by Milly Taiden
When the guy stretched to pick up the weapon, it slid away, just out of his reach. He stared at it a second then stepped forward and reached down. Again, the gun slid away. His face shaded red from frustration and anger. “What the fuck?” This time he lunged forward. The gun slid between his feet to stop by the door. She lifted her lips in a grin. Idiot. But she wondered how the gun moved on its own. Something to worry about later.
With Jane’s man down for the count, she turned to the other guy focused on the weapon. A roundhouse kick put him down with his friend. A rectangular object fell from the man’s pocket. Jane scooped up his badge ID. That would probably come in handy. Jane snatched up the pistol and glanced toward Sariana and gave a weak smile, “Let’s go,” then headed out the door into the narrow hall.
She dragged her back against the wall to the corner then peeked around to see clear passageways. She reached behind for Sariana, but felt nobody. She glanced over her shoulder. Sariana stood examining the locking mechanism on the doorframe and badge reader device next to the door. “Sariana, what are you doing? Shut the door and come on.”
The child did as she was told and they rushed down the hall. Jane had no idea where they were, so one direction was just as good as the other. Too bad she couldn’t see through walls. That would so come in handy right about now. They passed several closed doors with badge reader access only. High security place. Interesting. After slipping past a door labeled “Armory,” she stopped. She slid the plastic holder over the scan pad to the door’s side. A beep made her look at the small display: Access denied. She tried again. Access denied. Damn.
Sariana grabbed the door lever. Jane heard a grinding then a quiet schnick. Sariana turned the lever and the door opened. Jane looked at the locking mechanism, then at the girl, then back to the lock. “Did you do that?” The child just shrugged and stepped into the room. This child was special, something her mom forgot to mention.
Jane stepped in behind the girl. She thought the FBI had a cache of ammunition. This was enough for an army. “What the hell?” Metal shelf after shelf held automatic rifles, grenade launchers, ammo containers…and then she saw something that turned her blood cold. Weapons and technology from her home planet. Each piece looked shiny and new.
Supposedly, her planet destroyed all weapons years ago to cut back on deaths. With only hand-to-hand combat, with an occasional knife-like instrument, the homicide rate dropped drastically to almost nothing.
Apparently, someone from her planet lied, or weapons were being made here. Earth’s technology wasn’t advanced enough to create these weapons. Nowhere near advanced. What the hell was going on?
Into her pocket, she shoved the gold pencil-like thing--an exdiv, her planet’s version of a grenade, three times as explosive--grabbed Sariana’s hand, and headed for the hall. She was getting the fuck out of there. One way or another. And she’d get Sariana to safety.
More and more doors, each with a badge reader. They turned a corner to see a bank of elevators. Her hand slammed on the down button, then she noticed the number three between the elevators. The girl looked up at her, dusty rose eyes tearing. Jane went to one knee and laid her hands on the little girl’s shoulders.
“Everything will be all right. I promise.” She met the girl’s scared gaze with her own, which she hoped was calm and conveyed reassurance. “Hopefully this elevator will take us to the first floor where we can get out. Okay? There’s no need for tears, baby girl.” Jane grinned for the child. “Stick with me, kid, and we’ll go places.” The girl continued to stare at her. Jane realized the child had no idea what she referred to. She was probably confusing her more than anything.
With tears held back, the small body stepped toward her and wrapped her thin arms around her neck. Jane stiffened with surprise. Since coming to Earth, she’d had very little physical contact: no hugs, no pats on the back, no dancing. Except for the occasional handshake, Jane had forgotten how good it felt to be hugged. Her arms and heart melted around the slight form clinging to her for life. Her maternal hormones raged to life. Sariana was in such trouble. This little girl was already taking over her heart.
The sound of a door opening in one of the hallways and voices reached them. Jane snapped to her feet, child embraced, and hurried around the corner to the other long hallway. She set down the girl and flattened against the wall. The voices stopped at the elevators.
“That’s odd,” said a man’s voice.
“What?” asked a female.
“The down button is lit up and no one’s here. And we’re not allowed on the fourth floor. No one is, that I know of.”
“So? Just push the up button. I’m ready to get the hell out of here. We’re leaving for the home planet tonight. Finally. I hate this place. I hate what we’re doing. As a mother, it kills me every time one of the experiments goes wrong. These are still lives we’re dealing with.”
“Relax.” The man tried to sound reassuring. “It’s been rough on me, too, but we’re just starting. Give the process some time to kick in. If these creatures are successful, then we will be able to bring peace to our planet.”
“At what price?” the female debated. “We’re at peace. Who says they’re going to attack? They haven’t yet.”
“The longer we wait, the stronger chance they will.” The sound of doors swishing open was followed by the fading voices. After a few pounding heartbeats, Jane came back to the doors and pushed the up button. That meant she and Sariana were underground. What kind of place this huge would be hidden? The human government? Conspiracies about this kind of thing peppered the Internet.
But those workers weren’t human.
The doors opened and Jane prayed this wasn’t a bad decision. They hurried inside and stared at the button panel. Her finger pushed the one button. Now she wasn’t so sure this was a good idea. Sariana slid her hand into Jane’s. Beautiful, haunted eyes looked up at her. Jane melted again. Great time for her biological clock to make itself known. Her hormones wanted to hurt whomever hurt the child and at the same time, keep her for herself.
This tiny person depended on her to save her life. Total trust, total vulnerability, shined up at her. Jane’s job required her to interact with children, but usually after the child was dead or missing. This one was alive and alone on a strange planet. Emotions filled her heart. She remembered being new on Earth and not knowing anyone. This little girl wasn’t going to feel alone. Not if she could help it.
Seconds after the cab lifted, the light for the second floor dinged and they slowed to a stop. A whimper sounded at her side. Jane squeezed the delicate hand in hers in a show of hope. That poor kid didn’t deserve any of what she’d seen so far. She needed security and Jane would be damned if someone tried to interfere.
On the second floor, a woman dressed in a white lab coat stepped in and smiled, before turning to face away. Everyone remained quiet, a tense several seconds where Jane didn’t breathe until the doors slid open.
The first floor looked like a massive, open storage warehouse. Crates stacked high created a maze of walkways. Men and women dressed either paramilitary style or in everyday civilian clothes passed by, turning down various aisles. Her only option was to follow the lady and hope she would lead them out.
Trailing the woman, Jane took in everything she could. In an open area, a forklift holding three crates raced toward the open back of a semi. The forklift wheels slammed against the slightly elevated cargo hold bed, shaking the crates off the carrying arms.
The wooden boxes crashed to the floor and two came open. Nothing fell out. Both containers were empty.
A tug on her hand brought her attention to their escape route. The woman they followed had swiped her badge over the card reader and passed through a white metal door to sunlight. Others followed, purses and lunch buckets in tow. Must be headed for home. They were so close to being out.
Overhead, red lights flashed and an alarm blared. Shit! Was that for their escape? Jane nearly dragged her tag-along to th
e exit door. She wiped the badge over the card reader. Access denied flashed on the small display. Jane tried it again with the same result. Then it dawned on her that with the red alert, all doors and exits went on lock down. They were so screwed. Fucking hell! Now what?
They needed to hide before someone recognized them. She slipped the badge into her pocket, and touched something already there. The exdiv! She pulled out the gold pencil-like weapon and programmed the explosive, delaying the timer ten seconds. Shit was about to hit the fan. Literally.
After tossing it at the base of the door, adult and child ran for the first row of crates a good thirty feet away. Their actions caught the attention of warehouse personnel. Someone talking into a walkie-talkie hurried toward them.
Just as they ducked behind a row of crates, an explosion threw them to the ground. While dust settled, Jane popped up, surveying the area. Holy shit! She’d forgotten how powerful the exdivs were. It looked like a nuclear bomb had gone off. Dozens of crates were smashed and damaged. Again, they all looked empty.
The way out, a hole big enough to drive a truck through, opened to a rock parking lot with several people getting into vehicles. She snatched Sariana into her arms and took off through smoking debris. It was now or never.
She ran blindly for the woods on the far side of the lot. Her slick shoes slid, climbing the hill to the trees. She slammed onto her hand and knees, nearly dropping her charge. Sariana wiggled free, and both continued up. Hell, she hadn’t had this much solo activity in a long time. And not during the week she came into heat. Good thing she’d continued her training. Even though she’d gained some extra pounds to her already curvy frame, she could still move quickly and kick ass when necessary.
Barking dogs sounded in the distance. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
“Come on, Sariana. We have to hurry.” Hand in hand, they navigated the dense foliage, fallen trees, and rocks. The dogs sounded closer.
A man in camo clothes stepped in front of Jane, automatic rifle aimed at her. “Stop.” Jane slid but caught herself, keeping Sariana behind her. She still had the handgun, but what good was that to a machine gun?
Jane pushed Sariana, backing away slowly. “Stop, Jane. I don’t want to shoot you.”
She gasped in shock. Hearing her name scared her more than the gun pointing at her. She pushed Sariana in the other direction to run. The guard called out and raced after them. The dogs were too close. Men’s voices shouted. God. The little girl was going to get caught again.
Nearing a drop-off to the river, they were forced parallel and down an incline. Dogs surrounded them, pushing them to the edge. This was the end. Men approached and grabbed each of them. A large hand slapped over Sariana’s eyes.
No! Jane was frustrated and angry; she kicked back, nailing her captor’s shin with her heel. Asshole. They’d been so close. So close to getting away. The man jerked her down with him. She tore away, lost her footing, then tumbled over the steep slope and into the river.
FOUR
Ramirez sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Frustration hit an all-time high. “Yeah, I checked all the rooms. Nothing. Most of the place smells like she hasn’t been here in a long time. Only the front door, hallway, and kitchen.”
“All right. Nose around inside and out for anything new. Brock and I should be there soon, pending rush-hour traffic through town. And Tony…” Cyn sounded more worried than before.
Hearing his name snapped him out of his concerned funk. “Yeah?”
“Hang in there. We’ll find her.”
“Yeah, thanks. See you shortly.” He slid his phone into his pocket and blew out a breath. What to do now? He looked around the tossed kitchen. He pulled his phone out and selected the camera icon and snapped crime scene photos, what there was anyway. Not the best quality, but hopefully finding Jane wouldn’t depend on them.
Focusing on the faux-tile linoleum, he noted a small dark splatter behind the table. On hands and knees, he took a good whiff. Smells were highly concentrated here. Unfamiliar and familiar. It scented woodsy, as if the person had been outside for a while. Definitely male. Several unique factors, but he caught a trace that smelled exactly like Jane. Not enough for family relation, but enough for a link.
That specific smell Tony attributed to Jane’s uniqueness, since he hadn’t noticed it on anyone else. Obviously that wasn’t right. Perhaps this male and Jane came from the same place; some place he’d never been. Anger and jealousy reared ugly and strong. Good thing the guy was dead; otherwise, Tony would have a job for his tiger.
Outside the kitchen door, the ground cover was disturbed by the looks of something heavy being dragged. Trail and smell ended at the tree line. Shit. His hands fisted. He needed to hit something or roar at the top of his lungs.
On the back porch, he stripped down and let his tiger free. Claws digging into the soft soil, he launched into the cool woods. Faster and faster. His tiger loved the trees, vines, scent of bark. Not the cockleburs, though. As long as he didn’t sit on a bush of them, he’d be fine. A slight shiver shook him at that thought. Brock wouldn’t be happy with Cyn’s hands so close to his junk. He didn’t think he’d enjoy it either. That all belonged to his mate.
Oh, you’re certain Jane isn’t your mate.
Frustration lighted anew. With a burst of energy, his tiger leapt across a ravine without missing a step. This area had more shallow streams and creeks than by Jane’s cabin. He must be getting closer to the river. Maybe he’d find a spot on the bank and just sit and listen to the water flow. Calm himself, let his anger and frustration ebb away with the current.
He gave a feline sneeze to clear the pollen and air debris from his nose then sucked in a deep breath. He felt much better. The tiger wanted to keep control while in the forest so Tony gladly agreed. Time to think was what he needed. Think about what?
How Jane drove him crazy. Oh, you’re certain Jane isn’t your mate. And that stupid fucking phrase. Grrrrr. He wanted to rip it from his mind. But it reminded him what every shifter’s dream was: to find their true mate. Shit, shit, shit. Maybe he was an idiot going after her in the first place. She smelled so good. Even right now he could smell her.
His tiger tugged on his human conscious. Not now, boy. I’m in the middle of a wet fantasy here. His animal growled at him. What? Tony peered through his tiger’s eyes and saw a pile of river debris entangled in the branches of a fallen tree at the river’s edge. How did his animal get them here? That’s what he got when his tiger led. Lost in the middle of BFE.
His animal told him to fuck off and take a whiff, asshole. So he did. Yum, Jane. Just like his fantasy…Wait. He wasn’t in a fantasy. Urging the tiger closer to the tipped tree, he breathed in more of her fragrance. Then he saw an arm sticking out.
Jane!
In two steps, he was on two feet. He waded into the river, thigh high. This section of the river widened, keeping the flow slower and less powerful. Reaching the pile of discarded take-out Chinese boxes, partially dissolved cardboard pizza containers, Styrofoam cups, moss, pine needles and leaves, he saw a body. Claw-tipped fingers ripped away trash to reveal his Jane, scratched-up and bruised, but alive.
Carrying her gently in his arms, he noted the woods had darkened. Night would be upon them soon. He wanted to hurry, but didn’t want to jostle his precious cargo. He didn’t pay attention to how long or how far they had wandered. Finally, the cabin came into sight.
Another black SUV was parked in the driveway. Hopefully it was Brock and Cyn. He didn’t want to take out a stranger, but he sure as hell would to keep Jane safe.
His shoulder pushed open the kitchen door. Brock and Cyn stood next to the fridge, looking at the spot where the dead body lay at one time.
Cyn drew in a sharp breath. “Tony! My god, what happened to Jane?”
“Found her in the river, close to the shore.” He hurried down the hall to the main room and laid her on the sofa. Now that he could see her clearly, she looked a mess. Mud coated her beautiful red hair an
d face. Her cheeks were scratched from the tree limbs, as were her bare arms. Bruises dotted every part he could see.
Cyn knelt beside Tony at Jane’s side. “I got this, Tony.”
He growled, startling Cyn. Brock immediately snarled, and Tony’s body lifted and flew against the wall. Color drained from his face as he stared at Brock. He’d never done that to Tony. Ever. “She told you she has it. Now get cleaned up and put on clothes before coming back in here.”
With a glare over his shoulder, Ramirez left the room. It was his fault, though. You don’t growl at the boss’s mate. He knew that. So what made him do it?
Oh, you’re certain Jane isn’t your mate.
After he’d showered - no cockleburs were attached to his ass - dressed, and came back into the living room, Cyn had Jane out of her wet clothes and wrapped in a furry cream blanket. Cyn looked up from her chair when he joined them. “Feel better?”
“Yeah, thanks. How bad is she?” His eyes rested on Jane, silent on the sofa.
“Besides the cuts and bruises, she has a couple cracked ribs, from what Brock could see. We shouldn’t move her. And two very bad bumps on her head. That’s probably what’s keeping her out. Her brain is healing itself.”
“So, we hang out here and wait for her to wake up? How long will that be? What kind of paranormal is she? She’s not a shifter, but can she heal faster than regular humans.”
Cyn sighed and shook her head. “Tony, you know we can’t discuss that. Rule number one.”
“Whoever came up with that rule was a complete ass.” Anger tinged his voice.
Brock looked up from his coffee. “Ramirez—”
“No. Hear me out.” He paced between chairs. “Wouldn’t you think if we understood each of our strengths and weaknesses, we could work better as a team when it came to something someone else was better at?” He stopped. “That’s why Buchanan and I work so well together. We know what we can and can’t do, and know when to step in without having to be asked. That’s saved our butts on more than a few cases.”
