Brian stepped back and put his hands up. “What’s wrong?”
Shadow sighed. “You touched her and were standing too close. He’s protective.”
Brian put more distance between him and the angry New Species. “Sorry, man. I didn’t know it would upset you. I was just introducing myself. It’s a normal human interaction.”
“Don’t get near her,” Wrath warned. “Are we clear, Brian?”
“Perfectly clear, sir.”
Wrath relaxed. “You know my name is Wrath. Don’t call me sir.”
The man nodded. “Sorry. It’s just that you’re the boss when I’m assigned to escort you guys. You’ve got the rank. ‘Sir’ is what I usually call the team leader. It’s just how Tim runs the ranks.” He paused. “What’s our game plan today?”
Brass stepped forward, taking charge. “We are driving the female to her apartment for her to change her clothing. She’s going to be taking Wrath into the target’s workplace while we monitor them from a distance. The female will talk to Bill’s coworkers and see if she can locate him.”
Brian nodded. “Good.” He glanced at Lauren. “Do you think they will talk to you?”
She nodded. “They should. I work there too.”
Brian’s eyes widened in surprise. “Okay. Good. Are we ready to go? I assume I’m driving since I know the area?”
“Yes,” Shadow sighed. “Let’s roll.”
Wrath slowly released Lauren’s waist but gripped her hand quickly. She noticed he still appeared slightly upset over her shaking Brian’s hand and wondered if that was taboo with his kind. Maybe it was rude to touch an unknown male in Species culture. She wasn’t too sure about the reasoning but she made a mental note not to do it again. Wrath led her to the SUV and opened the back door.
“Get in. You sit in the middle.”
“What about my purse and keys? I need them.”
“I’ve got them,” Shadow called out, rushing to catch up.
Lauren scooted across the seat to the middle and Wrath climbed in after her. Shadow opened the other door and took a seat next to her, while Brass and Brian entered the front. They all reached for their seat belts and she did the same.
The New Species all put on dark sunglasses before Brian even started the engine and Brass shoved a cap on. It made her really notice the tight braid at the back of his head for the first time. Her eyebrows arched but she didn’t ask why he had long hair when the other two New Species had cut theirs so short.
Wrath was careful not to touch her and it became more apparent as the miles passed that he avoided her on purpose. He leaned away from her when the vehicle swayed through turns. She studied his features, hated the dark glasses that hid his eyes and leaned into him until he turned his face in her direction.
“Are you mad at me?”
“No. I’m preparing for the mission. I like to go over all possible scenarios we may encounter and plot my reactions.”
“Okay.” She wasn’t sure what that meant but it must be a man thing.
Shadow laughed. “We all do that. This is your world and not ours. Everything is strange to us and we try to make sure our responses are as smooth as we can make them.”
She could see how out of place they would probably feel in the big world. She’d read about the NSO Homeland and the NSO Reservation. They were massive properties that housed all New Species and were run by the New Species Organization. They had their own civilizations on those two properties but little was known beyond bits and pieces of information that the press got wind of. No one really knew what was true or not.
Curiosity piqued her. “What is it like where you come from?”
“I lived at Reservation for over a month before I took this assignment. Wrath and I both agreed our time would be better spent tracking down our enemies than learning how to play sports. Reservation is a big, forested area with few buildings. They have a hotel, just opened a movie theater, and we have a bar where our social events are held. We don’t enjoy drinking alcohol but a lot of us like to dance. It is a good place to live.”
“Do you miss it?”
Shadow hesitated. “What we do is important and we had less to lose than most since we were so recently freed. We volunteered for this duty and we’re honored to represent our people.”
Wrath growled. “Enough.”
Shadow frowned, shot him a dirty look and continued. “We not only hunt criminals who harmed Species but some of our people are still being held captive. Wrath and I are examples of that. We were not rescued in the raids of the original testing facilities that were located. Before that even happened, we were stolen by some of the staff and taken to new locations. They used us to make money to begin new lives in other countries and escape justice.”
“Shadow, enough.” Wrath’s voice came out a growl now.
“She needs to know and I don’t hear you telling her.” Shadow paused. “We are hoping that anyone we capture who worked for Mercile will have information to help us locate other Species.”
Lauren turned her head and stared up at Wrath. He frowned at his friend and once again she wished she could see his eyes. “What is wrong with him telling me that?”
His lips parted but then he sealed them in a tight line.
“He is probably worried that you might think he is cruel to go after humans despite the harm they caused Species.”
“I don’t believe that.” Lauren reached out and placed her hand over Wrath’s. “I think it’s very brave.”
He didn’t pull away and she relaxed in her seat. She turned to Shadow again to get more answers since he was talkative. “I thought all the New Species had been found and freed.”
“We didn’t know a fifth testing facility existed but it was located. There is evidence there may be more and who knows how many others were stolen away in the manner Wrath and I were.”
“That’s horrible.”
Shadow jerked his head in agreement. “Yes. That is why we live away from our kind and sacrifice so much to do our duty.” His chin lifted and he stared at Wrath. “We must not forget the commitment we have made to our people.”
Wrath growled, his head snapped in Shadow’s direction and his fangs flashed in a scary show of temper. “Enough.”
Lauren glanced between the two men, wondering what she was missing.
“What’s your address?” Brian’s gaze met hers in the mirror. “It’s hard to drive there if I don’t know where I’m going.”
Brass gave Lauren’s home address before she could. He turned in his seat to meet her surprised stare. “We learned everything we could about you the second you showed up at that warehouse. I could tell you how much money you made four years ago and what you charged on your credit cards if I wished.”
The silence in the SUV stretched on until she realized they were near her home. “It’s the tan building with the big bushes. You can take the driveway to the left and park in the back. I have a visitor’s parking space.”
Brian parked where she indicated and Wrath helped Lauren climb out of the SUV. She spotted her neighbor and waved at Mr. Adams, flashing him a big grin. Amusement made her chuckle at the way his eyes widened behind his glasses as she passed him with her four large escorts.
“What is funny?” Wrath handed her purse over when she paused in front of her door.
She unlocked the door, pushed it open, and stepped inside. “Sorry if my place is a mess. I wasn’t expecting company.”
Wrath paused next to her. “Why did you find it amusing when the old man gaped at us? You are still smiling.”
Lauren chuckled. “Mr. Adams is a gossiping busybody with a wild imagination.”
“I don’t understand.” Brass spoke. “What is that?”
Brian laughed. “It means he’s very nosy. He’s always talking to everyone and makes things up.” Brian turned to Lauren. “They don’t understand some of our terms.”
Lauren chuckled. “By tonight he’s going to be telling everyone in the complex that I brought four big guys home and he’ll probably say we had an orgy.”