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  “Secure that bitch,” a stranger demanded.

  Pain lanced through her. Whoever had her hair fisted in his hand was crushing her face against the unforgiving tile. The boot on her ass held her down so forcefully that she wondered if her hipbones would break from the pressure. The handcuffs being placed on her wrists were tightened to an excruciating point. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks. She would have screamed again but the pain became too intense. She had a hard time even breathing.

  “Someone shot out the electrical box on this floor,” a man stated.

  “The dumb bitch probably thought she’d kill the power to the elevator. Let’s get these doors open. I have a feeling we have live ones, guys. Let’s rescue them. We need to move fast. We don’t want this place to end up like what happened at that testing facility in Michigan last year. It could be wired to explode.”

  Jeanie focused on one word. Rescue. They weren’t guards who worked at the facility. The men holding her down were cops. The fact that they hadn’t shot her already was secondary proof of their identity. She managed to suck in more air, breathing a sigh of relief. They won’t kill me.

  Loud pops sounded. Some smoke filled the area but it wasn’t suffocating, more of a slight taste in her mouth and an acrid smell. She just lay there, hoping for respite. Her eyes closed—keeping them open seemed impossible. The boot on her ass shifted a little but it didn’t ease up on the weight holding her down.

  “We’re here to save you,” a soothing male voice stated. “We work for people just like you who have been freed from these testing facilities. We’re going to take you out of here to your own kind.”

  “Hello,” a deeper voice said. His tone was quieter but it carried. “I’m like you. See? We’ve come to rescue you. You are free now. These humans with us are good ones who work with our kind. We’ll take you to a safe place. We need to get you out of here. No one is ever going to chain you up again.”

  She listened, hearing the same speech multiple times while they cleared cells of the test subjects down the hall. All fifteen of them on that floor had survived. She hoped the ones a floor above had been equally as lucky and that no one had managed to break through their cell doors. The cops were using some form of small explosive devices, something the facility guards didn’t have access to.

  “Wait,” a soft, feminine voice protested. “Get off her. Tech Shiver?”

  A gentle hand brushed hair away from Jeanie’s cheek. She forced her eyes open. It was difficult to even focus, the pain and coldness that racked her body growing worse. A pair of familiar dark eyes stared back at her and she tried to smile at 433. The other woman had dropped to her hands and knees next to Jeanie, so close to the floor that their faces were inches apart.

  Jeanie opened her mouth to assure her everything was going to be fine, wanting 433 to know that she could trust her rescuers, but nothing came out. She couldn’t speak. Her throat was too dry and exhaustion had taken hold. 433 brushed her thumb along her cheekbone, growled, before jerking her head up. The sound deepened into a threatening one.

  “She helped us. Get off her!”

  “She’s not your concern.” The man spoke softly but his tone was firm. “Please back away from the prisoner.”

  The thumb left Jeanie’s face and 433 rose to her feet, snarling. “Get off her! She killed them to save me. I smell her blood and she’s hurt. She needs a doctor.”

  “Forget it. Let the bitch die,” the same man stated.

  433 stepped closer and Jeanie couldn’t move her head enough to see what was going on but the weight on her ass was suddenly gone. A man grunted.

  Another growl sounded, far deeper in pitch. “What is going on?” The angry voice belonged to the man who’d given the speech over and over to the men and women they’d been rescuing, claiming to be one of them.

  “She saved my life. That guard on the floor came in to kill me but she shot him first. She said help was coming and she had to disable the locks on the doors to protect us. She was hurt but your males have hurt her more. She is always kind to our people. She stopped a guard from mounting me last month.” 433 sounded pissed and frantic. “Make them help her, please. She’s hurt. Smell her blood.”

  “Do as she says,” the deep voice commanded. “Get help for the human female. We’ll sort this out later.

  “She’s an employee here.” Someone yanked on her coat. “Here’s her card with her picture. She’s one of them,” a man declared. “Technician Jeanie Shiver.”

  A deep snarl sounded and the rough grips securing her hands and hair were gone. Someone else grabbed her arms and she groaned when she was gently rolled onto her side. Pain made her cry out. She closed her eyes and felt blackness taking her. I’m dying.

  “Look at me,” a deep voice snarled.

  Jeanie forced her eyes open again. More flashlights had been added until the hallway was now well lit. 710 glared down at her. His dark gaze swirled with fury but she saw recognition there. He remembered her.

  She studied him. He was tanner than he had ever been and his blond hair had grown longer. He wore all-black clothing and his vest had white NSO lettering, which stood for New Species Organization. She’d been given proof that 710 had survived the rescue assault she’d helped set up on the testing facility but had never thought she’d get to see him in person again.

  “Shiver,” he rasped, his voice sounding harsh but gentle at the same time.

  She blinked at him, holding his gaze, running her tongue over her dry lips. She tried to speak but nothing came out. His nose flared as he inhaled and a scary growl tore from his parted lips as he looked at someone behind her.

  “Your men shot her?”

  “She was that way when we found her. There were two dead security officers also shot.” The man who spoke sighed. “It looked as though they turned on each other.”

  “Get help for her now,” 710 snarled. “She’s dying.”

  “Okay. Medic, come to the subbasement, lowest floor. We have a critically injured.”

  Another man snorted. “Let the bitch die. They obviously shot each other to avoid being caught for questioning. It will save us from having to kill her later.”

  710 obviously disagreed. “Get those handcuffs off.”

  Jeanie moaned as someone touched her and pain shot up her shoulder and down her injured side as the metal was removed from her wrists. It hurt to move but she wanted to touch 710 just once more. She knew she wasn’t going to survive, despite medical intervention. One glance at the pool of blood she lay in was enough to convince her of that grim fact.

  She reached out and covered his hand with hers where it rested on the floor as he crouched over her. His face was only inches from hers. She curled her fingers around the back of his fist. He felt really warm, where she was so cold. She clung to him as tightly as possible.

  He glanced down at the contact but didn’t jerk away from her touch. She was afraid he might. Blood soaked her hand, staining his as well. She half expected him to get pissed. She just longed to touch him. She was scared to die alone.

  He lifted his gaze to hers. He turned his hand under her palm and tightly clasped her fingers. Gratitude filled her that he’d care enough to attempt to give her some comfort. She licked her lips again, desperate to get words out.

  “I tried to save them all. Did they make it? Did they all survive?”

  He blinked. “They made it. No Species died.”

  Tears blinded her but she blinked them back, desperate to keep him in focus. She’d succeeded in saving all the men and women trapped inside the building. It had come at a high price but she had known the risks when she’d driven to work that morning. So many of them—all those lives were more important than hers. She closed her eyes and a sense of peace came, blocking out some of the pain.

  “Shiver?” He growled her name. “Open your eyes.”

  The demand was one she couldn’t resist as she peered at him again. He’d inched closer until his warm breath fanned her lips. Breathing t
ook effort as she struggled to make her lungs keep functioning. Blood loss and her body going into shock were taking their toll. She hoped she smiled when she tried, wanting to convey to him that it was okay.

  “Don’t die,” he rasped. “Hang on.” He glanced away. “Faster!” His tone deepened. “Get over here.”

  “Move!” a man yelled and something heavy clattered to the floor behind her. The coat she wore was jerked hard, fabric tore and she couldn’t prevent the whimper when gloved hands explored her now-exposed side.

  “You will be fine,” 710 said, drawing her attention. “Just stay with me.” He nearly crushed her smaller hand with his, as if he could force the issue by clinging to her tighter.

  “Shit,” the medic cursed.

  “Fix her,” 710 snarled.

  “It’s bad,” the medic answered. “Jed, get your ass over here. Open the kit and start an IV.”

  Her mouth opened. She didn’t have the energy to tell 710 any of the things she always wanted to say if they’d ever been alone without the risk of being overheard by Dean Polanitis or the people who’d worked for him. It was important that 710 understood how he’d changed her life and made her realize her purpose was to save his kind. He was the motivation that had given her the courage to conquer her fears. Not a day had passed since she’d laid eyes on him that he hadn’t filled her thoughts or haunted her dreams.

  “Shiver,” he said a little louder, “stay with me.”

  Blackness claimed her.

  Chapter Two

  Tim Oberto shot his team an infuriated look. “You damn near allowed her to die.”

  Trey Roberts, his second-in-command, cleared his throat. “Sir, how was the team supposed to know it would upset a rescued female that much? The woman in question was an employee. How many New Species have been murdered at their hands? I’m sorry the New Species female was that distressed but employees of those hellholes aren’t our priority. We immediately got that woman medical help once the situation exploded. She’s going to make it.”

  “She almost didn’t!” Tim yelled. “I know it’s your job to stand up for the teams but we both know they fucked up. Justice is going to be up my ass because we upset one of their females. She attacked one of our men, trying to defend that employee. Did she ask for help for the injured woman, or not, before she threw him into a wall to get his boot off the employee’s ass?”

  “She did,” a team member admitted. “But hell, the bitch had a gun when we reached that floor. She sat there facing us with a weapon and it’s lucky we didn’t just open fire and blow her head off. I would have taken the shot if she’d been a man.”

  The doors opened and Tim flinched as Justice North and a dozen large New Species males stomped into the room. Tim recognized how angry Justice was by the narrowing of his catlike eyes and the fact that his lips were parted enough to reveal his sharp canines. Tim waited as Justice stalked closer.

  “What is your directive?” Justice snarled.

  Tim straightened his shoulders and met Justice North’s heated stare. “To assist in the rescue of all New Species.”

  Justice nodded. “You’re our team. The government assigned you to assist us but you answer to the NSO first and foremost, Tim,” Justice growled. “That means all New Species. When a female Species demanded medical attention for a human, she should have been given what she wanted. First contact is very important. She thinks your team is just as bad as the humans who kept her captive. Is it true the human had already been shot when your men roughed her up and handcuffed her, almost allowing her to bleed out on the floor?”

  Tim flinched as his gaze shifted to Trey. “Is it?”

  Trey sighed, addressing Justice. “I was a floor above them but I have spoken to that team leader. It appears so, sir. She was suffering from a gunshot wound and holding a weapon in her lap. Two security guards were dead on the floor next to her. The team assumed they’d turned on each other to prevent us from gaining any information if they were arrested.”

  “The Species female,” Justice snarled, “said the human was beaten by the team. She swears the human’s face was bleeding and bruised only after they arrived. Is that true? Did someone hit the human?”

  Trey cleared his throat. “I questioned them about everything that happened. One of the men smacked her with the butt of his assault rifle to knock her down. Her face got bruised then or from when they secured her on the floor.”

  Another growl sounded and one of the New Species males stepped forward. True was a big son of a bitch—six foot six, wide shouldered and broad chested. His dense biceps stretched the black shirt sleeves to their limit. Shiny blond hair fell to his shoulders and his dark-brown eyes narrowed with anger as they fixed on Trey. Tim tensed, hoping a fight wouldn’t break out since he was aware that particular New Species, whom they’d rescued on a previous mission, was still learning to control his temper. The day had already been a total clusterfuck and he didn’t want it to worsen.

  “She’s a small human who was already bleeding. There was no cause for your team to rough her up or use handcuffs. A small child could have dealt with her in that condition. She was helpless.”

  “I wouldn’t have done it but I wasn’t there to control the situation,” Trey muttered. “I did bust their asses.”

  Tim inched closer to get between them. Those were his teams so it was his mess. “I understand you’re upset, True.”

  “Upset?” True snarled. “No one should abuse a female—human or Species. This is why I protest being forced to stay in the rear when the team enters a situation. I wouldn’t have allowed that to happen but she was already down when the team allowed me out of the elevator. I didn’t realize she was injured. The stench from the blood of the dead guards and the explosives used to open the doors masked her scent.”

  One of Tim’s men snorted. “She works for Mercile or whatever company name they are using now. Who cares? How many of your kind has she helped kill? No disrespect, sir.”

  True snapped his head in the direction of Chris, the team member who’d spoken. “We don’t abuse females. I don’t care if they work for our enemy. She’s a helpless creature.”

  “She works for a company that is an offshoot from Mercile,” Tim reminded everyone, sending Chris a dirty look to silence the idiot. The guy was new, had a bad attitude, but he’d deal with him later. He focused on the New Species again. “Her welfare wasn’t our priority. That would be saving New Species. I’m sorry your female got upset, Justice. The truth remains the same, though. The woman your female was upset about wasn’t some innocent victim we attacked. She worked for Cornas, which we all know is Mercile with a new name, and she’s as guilty as hell under New Species law. The badge clipped to her coat had her name and picture on it. Not to mention, she was found only feet from the doors where your people were caged, on the same floor where over a dozen of your kind were being held. That woman is either going to spend the rest of her life in prison or she’s going to get the death penalty. They will decide her fate at Fuller, once she’s transferred there.”

  True growled. “She won’t be killed by us.”

  Justice calmed. “We don’t condone anyone killing females, Tim, though sometimes it can’t be avoided when they are among the crueler doctors whom we’re certain killed our kind or if we had no choice because they opened fire on us. Our female said the human saved her from a rape last month and again from a guard putting a bullet into her right before the task force rescued them. Someone disabled the locks on those cell doors by frying the circuits with a stun gun. She had one of those in her pocket when they stripped her bare in Medical and our female said the human claimed she was disabling the locks to keep them safe. None of our people died because those guards couldn’t gain access into their cells.”

  True nodded. “We discovered bullet scars on some of the doors. The idiots built those rooms to keep our kind prisoner but they made them break-in proof as well. The guards would have gone in to shoot our people dead if those locks hadn’t b
een destroyed. Whoever disabled them saved lives.”

  Tim ignored the throbbing at his temple, a sign of an oncoming monster headache. His team had made a few mistakes but they were somewhat justified. “Someone poured coffee into their mainframe computer. We pulled the woman’s prints off the coffeepot handle inside the computer room. Why did she do that if she’s so saintly? The data couldn’t be restored. It fried the damn thing. She covered Mercile’s ass when she did that. There are no records, no real proof that the testing facility belonged to them. They leased the building under a shell company and we are hitting a dead end on tracing the money that funded it. Those files were our only hope of cementing proof directly back to Mercile.”

  Justice frowned. “I don’t know why she did it.” He turned and stared at the team’s medic. “What is the human’s current condition?”

  “I just spoke to the older Dr. Harris. She’ll live. It was touch and go for a while but they stopped the bleeding. I heard she was given blood and New Species healing drugs. The injuries caused to her face aren’t life threatening. She’s bruised up but it’s mostly just painful.”

  Justice faced Tim. “Interrogate her but do it with respect. She obviously saved some of our people. Keep that in mind. Find out why she did all of it and what she was protecting Mercile from on those computers. Offer her a deal if that’s what it takes to get more proof against those bastards for this one.”

  True moved closer. “I want to be there.”

  Justice studied him. “Why?”

  “She worked in New Mexico last year.”

  Justice appeared surprised by that news. “You knew her?”

  True nodded. “She was kind.”

  Justice frowned. “Were there experiments between the two of you?”

  “No.” True scowled. “I’ve never mounted her if that’s what you’re asking.”