“While you’re scouting, I don’t suppose you could find a local coffee shop and bring me back an iced mocha coffee, could you? Maybe a muffin? Or a donut?”

Teeth flashed at her when he suddenly grinned. “I’ll do my best.”

Trisha watched him leave. He stayed low. She studied the sky, deciding it would be really hot when the sun rose completely. She could just feel it. She sat up a few minutes later and carefully looked around, spotting ridges below. They were at a high point all right. She lay back down, hoping Justice North had sent out the National Guard to rescue them. She wanted a hot shower, clean clothes, and food. She yawned.

She hadn’t gotten enough sleep. She was a pro at taking cat naps. She’d done it since med school. Being an intern could be a sleepless existence. She had learned to sleep under extreme conditions. She just hoped that training helped her survive on so little sleep and the grueling pace they needed to keep to stay ahead of the men hunting them.

* * * * *

“Don’t make a f**king sound.” Something jabbed hard into Trisha’s stomach.

Her eyes flew open and she stared in fear at the hairy man wearing fatigues who stood over her. His shotgun shoved tighter against her waist, digging into her stomach, and his feet were planted wide apart above her. She stared right up between his spread legs and couldn’t miss the fact that he had a tear in the seam of his pants to reveal a section of red underwear.

“Where’s the animal man?”

Trisha met the man’s gaze as her heart began to pound from terror. He means Slade. Obviously the men who’d tried to kill them were definitely anti-New Species. She breathed hard, terrified. He’d shoot her in the gut if he pulled the trigger and that would be a horrible death. If he fired, she hoped he hit major arteries to make her bleed out quickly. With the gun pressed into her skin at that angle, she figured the hole the weapon blast made would finish her off quickly.

“You deaf, bitch? Where is the animal-man?”

“He abandoned me,” she lied. “I slowed him down too much.”

The man leered at her br**sts. “Stupid f**king animals. I would have at least f**ked you first. Get up slow. You’re the doctor, right?”

She managed a nod despite her shock that he’d know anything about her. “I’m Dr. Trisha Norbit.”

“You a vet or a real doctor?”

“I’m―”

“Doesn’t matter,” he cut her off. “Get your ass up. One of my boys is hurt and it’s your lucky day. Usually we kill traitors of our country but I need you. Guess it don’t matter what kind of doctor you are as long as you know how to set a bone and stitch up the skin.”

Traitor of their country? She gawked at him. The guy was obviously a fanatical freak. Great. She sat up when he pulled the gun a few inches from her shirt and he took another step back. Trisha carefully rose to her feet and put her arms up.

“You got any weapons besides your tits?”

“My…” She stammered and glared at him. “No.”

The man shifted the shotgun, kept it cradled inside the crook of his arm, but trained on her. “Lift your shirt slowly and show me you don’t got a gun hidden in your waistband.”

She did it, pulling her shirt up to her ribs and slowly turned until he could verify she wasn’t armed. She met his gaze when she’d done a full circle. It took a lot of control not to glance around to see if she could spot Slade but she didn’t dare. She prayed he’d see the man with the gun and not walk back to her.

“Let’s go. Bill? Tom? You still got my back?”

“Yes, sir,” a male called out from the left.

“Sure as shit, Sully.” The voice spoke from the right.

Trisha glanced around her but she didn’t see anyone but the man in front of her with the gun. He grinned, revealing yellowed, crooked teeth.

“Some of my boys are with me. We usually travel in packs of four. It will be the last thing animal-man ever does if he decides to save you. He won’t be back for you though unless he gets an itch in his dick.”

Trisha refrained from curling her lip in disgust. He was the lowest form of humanity, in her opinion. From the sound of his voice and the things he said, he honestly thought very little of Slade. He didn’t even know him and it had to be his prejudice against all New Species. He might be a moron but unfortunately he held a gun on her.

“Move it.”

A plan struck Trisha. She took a step and limped badly, dragging her foot a lot, and made a big production of wincing. The man with the gun uttered curse words that made her wince.

“You’re injured? Goddamn it!” He roared the words.

Trisha had to resist smiling at the idiot. He’d been worried she’d make a loud sound but he’d just shouted. Slade would have heard that for sure. Hell, anyone within a mile heard him, she guessed. She bit her lip hard and watched him as she paused limping.

“It happened when you guys caused the SUV to crash.”

He looked furious. “Tom? Get out here.”

Tom probably didn’t have to shave yet from the looks of his pink skin and he had the narrow body of a pre-teen. He stood nearly as short as Trisha’s height of five-foot-three. He gripped a handgun and a large knife had been strapped to his camouflage clothing, making him appear as if he were a twelve-year-old dressed up as an Army guy for Halloween. The faint lines displayed near his mouth were the only signs that gave away his true age, putting him in his mid-twenties.