to the rich and powerful who pamper and spoil them in hopes of marriage.” He sighed. “You skipped orientation though and saw the shuttle. The option to erase your memory has passed. Shocks like that are dangerous to erase, which is the whole purpose of orientation.”

“Doesn’t matter.” The pounding of her pulse was so loud she could barely hear her next words. “I want to meet the rich and alien.” Oddly, her heartbeat sounded similar to the hammering of nails. Most likely into the lid of her coffin. How would she find proof of alien existence that people would believe? Then there were the missing persons. “You’re saying I have a choice to marry an alien. What if I don’t meet anyone I like?” Had those missing people married and left Earth? She had to find out.

“It’s rare. You do want to marry?”

“Of course. Why else would I come here?” She plastered on her best fake smile.

“Then it shouldn’t be an issue. We’ll find someone you’ll fall for.” He rose to his feet.

She remained sitting. “Can you turn off your hologram? I still have some lingering doubts that this is really happening and I’m not having a nightm—dream.” She’d almost said nightmare.

“Certainly. Now, the first time is always shocking. Are you sure?”

Lily turned her phone’s camera lens toward Pete. “Yep. Do it.” As long as they were wearing their holograms, she’d have a harder time collecting evidence.

He pressed his thumb to the amulet and spoke something in a language she’d never heard. The hologram faded and a reptilian, three-fingered alien stood before her.

Her phone dropped from her loose grip as Lily jumped to her feet, screamed like a B-movie horror queen, and bolted out of Pete’s office.