Justice paused. “You will live if you help us get her back and she is still alive.”
“He doesn’t plan on killing her but it’s not my fault if the New Species he took her to kills her,” Charlie A rtzola stammered quickly. “He wanted her to give to one of your kind. The man I work for is Dr. A dam Zenlelt. He worked for Mercile Industries and approached me after I got the job at Homeland. He offered me a lot of money and I needed it. I’ve got an ex-wife and a ton of bil—”
Valiant roared again, edged closer, and his fingers curved into claws.
Justice glanced at him and then the attorney. “He doesn’t give a shit why you did it. Stop excusing your betrayal and tell us where the woman is and more about this human who has her.”
“I don’t know all that much about him. He wanted Miss Shasta because I told him that one of yours planned to marry a human woman. He pays me to tell him that stuff. He has a New Species and he’s been trying to run tests on him but it’s an insane one who keeps killing any women shoved inside his cell. Zenlelt likes to be called
“doctor”. He realized that two New Species can’t breed and he’s planned on testing one of you against a human woman to see if she can get pregnant. Zenlelt thought that since one of you would fuck her, his guy would do her too. That’s why he needed her so bad and bribed me to take her to him. He’s going to lock her inside a cage with that thing to see if he’ll fuck or kill her the way he did the others. That New Species he’s got is really an animal, Justice. I saw him once and he doesn’t have an ounce of humanity left inside him.”
Valiant lunged. Justice moved, grabbed him, and tossed him back into the wall. Justice struggled but managed to pin him there. “We won’t find her if you kill him,” he snarled.
Valiant closed his eyes and nodded. Justice eased his hold and released the bigger male. He turned to glare at the human he’d mistakenly trusted.
“Tell us everything you know.”
The attorney nodded frantically. “I will. They have a house they’ve rented and that’s where I saw them a few days ago. They had the New Species locked up and drugged inside a cage at the time but he wasn’t fully asleep. He scared the hell out of me because he’s got these black stone-cold, dead eyes. Serial-killer type. I was ordered to take her to the house, which I did. Zenlelt has two guys working with him and they took her into the house. They have another location but I don’t know where it is or the location of where they are keeping the New Species. I just know I heard them say they were going to wait until dark to get the New Species prepared for her before they took her to him. They call him 927
and sometimes they call him the beast.” Charlie A rtzola swallowed. “I heard Zenlelt say that out of all the males he had, that one tested with the highest sperm. I don’t know where they brought him from or where Zenlelt’s set up normally but he came here looking for a woman who had sex with a New Species.”
“Where is this house?” Justice inched closer, his hands curled into fists.
Charlie A rtzola paused. “You swear that you won’t kill me or let him hurt me?” His gaze jerked to Valiant, who stood against the wall where Justice had pushed him, before staring at Justice again. “I want your vow on the lives of New Species I’ll walk out of here alive and in one piece if I help you find her.”
“I do not break my word,” Justice growled. “I am a man of honor. I swear you will not be killed and I will not allow Valiant to have you if she’s still alive. A s for walking out of here, that I refuse to promise. You betrayed my people but I’m willing to hand you over to your justice system. It’s far kinder than ours.”
The attorney gave the address of the house but paused. “But they have moved her by now. The sun was going down when your men found me.”
“What were they going to move her in? Did you see the other car?”
“It was a large white van without windows. It wasn’t marked and I didn’t look at the plates. These aren’t guys you want to be nosey around. The back two doors had no windows either. It’s all I can tell you.”
“You do not know where they were taking her?”
The man hesitated for a second too long. “No. I don’t.”
Valiant growled. Justice glared. “You lie again. You stink of dishonor. Tell me where they took her or I will let him hand you your guts.” He glanced at the officer by the door. “Tiger? Have you scoped out a good location to bury the human’s remains if we have to kill him?”
Tiger smiled coldly. “Of course. It’s smack dab inside the Wild Zone. He will never be found.”
“I really don’t know,” the attorney nearly sobbed. “I just know it was close to where the house is. Yesterday I took Zenlelt information and one of his men left to go feed the beast. He was only gone about twenty minutes.
I swear, God as my witness, that’s all I know.”
Justice relaxed. He turned and met Valiant’s gaze.
“Let’s go.”
Outside the door someone handed Justice a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He’d asked for clothes to be brought to him before he’d entered the room. He nodded his thanks as he accepted the clothing and studied Valiant.
“Well, she was alive when he left her. She is strong, Valiant. She threatened that man to the point he felt terror the second you walked into the room.” Justice smiled. “Where did she think up tearing out his guts?”
Valiant shrugged, too worried and angry to be amused. “I don’t know but that’s my Tammy. She’s smart.” His voice broke.
Justice reached out and gripped his arm. “We will find her.”
Tiger nodded. “We’ll get her back, Valiant. The SUVs are ready. Let’s go.”
Chapter Fourteen
Valiant buried his face against the mattress of the small bed. He inhaled deeply, growled, and fought the urge to roar. “My Tammy was here. They had her chained down and she was very frightened. I’m also picking up a strange smell mingled with her sweat. They drugged her with something. It’s faint but there.”
Tiger examined the handcuffs still attached to the metal frame of the headboard and foot rail. He didn’t see or scent blood on either set. “We’ll find her.”
Justice nodded. “We hiked in from the woods so we wouldn’t be spotted. The upstairs bedrooms are currently lived in. Someone will return. Their things are still here.”
Tiger nodded at the five men inside. “We watch and wait.”
Valiant moved, climbed up on the bed, and pressed his nose against the mattress again. Tammy’s scent lingered there. The smell of her terror was strongest there. He didn’t want to move for fear it would fade away. He had to find her. He sensed Justice and Tiger watching him.
Justice sighed. “Does it help?”
“A little,” Valiant admitted softly. “I do not want to live anymore if we don’t find her.” He turned his head to stare at them.
Tiger cringed and Valiant understood why. They all knew it happened sometimes with New Species inside the testing facilities. They gave up hope and just stopped eating. They allowed their bodies to die. He never thought he’d be one to release life once they were freed.
He refused to regret falling in love with his Tammy though.
“I hope I never fall in love if it means losing a woman makes me want to give up my hold on life,”
Tiger muttered.
“Hopefully the male she’s been taken to won’t hurt her,” Justice said. “He will scent you on her unless she showered and changed her clothing after you left her.”
He shook his head. “She did not. She’d already changed into her clothing when I left. I held her and my scent is all over her. He won’t be able to miss it.”
“Good.” Justice turned his attention on Tiger. “There are more of Species still imprisoned by Mercile. We need to find them and we’ll be able to if we find her.”