New Species 13 Smiley (21 page)

Miles spun and glared at her. “What did you say?”

She raised her voice. “We don’t want the NSO to seem as if
they need us to handle their security matters. That’s worse than releasing a
video of one of them interrogating this bartender. We want people to fear New
Species enough not to fuck with them in the future.”

“The task force scares everyone.” Miles glared at her.

“I think Jericho is way more frightening.” She flashed the
primate male a smile. “I have total faith in you.”

“Thank you.” Jericho grinned back.

“I still think it’s a mistake.” Miles faced Justice. “Why do
you even pay us to handle your press if you refuse to listen to my advice?”

“It’s not for your winning personality,” Cindy muttered low
enough that her boss couldn’t hear.

Justice chuckled. “We needed your help handling the shopping
excursion. You’re the one who decided to stick around. We’ve got this.”

“I still think it’s a mistake.” Miles shook his head.

Cindy rolled her eyes. “He thinks that tie looks good. I
rest my case.” She turned in her chair, drawing everyone’s attention. “Just don’t
punch the living shit out of the jerk on camera before you get him to talk.
That would be overkill. People might view that as a forced confession. We don’t
want anyone screaming about his rights being violated.”

“As if that human gave a shit about that when he drugged us,”
Smiley hissed.

“I agree,” Cindy acknowledged. “My heart isn’t bleeding for
this dickhead but all I’m saying is, don’t inflict injures that are going to
show. The bartender might not have been aware of the danger. It doesn’t excuse
it but I’m just saying you must try to keep the camera in mind so we can use it
in the media war the Woods Church has started.”

“They wanted someone tossed to their human authorities to be
prosecuted. I think we have their pound of flesh,” Justice said as he rounded
his desk.

Smiley was outraged. “You’re giving him to the humans?”

Justice stopped next to him. “I have a plan.”

“What would that be? Their justice system isn’t harsh
enough. He deserves to be sent to Fuller Prison, not to some human jail cell
with television and visitors.” Smiley fisted his hands, that angry.

Justice leaned in and held his gaze. “If there’s anything we’ve
learned, it’s that our enemies try to flee the country when we’re after them.
The human authorities and news outlets know it too. I want to put enough
pressure on Gregory Woods to make him attempt to escape. We’ll be waiting.”

“I can’t listen to this part.” Miles backed toward the door.
“I’m out of here. My legal advisors would tell me not to be part of this
conversation.” He exited the room.

Justice arched an eyebrow at Cindy. “Are you leaving too?”

She leaned back in her chair. “I have this condition I call
impromptu senility. I can’t remember a damn thing when I don’t want to. Go on.
I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Some of Smiley’s anger dissipated. “You have a team in place
to grab him?”

Justice smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “We’ll help him
disappear. The out world will think he is getting a decent tan on some beach
but there is no sunlight where he’s going. Fuller Prison is about to get a
little overcrowded though we have no early release program. We’ve ordered new
cages already.”

“You don’t legally have to release the identities of whoever
you imprison at Fuller.” Cindy grinned. “Score one for the good guys.”

Fury chuckled. “I checked. The staff at Fuller Prison
assembled the bunks and received new bedding. They are just waiting to issue clothing
to the new prisoners.”

Smiley calmed. “You’re sure he won’t get away?”

“Positive,” Justice swore. “He’s too afraid to piss without
a security team outside the door. He just hired two of our undercover task
force members. He has no idea who they really are.”

“That’s totally true,” Cindy nodded. “I’ve been researching
Gregory Woods for over a year, since he hit the big-time-social-media level. He’s
all mouth and no spine. Right now he’s got to be paranoid as hell and I’ve
monitored the increase in his security detail in the past few days. He used to
keep three suits around him but he’s doubled that number.”

“Our team members have him wired and have cloned all his
devices,” Fury announced. “He’s very dependent on his electronics and has
already done searches for non-extradition countries to flee to. He also hired a
private jet to be waiting on standby. One of our humans is now wearing that
company’s pilot uniform. He’ll rush right to our pilot and be flown to where
our team will be waiting to take him into custody.”

“What about the son? I want him too.” Smiley wasn’t about to
forget that Carl Woods had set Vanni up for his father.

Justice nodded. “He and his father can share a cage. The
father won’t leave without the son.”

“By every indication I’ve found, Carl Woods is heavily
dependent upon his daddy’s money.” Cindy whipped out an electronic device from
her purse on the floor. “He spends more than he makes and to be honest, he’s
not the best lawyer. His father paid to open his private practice and gives him
the majority of his business.”

She turned the screen to show Justice something. “This is
his current debt. The doors to his practice are only open because Daddy saves
his ass every month. His home is mortgaged for more than it’s worth and his ass
would be homeless and jobless within three months if the money gets cut off.
Gregory Woods is a dickhead who loves to keep everyone around him on strings.
It’s that pathetic god complex he has. I’d bet the candy bar in my purse that
Carl Woods realizes the money gets cut if he doesn’t stick close to his father’s
ass. I mean wallet. He’ll also know, if criminal charges are filed against
Gregory, the first thing that would happen is they’ll freeze his assets when he
evades arrest. That means the money is cut off for sure.”

“What if he doesn’t leave with his father?” Smiley wasn’t
willing to risk it.

Fury drew his attention. “Then we’ll pick him up a few weeks
after his father disappears. Everyone will assume he just met up with him
later. They’ll be accurate.”

“Especially when they foreclose on his house and evict him
from his nice office suites,” Cindy added. “Even his car is a rental.”

“And Bruce? I want him the most. He Tasered Vanni and made
threats.” Smiley wasn’t about to allow that male to get away with hurting her.

Justice leaned back. “We did a background check on him. You
want to hit someone and make them bleed? He’s all yours.”

Fury growled. “He enjoys hurting females. He’s been arrested
six times for beating and terrifying them. The females dropped the charges
after the police suspected he made threats. Gregory Woods told your Vanni we
have a graveyard of our enemies. I think we should start one.”

“Now, Fury.” Justice shot him an amused look. “He would make
horrible fertilizer. I wouldn’t want to expose our vegetation to his remains.”

“True. He is a piece of shit though.”

Justice nodded and held Smiley’s gaze. “Leave him alive
after you teach him how it feels to be hit. We’ll get him when the teams bring
in Gregory. I think death would be too kind. Let him spend his life in a cage.
He doesn’t like to leave his boss’ side. We’ll help him obtain that goal. Let’s
go.”

Cindy stood. “I wish I could come with but Miles is probably
waiting in the car. He wanted to leave after the meeting and you can guess who
is driving. It wouldn’t be him.” She walked over to Smiley. “I’m glad you got
the girl.” She winked. “Hold on to that one. She seems like a keeper.”

Smiley nodded in agreement and followed the men out of
Justice’s office to Security. He entered the holding cell first, recognizing
the bartender from the hotel. The male’s eyes widened upon seeing Smiley. He
tensed in his chair.

“You do remember me.” Smiley kept away from the male and
crossed his arms over his chest. “I remember you.”

Jericho entered the interrogation room and slammed the door.
“I’ll do the talking.”

Smiley showed fangs but stepped to the side. He glared at
the male who was handcuffed to the chair but made sure he stood out of the
range of the camera set up in the corner. Jericho rumbled loudly as he stalked
forward. It was a sound meant to intimidate the human.

“I didn’t do anything!” The human’s eyes were wide with
fear.

Jericho crouched a few feet from the male, just glaring at
him. Smiley noticed he’d tilted his head up enough that the lighting in the
room would catch the red hues of his eyes. The bartender tried to scoot the
chair back but realized it wouldn’t move. He broke out in a sweat.

“I don’t like liars,” Jericho rasped as the rumble emanating
from his chest deepened. “Do I look amused? You’re wasting my time. I want to
know what happened in that bar.”

“I just served the drinks.”

“Let me rephrase that. I know what happened but I want you
to admit what you did.” Jericho took a deep breath, expanding his chest and
nostrils. His expression showed his anger. “Confession is good for the soul, I’ve
been told. So confess.”

A good minute ticked by. The bartender tried to glance away
but his gaze kept going back to Jericho’s intense glare. He trembled. “Okay.
All right. This guy approached me before my shift and paid me four hundred
bucks to slip something into a pair of drinks. He said it was going to be a
joke.”

“Really?” Jericho stood. He cracked his knuckles. “What was
so funny? Share how this joke worked on my friend because I could really use a
laugh. I want specific details.”

“Um, maybe he didn’t say it was meant to be funny. He was
with that church group.”

“What church?”

“I forgot their name. You know the one with the heavyset
preacher guy who has a whiney voice?”

“No.”

“He’s always going on about protecting the human race and
how wrong it is that you weren’t sent to live in zoos.” He blanched. “I don’t
feel that way though. I don’t! I’m so cool with New Species and the entire NSO
thing. My girlfriend has a poster of Justice North on her fucking bedroom wall.”

“You resent that?”

The human’s face reddened. “No.”

“I don’t believe that. Justice is a handsome male.”

The human clenched his teeth. “She tells me I need to work
out more.”

Jericho snorted. “I bet that isn’t good to hear.”

“She thinks he’s perfect.”

“Perhaps he is.”

“No guy is. And he’s a cat. She named her kitten after him.
It’s all kinds of fucked-up.”

Smiley winced and glanced toward the camera, hoping Justice
didn’t take offense. His focus returned to the male. It made him happy he wasn’t
feline or canine. Primates were harder for humans to own as pets so he doubted
there were many being named after him. Of course no one had known about him
until the footage of him and Vanni behind the hotel was released. His name hadn’t
gotten out until the shopping excursion.

“Get to the point. This male approached you to do what?”

“He handed me this little glass bottle with a liquid drug
inside it. I was supposed to wait for a New Species to come into the bar and
when some chick came in and sat next to him I was told to split the dosage in
half and put it their drinks.”

“What drug?”

“Hell if I know. He said it would be entertaining. That’s
the word he used.”

“What was his name?”

The human shifted in his seat. “I’m not sure. I didn’t ask.
He was a big meathead. You know the type.”

“I don’t. Tell me.” Jericho crouched again, balancing his
weight on the balls of his feet.

It seemed to frighten the human, having Jericho that close
again. “A little over six feet tall. Dark crew-cut hairstyle. He didn’t have a
neck.”

“Keep describing him.”

“He looked like he was on steroids, okay? All muscles and
not much of a talker. I didn’t pay too much attention to his looks. I didn’t
want to date the asshole. I just took the cash and the drug from him. I did
what I was supposed to.” He paused. “I really needed the money. My old lady is
always complaining about how I don’t take her to nice places and she’s been
hinting for me to buy her a ring. Diamonds aren’t cheap. It’s kind of her fault
if you really think about it.”

“Could you pick him out of a lineup?”

The human hesitated and Jericho rumbled deep within his
chest.

“Yes!” The human nodded. “I could. He was in the bar a few
times. He drinks bourbon with ice.”

The door opened and one of the task force members entered
with a large envelope. He opened it and withdrew some eight-by-ten photographs.
“Tell me when you see him.”

The human chose the third photograph. “That’s him.”

“You’re sure?” Jericho stood.

“Yeah. He’s got a jagged scar on the back of his left wrist.
I saw it when he was drinking at the bar. It was kind of hard to miss. He’s tan
and it’s pretty stark in comparison. You notice that shit when you’re chatting
up customers when it’s slow. He wasn’t a talker so I thought he might be
ex-military. They tend to be loners when they come in and I knew he was working
security detail for someone at the hotel.”

“How did you know that?”

The human grimaced. “He had one of those earpieces with the
cord running down to his collar and he was packing a gun. He had a left-side
shoulder holster on. The suit was expensive so I knew he wasn’t there to rob
the place. Could have been secret service because we’ve had them in the hotel
before but they never drink while on duty. This guy was in there often. He kept
talking to some guy named Gregory through his earpiece thing. The first time it
happened, I thought he was talking to me and couldn’t read my nametag but then
he said it was his boss.”

Smiley breathed easier. They had linked the drugging to
Gregory Woods. He turned and opened the door. He wanted to see Vanni. She’d be
happy to know the bartender had confessed and he’d identified Bruce’s photo.