“I don’t. We have alerted the police to help us search for the rental truck but they haven’t spotted it. We have two helicopters in the air and the third one is en route from Reservation.”

“The sun will go down soon.” Jessie marched in and walked directly to her mate, addressing him. “We’ll find him.”

He reached out and cupped her cheek. “I am keeping my composure but I’m furious. I handpicked her myself. We did a thorough background check but she still betrayed us.”

“Nothing indicated she had any association with Mercile or the hate groups.” Brass crossed his arms over his chest, rage twisting his features grimly. “She had no debt but she did withdraw twenty thousand dollars yesterday from her savings account. She has a trust fund left to her from her deceased grandparents. It made us feel secure that she couldn’t be bribed when she came to work for us. Money wasn’t a motivation for kidnapping 880. We sent authorities to her family but they are accounted for. No one is using them to force her to do their bidding.”

The phone rang and Justice leaned over his desk to hit the speakerphone “on” button. “Justice here.”

“It’s Trisha,” the woman’s voice announced. “I heard what happened and I don’t believe it. I know Allison and she wouldn’t hurt a Species.”

“She kidnapped him. We only picked up her scent and sweat from the exertion of pushing his bed out of the building. She drove him right through the employee gate.” Justice paused. “I didn’t want to believe it either. I trusted her but she took him.”

“There has to be a reasonable explanation.” Trisha sounded angry. “It’s not to hurt or sell him. She really cares about Species and she hates anyone who poses a danger to them. She’s dedicated and sweet. There’s got to be another reason besides something despicable.”

Flame entered the room, holding a note. “We discovered this locked inside her desk.”

“What is it?” Trisha called out. “Someone tell me or call me on their cell phone so we can video conference.”

“It’s a note,” Flame stated louder. “She took him because she feels it’s possible to save him by getting him to bond to a female with her scent.” He offered the paper to Justice. “She asked for permission but was denied. She states she feels it may be his only chance at survival.”

Justice accepted the piece of paper and frowned, reading it. “She swears to do everything in her power to bring him out of the coma and return him to us as soon as possible.”

“Damn,” Tiger snarled. “She’s insane. Doesn’t she realize taking him from Homeland is putting him in jeopardy? She could trust the wrong person who may wish to kill him. He’s helpless and she’d be useless defending him.”

“What does she want to do?” Trisha’s frustration sounded in her voice.

Tiger stepped closer to the desk. “880 lost his mate and Dr. Allison requested we send a female to stay with him in hopes her scent would lure him from his coma.”

“Would it work? Justice?” Trisha quieted, waiting for an answer.

“No.” He sighed. “I don’t believe so. He can’t be fooled by another female’s scent replacing the one he lost. She would smell offensive to him.” His gaze held Tiger’s. “Did you inform her of this?”

“I told her it would be dangerous. I tried to explain why and I thought she understood.”

“She won’t hurt him.” Destiny coldly glanced at everyone in the room. “She sneaked into his room sometimes. I caught her talking to him. Allison has heart. She didn’t take him to be cruel. She wants to heal him.”

“We need to save her from him if she does manage to get him to wake.” Tiger lifted a hand and ran it through his mane of hair in frustration. “He’s going to kill her. She’s human and he’s never known kindness from them.”

“We assume that.” Justice frowned. “We know so little about this male or his history except for what happened to him right before he was rescued.”

“Humans murdered his mate in front of him, according to the other Species males who were recovered with him. It drove him insane.” Tiger growled low. “He’s going to kill her if she manages to bring him around. We’ll have a feral Species out there attacking humans. We need to find them both and get him back here.”

“Agreed.” Justice shook his head. “I need to call Tim Oberto and bring the task force in on this. They are going to have to put their current mission on hold to find 880 and Dr. Allison.”

* * * * *

Allison shivered in the chilly room. The heater worked but most of the warmth rose to the two bedrooms upstairs. The house was old, the original downstairs construction was poor, but the newer addition to the second floor wasn’t as drafty. Her gaze lingered on the Species on the hospital bed in the center of the room.

“I wish I could get you upstairs but I’m not strong enough to carry you. I refuse to drag you because you’d get bruised. I doubt I could do it even if I tried.” She stepped closer to tuck the blanket around his neck. She’d hooked up an IV for fluids, emptied his urine bag, and knew in the morning he’d need a sponge bath. It was too cold to do it after the sun had set. “We’re safe though. The house is locked up tight. I started a fire in the grate and hopefully it will warm up soon.”