Chapter Eight
Zandy fought a yawn but lost as Richard watched from his desk. He grinned.
“Didn’t you get enough sleep?”
“Nope.”
“I take it your date went well last night?”
Zandy just grinned.
“I’m glad to hear it. Did you get any sleep at all?”
Memory surfaced of the times Tiger had woken her during the night to make love to her—at least four times. “Not much. At dawn I had to drive myself home to shower and get ready for work.”
“You spent the night with him? That good, huh?”
She winked and focused on the letter on her computer screen.
“Does he have a name?”
“Yes.” She refused to glance at him. No way was she telling him Tiger’s name.
“I’m not going to leave you alone until you tell me who it is.”
That made her turn her head and stare at him. He looked serious. “Fine. His name is Angel.” She grinned at the private joke. Tiger would probably laugh too if she told him about calling him that.
“One of my kind.” Richard wiggled his eyebrows. “We’re sexy, aren’t we?”
“One of your kind?”
“Angel is a common Hispanic name. Latin lovers and all that.”
“You’re off base there. It’s his nickname.”
“He must not be too angelic if he kept you up all night.”
“He took me to heaven quite a few times.”
Richard laughed. “I’m glad that you met someone. So, is this going to be marriage number three?”
“Bite your tongue, man.” She hesitated, thinking it wouldn’t be so bad sleeping with Tiger every night and waking up his arms every morning. He wasn’t looking for anything long-term though. “No. Neither one of us wants something too serious. I’ve been married and divorced twice. He’s not looking for a wife. We’re just having some fun together so don’t expect a wedding invitation.”
“Do you know that saying about never saying never? Just remember that. You might fall for the man and I’ve heard the third time is the charm.”
“Or three strikes and you’re out.”
“Bah humbug. You’re too young to be so pessimistic.”
She shrugged. “He’s not up for it even if I were willing to take another shot at a relationship. He seems to enjoy his freedom too much.”
Richard smirked. “That’s what all men say until they meet the right woman. I thought about becoming a priest before I met my wife in high school. She changed my mind when I realized I couldn’t live without her. I have no regrets.”
“That’s really romantic.”
He shrugged. “I do need some help. Will you leave Reservation with me at lunch? Her birthday is coming up and I need a woman’s opinion. I want to buy her something nice but I have terrible taste in jewelry.”
Zandy nodded. “Sure. What does she like?”
“Not butterflies.” He chuckled. “I bought her a broach last year, thinking it was pretty but she wasn’t so thrilled.”
“I bet. I’ll go with you.”
He smiled. “Thanks. I don’t know too many women. My wife’s best friend was supposed to go with me but she’s sick. I have to buy it today to make sure I have time to have it inscribed. I also figure we’re going to be swamped here for the next week.”
“Why?”
“That press release last night is going to draw in some hate mail.”
She wasn’t sure what he was talking about since she’d spent the night in the woods with Tiger but didn’t want to reveal that part. Her coworker would ask too many questions but of course the NSO had a lot of press conferences. They were already pretty busy but she figured they could handle an increase in mail. The system they had implemented for incoming mail was pretty effective and smooth.
Thoughts of Tiger made the time pass quickly as she wondered how long they’d last and how their relationship would end. He wanted to see her again but hadn’t given her a time. She hated that he’d kissed her goodbye at her car and promised to call her. Her teeth dented her lip, worrying it might have been a brush-off line for goodbye.
“Zandy?”
She turned her head to peer at Richard. “Yeah?”
“It’s lunchtime.” He stood. “Snow just pulled up to escort us. Don’t forget your purse today. I doubt they’ll ask for it since you’re with me but you don’t use the front gate, do you? I’m not sure they all know you. You should take your identification.”
It stunned her that time had passed so quickly as she put on her shoes and followed him to the front door. Snow opened it before they reached it. A few minutes later he dropped them off at the parking lot near the front entrance of Reservation.
“You drive a white minivan?”
He chuckled as they climbed inside. “My wife has a matching blue one. We thought it was cute.”
“It is.” She put on her seat belt.
Richard drove them to the gates and whistled. “Wow. Look at that.”
Zandy was shocked at what she saw. “Is it always this bad around lunch? I never leave this way.” They slowly drove past at least a hundred protesters after they exited through the gate. They were glared at as some of them shouted.
“I guess they aren’t happy Justice North took a mate.”
Zandy jerked her head to stare at him. “He did? If the locals had such a problem with them why did they buy land here for Reservation?”
“How did you miss that news conference last night? It was on every channel. He married the daughter of some popular senator and all of them announced it together. Daddy was thrilled, she’s kind of hot, and Justice swears they are really happy. They sure looked it.” Richard paused. “These aren’t the town residents. Everyone who lives around here loves the New Species. All these assholes drive here to cause problems. The local motels won’t rent rooms to them so maybe that’s why they are so bitchy. They have to drive over an hour to stand out here being idiots and then at the end of the day drive another hour back.”
Zandy laughed. “The local motels won’t rent to them?”
Richard shook his head. “Nope. They put out big signs. Haven’t you seen them? They state ‘no anti-New Species persons’ allowed right there with the ‘no shoes, no shirt, no service’ signs. It’s kind of funny.”
“That is. I’ve never visited any of the motels. I bought my house online and did all the paperwork by fax. I just moved here after the house closed. I’m glad Justice North is happy. I like him. I’m glad he found someone but I thought he’d take a New Species mate.”
“You and everyone else.” Richard accelerated once they reached the highway that would lead them into town. “The fact that she’s human is going to stir up every asshole out there who has a problem with the NSO. We’re going to get slammed with hate mail but just remember to respond nicely.” He turned his head and winked. “Insult them back with polite sentences.”
“Dear sir, your thoughts are much appreciated by our entire mail department because we laugh daily over your views and hope you have the kind of day you’ve wished on us too.”
Richard chuckled. “Too bad we can’t just tell them to fuck off.”
* * * * *
Tiger snarled as he hung up the phone and glared at the males around him. “Lock it down and triple security. I want the males from the Wild Zone patrolling the long stretches of walls where we’re spread thin. Have them break into two groups, twelve-hour shifts and they can tear apart any trespassers if they somehow make it over the walls.”
Flame cocked his head. “Seriously?”
“No. It would be nice though, wouldn’t it? Tell them to terrify but hold anyone they find until we can send someone to collect the morons.”
The other male grinned. “I know I could think of a few humans on the other side of the gate I wouldn’t mind beating on.”
Harley nodded next to Flame. “The loudmouth with the blow horn would be at the top of my list to get an atti
tude adjustment.”
Tiger’s sense of humor returned as he grinned. “The male in the red beer shirt?”
“That’s the one,” Harley confirmed. “Just two minutes with him and I’d send him home with that horn in a bad place that would make walking difficult for him.”
Moon shifted his stance. “I’d go after the male in the fatigues. He isn’t really military but someone should put him through my version of boot camp.” He lifted his foot to show off his military-issue boot.
Tiger’s bad mood dissipated. “Try to keep your sense of humor. I know it is difficult but we’ll get through today.”
“What about tomorrow?” Harley smirked. “I don’t think this is going to blow over fast. I think those losers out there just realized we can give their women a lot better than they can.” He softly growled. “I could show them with that brunette beauty in the blue suit.”
Moon growled too. “Hot. She could do an in-depth report on me anytime.”
A deep chuckle escaped Tiger. “Don’t flirt with the reporters.”
The phone rang again and Tiger dismissed the males. He reached for it and was glad it was Justice who called. “How is Jessie holding up?”
Justice hesitated. “She’s angry. We expected a backlash but it’s been worse than we feared. Brass said you’ve had a lot of protester issues since late last night.”
“It wasn’t actually bad until a few hours ago. I wish you’d given me warning before you announced this. I wasn’t even aware of what had happened until this morning when I came on shift.”
“I tried to call you but you didn’t pick up. I was told you wanted time off and didn’t want to be disturbed.” Justice paused. “Are you well? Brass said you’d called to say you were spending the night in the Wild Zone.”
Tiger hated to lie. “I just needed to commune with nature.” An image flashed of Zandy under him while he’d fucked her. His dick stirred at the memory of her parted lips and sexy green eyes staring into his. He’d gotten in touch with his animal side all right. A lot. Guilt struck next. “That’s a lie,” he admitted. “I refuse to speak of it but I was with a female.”
The silence on the other line lasted long seconds. “Okay. I don’t understand the reason for secrecy but I’ll respect it. You know you can discuss anything with me.”
He was tempted and hesitated. “Maybe later. I want to work this out on my own.”
“Understood. Our females can be complicated. Do you need more males there? We’re spread thin here but you have more territory to protect.”
“I’ve just sent my team to recruit the help of the males from the Wild Zone. They won’t be real stable but they love to hunt. I don’t think they’ll kill anyone if they find a human. Harley and Moon will assign them in teams to even out the calmer ones with the more feral. It’s now standard procedure here in case of emergency. I’d qualify this as one. How are you holding up?”
“I’m furious. I knew it would cause problems when we released a statement about me taking a human mate but we hoped for the best with her father at our side.”
“Why did you do this now?”
Justice hesitated. “Jessie’s brother was shot. He’ll live but she flew to be at his side. The press saw some of our males on her security team. They contacted us to ask why. We had him transferred to Homeland to recover. It’s safer for her to be with her brother here than at a hospital. Jake agreed and our doctors are caring for him. The reporters weren’t going to let it go.”
“You had no choice.”
“That’s how we felt.” Justice sighed. “I apologize for the difficulty but she’s worth it.”
“I know you love your mate.”
“Love is an understatement. She’s my life. Her brother however is a thorn in my side. I hadn’t met him until they flew him in. He’s difficult.”
“Anti-Species?”
“No. Just an asshole. Think of a younger version of Tim Oberto without the leash since he works for us. Jake quit the military to work for a private security firm. He’s already demanding to see our entire security protocols to fix them. He’s a very protective older brother. I admire his love for my mate but the male is annoying.”
“Humans come with family,” Tiger teased. “He is yours now.”
“Bite your tongue. I know I’d enjoy punching him in that loud mouth of his.”
“Resist. Your mate wouldn’t approve.”
“Jessie wants to punch him too. She threatened to shoot him in his other leg so the scar on his thigh will have a matching one if he doesn’t back down. They have this strange sibling relationship where they argue a lot and make dire threats against each other.”
“My day doesn’t seem quite as stressful now,” Tiger teased. “Enjoy getting to know Jessie’s brother.”
“Take care.”
Tiger hung up and entered the main room of Security. The cameras were filled with scenes of protesters. “Are they behaving?”
“No one is throwing anything since we hosed down the first twenty feet in front of the gate,” Zest answered with a grin. “They didn’t enjoy getting icy water baths.”
“Good.” He brushed his fingers through his hair. “How about the town? Has the sheriff returned our call?”
“He isn’t reporting any trouble. Most of the protesters are avoiding it and instead hanging out here.”
“That’s a relief. I don’t want the town to grow to hate us.”
At least something was going right. Tiger knew it was going to be a long day. He’d had hopes of calling Zandy to arrange a meeting with her after work but she’d be sleeping by the time his shift ended.
* * * * *
“That was fun.” Zandy shot a glance at Richard. “Thanks for buying me lunch in town.”
“My pleasure. You have great taste. I think my wife is going to love that locket with the rose design. It’s beautiful.”
“Just remember to take those pictures in tomorrow when you pick it up after they inscribe it for you. One of you and one of your kids. Every woman would love that. It was actually fun to shop for someone else.”
“Hey, I’m glad you think so. At Christmas, may I borrow you for a few hours? I really need help then.” Richard grinned. “Not only do I have to buy for my wife but my mother too.”
“Ah,” she teased. “You don’t want me as a friend. You want me as a shopping assistant.”
“Damn straight!”
The van had to slow when a large crowd blocked the road ahead of them in front of the Reservation gates. Richard tooted his horn to get some of them to move out of the way. Three off-road, full-sized pickup trucks were in line ahead of them to be searched.
Richard sighed. “We might be a little late.”
“It’s not our fault. The NSO officers can see us up there on the wall.” Zandy peered up at the well-armed security officers patrolling the catwalk along the top of the thick barrier. “I don’t remember there being so many of them up there the day I came for my interview.”
“That’s because there usually aren’t.” Richard paused. “Are you feeling as nervous as I am? Notice the way some of these jerks are eyeing us.” He hit the locks on the door but they were already down. “I don’t like this.”
Her gaze darted around to find a lot of strangers glaring at them. “I don’t like this either. Maybe you should back up and drive to the other gate that I use.”
“That’s miles away and we’d really be late. We’re safe. No one would be stupid enough to try anything with all those guns up along that wall. We’re technically on NSO land here on this side of the gate. It’s posted everywhere and those officers can open fire if need be.”
She studied the faces around them. “Do they know that? Those aren’t our finest and brightest holding those racist signs. They are total dipshits.”
Richard chuckled. “It will be fine. Look, there are a few deputies from town trying to do crowd control. I’ve worked here for a while and I’ve seen worse.”
Some idiot w
earing jeans and a T-shirt climbed up into the back of a pickup truck in line at the front to yell obscenities at the NSO officers. A news crew shoved forward with their cameras to capture the tension.
Richard softly cursed beside her. “They are such assholes.”
“Maybe he’ll fall out of the back of the truck and break his neck. We can always hope.”
Richard gave her a wink when she glanced his way. She smiled and returned her attention to the jackass making a fool of himself. The NSO officers ignored him but the camera crews were eating it up while filming the action.
“I’ll bet you five bucks that makes the six o’clock news. It only hurts their cause so I hope they do run it. What a prick. I know two-year-olds with better language skills.” Richard’s fingers tapped the steering wheel. “We’re really going to be late.”
“It’s not our fau—” Shock cut her off when a tarp was thrown from the back of the truck bed in front of them. It landed on the slanted hood of Richard’s minivan and two men stood up from where they’d been hiding under it. Both of them were gripping long weapons.
Zandy froze in horror as the men opened fire. The sounds of gun blasts were deafening and the brake lights on the truck holding the two men suddenly went off. It was such a small detail to notice but it drew her attention. Reverse lights came on a second before the vehicle ahead of them slammed into the front of the minivan. Zandy’s belt dug painfully into her shoulder with the rough impact and Richard yelled. It wasn’t a word, just a sound of terror and confusion.
The NSO officers responded by firing canisters that exploded on the pavement around them. Thick white smoke began to fill the air to block the sight of the gates ahead. Something hit the window next to Zandy, jerking her attention there. A man with a bandana over his nose and mouth hit the window again with the hammer he wielded. The glass next to her face spider-webbed as it started to crush in.