“Dear god,” she softly prayed, “please let this work. Pretty please?”

The officer who stopped her wore a mask that shielded his face. The tinted, protective dark glass hid his identity and she didn’t recognize his voice.

“Hello, Dr. Allison.” His head turned to stare at the back of the truck. “Where are you going?”

“I bought furniture for my home yesterday. I have to return the truck today.” She lifted her arm to show him her watch. “It’s got to be back by five. Can you check me over quickly and let me go? The rental place will charge extra if I’m late.”

“Of course.” He stepped up on the side of the truck and peered inside the front to make sure no one forced her to leave by hiding on the passenger floor. “Is the back unlocked?”

Where the hell is that guy? Come on, damn you. She managed to keep her voice calm. “Yeah. There’s nothing in it but the moving blankets that protected the new dining room table from being scratched. Go ahead and look.”

He climbed down and she wanted to scream when he walked toward the back of the truck. Her gaze lifted to the thick gate in front of her and the other Species male who manned it. More of them were above on the wall with sniper rifles. She could ram the gate in an attempt to flee but they might open fire, accidentally shooting 880. That wasn’t a risk she would take.

“Alert!” It was a snarl from above. “We have an incoming van.”

Boots pounded pavement and the officer rushed past her driver’s door to reach the gate. A beat-up van slowed on the other side of it and a burly man stepped out.

“You are not permitted to come to this gate,” one of the Species officers stated. “Return to your vehicle and turn around. This entrance is off-limits.”

“Calm down. I just need directions.” The guy glanced at the truck but was careful to look away. “Don’t shoot. Hell! Are those real guns? I’m just lost. I think I took a wrong turn.”

More officers arrived on the scene. They carefully gripped him, spun him around, and patted him down.

“Hello?” She shoved her head out the window to get the officer’s attention. “I have to go. Can you check the back and let me pass?”

The officer was distracted with his focus on the threat of the unknown man and what the beat-up van could contain. She’d counted on that. He waved at her to go and the gate opened.

Guilt ate at her as she drove slowly past the guy she’d paid to distract the officers. They had him handcuffed on the ground and were preparing to search his van. He shot her a dirty look before she accelerated. He wouldn’t be arrested if he stuck to his lost story and they wouldn’t find anything to be alarmed about inside his van. They wouldn’t keep him long.

Allison didn’t relax until she merged into traffic on the highway. She was careful of how fast she drove to avoid drawing attention. The last thing she needed was to get pulled over for a speeding ticket. She wondered how long it would be before the NSO ordered a helicopter into the air to search for the rental truck. Her best guess was not long.

The exit came up and she breathed out a sigh of relief. There were no gas stations or stores within sight. The road narrowed to little more than a two-lane country road, one not used often, and she finally spotted the aging, sagging gate.

The truck swayed when she pulled off the pavement. Her gaze lifted to the sky and her ears strained for the sound of a helicopter. Just the engine of the running truck could be heard.

The gate to the property squeaked loudly as she opened it wide, returned to the truck and drove down the road enough to allow the gate to clear the back of the truck and returned to close it. A mile down the dirt path stood an abandoned barn and farmhouse. She had opened the barn doors the night before so just drove the truck inside.

She didn’t calm down until she’d closed the doors and opened the truck’s back rolling door. She had to use a small penlight she kept in the inside of her coat to see in the dark interior as she climbed into the cargo area. The bed was upright, the handcuffs had held it against the wall, and she silently thanked the guy from the sex shop who had sworn they were police quality. He probably had thought she really did have a bodybuilder boyfriend, her excuse for wanting to buy the strongest sets they had. She paused by the side of the hospital bed. 880 rested peacefully as his chest rose and fell. Grateful tears filled her eyes. He’d survived.

“I got you here. We made it. Now we just have to wait until it’s a little darker and I’ll move you inside the house.”

She bent over him and lightly brushed a few strands of silky black hair away from his cheek. His skin was hot but that was normal for Species. She’d still take his temperature when she set him up in the living room—she’d equipped it with supplies to care for him—and make sure it wasn’t an infection from hastily removing the feeding tube.

“It’s just you and me now, 880. Don’t be scared if you’re aware of what happened. I’m not going to hurt you. I’ve done this to save you.”

* * * * *

Tiger threw back his head and roared in rage. He glared at Destiny while the other male paled. “How could you allow this to happen?”

The male’s mouth parted as his Adam’s apple bobbed. Wide shoulders shrugged. “I had no idea she plotted to kidnap him. I trusted her. Who thought she would be strong enough to take him from here?”

“Enough,” Justice growled. “I trusted her too.” He shot a worried stare at Brass when he entered the office. “Tell me you have good news.”