Slade Read online

  “Thank you for everything. Could you please tell Flame that I said ‘thank you’ too?”

  He nodded. “You are welcome from both of us. We are glad you are alive.”

  “Could you tell Slade to contact me as soon as he’s found? I’m worried about him and I won’t stop until I know he’s safe.”

  “I can do that.” Smiley’s gaze returned to the sky as he turned his back on Trisha. “Here we go. Cover your ears. Those things are very loud. They give me a headache but some things can’t be avoided.”

  Trisha stood when the helicopter hovered above the treetops at just enough distance to avoid hitting anything. The wind kicked up debris on the ground that swirled around her until it forced her to cover her eyes. She completely understood when Smiley swore—a loud, foul word. She really wasn’t looking forward to the next few minutes.

  Someone touched her arm. Smiley gripped her and moved her to where a harness dangled nearby. He gently pushed her toward it and indicated for her to step into the openings of the thing. He lifted it up her legs and two belts were pulled over her shoulders and the last belt snapped closed around her waist. Smiley winked before he stepped back. Trisha gripped the harness in a death grip when Smiley gave the helicopter a hand signal. The harnesses tightened as it lifted Trisha off her feet.

  She closed her eyes tightly and tried not to panic when the wind swung her around. She didn’t open them until someone grabbed her around her waist. She stared below and saw Smiley had covered his face with his own arm, not looking up. Dirt and dust swirled furiously near the ground from the massive helicopter blades. The person holding her waist hauled her inside the doors until she couldn’t see below anymore.

  The two men in the back of the helicopter were New Species. They were canines and she’d seen both of them at Homeland. Brass appeared grim and she couldn’t remember the other one’s name. They wrestled her out of the harness, slammed the helicopter door closed, and secured her onto one of the seats on the bench. Brass handed her a set of noise-cancelling earmuffs and pointed to his headset to show her how to wear it.

  The loud noise of the helicopter muted. She nodded at Brass gratefully, thinking that his name didn’t fit him. He had brown hair, was huge with wide shoulders, about six-foot-three, and had really dark eyes. The other man was a brunette with dark eyes. He was nearly a twin, body-wise, to Brass. Brass took a seat next to her and the other man seated himself on the bench across from them.

  The ride wasn’t long until the helicopter touched down on a helipad at a hospital. Medical staff rushed out with a gurney and she had an instant flashback to the night Slade had been airlifted into her life. She was in much better shape though than he’d been.

  She let them strap her to a gurney without an argument since she was more than aware of hospital policies. She knew doctors made the worst patients, having treated a few, and tried to forget she was one when the staff rushed her into an exam room. Brass and the other man followed, keeping close.

  The doctor on call was in his late thirties, attractive, and appeared, with his golden tan, to have spent a lot of time on a golf course. He smiled at Trisha.

  “I’m Dr. Evan Tauras. What’s your name?”

  “I’m Dr. Trisha Norbit.” She saw him flinch and grinned. “I swear I’ll be good. I was in a roll-over SUV accident a few days ago, minus a seat belt. It’s a long story. I know I should have been wearing one and I was right up until a minute before the crash. I rolled inside the SUV but I wasn’t ejected. Then I was physically assaulted yesterday by a jerk who hit me in the face a few times. I have no back or neck pain. I’m not showing any signs of internal injuries.” She paused. “I have no medical allergies and no outstanding medical history except I had my tonsils out when I was ten. I’m not on any medications, don’t smoke, drink, or take drugs. I’ll shut up now and let you do your job.”

  The doctor nodded. “Thanks. You’re making this easy, actually. Have you exhibited any symptoms of a concussion?”

  “Somewhat. It’s mild if I have one. I was dizzy after the crash and again after getting my bell rung yesterday when I was hit in the face twice. No blurry vision and no nausea though.”

  “Did they catch the guy who did that to your face?” The doctor examined her head.

  “You could say that. He’s dead.”

  The doctor studied her for a second and nodded. “You’re the woman who was on the news. I’m glad you were found.”

  He moved and opened his mouth at Trisha. She opened hers to mimic him knowing what he wanted her to do. He examined her for oral injures, then her face, feeling the bruised area. Trisha flinched a little but held still. The doctor moved lower as he and a nurse visually examined Trisha. She was grateful they didn’t strip her naked. Brass and the other man stood inside the doors to the side of the exam room watching every move made since they guarded her.

  The doctor gawked openly at the two Species a few times, looking slightly annoyed and alarmed. Trisha understood the reasons and wanted to assure him things were fine.

  “An attempt was made on my life and they have to be here. I’m sorry if it bothers you to have an audience.”

  Dr. Evan Tauras nodded. “No problem. They are just big.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “I’ve never seen them in person but they look smaller on the news. They are very physically fit.”

  Trisha whispered back. “Yes. I know. They also have exceptional hearing. Whisper ‘hi’ to them.”

  The doctor jerked his head to stare at both men. Brass winked at him and flexed his muscles. The other New Species looked grim but waved. Trisha had to fight a laugh as the doctor’s face blushed slightly before he turned his attention to his nurse to rattle off a list of tests to run. He wanted X-rays. She didn’t think she needed them but she didn’t protest. It was his exam room, his call, and she didn’t want to be a pain in the ass.

  * * * * *

  Two hours later they released her with some anti-inflammatory medication for her knee, some pain pills for her face, and some antibiotics because she had a few open cuts. She’d considered asking for a morning-after pill but wasn’t worried about what had happened between her and Slade. Without medical help she was pretty certain she couldn’t get pregnant though they hadn’t used protection. There hadn’t been a liquor store nearby to buy condoms and since Trisha wasn’t sexually active she wasn’t on anything.

  Brass and Harley—that was the name of the other NSO officer—escorted her to the pharmacy to fill her prescriptions. The helicopter picked them up five minutes later.

  No one had heard from or found Slade. Trisha dozed off when the pain medication overwhelmed her. An hour later they touched down at the New Species Homeland and when Brass lifted her into his arms to carry her off the helicopter she awoke.

  “You’re safe. Just relax.”

  She didn’t ask to be put down. He seemed to effortlessly carry her the way Slade had. They were super strong. “Thank you.”

  Justice North waited at a Jeep nearby. He darted a look at Trisha and actually flinched. Brass refused to put her down until he sat her in the passenger seat of Justice’s open Jeep. He and Harley climbed into the back and Justice drove toward her home.

  “I can’t begin to apologize enough for all that has transpired, Trisha. This was purely an attack against New Species and you were involved by association.”

  “It’s not your fault. You aren’t the idiots who ran us off the road or decided it sounded fun to try to hunt us as though we were deer. Thank you for the helicopter and for having Brass and Harley take such good care of me. Is there any word on Slade yet?”

  Justice shook his head. “Our teams are still out there and they have rounded up eight more of those assho— Men who were out there looking for you. We are handing them over to the local authorities as soon as we find them. We were thrilled to get authorization to send our own teams into the area.”

  Brass snorted. “They were very happy to allow us go in instead of them.”