Justice Read online

  She was amazed by the amount of her food supply and the huge portion sizes. Of course Species probably ate an eight-pound tri-tip in one sitting but she sure couldn’t. She turned away, decided to wash her new clothes before wearing the rest of them and settled on taking a long bath to kill time before dinner was ready.

  The jets were wonderful and the water warm. She evaluated her life. Her love life might suck but she was living in a nice place and loved her new job. The doorbell rang, caused her to start but she grinned. It had to be Justice! She toweled off quickly and put her clothes back on, her mind working on a way to talk the thick-headed man into letting down his guard and to come back when the coast was clear. The doorbell rang again and she rushed out of her bathroom.

  “I’m coming. Hang on!”

  Jessie twisted the locks as her heart raced and she smiled, excited to see him after the night before. Two large Species males stood there instead. Both of them were out of uniform, sporting jeans and T-shirts and they stared at her with a grimness that assured they weren’t happy.

  The one on the right spoke. “I’m Night. Your belongings were delivered and we were asked to bring them. Do you mind if we unload the Jeep now and carry your boxes inside? We have to inform you that your things were searched by security. It is standard procedure but nothing had to be confiscated.”

  “Okay. Thanks. Sure,” she agreed. “Let me grab my shoes and I’ll help.”

  The Species on the left frowned his displeasure. “No. You are too small and would only slow us down. Just sit and remain calm. We mean you no harm.” He took a breath. “I am Sword. You are in no danger.”

  Amusement sparked at his words, as if he feared she might be terrified of them but their tension forced her to hide it. They really seemed on edge about dealing with her so she lowered her gaze. They were Species and she wanted them to feel at ease with her. Good etiquette went a long way toward gaining that goal.

  “Thank you. I’ll wait inside and remember I’m not in danger.” She backed up.

  “Good.” Night grunted, spun on his heel and marched down the walkway. The other one followed.

  Jessie lifted her gaze to watch them grab boxes from the back of the packed Jeep and finally allowed her chuckle to escape. It was cute how they assumed she’d be terrified of them and sweet that they wanted to assure her they weren’t there to murder her. She laughed again, her gaze turning to the living room and spotted an area where they could stack the boxes.

  “You can just dump them over there.” She pointed, keeping back. “Thank you. I’m sorry there are so many of them. I didn’t realize I’d accumulated that much stuff.”

  An idea formed when one of them sniffed the air, his attention on the open archway to the kitchen and both of them kept doing it as they brought in more boxes. She inhaled the tantalizing aroma of the tri-tip, realized they might be hungry and decided to try to make friends. It beat sitting around all night dwelling on Justice and how to work around the problems they had. The guys finally carried in the last two boxes.

  “Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Would you like to stay for dinner? I have plenty and it’s a human custom to feed people as a way of showing appreciation.”

  The men glanced at each other, their apprehension near comical.

  “I have tri-tip. It’s steak that’s thinly sliced and it’s got some pinkness to it. It’s not as rare as most of you enjoy but I think you’ll like it. I’d appreciate the opportunity to make new friends. I just moved here and don’t know that many people.”

  Sword answered for the both of them. “We accept. You should feel welcome by us and friends are important.”

  “They are.” She smiled. “Why don’t you have a seat on the couch? You can kick off your shoes, turn on the television and relax while I go slice it up and pop the potatoes in the microwave. It shouldn’t be more than fifteen minutes.”

  They closed the front door and ambled toward the couch. Jessie turned, entered the kitchen and took out the tri-tip fifteen minutes early. It appeared really cooked on the outside but would be rarer than she normally ate it, in other words perfect for her guests. It was quick work to wash three potatoes, jab them with a fork and bake them in the microwave. She cooked up some veggies, chopped some chives for the potatoes and set the table for three.

  Excitement gripped her at the prospect of talking to the two males. She was familiar with the females but their counterparts were completely different. She hoped that getting to know them would help her the next time she dealt with Justice. They might be friendly enough to answer any questions she directed their way.

  Jessie walked into the living room. “Dinner is ready. Do you want to follow me or I could bring your plates out here if you prefer the coffee table.”

  Both men stood instantly and cautiously approached as though they feared she might bolt from terror. Sword seemed to be the more talkative of the two as he spoke.

  “We’d be honored to eat at your table in the kitchen. Thank you, Ms. Dupree.”

  “Please just call me Jessie and I’m the one who is honored to have you as guests.” She led them into the kitchen and headed for the fridge. After asking what they wanted to drink, she got them sodas and sat down at the table to smile at both males. “Dig in. I’m not formal and don’t worry about table manners. Just make yourself at home, okay? There’s plenty of food and I hope you can eat it all or I’ll have to use the leftovers to make a ton of sandwiches. You’d be saving me the trouble.”

  Night stabbed a slice of meat, stared at it as if he were afraid to take a bite but then stuffed the entire thing into his mouth. Jessie paused to watch his reaction, hoped he liked it. He grinned as he chewed. His surprise evident as he stared at her until he swallowed.

  “This is really good! Thank you, Jessie.”

  “Yes,” Sword agreed, swallowing his first bite. “It’s delicious. I didn’t know it could taste this way. We just chop them up into big flat slabs and sear them. You should tell us how to cook it this way.”

  “I’d be happy to write it down for you. It’s easy.” She pointed to the rotisserie machine. “That does the work. I just season the meat, put it in and wait for it to be done. Anyone can do it.”

  They ate in silence, the men consuming vast amounts of meat. Jessie resisted the urge to grill them with questions. At least wait until they are done and full, she reasoned. Night finally stopped eating, put down his fork and stared at her. She met his gaze.

  “Weren’t you afraid to invite us to dinner? We are two fierce males in your home that you don’t know. We believed you would be terrified.”

  Sword cleared his throat. “We didn’t want to bring your boxes because we thought you might see us and cry.” He made a horrible face and shivered. “I can’t stand crying.”

  Jessie fought a laugh but couldn’t stop the grin that spread across her face. “I’m used to being around larger men so I’m not easily frightened. Do you know what my last job was?”

  Both men shook their heads. Jessie started telling them about her job with the task force, the men she worked with and all the Species she’d met and saved. Both men listened intently with interest. She finished with how she had gotten grazed by a bullet and had ended up at Homeland.

  “You know we won’t attack you and force shared sex on you?” Sword looked sincere. “One guy said you would probably see us both and think we had come to rape you.”

  Night laughed. “He said you would hurt our ears with your shrieking as soon as you opened the door.”

  “And the crying.” Sword laughed. “I was hoping you would think I was a rapist and just scream instead of bursting into hysterical sobs. That would hurt my ears less.”

  Jessie laughed. “Tell your friend I’m sorry to disappoint him.”

  “He will be disappointed when we tell him about the dinner you fed us.” Night grinned. “He was asked to go but I owed him a favor. He told me I had to come in his place to make us even.”

  Sword laughed again. “