“What is her name?” Lauren kept her voice down and hoped to distract the still-furious New Species.
He turned his chilly gaze on her and his nose flared. “Mine.”
She let that slide, not really believing that the woman had that name. His gaze jerked to the driver and she knew that statement of possession had been for the driver’s benefit.
“Is she feline like you or canine like…” She almost said Wrath’s name. “My mate.”
“She’s primate.”
“Oh.” Lauren hesitated. “I don’t think I’ve seen one of them yet.”
“I thought you were mated to one.” Mary frowned at her from the front seat. “A lot of them survived.”
Lauren met the bitch’s stare evenly. “I am. My mate is canine and all the people I’ve met at Homeland have either been that or feline.”
“Primates aren’t common.” 140 spoke. “They didn’t make as many of them. What is Homeland?”
“Shut up,” Mary snapped. “Don’t tell him a damn thing about the NSO. Got it, Lauren? Not a word.”
She was tempted to keep right on talking but 140 shook his head. She sealed her lips together and clenched her teeth. She would bet that Mary didn’t want 140 to know about any of his people being free. It would give him hope that he could be rescued too.
The car slowed and turned. Lauren glanced out the window and realized they’d entered an old part of town where a lot of businesses had closed due to the bad economy. It had really turned into a slum in the years since she’d frequented the area in her late teens and early twenties. Boarded-up windows became a common sight as they continued to drive down a few narrow streets.
“Do you know where we are?”
Lauren met Mary’s calculating eyes and shook her head. “The east side of town. I am a realtor and I know my properties.” They were actually on the border area of the south side and almost out of the city limits.
That answer made the other woman smirk. “Yes, you sure do know your areas.” She faced the front of the car, dismissing Lauren.
They turned into a driveway blocked by an old security gate. Mary flipped down the visor and hit a remote. The gate shook and wobbled as it began to roll sideways to allow the car to pass through. Recognition struck Lauren instantly. The place had once been a popular nightclub. Jasper’s had a new name painted on the back of the decrepit building, some restaurant name, but she was sure it was one and the same.
140 gripped Lauren’s wrist gently when they parked and he kept hold of her as they exited the car. He faced Mary with a defiant glare.
“I have done everything you ordered and I have behaved. I want to see my female now.”
Mary crossed her arms over her chest, lifted her chin and glowered at him. “Do you? You are sounding a bit too confident.”
“Please,” he hissed and lowered his gaze to the cracked tar.
That seemed to make the bitch happy and she dropped her arms to her sides. “Fine. Take her to a cage and you can go downstairs. I’ll make the call.”
“Thank you.” 140 tugged on Lauren. “Come.”
The back door was rusted metal. Marvin unlocked it with a key on the car ring and it squeaked loudly when it opened. The interior was dark and the smell of mold, dust, and stale air assaulted Lauren’s nose instantly. The floor felt uneven under her shoes as they walked through what used to be a kitchen. Outdated, stained, and broken cooking appliances indicated it hadn’t been used in at least a few years.
Shock gripped her when they stepped out of the kitchen area into what used to be the dance area of the club. The windows were all boarded up and debris from parts of the ceiling littered the floor. Some broken tables had been shoved against the stained walls but it was the five large animal cages that made her stumble. They were about eight feet high, maybe six feet square and three of them were occupied. New Species males stood staring back at her from behind the bars.
They wore sweatpants, no shirts, and all looked as if they could use a bath. One of them growled—a dangerous sound—and his dark eyes fixed on Lauren. A chill ran down her spine at seeing the hatred directed at her as she glanced at each one.
“It is fine,” 140 assured her.
He led her to one of the empty cages, putting her the farthest away from the men, and steered her inside. The floor was solid metal while the walls and ceiling were barred with inch-thick bars. He closed the door and Marvin moved close with the keys. The sound of it being locked was distinctive.
“Go, 140. Mark is expecting you. If you misbehave before you’re locked in your girlfriend’s cage, he’s been told to shoot her in the head.”
“I know.” 140 spun, marched through another hallway that used to lead to the bathrooms, and was out of sight.
Marvin stepped closer to Lauren and lowered his gaze to her chest. “Do you want to eat?”
She said nothing but backed away from the door, not that she could go far.
“You do something for me and I’ll return the favor.”
“You’re really pathetic and repulsive. I can totally understand why a troll like you would have to lock a woman up and threaten to starve her to try to make her touch your ugly ass. No thanks. I’d rather eat my shoe.”
“Fucking bitch,” he spat. “Wait a few days and say that then.”
She turned her back on him to prevent him from ogling her breasts anymore and observed how much the old club had changed. The roof obviously leaked from the appearance of the yellowed and destroyed ceiling panels and the walls were stained. Someone had wallpapered near the boarded-up windows. It was peeling and blackened around the edges, which she figured was the source of the moldy smell that made her breathe through her mouth.
She glanced at the only light sources—the hallways from the kitchen and bathrooms. No lights were on in the open space. She doubted the overhead lights worked anymore due to the water damage.
The only thing inside her cage was a balled-up nasty-looking blanket in one corner.
“I’ll let you use the bathroom if you open your shirt while you go.”
Lauren spun and flipped him off. “I’d rather piss down my legs.”
The guy’s face turned bright red. He huffed and yanked the keys from his pocket. She tensed when he reached to unlock the door, knew he planned to hurt her, but someone walked out of the kitchen.
“Leave her alone, Marvin!” Mary yelled. “Jesus. You are a troll. Get your ass over here and follow me to the office. We have work to do.”
Marvin hesitated but Mary turned around and disappeared. His voice lowered as he shoved the keys back inside his pocket.
“I’m going to hurt you, bitch. Don’t get too smug. Just wait.”
Lauren watched him go and figured he meant the threat. The creep was a total perverted asshole. She faced the three New Species when they were alone and felt fear at their hateful scrutiny. But they were locked up too. They couldn’t get to her.
“I’m Lauren.”
No one spoke.
She gripped the bars and gave them a firm shake but they were as solid as they appeared. She took a deep breath, blew it out and studied each one of the men. Two of them had feline traits while one had eyes shaped very similar to Wrath and Shadow’s.
“Why are you looking at me that way? I’m locked up too and I am not with those assholes. I’m a good guy.”
One of them frowned. “You’re female.”
“Yeah.”
“A guy is a male.”
Her mouth parted, stunned that he took what she’d said so literally. The blond one with catlike eyes sniffed the air. “She smells good. Maybe they want to do breeding tests.”
“Breeding tests?” Her eyes widened. She understood they thought she might have been brought for them to have sex with and wanted to clear that misconception up immediately. “I was kidnapped so they could exchange me for other people. I’m not here to do any testing.”