He looked confused. “Okay.”
Jessie took a deep breath. “This relates to when Rebecca and Brawn were kidnapped and taken by Mercile Industries employees.”
Rage instantly tensed his features. “Is there another threat to my girl?”
“You need to remain calm, all right?” Jessie regarded him. “I need you in professional mode. Set your feelings aside for a few minutes until I’m done explaining. This involves Rebecca but she’s absolutely fine, happy and safe. Don’t think there’s some kind of threat against her. There isn’t. Can you just please remain calm and hear me out?”
Tim didn’t look composed but nodded.
“The situation was very stressful and Rebecca didn’t tell you everything that happened. She was afraid you’d go ballistic.”
Tim suddenly gripped his chair. “Goddamn, Jessie. She was raped, wasn’t she? She lied to me and that’s why she took off to Europe. I knew it! I even think I know who did it. I saw he was scratched and had a bite mark on him. That bastard raped my baby, didn’t he?”
“She wasn’t raped,” Jessie assured him. “Calm down and let me finish?”
He gritted his teeth and jerked his head in a nod.
“The doctor running the lab they were taken to was selling semen samples from Species men. You were banned from knowing the details because we were afraid you’d think the worst. They were selling the samples to some foreign person or company we’re still tracking. They had three canine Species males but they needed a feline and planned to try to kidnap a primate mix next. Their contact in Europe wanted to buy a set of the Species males. Primate, canine and feline. I guess there’s a black market over there and their wish list includes New Species babies. They are trying to figure out a way to open some kind of fucked-up breeding operation using Species’ sperm and human surrogate mothers to create a bunch of infants to sell.”
“They put her in with those men, didn’t they?” Tim’s eyes filled with tears. “You just found out. Was it just the one or was it all of them?”
Jessie shook her head. “I’m telling you this because it was a stressful situation and they wanted samples from Brawn that weren’t, um…” She glanced at her mate for help.
“They hooked them to sex toys that made them come to get their samples.” Justice sighed. “They asked Becca to take the samples from Brawn directly because they believed she was his girlfriend, therefore turned him on without the use of drugs and she had to take samples by manipulating his dick.”
“Son of a bitch!” Tim shot out of his chair. “I suspected she was the one who bit and scratched him. She wanted to talk to him, probably confront that bastard, but I made sure that didn’t happen. I kept them apart.”
Jessie stood. “Sit down now.” She frowned. “How did you keep them apart? What are you talking about?”
Tim sat but was pale and furious. “She wanted to talk to him and I was told he wanted to talk to her. I don’t care if he’s sorry or whatever the hell he wanted to say. He hurt my baby and I wasn’t going to allow him to do it again. I had the therapist we use say she was too traumatized.” He glared at Justice. “I knew you’d keep that son of a bitch from talking to my girl if the therapist suggested they not talk and I told my baby he wouldn’t talk to her. He’s not going near her. If he wants to apologize, too damn bad. She’s obviously upset and she fled to avoid the pain of the memories. I knew something happened, damn it. I knew she was lying and he was involved.”
“What choice did she have but to lie to you, Tim? It’s not as bad as you’re imagining. Just listen. I talked to Rebecca myself and she was okay with touching Brawn. The circumstances were horrible but so was him having to be hooked up to the machines. She saw that happen to one of them and it was pretty horrific, okay? She liked Brawn, they shared a cage and became really close.” Jessie sucked in air. “Really close, Tim.” She leaned in to stare at him. “They fell for each other. Are you following me? They started to have feelings—deep ones—for each other.”
Tim looked pissed. “So you’re telling me he had to fuck my daughter but he made sure she enjoyed it? She bit him and he had scratches. He obviously hurt her.”
Justice growled, his own temper flaring. “Jessie is saying they fell in love. He never forced your daughter to touch him, actually asked her not to and was willing to submit to being drugged and hooked to their machines to force his samples. She refused to allow it.”
Jessie sighed. “He didn’t hurt her, Tim. They fell for each other but she was afraid you’d kill him if you found out something had happened between them. She thought you might quit your job with the NSO. Brawn thought seeing him after they were released would only cause her pain because of what she’d endured at the hands of those asswipes. I can’t believe you had the therapist lie about that.” She frowned. “We’ll discuss that later though but we’re definitely hiring a new one you can’t intimidate. Brawn wanted to protect her and she wanted to protect him. They love each other. I think you misinterpreted the love bite and um, scratches she might have left on him during sex. He didn’t hurt her.”
Tim sat there for a good minute. “That’s why she went to Europe?” He stared at Jessie grimly. “She fell for this guy and she’s too afraid to tell me because she thinks I’ll kill him?”
“She’s not in Europe. She lied to you about that too,” Jessie sighed. “She’s up north at Reservation.”
Tim was shocked. “Why?”
“She’s pregnant. She and Brawn are going to have a baby.” Jessie held Tim’s gaze. “No one knows that a human and a New Species can conceive a baby together so you can’t tell anyone that you’re going to be a grandfather. It will put Rebecca and her baby in danger from the hate groups, from the media and from anyone who hates Species. It’s not just about her though. It’s about all New Species and human females. The hate groups would go nuts. Well, more nuts than they already are. Evil jerks who wanted to make money would kidnap more women the way they did your daughter and try to capture more of our males, Tim. Do you understand? You’re going to be a grandfather and we wanted you to know. Rebecca and Brawn are in love and living together.”
Tim sat there stunned. “She could have told me.”
“She was afraid you’d try to kill Brawn and was protecting him from you, Tim. She loves him. You forbade her from having anything to do with him, and no offense, but I’ve worked for you. I’ve gotten the daughter treatment from you. You can be a jerk sometimes. You make up your mind and there’s no changing it.”
Justice spoke softly. “She was afraid you’d hate us all and she didn’t want that to happen.”
Tim’s expression reflected many emotions but he finally stared at Jessie. “You’re married to one of them. Will he treat her good?”
Jessie grinned. “Justice would do anything for me, Tim. Anything. He is so overprotective it’s not funny. They aren’t like regular guys. He’ll never hit your daughter or cheat on her. He’ll die to make her happy if that’s what it takes. We have two other pregnant mixed couples. The males hardly ever leave the women’s sides. They pamper the hell out of them. One child has been born and the father of that baby is the same way to his mate and baby. They never had anything of their own, never were allowed to love and now that they can, it’s amazing, Tim. I can honestly say that if I had a daughter I would hope that she fell in love with one of them. I’d sleep better at night secure in the knowledge that she’d be happy. Brawn will make Rebecca his entire world and when the child is born, it will be a part of that world. They will be everything to him.”
“I want to see my daughter and Brawn.”
Jessie studied him. “Are you angry with Brawn? Will you try to harm him, Tim? Rebecca would hate you forever if you did. She’s agreed to be his mate, which means more than marriage to New Species. It’s a pledge to solely be with each other until one of them dies. It’s as serious a commitment as they can make together and deeper than what our marriage implies.”