Текст книги "Wrath"
Автор книги: Laurann Dohner
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Текущая страница: 13 (всего у книги 16 страниц)
The canine growled again. “I hope they brought her here to try to gain our trust and make us believe her lies. I will not be kind or gentle when I mount her.”
The golden-haired Species growled. “Enough. She’s human and they’d never hand her over to one of us. Did you see the way 140 treated her? The way he gently touched her? He implied she wasn’t the enemy. He knows more about her than we do and I saw no rage in his eyes when he looked at her. I don’t know why she is here but don’t make threats until we know more.”
“She’s one of them.” The canine growled again. “Our enemy. They are all evil and tell lies to try to fool us into doing what they want. She is planning something.”
“I’m planning on getting out of here.” She moved to the door of the cage again, gripped the bars and rattled the thing. Frustration rose. “I’ll do everything in my power to send the NSO to rescue you.”
“Human lies,” the canine snarled.
“I resent that.” She frowned, rattled the door again, but wasn’t willing to give up just yet. Maybe she could shake the lock loose. “I get that you have been mistreated. I can’t imagine all you’ve suffered but what I said is the truth. A lot of your people have been freed, they aren’t locked up anymore and they will be searching for you just as soon as I tell them what I know.”
“What does free mean?” The golden-haired feline squatting in his cage watched her with narrowed eyes.
“You won’t be locked up anymore, no one will hurt you, and we’re equal.” She glanced at him.
“What does that mean?”
She turned away from the door to face him and sighed. “It means you have the same rights as I do. We’re not enemies but instead friends. No one will test you anymore. You’ll have homes instead of cages and you never have to deal with assholes like the ones who have you now.”
The canine snorted. “Next she will say we will get to eat when we are hungry, get clean when we are dirty, and get access to females when we want one.”
“That is exactly what I’m saying.”
The blond turned his head and shot her a glare. “How many of us are a part of this NSO?”
“I don’t know the exact numbers but hundreds at least.”
“Lies,” he growled, jerking his gaze away to give her the back of his head.
“Are any of our females there? Were they freed?”
Lauren met and held the curious gaze of the golden-haired feline. “Yes. There aren’t a lot of them, from what I understand, but my best friend said she met a bunch of them.”
“What is the bad news of this?” The canine was obviously the grim one of the bunch. “There is always a price. What do they expect for those privileges?”
“There is no they. I assume you think it’s like here where they threaten you to make you do what they want or you’re punished? I know they are holding 140’s girlfriend over his head. The NSO are your people. They just want you to be happy.”
“Lies,” the blond hissed.
Lauren knew they didn’t trust her, thought she was making stuff up, so she stopped trying. The only way to show them she wasn’t full of shit would be to survive long enough to hopefully be exchanged and then she could tell Wrath about them. Maybe the NSO could arrive before they were moved.
Chapter Fifteen
Wrath strode quickly from the SUV and knew Brass and Shadow followed him. The sun had gone down, he was late—they’d been stuck in traffic—and he hoped Lauren hadn’t given up on him and gone to bed. His excitement over seeing her could barely be contained.
He was about ten feet from her door when the smells filled his nose and he jerked to a halt. He sniffed loudly, knew the two males with him did the same, and he snarled. The smell came from Lauren’s home and he could see that her front door hadn’t been closed completely. He lunged, shoved it all the way open and alarm shot through him.
Brass moved to his side and sniffed. “Three human males, one human female, and a Species male.”
“Do you smell that?” Shadow hissed. “Mercile.”
“I do.”
Fear shot through Wrath as another smell filled his nose. Blood, decay and death. He rushed forward, terrified he’d find Lauren’s body as the source, but a human male lay crumpled on the floor in the darkness. It took only seconds for his eyes to adjust but one of the males flipped on the light.
“Lauren?” He yelled her name, rushed for her bedroom and halted again when he saw the destruction of the doorframe.
Shadow gripped his shoulder. “Someone broke through it.”
A snarl tore from Wrath and he stepped over books that were spilled over her floor. The scent of the unknown male Species was stronger in her room, the only scent he could detect besides Lauren’s, and he saw the busted bathroom door. The counter had damage from where a broken drawer had been ripped out. He was inside in seconds, stared at the open window and jumped up on the counter.
“The human is dead,” Brass growled.
Wrath spun, pain shot through his chest, and he met the male’s eyes.
“The male. Not Lauren,” Brass assured him, yanking out his cell phone and holding it to his ear after he dialed. “I’m calling for assistance.”
Wrath gripped the windowsill, had to fight to fit through it and saw signs on the grass of what must have taken place. He tracked the footprints, small ones and large ones, until he found where the male had grabbed her. Her footprints disappeared and the larger ones were deeper with the combined weight of the male and Lauren.
“He carried her,” Shadow stated from behind him.
Wrath followed the tracks around the building and lost them when they reached the sidewalk near Lauren’s door. He rushed back inside, crouched near the dead body and examined it with his gaze.
Shadow gripped the letter opener, jerked it out and sniffed the handle. He looked up and held Wrath’s gaze. “Lauren killed this male. She had to be afraid. I can smell fear and it probably caused her to sweat, including her palms. Her scent lingers on the handle.”
Brass’ voice carried. “We’re scenting an unknown Species male here and he’s got the smell of Mercile.”
“What does that mean?”
Wrath twisted his head and refrained from snarling at the task force male who’d driven them. He’d followed them inside. Lauren was gone and she’d had to kill someone. Wrath’s worst fears filled his mind and he couldn’t even speak around the lump that formed in his throat that she might be dead.
“A Species male has been here but he carries the smell of the soap Mercile always made us use. No free Species would ever purposely touch it.” Shadow straightened. “Go outside and ask the neighbors if anyone saw anything. Bring them here if they did. We need to question them.”
The man at the door turned, rushed out, and Wrath threw back his head. A howl tore from his throat. Lauren was gone. His gaze returned to the dead human on the floor. She’d killed him and that meant whoever had taken her would seek revenge for the death. They’d kill her as punishment.
“Keep calm,” Shadow demanded. “You can’t help her if you fall apart.”
“They will kill her.”
“We don’t know that.”
Brass cleared his throat. “There’s blood and a note on the couch.”
Wrath shoved him out of the way, leaned down and sniffed. Lauren’s scent was the only one he could pick up on the couch and he knew the smell of her blood. There was only a little of it but it didn’t ease his terror that she might be dead.
“They want the humans we captured yesterday returned to them and they want to trade Lauren for them,” Brass said after reading the note.
Wrath turned slowly and glared at Brass. “We’ll trade them.”
Brass nodded. “We will. We’ll get your female back.”
“Our male chased her outside, captured her, and carried her. We found the tracks.” Shadow said. “I don’t understand. He could have allowed her to escape yet he didn’t.”
“I will kill him,” Wrath swore.
Shadow gripped his arm and held tightly but Wrath refused to calm. He couldn’t. Mercile employees had Lauren. He knew his ragged breathing was out of control but he couldn’t get a handle on all the emotions warring inside him. She was in danger, hurt, and every instinct inside him screamed for him to do something. Anything.
“Sir?” It was their driver, the human task force male.
Brass faced him. “Yeah, Ted?”
“One guy who lives in an apartment upstairs said he saw four men and one woman show up about two hours ago. He thinks one guy is still here since he never saw him leave.” Tim’s head turned and he stared at the dead body. “I’m guessing that’s the one.”
Wrath tried to jerk away from Shadow. He had questions for the human who’d seen something but his friend pulled hard enough to make him stumble.
“No,” Shadow growled. “Calm down. You do her no good when you are in this condition. Take deep breaths.”
He fought down his rage.
“They left a number.” Brass studied Wrath. “Don’t make a sound.” He opened his cell phone, glanced around him and read the note again. “Not a sound.” He dialed and put it on speakerphone.
“I see you got my note.” The voice was female. “I don’t know this number so I assume you’re Lauren’s mate?”
Brass arched his eyebrows at Wrath but spoke before he could. “Yes. When and where do you want to make the exchange? Don’t harm Lauren or you will never see your people alive again.”
“Is my sister still alive?” The woman’s anger and distrust were easy to hear. “I want to talk to Mel right now.”
“I am not at her location as you must know but it can be arranged for you to speak to her. I would like to hear my female to make sure she is alive.”
“You’re not talking to her until I get to talk to my sister. Call me back when you’re with her. How long?”
“Give me an hour. I need to travel to where your sister is being held. She is well and so are the males who were captured with her. Her living arrangements are much more comfortable than the ones we were accustomed to while we were imprisoned.”
She snorted. “At least we let you get laid occasionally. I’m mentioning that because Lauren is going to learn all about breeding tests and being passed from cell to cell if I don’t talk to my sister in less than sixty minutes. I doubt your mate would survive since they haven’t had access to a woman in months.” She hung up.
Brass growled. “Did you catch that? She is either bluffing or she’s got more than one of our males.”
“She thinks Lauren is my mate.” Wrath wished that were true. “Why?”
“I don’t know.” Brass shook his head.
“We need to go now to reach Homeland and place that call,” Wrath said and tried to lunge for the door but Shadow jerked him back, still holding his arm. He twisted his head and flashed fangs. “Let go.”
“No.” Brass stepped closer. “We aren’t going anywhere. Tim and the secondary team are on their way to us right now. They will find out everything they can about the dead human male. We can conference call with Homeland. We don’t have to actually go there to allow this female to speak to her sister.” He paused. “They can trace the call too. We have no assurances that they’ll make the exchange in good faith. They could kill Lauren out of spite.”
“They want their people back,” Shadow reminded everyone. “They’ll keep her alive since they know that’s the deal.”
Tim Oberto strode into the apartment, a few of his team members behind him, and quickly assessed the situation. “I was informed that Lauren Henderson has been kidnapped.” He glanced at Brass. “We’ll try to get her back.”
Brass handed over the note. “We need to set up a conference call between Homeland and the kidnappers. They wish to speak to the female prisoner you captured yesterday. They want to exchange Wrath’s female for the captured humans. We will do this to get his female back.”
“But—”
“We will do this,” Brass stated firmly, cutting Tim off. “We will capture those monsters again. The sister of the female has Wrath’s future mate. Saving Species is our priority. Lauren is one of us because she belongs to him. I don’t know if your men heard us but a Species male was also here and he helped kidnap her.”
Tim gasped. “Why in the hell would one of yours betray the NSO?”
Shadow sighed. “He’s still in captivity. We smell it on him. They might have found a way to control him or perhaps he doesn’t know Mercile is his enemy. He is—”
“Dead,” Wrath snarled.
“Confused,” Shadow corrected, frowning at Wrath. “He knows no better.”
Brass nodded. “Confused.” His gaze fixed on Wrath. “He will be deemed unfit if he has harmed her with malice.”
Tim eyed Brass. “Unfit?”
“Leave it at that. He will never be a threat again if he is deemed unfit.”
Tim nodded at Brass. “We have that too for unfit humans. It’s called the death penalty and I’m all for that in some cases.”
“We need to return to your headquarters and set up this call. The faster we make the exchange, the better.” Brass stared at Wrath. “I know this must be difficult but know that everything will be done.”
“I want to be there,” Wrath demanded.
“Only if you calm.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes,” he swore, holding Brass’ gaze, and meant it.
Tim spoke to one of his men. “Run that dead bastard. I want to know everything on him, including where he bought his last condoms and who he used them on. Call me as soon as you have info and have someone clean this mess up. We don’t want it on the news.”
“Yes sir.” The guy saluted and stepped around them to reach the body.
* * * * *
Shadow sat in the SUV next to him and bumped his shoulder. “We’ll find her.”
“I’m afraid.”
“I know.”
“She could be suffering, hurt, or even dead. They could be lying.”
“We have her sister. Humans care about family. They won’t risk killing her if she’s useful to them. We know how Mercile works.”
Rage flooded through Wrath. “Yes. They lie and aren’t to be trusted.”
“We have what they want. Lauren is useful.”
That had to calm him because nothing else did. Another fear gripped him. “She will want nothing to do with me if she survives this. Her association with me has put her in danger.”
“Let’s deal with one problem at a time.” Shadow paused. “She would have gotten away if they hadn’t had one of our males with them. She’s smart and she killed someone trying to save her own life. She’s strong, Wrath. She’s a survivor. We have to keep hopeful that this will work out.”
* * * * *
Lauren was scared, tired, and hungry. Someone had turned off the lights in both hallways, the sun had gone down and it was pitch dark in the room. Strange little noises kept making her jump as she huddled in the center of the cage, too afraid to go near the sides in case that creep Marvin tried to touch her. The room was growing colder by the minute.
No way was she using the blanket in the corner. It smelled like sweat, dirt, and ten-day-old, reeking laundry. She also needed to use a bathroom desperately. Another little noise sounded but it wasn’t from the direction of the three men sharing the room with her. She hugged her chest tighter.
“Why are you afraid?” It was the unfriendly canine Species.
“I can’t see anything. What is making those sounds?”
“There are rats. They are not near you and they leave us alone.”
Shit. I don’t want to know that. “Great. I’d like to eat something instead of being on the menu for rodents. Please tell me they aren’t really big.” She imagined cat-sized ones and shivered. “How do you guys go to the bathroom?”
He paused. “We call out and they bring us a bucket.”
Ewww. She winced but she was desperate enough to do it.
The canine growled though. “We’re males and it is easy for us. I wouldn’t call out if I were you. The human will probably make you open your shirt to allow you to leave your cage. Use the blanket in your cage since you’ve refused to touch it. Toss it outside the cage.”
A rat squeaked loudly as lights were flipped on in the hallway that led to the bathrooms. Mary appeared and held out a cell phone. Confusion filled Lauren when the bitch stopped outside her cell. “Here she is. Talk to them and watch what you say.”
“Hello?”
“Lauren?” It was Wrath’s wonderful voice. “Are you well?”
“Yes. I’m okay, Wrath.”
“Has anyone harmed you?”
“No. I’m locked in a cage.”
A snarl came over the phone from him. “I’m going to get you back no matter what it takes. Trust in me.”
“I do.” Hot tears poured down her cheeks and she opened her mouth, wanted to tell him she loved him in case she never got the chance, but Mary hit a button on the phone face, lifted it to her ear, and walked a few feet away.
“Very touching,” Mary sneered. “Now you’ve heard for yourself that she’s alive and well. You have your proof of life. You’d better do exactly what I say if you want her to stay that way. The meeting will take place at five in the morning and the location will be texted to you right before then. I’m not giving you time to set up a trap and if we see anyone, your girlfriend will die. You better make sure my sister and her friends are all there or your girlfriend gets a hole in her head.”
Whatever he said made Mary pale. “I said we’d meet at five. Don’t threaten me, animal. You’ll get her back as long as you don’t screw with me.” She hung up and turned to glare at Lauren.
“Your animal needs to be put back on a leash. This is what happens when you give them a false sense of being people.”
“They are people.” Lauren gripped the bars as she rose to her feet, her legs a bit sore from sitting on the hard, cold surface. “May I use the bathroom?”
“Mark?”
A new man came down the hallway, this one smaller than the thugs who had shown up in Lauren’s apartment, and he looked worn out with his tired expression and sagging shoulders. “You bellowed?”
“Unlock her door and take her to the bathroom.”
He came forward, produced keys, and warily studied Lauren. “Don’t give me any trouble.”
“I just want to use the bathroom.”
He opened the door and Lauren moved slowly, didn’t want to give them a reason to hurt her, and noticed Mary placed another call on the cell phone. Mark pointed. “This way. It’s close and you need to leave the door open. I won’t watch you.”
“They made the deal,” Mary informed someone. “They agreed to the money too.”
The hallway was a long one and boasted male and female bathrooms and other doors that Lauren had no clue about. They had locks on them.
The guy turned his back to her and blocked the doorway. She walked to a stall. The doors had long ago been removed. It hadn’t been cleaned either and she quickly used the bathroom. He glanced at her once when she turned on water, splashed some on her face and used her finger to brush her teeth. She returned to him.
He hesitated, opened his mouth, but Mary shouted from down the hallway.
“What’s taking so long? Hurry up!”
“Go,” he ordered her, moving out of her way so she could leave the bathroom.
Mary gripped Lauren’s arm the second they walked into the large room, gave her a hard tug and returned her to her cage. Mark locked the door and Mary glared at him. “Go get 140.”
The guy fled, obviously afraid of his boss. Mary put her hands on her hips and stared at Lauren. “You really believe they are people?”
“Yes.”
“They are nothing but animals who can talk. Do you enjoy fucking one? What’s that like anyway? I’d never trust them enough not to snap my neck.”
Lauren hesitated but couldn’t refrain from answering. “I’d say you have a really good reason for that fear after meeting you.”
Mary’s lips twisted into an ugly sneer. “I would never allow an animal to shove his penis in me. I have standards. I’m not a dumpy blonde with bad hair who is so desperate she’ll let anyone fuck her. I’m assuming with your weight problem that you don’t have the luxury of being picky. You’re just happy when anything is willing to bend you over.”
Anger burned but Lauren clenched her teeth. She might be overweight but at least she wasn’t a crazy, vicious bitch. Staying alive was the priority and it really sucked not being able to respond.
“Even them.” Mary glanced at the three New Species in their cages before giving Lauren an amused look. “They’d probably fuck my grandma if I shoved her into a cage with them. You’re kind of pathetic for hooking up with one. Nobody else wanted him and you were the only taker. Sad.”
It was bad enough the woman insulted her but now she’d dragged Wrath into it. Lauren gripped the bars and stepped closer. “Wrath is as sexy as hell and did you want to know what it’s like being with him? It’s the best sex ever. He blows my mind and makes me scream. He touches me like no other man ever has, worships me, and I bet no man has ever been willing to do anything for you. I might not be gorgeous or have a model body but, lady, you’re a cold-hearted bitch who no man could ever love.”
Fury glittered in the other woman’s eyes but at that moment Mark returned with a very tall, grim-looking 140. Mary spun, backed away and pointed at Lauren. “Put him in her cage. She loves spending time with animals.”
Mark hesitated but walked over to the door, opened it, and stared up at 140. “In you go.”
“No.” He refused.
“Get in there,” Mary snapped. “Marvin is watching your girlfriend. The longer you drag your ass, the longer he’s with her. You know what a pervert he is.”
A snarl tore from 140 and he stomped through the door. Mark locked it and put space between himself and the cage. He stared at Mary. “How did it go?”
“The animal swears he’ll bring them to the exchange. Mel sounds scared but fine and mentioned they were going to prosecute her under New Species law.”
“What’s the difference?” Mark looked nervous.
“Since they are the ones who arrested her, she falls under their jurisdiction. Those fucking animals are allowed to kill her if they want.”
“Fuck,” he hissed. “You mean they can execute us?”
“Yes. I hate those fucking animals.” Mary glared at the four New Species. “All of them. I need a drink. You stay up here and watch them. Got it? I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“Okay.” He didn’t look happy.
Mary stormed through the hallway and disappeared. A door slammed and the silence in the room was absolute as Mark just stood there. He finally turned and his gaze fixed on Lauren. It looked as if he wanted to say something but instead he glanced at 140.
“I’ll go get your food.” He rushed away.
Lauren was locked in a cage with 140. He slowly turned and studied her body, sniffed, and his body language changed from rigid to near relaxed. “Marvin didn’t touch you. Good.” He paused. “I smell your fear but I won’t harm you.”
“Thank you.”
He nodded and turned, glancing at the other New Species. “How are you?”
The blond frowned. “How do you think? How is your mate? Is she better?”
140 shook his head. “No. She is still weak.”
“What’s wrong with her?”
140 snapped his gaze to Lauren. “What do you care?”
She flinched at the look of hatred in his eyes. “I am not the enemy.”
He inhaled and some of his anger faded. “You aren’t. I know this. You are with one of our kind. Tell me about him.”
“He’s a few inches taller than you and he works with a group of humans who are searching for those of your kind who haven’t been freed yet. They track down people like those assholes holding us.”
“You were telling the truth about the NSO, weren’t you?” It was the dark canine.
Lauren met his eyes. “Yes. Everything I’ve told you is true. When places like this are found by the people Wrath works with they come in to rescue us. They take you home to the NSO and you are free.”
“Tell us about them,” 140 urged.
Lauren began to talk, sharing everything she’d ever read or seen in person during her brief visit to Homeland. They listened and shock showed in their eyes often. She finally stopped. She didn’t let them know she was aware of exactly where they were in case Mary or any of her men were listening. She was afraid they’d move the New Species to a different location.
“I’m going to tell them about you when I get out of here. They’ll find you.” It was a promise she made.
140 sighed. “There is real hope of them coming for us, isn’t there? That we could go live in peace with our kind away from our enemies?”
“Yes. I did mention the hate groups, right? There aren’t many of them but they are annoying. Most people are good, not like the assholes you’ve dealt with, and they are as horrified as I am over Mercile Industries.”
Footsteps sounded and Mark returned carrying plastic bags in his hands. He stopped near one of the cages. “Move back.”
The golden-haired New Species edged to the back corner of his cage. Mark reached in and dropped a bag, moved to the next one and left another bag. He finally stopped at Lauren’s cage. 140 moved, pressed against the back of the cage, while Lauren didn’t budge. He set down two bags and backed away. His gaze fixed on Lauren.
“I was told you’re dating a New Species. Is that true?”
“Yes. Are you going to insult me too?”
He glanced behind him and lowered his voice when he faced her again. “I want a deal. When you get out of here, will you talk to your boyfriend for me? I’m willing to give them the address of this place in exchange for a million dollars, total immunity against any crimes and safe travel out of the country. I didn’t know they had their own justice system. They can make deals, right? I never signed on for any of this shit but they’ll kill me if I don’t do what Mary says. The only choice they gave me was to stick around Mercile to be arrested or go with them.”
Lauren bit her lip, her mind working, and hope filled her. “To agree to your terms they’ll want all the New Species back alive.”
“We have four of the men and one woman. Mary and her sister were researchers at one of the facilities. They took these five and we helped get them out after the search warrant was served. We all thought it would blow over but it didn’t. Mary just wanted to protect her research with these ones but now it’s all gone to hell. Our place got busted. We’re probably wanted by the police and I can’t even contact my parents or sister. I’m sick of living in this dump and being treated like shit. I just want my life back.”
Lauren felt zero pity for him but he was desperate and she was willing to take advantage of that. The bastard had worked for Mercile and was still holding New Species in cages. “I’m a mate,” she lied. “I can negotiate a deal with you and they’ll accept it.”
Hope filled his eyes. “Really?”
“Yeah,” she bullshitted. “A million dollars, immunity and a helicopter ride to the nearest border is a bargain for the lives of five New Species. I know they will agree.”
“Okay.” He nodded. “How can we do this? If anyone here finds out they’ll put a bullet in me.”
“Do you have a phone?”
“Yeah but I’m afraid to give it to you. They could trace that shit. I’m not stupid.”
She plotted fast. “It takes at least three minutes to trace a call.”
“I’ve heard that.”
She had no idea if it were true or not, didn’t care either, but he needed to get a message out. “Call Homeland, keep it under three minutes and tell them you know where five New Species are. Give them your terms and tell them I made a deal with you. My name is Lauren Henderson.” She paused. “Tell them my code word is Jasper’s. That will assure them it’s for real and we actually spoke.”
“Code word?”
“You know how parents give their kids a safe word? New Species use code words and mine is Jasper’s.”
He paced as he contemplated her offer and finally nodded. “Okay. Mary is gone for a few hours, the guys are taking off in a bit and I’ve got access to the office. They keep cell phones in there. Homeland, you said?”
“Yes. Call Homeland.”
He walked away and Lauren began to pray he actually made that call and that someone got her secret message. It was a long shot but a lot of humans worked with Wrath. One of them might remember Jasper’s. It had been a popular club once.
“Was that the truth?” 140 drew her attention. “Will the NSO make a deal to buy us?”
“They’ll do anything to get you back.”
140 smiled. “I like you.”
Chapter Sixteen
Wrath paced, too worried about Lauren to sleep. He heard footsteps running down the hallway and spun just as his door was pushed open. Shadow burst into the room.
“Come with me now.” He spun and bolted away.
Wrath was on his heels a heartbeat later, terrified something bad had happened. The NSO had assured him they’d meet whatever demands the kidnappers made to get Lauren back safely but humans were unstable. They could have changed the terms.
Shadow ran down the hallway into the main living area and slowed. Wrath paused at his side. Tim and some other humans were sitting at the table with Brass, who pointed at the phone that had been brought into the room.
“We will do that,” Justice North stated from the speakers on the phone. “This female is very smart. We know they have five Species and now have a way to get them returned to us.”
“He’s talking about Lauren,” Shadow whispered.
Confusion filled Wrath but Brass gave him and Shadow a signal to be silent.
Tim sighed. “Are you able to get that kind of money? The guy wants it in a few hours.”
“That isn’t a worry,” Justice replied.
Tim was grim. “The exchange is going to happen in the middle of the night. Where the hell can we get that kind of money? The banks are already closed.”
Justice laughed and so did Brass. Tim shook his head. Wrath wondered what was going on and why there was a meeting about Lauren. He also noted the mention of the exchange possibly happening before dawn and five Species were involved now.
“What is so damn amusing?” Tim slammed his palm on the table. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Brass cleared his throat. “Lauren rescued Wrath when my team was captured and she called Homeland for assistance. One of males told her that they have the ability to quickly trace all incoming calls there. He didn’t believe she really had an unconscious Species with her and accused her of being one of those humans who harass us. He identified her location to prove his point. She talked one of the humans holding her into calling Homeland directly.”
Justice spoke. “She remembered and hoped we could track the signal. She went even farther to ensure that we’d be able to pinpoint the location.”
“It just takes longer to trace a cell phone signal, which the human male used when he called to make his demands but we have bought the best technology there is. We were able to pinpoint the cell tower used where the call originated.” Brass grinned. “Tell them, Justice.”
