New Species 03 Valiant (36 page)

focused on Justice.

“You know I’d never lie to you. I’ve worked for you

for almost a year. I’m trusted, and everything I’ve said is

the truth. That is what happened. I had no choice. The

guy with the gun told me where to drive and that’s what

I did. Maybe he wore something to hide his scent. He did

have military-type clothes on and a cap over his hair.

That’s why you probably didn’t smell him. A nother man

waited at the location where I was told to drive and he

held another gun on me, ordered me to open the trunk,

and his friend climbed out. They took Miss Shasta, tied

me up, and drove away with her. I sat there helpless

until your people found me. I swear, Justice. I’m a victim

in this as much as that woman is.”

Justice slowly reached up and loosened his tie. He

kept a calm expression on his features. He yanked the tie

off over his head and reached for his jacket buttons next,

unfastening each one. He shed his jacket and unbuttoned

his white shirt. He removed it and his chest was bare. He

reached for his belt next as he kicked off his loafers.

“What are you doing?” The attorney’s voice shook

with fear. “Justice? Why are you getting undressed?”

Justice snapped his gaze up and glared at Charlie

A rtzola. “This is a two-thousand-dollar suit. I don’t want

to get your blood all over it. My people found you

because we put trackers on all your vehicles but

unfortunately we can’t track your destinations until they

are activated. We don’t know where you took her because

you’d already parked when we realized she’d been taken.

You knew that though since you were the one who

drafted the agreement that allows us to make all human

employees agree to those devices and you knew your car

would be found. You should have disappeared. Instead

you counted on my trust and your ability to lie well to

shield you from our rage.”

“I’m sorry you lost one of your men but it wasn’t me.

It’s that guy’s fault who forced me to drive him and Miss

Shasta out the gates. I didn’t tie myself up. See? That’s

proof I’m not lying.”

Justice folded his pants, now wearing only his black

boxer briefs. He turned and handed all of his folded

clothing to one of the New Species officers positioned at

the door. “Please take these to another room. Blood

splatters.”

“Jesus Christ,” Charlie A rtzola moaned. “What are

you doing? It’s me, Justice. I’m your friend. You know I

would never betray your people. Never. I know we are all

upset that Miss Shasta has been taken but I just drove

her out of here to prevent them from blowing her brains

out.”

Justice turned, growling. “Friends don’t kidnap one of

our women and hand her over to the enemy.”

“She’s not New Species. She’s a human. I wouldn’t do

that to your kind and I sure as hell wouldn’t do it to

mine.”

“She is one of ours regardless of her blood. Talk,

Charlie. Talk now or I will make you. No one but New

Species know we have you. There is a lot of ground on

our Reservation to dispose of your body when we are

done. You will tell us where to find the woman if you

want to live.” Justice prowled closer, growled, and barred

his teeth. “We learned torture from having it done to us.

I’m an experimental prototype, Charlie. They really hurt

me badly and there are thousands of ways to make you

scream and bleed without killing you. You will suffer.”

“Justice, I swear. There was another man and he ca

—”

“You didn’t kill my officer,” Justice snarled. “He

survived. Whoever you are working with, and we are

aware since someone did tie you up that you have at

least one partner, is either an idiot or set you up to die.

Did he or she give you the drug you used on Flame? It

was a very strong sedative but not enough to stop his

heart. He’s going to wake soon and when he does, he’ll

be able to tell us exactly what happened when he

escorted Miss Shasta to your office.”

* * * * *

Valiant jerked out of Brass’ hold, had seen more than

enough on the monitors, and wanted to tear the human

apart to get answers. He’d told Justice he’d give him a

chance, knew his rage was too great at that moment, but

it was taking too long. He lunged toward the holding cell.

The door exploded open when he entered. Valiant

snarled as he stormed into the room. His attention locked

on the man tied to the chair in the corner of the room.

Valiant threw his head back and roared at the human

who’d taken Tammy.

“Jesus!” Charlie A rtzola screamed, staring at Valiant.

“Do not kill him,” Justice ordered softly. “He needs to

tell us where he took her and who he delivered her to.

He has a partner.”

Valiant growled, showed teeth, and his body shook.

His hands fisted. “I understand. I will contain my rage

but it’s difficult.”

Justice cleared his throat. “I was just about to show

him how much pain it will take to get him to tell us the

information we need.”

“A llow me that pleasure,” Valiant snarled, opened his

mouth wide, and his muscles strained while his body

tensed in anticipation of beating the truth out of the

human. He wanted his blood. “I’ll make him tell us

everything.”

“Jesus Christ,” the attorney moaned. He wet himself

and piss pooled on the chair until and ran down its legs.

His terrified gaze darted to Justice. “Don’t let him near

me. She said he’d tear out my guts and feed them to

me.”

Justice glanced at Valiant with raised eyebrows as

their gazes met. Justice turned suddenly, putting his back

to the attorney, to only reveal his grin to the Species. “So

she told you what Valiant would do to you?” He growled

the words. “She warned you what betrayal would cost

you.” Schooling his features, Justice faced the prisoner

again. “Where is she? Where did you take her? To whom

did you deliver her? I want answers or Valiant will do

exactly what she threatened he would. We will watch him

do it without lifting a finger to make it stop. You will

suffer untold agony and it will take hours to die.”

“It is very painful,” Valiant growled. He licked his lips

and showed his sharp teeth to prove the point. “Flesh is

easy to tear apart.”

The attorney nodded frantically. “Just swear he won’t

touch me. I want to live.”

Justice paused. “You will live if you help us get her

back and she is still alive.”

“He doesn’t plan on killing her but it’s not my fault if

the New Species he took her to kills her,” Charlie A rtzola

stammered quickly. “He wanted her to give to one of

your kind. The man I work for is Dr. A dam Zenlelt. He

worked for Mercile Industries and approached me after I

got the job at Homeland. He offered me a lot of money

and I needed it. I’ve got an ex-wife and a ton of bil—”

Valiant roared again, edged closer, and his fingers

curved into claws.

Justice glanced at him and then the attorney. “He

doesn’t give a shit why you did it. Stop excusing your

betrayal and tell us where the woman is and more about

this human who has her.”

“I don’t know all that much about him. He wanted

Miss Shasta because I told him that one of yours planned

to marry a human woman. He pays me to tell him that

stuff. He has a New Species and he’s been trying to run

tests on him but it’s an insane one who keeps killing any

women shoved inside his cell. Zenlelt likes to be called

“doctor”. He realized that two New Species can’t breed

and he’s planned on testing one of you against a human

woman to see if she can get pregnant. Zenlelt thought

that since one of you would fuck her, his guy would do

her too. That’s why he needed her so bad and bribed me

to take her to him. He’s going to lock her inside a cage

with that thing to see if he’ll fuck or kill her the way he

did the others. That New Species he’s got is really an

animal, Justice. I saw him once and he doesn’t have an

ounce of humanity left inside him.”

Valiant lunged. Justice moved, grabbed him, and

tossed him back into the wall. Justice struggled but

managed to pin him there. “We won’t find her if you kill

him,” he snarled.

Valiant closed his eyes and nodded. Justice eased his

hold and released the bigger male. He turned to glare at

the human he’d mistakenly trusted.

“Tell us everything you know.”

The attorney nodded frantically. “I will. They have a

house they’ve rented and that’s where I saw them a few

days ago. They had the New Species locked up and

drugged inside a cage at the time but he wasn’t fully

asleep. He scared the hell out of me because he’s got

these black stone-cold, dead eyes. Serial-killer type. I was

ordered to take her to the house, which I did. Zenlelt has

two guys working with him and they took her into the

house. They have another location but I don’t know

where it is or the location of where they are keeping the

New Species. I just know I heard them say they were

going to wait until dark to get the New Species prepared

for her before they took her to him. They call him 927

and sometimes they call him the beast.” Charlie A rtzola

swallowed. “I heard Zenlelt say that out of all the males

he had, that one tested with the highest sperm. I don’t

know where they brought him from or where Zenlelt’s set

up normally but he came here looking for a woman who

had sex with a New Species.”

“Where is this house?” Justice inched closer, his

hands curled into fists.

Charlie A rtzola paused. “You swear that you won’t kill

me or let him hurt me?” His gaze jerked to Valiant, who

stood against the wall where Justice had pushed him,

before staring at Justice again. “I want your vow on the

lives of New Species I’ll walk out of here alive and in one

piece if I help you find her.”

“I do not break my word,” Justice growled. “I am a

man of honor. I swear you will not be killed and I will

not allow Valiant to have you if she’s still alive. A s for

walking out of here, that I refuse to promise. You

betrayed my people but I’m willing to hand you over to

your justice system. It’s far kinder than ours.”

The attorney gave the address of the house but

paused. “But they have moved her by now. The sun was

going down when your men found me.”

“What were they going to move her in? Did you see

the other car?”

“It was a large white van without windows. It wasn’t

marked and I didn’t look at the plates. These aren’t guys

you want to be nosey around. The back two doors had

no windows either. It’s all I can tell you.”

“You do not know where they were taking her?”

The man hesitated for a second too long. “No. I

don’t.”

Valiant growled. Justice glared. “You lie again. You

stink of dishonor. Tell me where they took her or I will

let him hand you your guts.” He glanced at the officer by

the door. “Tiger? Have you scoped out a good location to

bury the human’s remains if we have to kill him?”

Tiger smiled coldly. “Of course. It’s smack dab inside

the Wild Zone. He will never be found.”

“I really don’t know,” the attorney nearly sobbed. “I

just know it was close to where the house is. Yesterday I

took Zenlelt information and one of his men left to go

feed the beast. He was only gone about twenty minutes.

I swear, God as my witness, that’s all I know.”

Justice relaxed. He turned and met Valiant’s gaze.

“Let’s go.”

Outside the door someone handed Justice a pair of

jeans and a T-shirt. He’d asked for clothes to be brought

to him before he’d entered the room. He nodded his

thanks as he accepted the clothing and studied Valiant.

“Well, she was alive when he left her. She is strong,

Valiant. She threatened that man to the point he felt

terror the second you walked into the room.” Justice

smiled. “Where did she think up tearing out his guts?”

Valiant shrugged, too worried and angry to be

amused. “I don’t know but that’s my Tammy. She’s