Текст книги "Wrath"
Автор книги: Laurann Dohner
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Текущая страница: 8 (всего у книги 16 страниц)
“You sleep here in that?” Wrath turned his head to face her.
“Yeah.”
He walked to the side of her bed and shocked her by tearing back the covers, exposing her sheets. She stood there mute as he bent over, pressed his nose against the pink material and sniffed loudly. He straightened and smiled as he adjusted the blankets back to where they’d been.
“What are you doing?” It was weird but she wasn’t about to state that aloud.
“I only smell you and the cat. No one has slept here with you.”
Anger stirred. “I live alone. I told you I haven’t dated in a while and I wasn’t lying about that. I’ve told you the truth. You didn’t have to do that to check up on me.”
He closed the distance between them and one hand raised to cup her cheek. “I’m sorry. I was curious. I do believe you.” His hand dropped to his side. “You need to get ready. Is your animal safe in the bathroom? I won’t snarl at it. I was startled and I thought it would attack you.”
“He’s fine in there. He’s an indoor and outdoor cat and I keep the window open in there for him since I don’t have a pet door. He’s probably already fled after the way you and your friends scared him.”
“I am sorry.”
She shrugged. “I should have told you I have a pet. I take it that you aren’t around too many cats?”
“Not small, domestic ones.”
Lauren let that one slide. He wanted her to get ready for work and the team waited in the living room for her. She spun around, jerked open her closet, and grabbed clothes off the hanger. Tiger was gone when she opened the bathroom door and stepped inside. She closed the door while she changed, washed her face, and applied light makeup quickly. Wrath was touching things on her dresser when she stepped back into her bedroom. He spun to face her.
“You put your hair in a bun,” he rumbled. “I enjoy seeing it down more.”
“I have to put it up for work to appear more professional. It’s too curly and tangles too easily otherwise.” She bent by the door, grabbed a pair of black pumps and put them on. “I’m ready.”
Wrath slowly stalked closer to her. The way he moved once again reminded her that he wasn’t a normal guy, and it was kind of hot. She still wished she could see his eyes. He stopped inches away from touching her body.
“You look nice but I prefer you naked.”
Her heart raced and heat warmed her cheeks. She couldn’t help but trail her gaze down his body and then back up. He looked sexy in the military fatigues. The outfit complimented his fit body but she wanted to be honest as she stared at his glasses.
“I like you naked better too and definitely without those glasses. I hate not being able to see your eyes.”
Wrath reached up and removed them. Desire darkened his already deep-brown eyes and instantly made Lauren feel hot all over. He moved closer and her heart rate increased.
“We need to leave,” Shadow called from the doorway.
Wrath tensed and put his glasses back on. Lauren wanted to curse. She was pretty sure Wrath had planned to kiss her but the moment had been killed. She turned her head to shoot Shadow a dirty look but he’d already started walking back down the hallway.
Lauren spun, refused to glance at Wrath, and followed his friend back into the living room. The two New Species turned their heads her way. She wished she could see their eyes but presumed they were looking over her outfit. Brian was the only one not wearing the sunglasses she was growing to hate and he grinned openly at her as his gaze lowered down her body.
“You clean up damn nice, Lauren.” He winked. “You are one attractive woman.”
Wrath growled behind her, probably only inches away. “She didn’t clean up. She changed clothes, bound her hair and put stuff on her face. Don’t stare at her that way.”
Brian’s grin died and he shot Brass a worried look. “He growls at me a lot.”
Brass nodded. “They haven’t been free as long as most of us have been. He’s protective of the female and you need to stop flirting with her immediately. That’s the second warning he’s given you and you should be real careful not to push his patience too far. He will attack you.”
Brian paled and backed a few feet away from Lauren, his wary gaze fixed on Wrath. “I got it. I won’t look at or even speak to her if that’s what you want.”
“Good.” Wrath reached out and grabbed Lauren’s hand. “Let’s go.”
Mr. Adams was outside still when they left and Lauren made sure she waved at him. Yeah, she thought, the neighbors are going to be talking about me tonight.
Wrath helped her into the SUV. The drive to her work was only five minutes away. Brass twisted in the seat to address Wrath.
“No growling. You’re fully human. Remember that.” Brass turned to face Lauren. “We can hear everything near Wrath. He’s wired. Just act normal when you talk to the humans you work with and find out if anyone has seen or heard from Bill. Find out if they know where he is.”
“I got it.” It sounded easy enough to her.
Lauren and Wrath climbed out of the SUV half a block down the street from the office and watched it park across the street. She faced Wrath. “Let’s call you Paul Williams, okay?”
He nodded. “My name is Paul Williams.”
“You’re interested in buying a two-bedroom condo. I have a ton of those listed and they would be in your price range with what you should be making in the military. You are single since you don’t have a wedding ring on. I’m sure no one will really talk to you but just in case it’s better to have our ducks in a row.”
“Ducks in a row?” He arched an eyebrow.
“It’s a saying meaning…well, having your shit together.”
He grinned. “Why didn’t you just say that?”
She smiled. “I’m trying to avoid cussing in front of you. It’s not ladylike.”
His smile died. “I don’t care if you’re a lady or not. I like you.”
She felt heat spreading through her at his words. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Nine
Lauren fought down nervousness as she opened the door of her work for Wrath. He’d tried to open it for her but she’d shaken her head no. “You’re a client. I’m supposed to impress you instead of the other way around. I appreciate the gesture but now isn’t the time to be a gentleman.”
He said nothing as he stepped into the office. Lauren smiled at Kim, the receptionist, and hoped it didn’t appear forced. Her heart raced, she didn’t want to let Wrath or his team down and catching Bill was important to them.
“Hello, Kim. This is Mr. Williams. We’re going back to my office so I can pull up condo listings. Is anyone else in yet?”
“Mel was here when I arrived, John B and John T are here too, and Gina is in her office having a meltdown with a bank manager who is giving one of her clients some grief about their loan.” Kim winced. “Avoid her. She’s pissed.”
“Thanks for the warning.” Lauren took a few steps but paused. “Oh, last night Mel had me show a property for Brent. The guy was interested but he had some questions I couldn’t answer. There are some ugly, large cargo containers inside the warehouse and he wants to know if those are staying or going. Is Brent coming in today?”
“I don’t know. I could page him if you want and find out.”
“That would be great. The man had some other questions so if Brent calls you back, please transfer his call to my office. The buyer is really interested in the property.”
Kim nodded, reaching for the phone. Lauren smiled at Wrath and led him through the archway to a larger room. Lauren spotted John T at one of the computer stations and approached him.
“If you’ll just take a seat here, I’ll be right with you, Mr. Williams.” Lauren directed Wrath to take a chair close to where John T worked.
Wrath sat and Lauren focused on her coworker whom she knew spent time with Brent. They liked to go barhopping together and she figured he might be her best bet at locating the missing monster Wrath hunted.
“Good morning, John. I got a call last night from Mel to show one of Brent’s properties. The buyer is really interested but he had some questions I couldn’t answer. Do you know where Brent is? The buyer wants the warehouse but he wasn’t thrilled seeing huge cargo containers on the property. I don’t know if the owner plans to remove them or if it’s an ‘as is’ deal.”
“He got a call yesterday after work and took off out of here like a bat out of hell.” John shrugged, still typing. “I haven’t heard from him since. He was supposed to show up at the Bugle last night.”
“What’s that?”
He grinned. “It’s our favorite strip bar. We go there a few times a week.”
She tried to appear nonchalant. “Oh. Well, if you can reach him, will you have him call me?”
“Sure.” He reached for his cell, picked it up, and turned in his chair. He spotted Wrath, appeared startled, and dropped his phone on the desk. He fumbled, grabbed it and spun to face the screen again. “I’ll call him now.”
Lauren turned, smiling at Wrath. “This way, Mr. Williams. I’ll pull up those condo listings.”
“Lauren!”
Lauren jumped, turning. Mel stood in her office, staring at Wrath with an odd expression on her face.
“Hi, Mel. This is Mr. Williams. He’s interested in condos.”
Mel smiled but it looked forced. “May I speak to you for a moment?”
Lauren nodded and motioned Wrath toward an open door near the front by the reception area just around the corner. “This is my office. Go on in and I’ll be back in a second.” She moved toward her boss, wondering if she was in trouble for trying to argue the night before over showing the property. “What is it, Mel?”
Mel waited until Lauren was inside her office before she spoke. “Who is he?” She kept her voice down.
“That’s Mr. Williams. He was just stationed in this area and plans to stay a while.”
Mel chewed on her bottom lip for a few seconds then frowned. “He called you and set an appointment?”
Lauren nodded and hoped her boss wasn’t planning to screw her over by trying to steal a client. It wouldn’t be the first time. Of course Mel didn’t realize Wrath wasn’t a real client and she worried what would happen if her boss wanted to show him listings instead.
“How did the showing go last night?” Mel changed the subject.
Lauren managed to hide her relief. “Good. Mr. Herbert is interested in buying the property but there are these large cargo containers left inside the warehouse that he wasn’t interested in. He asked me about them but it’s not my listing. I didn’t know if they stay or if they’ll be removed. He wanted to talk to Brent.”
“I’ll pass that along.” Mel studied Lauren. “Okay. Go ahead and deal with Mr. Williams but I called a meeting in half an hour. You can set him up with some coffee while he waits for you. It won’t take long.” She glanced at her watch. “My office in half an hour and it’s mandatory. You can go show him the properties he’s interested in right after the meeting.”
“Is everything okay? We usually don’t hold meetings when clients are here.”
A smile curved Mel’s mouth. “Everything is fine, Lauren. We had some parking issues come up with the landlord and I swore I’d talk to all the employees. The man is a pain in the ass but we don’t want to lose our lease. It won’t take more than a few minutes. I just want to address everyone at once so no one feels singled out but we both know who the two worst offenders are. Both John T and John B know better than to use the alley. The other tenants complained.”
“Okay.” She left Mel, returned to her office and smiled at Wrath. She sat down at her desk and glanced at the open doorway, lowering her voice. “We’ll be here for at least half an hour. My boss called a meeting and she said it was mandatory. That should mean that he has to show up for it too. He could walk in at any time.”
“Did you hear that?” He seemed to be listening to his earpiece and gave Lauren a slight nod, keeping his voice low too. “They heard.”
“I’ll pull up listings while we wait. We’ll just pretend to look at them to pass the time.”
Lauren had him scoot his chair closer so both of them could view her computer screen. “While we look at condos, we can watch who walks in the door. I never get tired of looking at these. Some of them are kind of cool.”
“I like the curved stairs and the big bathtub.” He pointed at the computer monitor but his other hand brushed her thigh and rubbed before he leaned back in his chair.
They had viewed several listings when Lauren’s phone rang about fifteen minutes later and she answered. “Lauren Henderson.”
“Hello, Lauren. It’s Brent.”
Her gaze flew to Wrath. “Hello, Brent.”
Wrath tensed in his seat and leaned closer. Lauren tilted the phone, hoping he could hear both sides of the conversation.
“I heard you were looking for me.”
“Yes. I had to show a warehouse property for you last night. The guy is interested but he doesn’t want the cargo containers. He had some questions about the roof, well, you know the drill, but I didn’t have any answers for him. He wanted me to get the answers and meet with him today.”
She looked at Wrath for direction and held up her hands questioning about what else to say. He nodded at her. He mouthed “at the warehouse at noon”.
“He wanted me to meet him there at noon today to show it to him during the daylight hours. I told him I’d try to send you instead so you can answer his questions since it is your listing. He seems really hot for the property.”
Brent chuckled. “Great. I’ll meet him instead. Thanks, Lauren. I know we don’t get along but this was really nice of you to call me. You could have screwed me out of the whole thing.”
“It’s your listing, Brent. One day I could have an emergency and you might have to show one of my properties. I would hope you’d do me right.” She refrained from snorting. The guy would have no qualms over stealing a deal right out from under her.
“Thanks. I’ll meet him at noon.” He hung up.
Lauren grinned at Wrath, happy that she’d been able to help him. Brent was a bad guy who needed to be arrested. Bill, she corrected. He was an ex-Mercile employee who had hurt people like Wrath and that just pissed her off.
He smiled and lowered his voice. “He’s going for a noon meeting at the warehouse.”
Lauren suddenly realized how close she was to losing Wrath. “Well, what happens next?” Her gaze fixed on his dark glasses. She whispered, hoping the pain she suddenly felt didn’t sound in her voice. “Is this where you just leave me and go back to your life while I go back to mine?”
“We haven’t captured him yet. You’re coming with me.”
Lauren silently admitted she wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Wrath. He leaned closer to her and his hand inched up her skirt, caressing her leg. The desk hid them from anyone walking past her office and she stared at the sunglasses she hated, knew he watched her back, and could feel the desire they both shared sizzle between them.
She decided to tell him the truth. She’d miss him and hoped they could see each other after they captured Bill. “I—”
“Lauren?”
Lauren jumped, startled by her friend’s voice. Wrath jerked his hand away from her leg as Amanda stepped into the office. The other woman’s eyes widened as she openly gawked at Wrath and licked her lips.
“I’m with a client, Amanda. Mr. Williams, this is my best friend, Amanda Davis.” She hesitated, giving her friend a frustrated look. “This isn’t a good time. I’ll call you later.”
Amanda didn’t budge but she did puff out her chest. “Hello, Mr. Williams.”
Lauren gritted her teeth. Amanda was eyeing Wrath’s body as if he were a pork chop, which she loved.
“Please tell me that you’re single.” Amanda sat in the chair by the door, crossed her legs and seemed to get comfortable.
Wrath smiled. “I am.”
Amanda glanced toward the ceiling. “There is a God.” She laughed and batted her eyelashes at Wrath. “I’m single too. And looking.”
Wrath kept his smile in place. “Okay.”
“Amanda,” Lauren said in a tight voice, “Mr. Williams is a client. What are you doing here so early?”
“I was bored and thought I’d come to see if you could have dinner with me this evening before the movie.”
“I’m busy. As a matter of fact I’m going to have to cancel our movie plans. We’ll go tomorrow instead.”
Amanda pouted.
“I’m showing Mr. Williams some condos.”
Amanda grinned. “I have a condo to show you. Mine.” She winked. “I think you’d particularly enjoy my bedroom.”
“Amanda,” Lauren warned. “Stop.”
Amanda ignored her. “Want to go home with me and see my bedroom, gorgeous? Why buy one when you could just move right in with me? I think you’d cheer my place right up. You work out a lot, don’t you?”
“Amanda!” Lauren was getting pissed.
Amanda flashed her a smile. “This is why you’re single. I’m trying not to be. Hush. He’s all big and single. How many chances do I have to try to lure him home with me?” Amanda grinned at Wrath. “So, what do you say? Want me to show you my condo today? We could leave right now.”
Wrath stopped smiling. “I appreciate the offer but Lauren is going to show me condos today.”
“I want to show you more than just a condo.” Amanda smoothed down her shirt, shoving her chest out again. “And I know I want you to show me more than a condo.” Her gaze dropped to his lap and stayed there.
“Amanda!” Lauren gasped.
John T came to the doorway. “Meeting time, Lauren.”
Lauren stood, shaking with anger. She turned to Wrath. “I shouldn’t be long.” She spun, giving her friend a glare. “Amanda, knock it off and behave.”
Amanda grinned. “But I don’t want to be good.” She winked at Wrath. “I want to be bad. Verrrry bad.”
Lauren stormed out of her office, silently swearing to kill her best pal later for hitting on Wrath. Amanda should never hit on one of Lauren’s clients but she could have laughed that off. What wasn’t funny was that she’d gone after Wrath. Her anger burned.
Mel’s door was open so she just entered. Her boss stood by the desk facing Brent and both of them turned to stare at Lauren. She tried to hide her shock at seeing him there. They’d somehow missed him passing by her office and she wished she could signal Wrath. She schooled her features, she hoped, and tried to appear calm. It was rough, knowing she was in the same room with a killer and someone who had abused New Species.
John T and John B entered the office behind her and closed the door. Gina was absent. Mel quickly walked forward and gripped Lauren’s shoulders.
“You need to tell me right now how that man in your office contacted you and when.”
Alarm shot through Lauren. Her heart pounded in her ears and she stared mutely at her boss. She finally managed to get her brain working. “He called yesterday and set up the appointment. Why? What’s going on?”
Brent glared at her. “Didn’t you notice something off about him?”
Lauren shook her head. She hoped Wrath’s good hearing could detect what was going on in the office. Fear gripped her that they suspected the truth but she didn’t understand how they’d know Wrath wasn’t exactly a normal guy. Brent hadn’t seen him and he was the one who might recognize a New Species.
“No. Why?”
John T frowned. “He’s got glasses on. How the hell would she know unless she’s seen one of them, seen the facial differences? I doubt she ever has.”
Oh my God. Lauren panicked but tried to control her features to hide her fear. John T knows for sure what Wrath is, but how?
Mel nodded. “You need to leave now, Lauren. That man in your office is…a rapist. He gets realtors to show him properties and he attacks the second they’re alone. We’ll handle this.”
“But…” Lauren was at a loss for words. She studied the people in the office and felt chilled to the bone. They were lying and all four of them knew Wrath was a New Species. “Okay but my purse is in my office. I’ll get it, make an excuse, and leave.” Warn Wrath.
“Just leave it.” Brent suddenly grabbed Lauren. “Go now.” He shoved her toward the back door of Mel’s office.
“But…”
Lauren was pushed out the back door and into the alleyway before she could protest. It slammed in her face, the bolt slid loud enough for her to hear, and shock washed through her at being locked out.
They knew Wrath was a New Species, had gotten rid of her, and they were protecting Brent for some reason. Terrified for Wrath’s safety she spun and ran down the alleyway to get to the SUV to tell his team what was going on. They needed to warn Wrath to get out or they needed to go in there.
Amanda was with Wrath. More fear drove her to run faster. She almost broke an ankle in her haste, the high heels impeding her, but she was grateful when she spotted the SUV. A car nearly hit her when she forgot to look before crossing the street. The driver hit the brakes, honked his horn and flipped her off.
Brass opened the passenger door, climbed out and caught her when she practically slammed into his big body. Firm hands gripped her arms.
“What is wrong? Where is Wrath?”
“I think they know he’s New Species. They fed me some bullshit about Wrath being a rapist before they shoved me out a back door. Brent is in there, they were all acting weird and my coworkers seem to be protecting him.”
Brass cursed. “Stay here.” He lifted her off her feet, pressed her against the side of the SUV and let go. “We’re going in.”
Lauren tried to catch her breath. “The alley.” She panted, swearing to buy a treadmill in her near future to get more in shape. “They can get out the back if they try to make a run for it.”
Brass turned to Brian—both he and Shadow had exited the SUV. “You take the alley and make sure they don’t escape that way.” Brian took off at a run in the direction Lauren had just come from.
“You stay, Lauren.” Brass checked the guns strapped to his hips. “You’re safe here.”
“My friend Amanda is in there too. She’s a blonde wearing a blue shirt and a black skirt.”
“Understood,” Shadow said.
Both men jogged across the street and down the sidewalk toward her office building. Lauren finally caught her breath and frowned. She didn’t want to wait with the SUV, too worried about her friend and Wrath to be that patient. They might need her. She pushed away from the side of the vehicle and quickly followed them.
She was so worried and distracted by what could be happening to Wrath, his team, and Amanda that she nearly fell on her butt when she spun to face the voice that called out.
“Hey!”
Amanda waved at her from the street, standing in front of the open driver’s door of her car, which was parked a few away from her at the curb. “God, that man was hot. I want to strip him down and sprinkle him with salt so I can take tequila shots off his body.”
“I thought you were inside.”
“Your boss ordered me to leave. She said she had sent you on an emergency call to let in a plumber at a property. That woman is such a bitch she probably wanted to take a shot at him herself but I’m not letting it go down. Tell me you have Mr. Williams’ number and what in God’s name, is that man’s first name? He wouldn’t tell me.”
Lauren twisted her head to stare at the office building. “Stay here. Just…stay here. Don’t move!”
“Okay! Bring me his number.”
Lauren nodded, turning her attention back on the office, dying to know what was going on inside it. Amanda was safe. That was a big relief but she wouldn’t calm down until she saw Wrath. She walked across the grass and avoided the front sidewalk, which could be seen from the reception area. Kim’s desk was empty when she inched up to the window and peeked. Lauren frowned.
Lauren eased around the side of the building and crept toward one of the windows of the office area. She hesitated, lifted her head and peered inside. What she saw made her gasp. Brass and Shadow were facing a wall and John T had a gun pointed at their backs while Mel and Brent stood close by, arguing. She could hear their raised voices but couldn’t understand the words. Where’s Wrath? Where’s Kim, Gina, and John B?
Lauren ducked and kept low to prevent being seen through the windows. She practically crawled toward the back of the building until she reached the alley. She gasped. Brian was sprawled on his back on the ground next to the back door. She ran for him. Fresh blood was smeared on his forehead. Someone had hit him with something but he was breathing. Her hands shook badly as she searched his pockets and located a cell phone, glad he had one.
The top number said BASE when she checked recent outgoing calls and she pressed it to have the cell dial it. A man answered on the first ring.
“Hello?”
“This is Lauren Henderson. Is this headquarters?”
The man hesitated. “Who is this and how did you get Brian’s phone?”
“He’s bleeding on the ground.” She rattled off the address and name of her work. “They have Brass, Shadow and Wrath inside. My coworker has a gun pointed at Brass and Shadow. I haven’t seen Wrath yet but he was inside. Should I call 9-1-1?”
“No,” the man ground out. “We’re on our way. Stay with Brian. Is he breathing?”
Lauren checked Brian over again, verified his chest rose and fell and took a calming breath, trying to control her panic. “Yes but he’s out cold. He was hit in the head by something but it’s not here next to him and I don’t see anything with blood on it. We’re in the alley behind the building.”
“Don’t move and stay on the phone. Do not hang up. We will have teams out to you in minutes.”
Lauren left the phone line open and tucked it into Brian’s vest so it wasn’t in sight but the guy could still hear what was going on. She had no intention of just standing there to wait for help to arrive when Wrath could be in danger. She got to her feet, rushed to the other side of the building and crawled past the windows until she reached her office.
Lauren listened, heard nothing, and raised her head enough to stare into her office through the window. Wrath remained in the same seat he’d been sitting in when she’d left her office but it appeared as if he’d fallen asleep—his head was tipped back and his arms dangled limply over the arms of the chair. A red-tipped dart stuck out of his chest. She could see it move as he breathed, which assured her he was alive but obviously drugged.
Adrenaline rushed through her. Wrath needed help. She had no idea how long it would take for someone else to arrive. No way was she going to just stay there and do nothing. The screen came off easily and she gently rested it against the side of the building. Her gaze lifted to the inside lock, knew that window well since it stuck often when she opened it, and gripped the metal side with her fingers. She wiggled, tried to be quiet about it, and focused on her open office door. There was no movement but she’d have to hide if someone came.
The lock popped and she paused, straining her ears for any sign that someone inside could have heard it. She faintly heard yelling but couldn’t make out what was being said. No one rushed into the room so she eased the glass along the track to get it all the way open. Wrath was so close. She had no idea what to do once she reached him, but maybe she could barricade her office door to lock them both inside until help arrived.
The voices were loud enough with the window open that she could distinctly make out her coworkers’ angry shouting. She lifted up to the waist-high opening, raised a leg and jerked her skirt out of the way. Climbing in wasn’t easy but she managed and dropped to her knees to crawl behind her desk to hide.
“What the hell are we going to do?” Mel demanded.
“Just calm down,” Brent said. “I keep telling you that I’ll think of something.”
“It’s probably your fault!” Mel yelled. “Did you get drunk and tell someone who you really are? Damn it, Bill. I told you that you were putting us all at risk but would you stop being such a selfish prick? Hell no!”
“I didn’t.” His voice dropped and she couldn’t make out the rest of what he said.
“They found us!” Mel shouted. “You said no one would be able to trace us here and I trusted you.”
“They did find us.” It was John T speaking and he was obviously mad. “Let’s just think of what we’re going to do now. I say we kill them and get the hell out of here.”
“And go where?” Glass broke, Mel was so irate, she’d probably thrown something. “We sank all our money into this place for our cover identities. They probably froze our account at the bank. We’re screwed! I’m going to have to call my sister and you know how much I don’t want to do that. I wanted away from this shit. I never wanted to see one of those bastards again and now we have three of them. In…our…offices!”
“Enough!” John B roared. “They offer reward money for them. We have three. Everyone calm down. I can’t think when you’re shouting. We can use them to get fast cash and start over somewhere else.”
“Who is going to exchange them? Huh?” Brent yelled. “Not me. That’s stupid. They’ll just set a trap and we’ll go to prison forever. They aren’t really going to pay us.”
“We’ll get them out of here and it will buy us some time to think of a surefire way to get paid by the NSO to return these three. We’re smarter than those bastards. We just need to get out of here before more arrive.”
“Don’t move or I’ll shoot you!” John T yelled.
“Calm.” Brass’ deep voice barely reached Lauren since he wasn’t shouting. “The NSO will pay for us. Just don’t harm the women.”
“See? I told you they were sappy enough to protect innocents. You move and I slit the receptionist’s throat. She isn’t a part of this and she’s two months pregnant. Fight us and she dies. I can take out Gina too before you reach me.” John B snorted loudly. “The NSO will pay us. We just need to get out of here. Bill, where are more darts? We’ll tranquilize these two, tie up the women, and split.” His voice rose. “More of them could be on the way. These three could be scouts or something. They are hunters, right? Shoot them with darts, we’ll carry them out and figure the rest of this out when we’re safe.”
“Please,” Kim begged. “Let me go.”
“Shut up. I didn’t bring enough darts.” Brent sounded furious. “You told me there was one of them. Not three.”
“He came in alone!” John T yelled. “If I’d known there were more, I would have told you on the damn phone.”
“Don’t move!” John B yelled. “I swear he’ll shoot you both and you won’t get another warning. These women will die too. Do you want their blood on your hands?”
Lauren’s heart pounded and she knew she had to do something. She lifted her hand to call 9-1-1 from the phone on her desk but memory of the phone system stopped her cold. Every phone would show a line in use by flashing red. She couldn’t risk making a phone call but her coworkers were planning on taking Wrath and she couldn’t allow that to happen.
