Laurann Dohner - Slade

“I can’t begin to apologize enough for all that has transpired, Trisha. This was purely an attack against New Species and you were involved by association.”

“It’s not your fault. You aren’t the idiots who ran us off the road or decided it sounded fun to try to hunt us as though we were deer. Thank you for the helicopter and for having Brass and Harley take such good care of me. Is there any word on Slade yet?”

Justice shook his head. “Our teams are still out there and they have rounded up eight more of those assho— Men who were out there looking for you. We are handing them over to the local authorities as soon as we find them. We were thrilled to get authorization to send our own teams into the area.”

Brass snorted. “They were very happy to allow us go in instead of them.”

Justice nodded. “There was that. We were more equipped to search a large area of woods than they were and with a much smaller manpower force.”

“They didn’t want those crazy fanatics firing at their asses,” Harley ground out.

“They gave us jurisdiction to go in and clean up the mess. We won’t get any credit for it, they’ll take that, but the local police force wasn’t in danger.”

Justice glanced at Trisha and frowned deeply as he sniffed. He didn’t say a word but Trisha noticed when he did again. He suddenly looked very angry when he parked the Jeep in her driveway. She saw a Homeland security guard standing on her porch but he wasn’t New Species.

“Sit right there,” Justice ordered her. “I sent him ahead of us because I knew your keys were lost to you after the wreck. We recovered your purse and keys. We returned what could be salvaged to your home. Your clothes that weren’t torn or damaged have been cleaned. What wasn’t salvageable will be replaced with our funds.” Justice rounded the Jeep and lifted a surprised Trisha into his arms and walked to the front door. “I was given a full briefing of the injuries you sustained. The doctor told you to stay off your feet for at least two days.”

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Laurann Dohner

The security guard nodded at Trisha while he opened the front door. Justice walked into the house and gently placed Trisha on the couch. He hesitated and turned to study Brass and Harley. The security guard had also stepped into the house.

“Could you please give us a few minutes? I’d like to talk to Trisha alone. She’s been through enough without the added trauma of having to tell me what happened with an audience of males.”

The three men left quietly and the door closed firmly behind them. Justice moved to the loveseat where he sat down. He looked tense. His cat-like eyes met Trisha’s.

“I smell fear, dirt, blood, and sex on you. There was no mention in the briefing from the doctor that you were sexually assaulted. Did one of those fanatics abuse you? I was told your face injures are a result of one of those assho—” He cleared his throat.

“Fanatics.”

“You can call them assholes. I do.” She met Justice’s gaze without looking away. “I wasn’t raped but it was close. I don’t really want to talk about the specific details but Slade got there in time. He stopped the guy before he could really hurt me.” She paused. “He had to kill him.”

“You had sex with someone before you left here? I wasn’t aware you were seeing anyone.”

Trisha frowned. “My sex life is none of your business, Mr. North.”

“I meant no offense. I’m going about this wrong. Excuse my poor wording but I’m trying to figure out if you are lying about the rape. You work and you don’t leave Homeland. I am aware of everyone’s comings and goings inside these walls. You had sex with someone because I am getting scents off you. Of course I smell Slade and there are two human males. You also now carry both Brass’ and my scent as well but they are faint because we both carried you. I know Smiley touched you to help you down the side of a hill.”

“How do you distinguish between human and New Species so well?”

He watched her closely. “New Species… It’s hard to explain. I just can tell the difference. One male’s scent is familiar. I just want to know the truth if you were sexually abused.”

“I wasn’t. The familiar scent you might be picking up is probably the driver of the SUV, Bart. I don’t know his last name. He was injured in the roll over and I touched him quite a bit to check him for injures. He’s dead, right? Slade and I heard three gunshots after Bart refused to leave the scene where we crashed. He thought those men wouldn’t hurt him because he was human. We tried to tell him they would kill him but he refused to listen to us. We had no choice but to leave him behind.”

“He’s dead.” Justice nodded. “He was shot in the groin, stomach, and head after being tied up and tortured. We assume they tried to gain information from him on where you and Slade had gone. His body was located next to the destroyed SUV. The coroner stated he was killed soon after the crash.”

112

Slade

Chapter Twelve

Trisha had suspected Bart would die, had been sure of that when they’d heard the gunshots, but hearing the words of what had been done to him leveled her inside. His face flashed through her memory, how afraid he’d been, and he’d just been a boy. One with a mother who worried enough about him to want him to go to a vet to get vaccines against animal diseases.

“Jesus,” Trisha gasped. “The groin?”

Justice hesitated. “What they did was vicious and cruel. It’s one thing to kill a man in cold blood but another to castrate him before death.”

Her stomach roiled just a little. “Castrate?”

“They used a sawed-off double barrel shotgun at close range. We were told by the coroner that they must have put it right against his groin before they pulled the trigger.

Those bastards are the animals and yet they have a problem with us. Species would never be that inhuman.”

Trisha stumbled to her feet. “I need a shower. I know you have questions but I’m tired, hungry, and dirty.” She bit her lip and flinched, forgetting how sore it was. She met Justice’s gaze as he stood. “I’ll probably have a good cry too. I wasn’t raped, I swear. Slade stopped my attacker before he could. I am grateful that you care about my well-being but my sex life is personal. I do have a favor to ask though.”

“Anything.”

“When you hear word about Slade, I don’t care what time it is, please have someone call to let me know. He saved my life out there over and over again. I don’t think I’ll rest well until I know what happened to him.”

“I am going to have Brass stay here. I will have food brought to you and it will be waiting after your shower. I swear that when I know something, I will call Brass and have him relay the information to you. We’ll talk about what happened tomorrow.”

“Brass is staying here?”

Justice nodded. “Yes. It’s just a precaution. It seems that some deaths have occurred with the assholes. Some of their associates are pretty pissed they died instead of doing all the killing. You will have around-the-clock protection until we feel there is no longer a threat. You are familiar with Brass and it’s been pretty traumatic for you. He’ll take the first shift. I want him inside your house. He can sit on the couch if that’s acceptable.

He’ll be here to accept the food deliveries and relay any information I get to you.”

“But we’re at Homeland and it’s safe here. Those jerks can’t get through the gates to reach my house. I’m sure―”

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Laurann Dohner

“Someone told them of our movements,” Justice cut her off. “They knew the route we planned for your SUV, which tells us they have inside information. Only our human security teams knew where we were going, what time, and how we were getting there.