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  A chair had been placed in the center of the large room with one brighter light turned on above it. She was led there and Jericho nodded. “Have a seat.”

  She sat, staring up at all three of them as they surrounded her. The mood was grim, their features were, too, and that uneasy feeling grew ten times worse inside Jeanie. She’d expected to be taken to an office or at least a real room with chairs, maybe a desk and a window. Instead she was in a dim, dank environment that left her wondering if anything lurked in the unseen corners. She hugged her waist and huddled in the seat as her gaze drifted to that darkness.

  “What’s going on? What is this place? Why am I here?”

  She heard a soft thump and turned her head. Two big men stepped out of the shadows to her left and drew closer. Movement from her right had her turning her head. 710’s blond hair almost glowed as he stepped into the circle of light. She couldn’t see his face but she knew it was him. A human stood next to him. Jeanie’s gaze lingered on 710 until a man in uniform stepped between them, blocking her view. He was human as well.

  “New Species get upset when they hear women scream. This place has reinforced walls and sound is muted.”

  “Easy, Chris.” Trey Roberts shot him a dirty look.

  The implied threat slowly sank in and she swallowed, fear growing by leaps and bounds. “What?” She hoped she hadn’t heard right.

  The human guy in the uniform who’d stood next to 710 approached and crouched, invading her space when his hands gripped the sides of her chair. He frowned.

  “I’m Jordan.” The man was in his mid-thirties and had frosty gray eyes. “You’re lucky to be alive, Jeanie.”

  She nodded. “I know.”

  Her gaze darted to 710. He stood about eight feet behind the man crouching in front of her. His arms were crossed over his chest and his lowered chin kept his features concealed in the shadows. Jordan moved his head in a way that completely shielded 710 from her view.

  “Eyes right here, Jeanie. Look at me.”

  She did as he asked, staring into cold gray irises.

  “What was on the mainframe computers at Cornas Research?”

  She hesitated. “All the files on the experiments they were conducting.”

  “You poured coffee into the computer.”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  She licked dry lips, wishing for more water. “They installed poison gas dispensers inside every room that held New Species. I knew they’d kill them if I didn’t take out the computer. Anyone in Security could have accessed the program and activated it from their desk terminals.”

  Jordan frowned. “We didn’t find any poison dispensers. Their security was lax, if anything.”

  “Check the fire alarms in each of the rooms where the New Species were kept. I spoke with the guy who installed them. He thought he was really smart and no one would look there.” She swallowed. “I guess he was right if you didn’t find them. The only thing I could think of on short notice was to pour coffee on the mainframe computer and fry it. I couldn’t risk just unplugging it in case someone noticed. It had to be something they couldn’t fix in time. I thought about smashing it but it would have made too much noise. I probably could have opened the casing and removed parts if I’d had more warning but I wasn’t told the raid was going down until the night before. I couldn’t exactly clock back in at work that night or show up early for my shift. It would have raised suspicion. I only had about two minutes to take out the computer and get to the lower floors to deal with the card-reader locks. It still wasn’t enough time since I wasn’t able to disable them all.”

  Jordan didn’t appear convinced. “How did you know we were coming?”

  His question stumped her for a few seconds. She wondered if the agent she worked with had bent rules to warn her in the first place. It didn’t matter in the end though. She wasn’t going to lie to the NSO.

  “I read the text around nine the night before, telling me to call in sick the next day. He didn’t outright say why but it was implied that Cornas would finally be raided just after the morning shift changed.”

  Jordan blinked. “Who warned you?”

  She frowned, concerned since he should already know that information. “Agent Terry Brice.”

  “Really?”

  She nodded. “You can call and verify that with him.”

  “I see.” Jordan leaned in closer, staring deeply into her eyes. “Who is Agent Terry Brice?”

  Jeanie gaped at him. “You don’t know the agent handling this case? I’ve been working with him since last year. He was assigned to help me close down Drackwood in New Mexico and now Cornas.” She shifted in her seat, peering around Jordan to get a look at 710. “Tell him. You were there, 710.”

  Jordan rose to his feet and one of his hands gripped her chin, roughly jerking her head upward until their gazes locked. “Don’t ever directly address him. Do you understand me? I’m the one dealing with you.”

  “Jordan.” Trey Roberts stepped forward. “Reel it back a little.”

  “Keep out of this,” the guy spat. “I got this job because you’re too soft.”

  “Fuck you.” Trey took another step closer. “I just don’t think the heavy-handed approach is necessary. I doubt Tim would either if he were here.”

  “I was assigned to handle her interrogation and I’m in charge. Stop interfering.” He leaned in even closer, glaring at Jeanie. “I want answers, Ms. Shiver.”

  Jordan’s hand hurt where it squeezed her jaw. “I understand. Please let go.” She reached up to grip his wrists with both hands in an attempt to free her face. The blanket she kept around her shoulders dropped to spill over the back of the chair and drape across her lap.

  The one who’d threatened to make her scream grabbed her wrists, yanking her back in her seat until her spine pressed against the metal chair. She hadn’t seen or heard him come up behind her from the darkness. Pain stabbed through her wounded side at the sharp movements when her arms were held behind her. They didn’t handcuff her again but they weren’t needed with his tight grip. She twisted her head and stared at him. The uniform with NSO on it obviously meant he was another task force member.

  “Eyes on me,” Jordan harshly demanded. “I’m in no mood for games, Ms. Shiver. I won’t play them.”

  She looked at him, confused. “I—”

  “That wasn’t a question. It was me laying down the law. Perhaps you don’t understand your situation so allow me to fill you in.” He bent, glaring at her. “Your ass belongs to the NSO now. You don’t get a lawyer, or a jury of your peers, or any legal rights. You’re going to truthfully answer my damn questions or I’m going to make you do it. One way is going to be painless but the alternative won’t be if I decide you’re lying.” He crouched, gripped her seat at the sides again to balance his weight, and got close to her face until they were eye level. “I don’t give a shit if you have breasts. You’re no better than a terrorist to me.”

  Jeanie knew her mouth dropped open. A terrorist? What the hell was going on? She was too stunned to form words, probably a good thing since the man making threats looked as if he wanted to hit her.

  “I like New Species. I call some of them my best friends.” He leaned even closer until she could identify the odor of mint on his breath. “Every day I’m willing to die in the line of duty to protect them.” He glanced down at her chest with a sneer before holding her gaze. “I’d like nothing better than to gut all the assholes who tormented them and treated them like shit. It pisses me off and makes me see red. That means I won’t hesitate to draw some blood if you don’t stop screwing with me. What the hell was on the mainframe computer that you were protecting?” He took a breath. “Answer me.”

  “I was protecting the New Species. There really are gas dispensers hidden inside the fire alarms in all the cells.” Tears filled her eyes but she blinked them back. “Have someone check. They’ll find them. I don’t know what kind of poison they used but tell them