Текст книги "Smiley"

Автор книги: Laurann Dohner

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Текущая страница: 4 (всего у книги 22 страниц)

Chapter Four

“I would hate to be in the other SUV,” a man stated.

“Me too. Smiley is going to be pissed that Brass decked him when he comes around. They don’t fuck around, do they?” The second voice belonged to a guy too.

Vanni lay on her side in some kind of vehicle. It was dark when she opened her eyes and it took a few seconds for memory to return, fear coming with it. She was alone in the backseat of one of the SUVs—probably the same one she and Smiley had been in. Someone had put seat belts on her. One was around her thighs, the other around her rib cage. Her skirt was draped over her like a blanket but she was naked underneath. The feel of leather against her skin assured her of that.

“No shit,” the first one stated. He was in the driver’s seat.

“Sometimes I wonder if we’re crazy to work with New Species. What about you, Shane? Do you ever think you should be doing something else?”

“Nope. I love the NSO. It’s just been a bad night, Ned. Nobody expected an attack like that to go down at the hotel.”

Ned was silent for long seconds. “I was right there just twenty feet away. You expect this shit in third-world countries, not at home.”

“What shit?”

“Terrorists being women. I saw her sit next to Smiley and didn’t give it a second thought. She looked innocent enough.”

“I heard her say she didn’t drug their drinks.”

“You buy that?” Ned snorted. “How are you so naïve? I forgot. You’re like a full-grown Boy Scout and think all chicks are as sweet as your sisters. Wake the fuck up and live in the real world. We’re lucky she wasn’t an assassin. I’d have felt like a real asshole if she’d killed him in that bar. I’m guessing she’s some hooker they hired.”

“She doesn’t look like one.”

Ned laughed. “How would you know? Have you ever paid some chick to fuck you?”

“No.”

“Exactly. I have and not all of them are dolled up all the time. I did one who reminded me of my third-grade teacher. It was kind of hot since I had a crush on her.”

“You’re sick.” Shane cursed softly. “The engine light just came on. Radio it in.”

“Just pull over at the next gas station. Why bother them? It’s probably a loose battery cable. That happened to one I drove last week.”

“The oil light is blinking now.”

“So we’ll buy some oil and I’ll put it in. It will take a few minutes. Otherwise we’re going to have to wait for the other SUV to catch up and they’ll transfer her to it while we’re stuck waiting for roadside service. I just want to turn her over to Medical and go home.”

“She needs to be taken to Homeland as fast as possible. They are only about thirty miles behind us.”

“She’s out cold. It won’t matter and hell, we’ll probably be on the road before they reach us. Just pull over at the gas station.”

“Fine. I’m radioing it in though when we stop.”

“Boy Scout.” Ned chuckled. “You’re probably terrified Smiley will tear you a new asshole if he thinks you might have had a few minutes to examine her. Did you see the way he damn near bit off my face?”

“They are protective of women.”

“He should want her strung up for drugging him. I wouldn’t give a damn what happened to a chick who laced my drink so I had to fuck her.”

“Shut up, Ned. We don’t know if she’s guilty or not.”

“I think she is. He sat at the corner of the bar. She was the only one to take that empty seat next to him and was close enough to dope his drink.”

Vanni wanted to protest but kept quiet. They thought she was still unconscious and she wasn’t sure how they’d react if she let them know she was awake. Did the NSO really think she’d do something so awful?

“I just hope both of them are going to be okay.”

“She’ll probably end up arrested and he’s going to have a hell of a headache from that sucker punch. Take the next exit.”

“I see it.” Shane sighed. “I hope you’re wrong. Smiley seemed to really like her.”

“I’d say so. I don’t even have the super nose they do and I want to roll down the windows. It smells like a brothel in here.”

“Keep the windows up. I don’t want her to get cold.”

Ned laughed. “No comment about the brothel remark, huh? Do you even know what sex smells like? Don’t tell me Boy Scout is still a virgin.”

“I’m not. Why are you being such a dick tonight?”

“I’m tired and just want to go to bed. Pull into that truck stop. They’ll have oil. I’ll run in while you make the call to the other SUV. Pop the hood for me.”

The SUV slowed and they made a few turns. Vanni closed her eyes when they drove under the bright lights in case one of them turned around to check on her. She didn’t know what else to do but she didn’t want to talk to either of them. The SUV stopped and the engine shut off.

“You go in,” Shane ordered. “I’ll stay here with her.”

“She’s dead to the world. Just pop the damn hood and I’ll buy the oil.”

“Fine. I guess that’s okay.”

The doors opened and closed. Vanni hesitated and the vehicle jerked a little. She lifted up to peer between the seats. The hood was up and she could see through the small space between it and the engine. One man stood there. She turned her head and watched the other one walk inside a gas station. They were parked away from the other cars that were getting gas. One glance around the area showed a few food places and a lot of cars.

She fumbled to get free of the seatbelts then frantically put on her skirt. Her bra was on the floor with her shirt. She didn’t take the time to put it on but instead shoved it into the pocket of her skirt after she pulled the white top over her head and yanked it down to her waist.

A search of the floor failed to locate her shoes. Her ring caught her attention though. She stared at it with dread before picking it up. She put it in her pocket and hunched down to stare through the gap between the open hood and the engine compartment. The man remained there. The other was still inside, in line, holding something against his chest.

A big semi pulled into the lot and parked about ten feet away. The loud engine stayed on while a man opened the passenger door, slid out of the cab and headed toward the gas station.

Vanni took a deep breath. She wasn’t in pain anymore. Most of the drug must have left her system. She had two options. Stay in the SUV and be taken to Homeland with everyone around her thinking she’d drugged a New Species, or try to escape.

No interior lights had come on when they’d opened the doors and there’d been no dinging sound. She remembered they hadn’t come on when Smiley and she had entered the SUV. She tested the door on the driver’s side and found it unlocked. The noise of the semi’s engine drowned out any sound when the door opened. Her heart pounded with fear of being caught but she slid out into the windy night and pushed the door just enough for it to catch but not close all the way.

The pavement was cold on her bare feet as she crouched and tiptoed to the back of the vehicle. Several cars were parked about thirty feet away near a restaurant. She hesitated, checking to make sure the guard was still in line behind a few customers who were ahead of him. He wasn’t looking her way.

Just do it! She kept low and ran. It hurt her feet but she was motivated to get away. It was a relief when she made it to the cars and ducked, hiding behind one. No one shouted at her. Keeping low, she moved closer to the restaurant. She needed to get out of there before they discovered her gone. She had no money but she could call her best friend collect.

Vanni reached the side of the building and straightened, crossing her arms over her breasts, trying to hide that she wasn’t wearing a bra. She’d just go inside and ask to use their phone. She’d lie and say her car broke down. The fact that she had no shoes, money or even her purse might give that lie away. She considered saying she’d been mugged but then the police would get involved. That was the last thing she wanted. They’d contact the NSO and hand her over to them. It would defeat the purpose of escaping.

A woman came out of the restaurant as she approached the front doors. She wore faded jeans, a sweater and appeared to be in her fifties. Vanni glanced at her face, nodded and walked around her.

“Are you okay?” The woman stopped. “You look like hell.”

Vanni paused and turned. The concern on the other woman’s face was clear. “I had a fight with my boyfriend and just left him next door,” she lied.

“Aw. You poor thing. They won’t let you go in there without shoes.”

Vanni hadn’t thought of that. “I’m just going to ask to use their phone and have my friend pick me up.”

“Where do you live?”

“It’s about an hour from here.” She gave the name of the city.

“I’m heading that way to go visit my sister. Do you want a lift? I have a daughter about your age. I always try to pay it forward. You can use my cell phone and have your friend meet us when we get closer to your home.”

“Thank you.” She jumped on the offer. “I’d appreciate that so much.”

“That’s my pickup right over there. I have a jacket you can borrow. You must be freezing.”

It reminded her of Smiley. His face flashed in her mind. She shoved those memories away. “I’m okay.” It was a lie. She’d had sex with a stranger and her entire life had turned upside down in the space of a few hours.

She followed the woman to her pickup and climbed inside the cab. They backed out of the parking space and Vanni turned her head, peering at the gas station. All the doors on the SUV were wide open and one of the guards was frantically throwing his arms around while the other one seemed to be on the phone. They’d discovered she was gone.

“What’s your name, hon?”

Vanni forced a smile, facing her companion. “Vanni.”

“Oh, that’s an odd name but it’s pretty.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m Melinda. Do you like country music?”

“Sure.” She didn’t care what played on the radio. It was impossible to relax until they were on the freeway and she was safely away. No big black SUVs appeared in the side-view mirror.

“Thank you for this.” Vanni hugged her chest tighter.

“You’re welcome. You’re my very first hitchhiker. Well, I guess you’re technically not since your thumb wasn’t up.” Melinda laughed.

Vanni tried to pay attention to the friendly chatter and answer when it was appropriate but her mind kept drifting to Smiley and what they’d done together in the back of that NSO vehicle. Her body was sore, especially between her legs. No stabbing pains jolted through her though, something for which she was grateful. No hot flashes or cold chills struck her. She was going to survive after all. Now it was all about dealing with the consequences.

“Men are jerks. You look so depressed. Don’t be.” Melinda reached over and patted her leg. “You’re young and attractive. You’ll find a better one.”

Vanni just nodded.

“Did your boyfriend cheat on you?”

Vanni hesitated. “He screwed me.”

“Don’t all men.”

The cheating reference hurt. Smiley wasn’t the cheater. She’d have to face Carl. The ring in her pocket would have to be returned. She almost was sorry she’d run from the NSO. They might have been more understanding about what happened than her soon-to-be ex.

* * * * *

Smiley climbed out of the bed at Medical. “They just allowed her to walk away from them? Why weren’t they watching her?”

Fury took a deep breath. “Shane and Ned made a mistake.”

“A mistake? She could be out there in pain. Vulnerable!” Smiley yelled, not caring to lower his tone. “Someone could take advantage of her.”

“Put the ice pack back on your face,” Midnight urged. “Please? Brass really tagged you.”

“I’m going to kill him. He had no right to hit me.”

“You were in pain and exhibiting breeding-drug symptoms. He was afraid you’d go insane and hurt the human.” Fury pushed away from the wall. “Be reasonable. You would have done the same. Do I have to point out what could have happened?”

“I wouldn’t have harmed Vanni.”

Midnight frowned. “She was the only female in the vicinity. You would have mounted her even if she’d been unconscious. It would have damaged your soul. You’re a good male.”

Smiley cringed at the thought. “I was in control.”

“Brass wasn’t certain it would last.”

“We have contacted all the human hospitals and their police to be on the lookout for a female in distress. Tell him, Fury.” Midnight shot him a dirty look.

“We have many agencies working on this. Our teams at the hotel are attempting to identify the female. No one with the name Vanni was registered there.”

“Her full name is Travanni.” Smiley regretted not asking for her last name. Humans had those.

Rusty walked into the room and stared at Smiley. “I heard you were given the breeding drug.” She stepped closer. “What happened to your jaw?”

“Brass put him out,” Midnight answered. “He seems to be doing okay now.”

“Leave us alone.” Rusty unfastened the straps securing her vest over her uniform.

Smiley was grateful to have so many friends and he understood and appreciated Rusty’s offer, but he just wasn’t interested. “I’m fine.”

Her fingers froze and she frowned. “You don’t want to share sex?” Her gaze lowered to the front of his pants. “You’re hard.”

Vanni’s face flashed in his thoughts, the image crystal clear. He wanted to have sex but not with Rusty. It made him feel a little guilty since he liked her and they’d shared sex in the past. He couldn’t deny some of the drug was still in his system, enough so to keep his dick erect.

“You need me.” Rusty’s husky tone and the way she kept staring at his pants made her intent clear. “I’ll take care of you.”

“I can’t.” He didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

“You don’t have to do anything to me with your mouth if your jaw hurts.” She dropped the vest on a chair and reached for the waist of her shirt.

“Stop!” Smiley inwardly winced. “I appreciate that you came here but I have another female’s scent all over me.” That was true. He could smell Vanni on him. They’d rubbed together, skin to skin, covered in sweat and he’d touched her all over. His dick hardened even more, a painful throb in his jeans. Someone had fastened them when he’d been out but he still wore the same pants. “It wouldn’t be right.”

“I know. I could give you a sponge bath or we could shower together. Poor Smiley. Was it horrible having to touch a human against your will? I’ll make you forget about her.”

Horrible? Hell no. Smiley wanted to put his hands on Vanni again. She wasn’t the female standing feet from him, offering to get naked though. That was the problem. Forget Vanni? Never. I want her found and brought to me.

Midnight snagged the discarded vest and stepped between him and Rusty, her back to Smiley. “He’s in pain and agitated. We have to run X-rays on his jaw to make certain Brass didn’t fracture it. You know how tough our males are. They’d never complain. Why don’t you return to the women’s dorm? I’ll call you if you’re needed.”

“He’s my friend and I’m not leaving him in this condition,” Rusty protested.

Midnight growled. “Let me rephrase that. Go to the women’s dorm, or wherever you were when you heard the news, but get out of Medical. I’m running X-rays on his jaw. He isn’t permitted to share sex until he’s cleared.”

“He needs me.” Rusty wasn’t willing to give up yet.

“You stay and you’ll need your own room.” Midnight stepped forward, bumped into the other female and pushed her back. “Do you want to test who is more dominant? I’ll kick your ass.”

“Why are you being this way?” Rusty sounded confused.

“We’re in a crisis and you need to leave. I’ll call you if things change. Go.” She handed the vest to Rusty.

Smiley relaxed a little when Rusty spun on her heel and stomped out of his room. Midnight turned and sighed. Her expression softened when she said, “You’re too nice.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You have an expressive face, Smiley. She was too busy staring at your lower half to see your dismayed reaction when she offered to share sex. She was pretty hot to get you out of those pants. A primate Species on a breeding drug probably is an experience she either wanted to try out or perhaps missed from Mercile days. Would you have agreed to it if I hadn’t made her leave, just to avoid hurting her feelings?”

“No. Maybe.”

“That’s what I figured. Now it’s not an issue.” She put her hands on her hips. “My work here is done. I’ll let you males argue. I have some calls to make so I’ll be in my office.” She left.

Fury’s phone beeped and he withdrew it, reading the screen.

“Is it about Vanni? Has she been found? Is she safe?” Smiley hoped so.

Fury’s lips compressed into a tight light and he looked up. “That was Brass. The news isn’t good.”

Smiley sat hard on the bed, gripping the edges of the mattress. “She’s dead?” Just saying the words hurt. He didn’t want to believe it.

Fury put his phone back in his pocket and approached. “Her name is Travanni Abris. She wasn’t registered at the hotel because she was a guest of a group that booked an entire floor of rooms.”

“Is she dead?” he repeated, not sure what he’d do if Fury said yes. The meal he’d eaten early in the evening threatened to come up.

“We haven’t located her yet.” Fury paused. “She was with the Woods Church, Smiley.”

He’d heard that name before. It took him a moment to remember where. “The church that came to protest our presence at the conference?”

“Yes. Gregory Woods is a preacher or something, who heads that church. He’s been very vocal in the news concerning his belief that we should never have been created and insists our existence is an insult to his god. He wants Homeland and Reservation shut down and all of us returned to our cells. He refers to Homeland and Reservation as zoos.”

Smiley let the information sink in. “Why would he say that?”

Fury shrugged. “He’s an asshole. I had to watch some of his televised sermons for research purposes. Know your enemies. He compared us to animals that have been trained to talk and dress as if we are humans. He states that wild animals shouldn’t be domesticated and it is a disaster about to happen. He even referenced a few horror movies for what could happen if we aren’t put back in cages and kept in our place. His tactics are to use fear to frighten humans into believing we’ll take over the world and put them in cages instead.”

“He sounds like someone I’d like to lock up.”

Fury flashed a grin. “Exactly.”

Smiley couldn’t find the humor in their exchange. Vanni obviously belonged to a church that hated Species. He reviewed every moment they’d shared. “She didn’t treat me the way humans who think we’re dangerous do. You know how they act as if we’re going to bite them or they talk slowly as if we can’t understand what they say?”

Fury nodded.

“I liked her,” he admitted.

“She drugged you. At least now we know who Drackwood Research sold the formula to. The Woods Church obviously bought the human version of our breeding drug.”

Dr. Harris walked in. “How are you feeling, Smiley?”

“I’m okay. The pain is gone.”

“I see you’re still suffering an erection. I’m going to have to drain the blood if that side effect doesn’t go away within a few hours.”

Smiley reached down and protected his crotch with one hand. “No. I told you that already when you mentioned it the first time.”

“Priapism can cause you to suffer erectile dysfunction in the future, Smiley.”

“What is that?”

“Priapism means long-term erections. Can you ejaculate?”

The memory of being on top of Vanni, inside her and coming flashed through Smiley’s mind. “Yes.”

“We’re not like you,” Fury reminded the younger of the two Harris doctors who worked for the NSO—father and son. “None of us who have taken the breeding drug have trouble getting hard afterward. That was the point when Mercile created it. They wanted to make sure we had sex often when they were attempting to impregnate our females.”

“Do you feel like yourself?” Dr. Harris studied Smiley.

“I’m a bit irritated but I’m fine.” He’d feel better if they located Vanni and brought her to Homeland so he knew she was safe. “The stomach cramps are gone.”

“How are your levels of aggression?”

“Still high.” He wouldn’t lie. The urge to hit something was there but he resisted. The last thing he wanted was to be restrained if they worried he would hurt someone. “It’s manageable.”

“Some of our tests have been confirmed. It is a form of the breeding drug, albeit a milder version. I wish I could send it off to a friend of mine to look at but Justice said no.”

“The last thing we need is to hand another weapon against us over to unknowns.” Fury’s phone beeped. He retrieved it and he glanced at the screen. “I’m with Justice on this. It’s too risky. Hang on. I have to take this.” He rushed out of the room.

“What would the milder version do to a human?”

“I’m not sure. I’d have to examine her. I was told she escaped custody.”

“Is she going to die?”

“I don’t know.”

It infuriated Smiley. “What do you know?”

Dr. Harris backed away. “Calm down.”

“I just keep thinking she woke up in pain and ran away. She’s probably suffering and some male could come across her. He could do anything to her.” His voice took on a gruff sound and his hands fisted. “She’s defenseless.”

“Listen to me,” the doctor urged, “I tested both drinks. The amount of the drug was higher in your drink than in hers. You’re cranky but fine. The pain is gone. You’re just moody as shit. I’m sure she’s probably the same. I read the report. According to her height and approximate weight, I don’t think it was a toxic amount.”

That made him feel better.

“Unless she has health issues. Those are things I can’t factor in.”

He wanted to hit the doctor. “Go.”

“Smiley, I really think I should run a few blood tests on you.”

“Get out before I strike you. I’m about to.”

Dr. Harris left in a hurry. Fury returned.

“Who called? Have they found Vanni?”

Fury hesitated. “Someone responded to the APB the police put out. A witness said he saw a female fitting her description getting into a truck with another female. She appeared to be fine but the witness remembered her because her skirt was ripped near the hem and she wasn’t wearing shoes. He thought she might be homeless.”

“Were they able to track that truck?”

“He didn’t catch the license plate or where it headed. They pulled her driver’s license information and two police officers are parked outside her apartment. No one answered when they knocked. They are watching in case she returns home. We’ll find her, Smiley. The good news is that she’s with a female. No male took her.”

“All right.” He took deep breaths. “I need an outlet for the rage. I’m not in pain but I’m pissed.”

“We’ll go to the training room. I’m sure someone will spar with you.”

He nodded. “Let’s do that.”

“You may wish to shower first.”

Vanni. Her smell was on him. He hesitated, not willing to lose that connection. It wasn’t rational though, he realized. “Okay.”

Fury studied him, worry evident.

“I’ll be fine.”

His friend nodded. “I know.”