“I’ll order more security on all the working sites. I don’t want anyone to get hurt or be killed.” His finger had barely touched the numbers when the office door jerked open loudly. Tiger rushed inside.
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Slade
“Slade? We have a problem.”
Slade studied Tiger. They had become good friends after they’d been freed from captivity. They had lived and roomed together with other males in a remote motel for the months that had followed until the New Species Homeland had been opened.
“What is it?”
“We’re missing human males.”
“How many?” Slade grabbed his radio, dropped the phone, and rose to his feet quickly.
“There are exactly fourteen males unaccounted for and we’re missing two work trucks. Just as you ordered, we count heads every hour and from last one, that’s how many disappeared. I talked to both gates and they didn’t leave. They are still here somewhere.”
“Son of a bitch,” Slade growled. “Attention,” he demanded into the radio, rushing for the door. “We have fourteen human males in two trucks unaccounted for. Find them quickly.”
Slade sprinted for one of the Jeeps with Tiger following. “Where do you think they would have gone?”
“I don’t know.” Tiger jumped in the passenger seat. “But we’ll find them.”
“Slade?” The voice on their radios spoke.
“He’s with me.” Tiger used his own radio to answer. “What is it?”
“Two trucks passed one of the security guards about twenty minutes ago, heading for the wild zone. It wasn’t questioned because a crew had been scheduled to go work on the electrical system along the security walls out that way. We double-checked and they weren’t sent out there yet. Whoever was spotted there shouldn’t have been in the area without an escort by our officers but the human guards didn’t know that.”
“Shit,” Slade growled. “Trisha is out there.”
Tiger groaned. “Why would she be? It’s not safe. Have you lost your mind? I thought we’d decided to set her up on the top floor of the hotel and have the access limited.”
“Plans were changed.”
“Is there a reason for that? A human has no business out there. The males have marked their territory and wouldn’t welcome her there despite her being female.”
Slade hesitated. “You could say that.”
“What is she doing out there? No humans are allowed inside the wild zone. How did you talk them into allowing her into their territory? They’ve become really territorial and they’d have smelled her pretty quickly.”
“Trisha is carrying my child. She’s living in cabin six.”
“Child?” Tiger gasped.
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Laurann Dohner
Slade nodded, punched the gas, and turned the wheel hard. “She’s pregnant by me.
Justice sent her here to conceal her from the humans during her pregnancy. Very few of us know of her condition.”
“Son of a bitch.” Tiger seemed stunned. “So you’re going to be a daddy. Shit. You got her pregnant. What did she do to make that happen?”
“It was natural.”
“Shit,” Tiger growled again. “We can get them pregnant? Somebody should have told us that. I guess I better cancel my date with the woman from the city who inspects construction. I sure don’t want to be a daddy too. My life is hard enough to deal with on my own but a mate and child?” He shook his head. “Not interested.”
Slade shot him a surprised look. “I didn’t know you were attracted to humans. I thought you believed they were too fragile.”
“Yeah, well, some of them think I’m pretty cute.” He shrugged. “What’s a cute guy to do? I thought I’d try it. They are too fragile but it might have been fun to allow one to have her way with me a time or two.”
“The missing humans better not be anywhere near Trisha. I do want her and our child. Where are these bastards and what are they doing?”
“I don’t know.” Tiger unsnapped his gun holster to gain easier access to his weapon. “But we’ll find them.” He stood, gripping the frame of the windshield. “You drive and I’ll scent. We’ll find them together, faster.”
“I’m going to check on Trisha first. We have enough men to search for those assholes. I just want to make sure she’s safe.”
“Totally understandable. I’ll still keep my nose at work. I can at least radio the teams if I catch their scent.”
* * * * *
“Trisha!” Brass yelled.
Trisha jumped, nearly slipping on the wet tub floor. She grabbed the water handles and turned them off. The bathroom door slammed into the wall when someone threw it open. A stunned and naked Trisha gasped when Brass suddenly yanked back the shower curtain. He pulled her out of the shower by her arm.
“There are a lot of humans coming this way.” He released her and shoved her clothes into her arms. “Get dressed now. Be quick about it.”
Brass ignored her to step up onto the rim of the tub to peer out the small window.
Trisha tried to ignore the fact that she stood dripping wet and naked in the tiny room with him. She fumbled to figure out her T-shirt and yanked it over her head. The material clung to her damp skin. Fear motivated her not to complain about the invasion of privacy. He didn’t seem to even notice she was naked…besides ordering her to dress.
“What is going on?” She yanked up her cotton shorts. “Why would humans be inside the wild zone? Are you sure someone is coming? Aren’t they banned?”
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Slade
“I see two trucks coming with many humans inside.” He jumped down and grabbed Trisha’s arm.
Trisha shoved her shirt down over her lower stomach as Brass hauled her into the living room. Moon and Harley had started to barricade the front door with the couch and they appeared really angry. Brass looked around the room and dragged Trisha toward the fireplace. He reached down, fisted the metal grate that covered it, and shoved it out of way.
“Get inside there.”
She gaped at the dirty fireplace. “Why? It’s really dirty.”
“The fireplace appears to be made solid with rock and mortar. Get your ass inside there now. Bullets shouldn’t go through it and it’s the best place I can think to put you.
We’d flee with you but I’m afraid it’s too late. They’d see us and use the trucks to chase us down. Protecting you and your baby is our priority. Get inside there now and curl into a ball.”
Trisha cringed but she lowered to her hands and knees. It wasn’t a comfortable fit but she sat on her butt in ashes with her knees drawn up tight against her chest. Her forehead rested on her knees and she wrapped her arms around her bent legs. She couldn’t lift her head all the way up without banging it into the flue. The interior of the fireplace wasn’t tall enough. She watched with growing fear as the three men prepared for the worst.
The cedar chest was pushed in front of the door with the couch. For good measure, Moon shoved a heavy side table against that. Harley ran to the kitchen table and flipped it over onto the floor facedown. The legs were snapped off with a little help from his boot and strong hands. He lifted the heavy, thick wood of the tabletop and ran for the windows near the door. He dropped it in front of the glass so only inches of sunlight showed at the top. He shoved the loveseat in front of it to keep it in place.
Brass rushed inside the kitchen to tear out the fridge from the hole where it sat and shoved it against the back door. It completely blocked the entire opening and he grabbed the stove.
“Gas line!” Trisha yelled.
Brass froze and peered at her. “Thanks. I wouldn’t have remembered.” He leaned behind the large appliance for a few seconds to remedy the potential problem before he tore the disconnected stove away from the wall. He shoved it against the fridge.
“The top floor should be secure,” Moon called out. “There’s nothing around it high enough for them to climb up there and they can’t leap the way the felines and primates do.”