Slade Read online

  “A penny for your thoughts.”

  Trisha forced a smile. “They aren’t worth that much. I’m feeling sorry for myself. I wanted this position to learn about New Species but I’m getting stonewalled at every turn.”

  “Yeah. The NSO aren’t real talkative. I’ve been here longer and I still don’t know much. We’re supposed to care for them but they won’t tell us squat about their physiology to help us do it.”

  “NSO?”

  “New Species Organization. It’s what they call themselves around here. I’m surprised you haven’t seen the uniforms they outfitted some of their people with. I don’t think they appreciate our security and have created their own teams. I don’t blame them. You missed out on the attack that happened here not too long ago.”

  “I heard something about it on the news.”

  Paul winced. “It was bad. Those protesters and human rights bastards broke down the front gates and about fifteen trucks full of gun-toting morons came pouring inside. The buildings are thankfully built to withstand attacks and security was able to get most people to safety when the gates were being breached. Those bastards came in here as though someone had declared New Species hunting season. Ever been on a deer hunt?”

  “No.”

  “That’s what it reminded me of. There were a total of seventeen fatalities by the time it ended. It was the longest forty-some minutes of my life before I had help. That’s why they wanted to hire a doctor. I was swamped with injures that day and in way over my head.”

  “Seventeen fatalities? I didn’t hear that the numbers were that high.” The news horrified Trisha.

  He shrugged. “Some of them died later from gunshot wounds. The hired security sucked. The New Species guys teamed up to kick some ass when they showed up here to stop a few of those bastards from trying to ram open the medical doors. I was alone, thinking they were going to get inside and kill me since they weren’t real picky about who they shot. If you were breathing, you were target practice to those goons. The New Species officers wear black SWAT-type uniforms with NSO written on the front of their vests in white lettering.”

  Slade had worn a uniform like that when he’d stopped her earlier. “So men who wear those are NSO security guards?”

  “They call themselves New Species officers, and yeah. You don’t want to mess with those guys. One of them told me he was an experimental prototype at the facility where they held him. The rumor is that some of them were trained to fight and kill just to show off what they could do and how fast they were. I heard Mercile Industries might have had a contract with a few third world countries to sell their enhancing drugs to the highest bidder. The New Species deny it but who knows what the truth is. Either way, they are badass. They aren’t denying the fact that they were tortured regularly and beaten to see how much damage they could survive and heal from. Have you seen some of those guys up close? Jesus! They are huge and add in the fact they are fast, have enhanced hearing, sense of smell, and vision, and they just kick ass in general. I was in the Army and I sure as hell wouldn’t want to find myself facing off a few of them even with my entire unit backing me up.”

  Trisha glanced down at her watch. She didn’t want to hear any more about how mean and dangerous New Species probably were. They intimidated her enough without listening to the speculation. She’d also learned, since meeting Paul, that he had a tendency to ramble for hours if given the opportunity.

  “I am off shift. I guess I’ll go home.”

  “How do you rate the housing? Isn’t it great? They gave me a two-bedroom, cottage-style house. My wife loves it.”

  “They are nice,” Trisha agreed. She stood, reaching for her purse. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Call if you need me.” She tapped her pocket. “My cell phone is on.”

  “Will do, Doc…uh, Trisha.”

  Trisha left the medical center and walked down the street. Her house was only a block away inside the human employee area where dozens of cottage-styled homes had been built. They’d assigned her to a cute little blue one. She peered up at the moon, deciding it was a beautiful evening.

  “It’s kind of late for you to be walking by yourself,” a husky male voice rasped from behind her.

  Trisha gasped as she spun around, trying not to show her surprise at seeing Slade. He wore his black uniform and her attention fixed on his right chest where the letters NSO were printed clearly over a small patch. Her gaze lifted to the most amazing blue eyes. They were a dark shade that she couldn’t help but stare into.

  If he was an NSO officer, he had to be pretty tough, a survivor of the worst of the abuse, and possibly had been trained to fight to be one of their prototypes they filmed to show off what horrendous things they’d done to his body, if Paul had his information right. That meant Slade could be super dangerous. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart.

  “I didn’t see or hear you,” she admitted.

  He flashed sharp teeth when he grinned. “My point exactly. You shouldn’t be out walking alone. It could be unsafe.”

  “This is a highly protected facility with security guards all over the place.” She frowned. “I think I’m pretty safe.” Except with you, she amended silently. He’s way too attractive. Look at those gorgeous eyes and that mouth. I wonder what it would be like to kiss him. Don’t go there, she mentally ordered her thoughts. He doesn’t remember.

  Wide shoulders shrugged. “Are you still interested in learning something about the breeding process between our two species?”

  That question had her heart racing instantly. “Did you talk to Mr. Fury and Miss Brower? Have they changed their minds about allowing me access to them?” Excitement at the concept of talking to the couple who lived together was instant and strong. She could learn so much from them. She’d be doing something real instead of sitting behind a desk waiting for people with paper cuts to come see her. “I’d love to talk them into running a few simple tests.”

  “Nope.” He took a step toward her. “They still aren’t interested. I was just wondering if you were still hoping to study the breeding process between our species.”

  Her excitement died. “I’m very interested. Is there another couple that I haven’t heard about? I’d appreciate the opportunity to speak to them if there is.”

  He took another step, stopping just feet from Trisha, making her realize he was a good foot taller than her. Trisha immediately felt intimidated by his size. A memory flashed of him pinning her under his large body on his hospital bed. She swallowed hard and tried not to allow the attraction she felt show in her features.

  “I could go home with you.” He winked. “You could examine me all you want, Doc.” His attention lowered and he stared at her breasts before meeting her gaze again. “I would be more than happy to volunteer to show you personally how we could have sex together. I’m up for an hour of meaningless sex.”

  Trisha backed up a step, stunned. She knew she shouldn’t be since he’d once talked to her worse. He didn’t remember it but she did. It hurt her feelings that he’d offer her so little, something so trivial, when he had become a fixation in her thoughts.

  “No thank you.”

  The skin next to his eyes crinkled with amusement while he shrugged again. “It’s your loss. You know how to find me if you change your mind. I’ll walk you to your door.”

  “No thanks.”

  “I’m escorting you home.” He kept his amused expression in place. “So walk, Doc. Or we could stand here. Either way, I’m sticking with you until we reach your place.”

  Trisha spun away from him and strode quickly down the sidewalk. She could feel him behind her but he didn’t make a sound. For a large man, he could move very quietly. She turned her head as she reached her yard and gasped over how close he was to invading her personal space.

  “Home safe,” he whispered. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come inside, Doc?”

  “I’m sure,” Trisha stated firmly.

  Her hands trembled wh