Justice Read online

  The senator took deep breaths to calm himself but still appeared angry. “You’re right. That’s Jessie.” His mouth tensed. “She’s fired. I never thought it would be so dangerous that she’d have to kill three men or get shot. She’s not going back. I’ll find a replacement on the team immediately but it won’t be her anymore.” His gaze turned to Justice. “I’d like to request one of your people to take her place temporarily until we can find someone trustworthy. I don’t care if it’s a male or a female but the team needs someone your women won’t be terrified of. Who better to tend to any of them than one of your own?”

  Justice didn’t want Jessie going back to work either considering the males on her teams had allowed her to be nearly killed. “I’ll find a replacement.” He studied the men inside the room who belonged to Jessie’s team until he stared at her team leader, Trey Roberts. “Which would work better with your team? One of our males or a female?” He paused. “Keep in mind our females would get testy if any of your men harassed them or sexually bothered them.”

  Trey blinked. “Definitely male. We tease Jessie all the time but she knows we’re kidding. It’s a stress breaker. I don’t know if one of your women would understand the jokes and one of my guys might slip.”

  “Done. I’ll ask for a volunteer and have him contact you within the next few days.” Justice gave his attention to the senator. “We’ll have to sort out where he lives and what would be safest. I won’t put any of my men out in the open to be targeted by hate groups. He has to have secure living arrangements.”

  “Done.”

  The door opened to admit a nurse. She gawked at the New Species. Long seconds ticked into a full minute. The senator moved forward, drawing the woman’s attention.

  “Yes?”

  She forced her gaze to him. “Uh, your, uh, daughter. She is ready to leave. Her tests all look good and she refuses to stay for observation. They are…” She turned her head to gape at Tiger.

  “They are what?” The senator snapped.

  The nurse’s attention flew back to him. “She is leaving AMA. They’re releasing her as soon as she’s dressed.” The woman spun and fled.

  “Should I carry pictures of us and just pass them out?” Tiger chuckled. “That way they could stare as long as they want.”

  “I doubt that would work. They would only want you to autograph them.” Justice smiled to soften his words.

  Tiger flinched. “I say I don’t know how to write my name when they ask me to do that. A lot of humans figure we can’t read so they buy it.”

  Trey laughed. “You get that often, huh?”

  Tiger nodded. “Yes. We were invited to the Governor’s Mansion two weeks ago and had to deal with a lot of humans at the event. They wanted us to sign things, kept trying to touch us and asked us to pose with them for pictures. Women passed their numbers into my palm when we shook hands.”

  Mike laughed. “Man, I wish women would give me their numbers. It doesn’t sound so bad.”

  “You wouldn’t wish it if you lived it,” Justice stated softly. “You are no longer a person but are viewed as a thing. An object. Something not sentient.”

  “But the women…” Mike winked.

  Tiger grinned. “They are too fragile.”

  Mike openly studied Tiger from head to foot before glancing down at his own body. “We’re about the same.”

  “No. We’re not. I’m stronger.” Tiger laughed, flashing his fangs at Bob. “I have sharp teeth. Your women are too fragile.”

  “Oh. Your women enjoy sharp teeth? Wow. That’s kind of cool. Yeah. I can see where you couldn’t do that with ours. I nipped one on the ass once and she dumped me, claiming I was a freak.” Mike showed his teeth. “Mine are smooth and straight and for the two grand I paid the dentist they’d better be. She did have a mighty fine ass though. That was one to sink your teeth into.”

  Justice sighed, sending the senator an apologetic look. The senator smiled in return, both of them seeming to understand sometimes their men had conversations that they probably shouldn’t. Justice ignored Tiger and the team member’s conversation. He really wanted to leave and go find Jessie.

  “Stay and talk to your new friend, Tiger. I’ll be outside the door,” Justice stated, moving toward it.

  “Don’t forget me,” Tiger joked.

  Justice glanced around the hallway as he stepped out with his other male guards. The senator stayed next to him. Justice’s mind worked overtime as he realized seeing Jessie might not be the best thing at that moment. Humans were watching, gathered in groups up and down the hallway to stare at him. Some withdrew cell phones to snap pictures, not bothering to hide their intent.

  Anger gripped him strongly when he realized the danger it posed to Jessie. Any photograph or video clip of him reacting strongly to her would be sold to the local news stations. By midnight it would hit every media outlet worldwide, gossips would speculate that they might be dating and she’d become a target for reporters and New Species’ enemies.

  They weren’t dating—that implied she wanted to ever see him again and he wasn’t sure that was the case. He hoped she did but that didn’t make it fact. He might do something foolish, probably would if he had the chance to touch her and he needed to avoid that. His desire to talk to Jessie though wouldn’t be denied. One way or another, he wanted to get access to her face to face but under safer conditions. He refused to put her in danger. He met the senator’s gaze, a solution snapping into place.

  “Jessie needs a job and I have a safe one to offer her. It is the least I can do since she was harmed rescuing one of our females. She can still work with them but under stable conditions.”

  The senator smiled. “That would be great, Justice. To be honest, she’s going to be pissed as hell when she finds out I fired her. You’d be saving my ass. My daughter has a temper. What kind of job is it?”

  Justice hesitated. He was making it up as he went. “She will live at Homeland. It is secure and safe for her there. We have a segregated dorm where we are housing our females. Jessie would be wonderful for them to have around and I’m sure she’d be a tremendous help.”

  The senator nodded. “It sounds good.”

  “She can start as soon as she’s well.” Justice had to smother a grin. He would get to see Jessie often if she lived at Homeland. Hell, he could get as much access to her as it took to persuade her to return to his bed. The thought helped ease his urge to see her immediately. “We’d be lucky to have her.”

  I’d be damn lucky to have her. An image of her under him on his bed the night before flashed but he pushed it back before he was tempted to storm down the corridors to locate Jessie and throw her over his shoulder. Don’t do it. Too many damn humans, the press has probably already arrived and you can’t let your people down. You’re the face of New Species. You’ll see her soon. Very soon.

  “That would probably be today, knowing my daughter.”

  Today. Justice couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face. “I’ll make all the arrangements immediately.”

  Justice’s cell phone rang. “Excuse me. I have to take this.”

  The senator spoke. “I understand.”

  Justice walked off, taking the call. It was about the new female Jessie had rescued. He listened. “Keep her sedated. I want her moved to Homeland immediately.”

  Justice walked back to the senator. “I must leave. It’s the female that Jessie rescued. She is in bad shape inside her mind. She just woke, refuses to be calmed and the medical staff had to sedate her again when she tried to flee from them. When Jessie wants to work we’ll have her help us with that female first. You give me a call and we’ll arrange transport for Jessie to Homeland.”

  “I have it. I’ll bring her myself. I’ve got a private plane at my disposal.”

  Justice held out his hand. “I’m grateful she is well.”

  “Thank you for coming.”

  In minutes Justice and his men left the hospital. News vans waited outside