“Leave a note and a way to contact you here. He will come for her soon. You know we can’t be away from our females for long without going insane.”
Mates go insane if they are separated for too long?
That bit of information stunned Lauren but of course, 140 could be lying. He was bullshitting a lot to try to save her butt. Gratitude filled her. The New Species was buying her time and trying to protect her.
“It had better work, 140.” Mary sounded furious. The threat was clear that he’d pay if he were wrong.
“What do we do with Olson’s body?” It was one of the thugs asking the question.
“Leave him. I don’t want him staining my trunk.” Mary sighed. “Write down my disposable cell number and leave it on the couch next to her blood. He won’t miss it there, will he, 140?”
“No,” he growled. “He will not.”
* * * * *
Wrath waited impatiently for the team to gather and leave. He turned his head and stared at Shadow. The male met his gaze and smiled.
“You are impatient.”
“I don’t want to be late. I told Lauren I would be there between seven and eight o’clock.”
“Brass and Tim are arguing again.”
“I’m aware.” Anger surged through Wrath. “He doesn’t want a civilian staying in headquarters and he’s still upset we had her there in the first place. The walls aren’t thick enough to miss most of what is being said.”
“He insisted that a background check be done on her and he’s right for that. She did have a strong tie to ex-Mercile employees. She worked with them.”
Wrath snarled. “Lauren is not my enemy.”
“Tim is worried about the rest of us.” Shadow suddenly grinned. “She’s so dangerous.”
“That is not funny. She couldn’t hurt a fly.”
“I’m aware. I saw her face when you were fighting with Vengeance. She’s not used to brutality. She practically begged us to call an end to it. She worried about your safety.”
He allowed that information to sink in. “She will worry about my duties with the task force. We put our lives in danger constantly when we go out to retrieve our enemies.”
“I wouldn’t mention that aspect to her. Let her believe you mostly do paperwork.”
“I will not lie to her.”
“I didn’t suggest you do but I just wouldn’t offer more information than necessary.”
He thought about that. “Do you regret agreeing to work for the task force?”
“No.” Shadow shook his head. “It’s been good for me. You?”
“The same. I met Lauren.”
Shadow smiled. “You seem more healed since she came into your life. I’m glad. Perhaps one day I’ll meet a female who challenges me to face my fears.”
“I hope so.”
Tim stormed out of the office with Brass behind him. Tim refused to meet their gazes but Brass smiled.
“We’re leaving to pick up your female, Wrath. Tim and his team are going to give us backup support. He’s irritated that we’ve left headquarters so much without more of the human teams backing us up. It makes sense, especially after we were taken prisoner. We came to an agreement.”
“Thank you.” Wrath meant it. He turned his attention on Tim. “Lauren is no threat to us.”
“Women are always bad news.” Tim spun, stormed for the door and yelled over his shoulder. “Don’t let her paint anything pink, damn it! It’s still my building.”
“Pink?” Shadow glanced at Wrath and Brass. “What does that mean?”
“I have no clue,” Brass sighed. “No wonder their females seem to enjoy our company more. Humans are strange.”
Wrath had to agree with that assessment. He didn’t care if Lauren wanted to paint or what color she chose. Just having her at his side was all that mattered.
Chapter Fourteen
Lauren was scared and angry at the same time. The backseat was a tight fit with 140 sharing the limited space. She’d given up playing unconscious after her New Species protector whispered for her to sit up.
Mary and one of her men argued at the front of the car. The other man remaining followed in another vehicle. There was no way Lauren was going to get a chance to escape but she did glance out the windows to track where they were going. She’d learned her lesson to be more aware of her surroundings after leaving the task force headquarters but having no idea where it was located.
“I don’t care what your opinion is, Marvin. Shut up. You’re giving me a headache.”
The thug driving shot the woman in the passenger seat a glare. “We should do some experimenting while we have her.” He glanced back at Lauren and his gaze lowered to her chest before he turned to face the road again. “I’ll warm her up before we hand her over to one of them.”
Mary snorted. “You’re so pathetic. You didn’t work for Mercile for the money, did you? It was the opportunity to grope women who couldn’t stop you. Forget her. You heard the animal about their sense of smell. You aren’t fucking up my chances of getting my sister back because you’re a pervert.”
Lauren stared at the balding head of the man in front of her and hated him instantly. She had a sinking feeling this was the man 140 had warned off about touching her. He was gross and seemed to have the morals of an alley cat.
“Your sister is a bitch and none of them are worth risking our lives over. They got caught so I say screw them.”
Mary reached over and pinched his arm. He howled, jerked away, and the car swerved.
“Don’t do that. I could wreck the car.”
“My sister is worth more alive to me than you are. Don’t you ever forget that.” She paused. “Plus she knows too damn much. She won’t talk but give it a month or two if they lock her up and I bet she’d sell out our own mother. Prison is a nasty place and we all want to avoid it. She could screw us over if we don’t save her ass and that goes for her team too. They know our names, we all worked together, and do you trust any of them not to turn us in to save their own asses if they are offered a deal?”
“Fucking hell,” Marvin muttered as he hit the brakes at a red light. He turned his head and stared at Lauren’s breasts again before frowning at Mary. “I need some stress relief. I won’t take her pants off. Haven’t I been loyal? Haven’t I done all the shit you tell me to?”
140 growled. “Her mate will know. Do you want me to tell you what you ate for lunch? I can. She would also fight.” He turned his head and fixed his gaze on her. “Would you allow him to make use of your body in any way? He likes to open his pants and order females to put their mouth on him.”
Disgust made Lauren want to throw up and she snapped her head to meet the gaze of the man in the seat ahead of her. “I’d rather die and I can promise you, if you unzip near me you’ll need a trauma surgeon after I am done with you.”
Mary laughed. “I’m starting to like her just a little. The idea of someone biting your dick off is amusing.” She reached out and pinched Marvin’s arm again. “Stop being such a sick son of a bitch. Eyes on the road and shut your mouth unless it’s not related to thinking with your dick.”
“Bitch,” Marvin grumbled. “Stop doing that to my arm. It hurts.”
The light turned green and he stomped on the gas in anger. “Stop drawing attention to us, idiot.” She turned in her seat and glared at Lauren. “And I’m watching you too. The windows back there are tinted but don’t try to draw any attention. Got it? The car behind us will make sure we get away. If any cops show up he will do something to distract them.”
“She’s not stupid,” 140 said and sighed. “She knows you need her and she will survive if she just complies to get you what you want.” He shifted his gaze to the driver. “It is your own technicians you should worry about.”
“He’s getting damn mouthy,” Marvin cursed. “Sounds as if we need to remind him of his place.” He suddenly barked out a laugh. “Do I need to visit your mate again?”
“Shit,” Mary snapped and her hand flew out and hit the thug in the back of the head as 140 snarled loudly in the confined space. “You are a fucking idiot. You really want to taunt him in this car? I don’t want to die when he lunges across the seat and rips your head from your body.”
“She said she’d prefer to die than feel your hands exploring her body again. I’d kill you if you had harmed her or ever do. She’s mine.”
Lauren saw the pure anger on 140’s features, the way his hands fisted in his lap, and how his chest rose and fell harshly as he seemed to pant through a fit of rage.
“He isn’t going to do shit to her,” Mary swore, trying to keep the peace for once. “I took care of it when he molested her, didn’t I?” She twisted in her seat and stared at 140. “Calm down now. That’s an order. Remember our deal? You do as you’re told and no harm comes to your girlfriend. Marvin is going to keep his big mouth shut from now on or I’ll personally pinch something far more painful than his arm.”
The glimpse Lauren was getting into 140’s life made her angry enough to want to reach forward and break Marvin’s neck herself. Of course she wasn’t strong enough but she regretted he hadn’t been the one she’d had to stab with the letter opener. The fact that she’d killed someone was pushed back. She couldn’t deal with that now. Besides, the more time she spent with the arguing pair in front, the more justified it seemed.
“What is her name?” Lauren kept her voice down and hoped to distract the still-furious New Species.
He turned his chilly gaze on her and his nose flared. “Mine.”
She let that slide, not really believing that the woman had that name. His gaze jerked to the driver and she knew that statement of possession had been for the driver’s benefit.
“Is she feline like you or canine like…” She almost said Wrath’s name. “My mate.”
“She’s primate.”
“Oh.” Lauren hesitated. “I don’t think I’ve seen one of them yet.”
“I thought you were mated to one.” Mary frowned at her from the front seat. “A lot of them survived.”
Lauren met the bitch’s stare evenly. “I am. My mate is canine and all the people I’ve met at Homeland have either been that or feline.”
“Primates aren’t common.” 140 spoke. “They didn’t make as many of them. What is Homeland?”
“Shut up,” Mary snapped. “Don’t tell him a damn thing about the NSO. Got it, Lauren? Not a word.”
She was tempted to keep right on talking but 140 shook his head. She sealed her lips together and clenched her teeth. She would bet that Mary didn’t want 140 to know about any of his people being free. It would give him hope that he could be rescued too.
The car slowed and turned. Lauren glanced out the window and realized they’d entered an old part of town where a lot of businesses had closed due to the bad economy. It had really turned into a slum in the years since she’d frequented the area in her late teens and early twenties. Boarded-up windows became a common sight as they continued to drive down a few narrow streets.
“Do you know where we are?”
Lauren met Mary’s calculating eyes and shook her head. “The east side of town. I am a realtor and I know my properties.” They were actually on the border area of the south side and almost out of the city limits.
That answer made the other woman smirk. “Yes, you sure do know your areas.” She faced the front of the car, dismissing Lauren.
They turned into a driveway blocked by an old security gate. Mary flipped down the visor and hit a remote. The gate shook and wobbled as it began to roll sideways to allow the car to pass through. Recognition struck Lauren instantly. The place had once been a popular nightclub. Jasper’s had a new name painted on the back of the decrepit building, some restaurant name, but she was sure it was one and the same.
140 gripped Lauren’s wrist gently when they parked and he kept hold of her as they exited the car. He faced Mary with a defiant glare.
“I have done everything you ordered and I have behaved. I want to see my female now.”
Mary crossed her arms over her chest, lifted her chin and glowered at him. “Do you? You are sounding a bit too confident.”
“Please,” he hissed and lowered his gaze to the cracked tar.
That seemed to make the bitch happy and she dropped her arms to her sides. “Fine. Take her to a cage and you can go downstairs. I’ll make the call.”
“Thank you.” 140 tugged on Lauren. “Come.”
The back door was rusted metal. Marvin unlocked it with a key on the car ring and it squeaked loudly when it opened. The interior was dark and the smell of mold, dust, and stale air assaulted Lauren’s nose instantly. The floor felt uneven under her shoes as they walked through what used to be a kitchen. Outdated, stained, and broken cooking appliances indicated it hadn’t been used in at least a few years.
Shock gripped her when they stepped out of the kitchen area into what used to be the dance area of the club. The windows were all boarded up and debris from parts of the ceiling littered the floor. Some broken tables had been shoved against the stained walls but it was the five large animal cages that made her stumble. They were about eight feet high, maybe six feet square and three of them were occupied. New Species males stood staring back at her from behind the bars.
They wore sweatpants, no shirts, and all looked as if they could use a bath. One of them growled—a dangerous sound—and his dark eyes fixed on Lauren. A chill ran down her spine at seeing the hatred directed at her as she glanced at each one.