“That is what most of them said about him. They had other names for him as well but none were flattering.”

“I can imagine.”

He motioned that she leave the elevator first and she hesitantly entered a parking structure. It was dimly lit and had concrete walls. Her car sat within sight about twenty spaces away from the elevator and half a dozen black SUVs were parked with it.

“We did not damage your car.”

The elevator closed behind them and Lauren didn’t see Wrath as her gaze continued to study her surroundings. She started to feel nervous about being alone with Shadow. She knew he and Wrath were close but after Vengeance, the only one of them she trusted was Wrath. The driver’s-side door opened on an SUV and a guy dressed in all black climbed out. He approached them quickly, his gaze locked on Lauren.

She tensed but immediately identified him as human since his face wasn’t covered by sunglasses, and his features were clearly shown. He had short brown hair, brown eyes and was almost as big as the New Species she’d met, minus a few inches in height. The uniform was the same that Brass and Shadow wore.

“Who’s the woman?” He glanced at Shadow.

“She’s helping us track our target.”

The man grinned and offered his hand. “I’m Brian. How are you?”

Lauren shook his hand firmly. “I’m Lauren. I’m fine.”

The elevator doors opened and Lauren turned to see who entered the parking level. Wrath and Brass stepped out of the elevator. Brass was dressed in black like Brian and Shadow but Wrath had changed into green fatigues. Wrath growled suddenly and lunged at Lauren.

She gasped as his arm hooked around her waist. He jerked her off her feet and spun her until his body blocked her from Brian. Another snarl came from him as he eased her back to her feet but kept his arm anchored around her middle. She twisted her head to look up at him but he glared at Brian with a scary expression.

Brian stepped back and put his hands up. “What’s wrong?”

Shadow sighed. “You touched her and were standing too close. He’s protective.”

Brian put more distance between him and the angry New Species. “Sorry, man. I didn’t know it would upset you. I was just introducing myself. It’s a normal human interaction.”

“Don’t get near her,” Wrath warned. “Are we clear, Brian?”

“Perfectly clear, sir.”

Wrath relaxed. “You know my name is Wrath. Don’t call me sir.”

The man nodded. “Sorry. It’s just that you’re the boss when I’m assigned to escort you guys. You’ve got the rank. ‘Sir’ is what I usually call the team leader. It’s just how Tim runs the ranks.” He paused. “What’s our game plan today?”

Brass stepped forward, taking charge. “We are driving the female to her apartment for her to change her clothing. She’s going to be taking Wrath into the target’s workplace while we monitor them from a distance. The female will talk to Bill’s coworkers and see if she can locate him.”

Brian nodded. “Good.” He glanced at Lauren. “Do you think they will talk to you?”

She nodded. “They should. I work there too.”

Brian’s eyes widened in surprise. “Okay. Good. Are we ready to go? I assume I’m driving since I know the area?”

“Yes,” Shadow sighed. “Let’s roll.”

Wrath slowly released Lauren’s waist but gripped her hand quickly. She noticed he still appeared slightly upset over her shaking Brian’s hand and wondered if that was taboo with his kind. Maybe it was rude to touch an unknown male in Species culture. She wasn’t too sure about the reasoning but she made a mental note not to do it again. Wrath led her to the SUV and opened the back door.

“Get in. You sit in the middle.”

“What about my purse and keys? I need them.”

“I’ve got them,” Shadow called out, rushing to catch up.

Lauren scooted across the seat to the middle and Wrath climbed in after her. Shadow opened the other door and took a seat next to her, while Brass and Brian entered the front. They all reached for their seat belts and she did the same.

The New Species all put on dark sunglasses before Brian even started the engine and Brass shoved a cap on. It made her really notice the tight braid at the back of his head for the first time. Her eyebrows arched but she didn’t ask why he had long hair when the other two New Species had cut theirs so short.

Wrath was careful not to touch her and it became more apparent as the miles passed that he avoided her on purpose. He leaned away from her when the vehicle swayed through turns. She studied his features, hated the dark glasses that hid his eyes and leaned into him until he turned his face in her direction.

“Are you mad at me?”

“No. I’m preparing for the mission. I like to go over all possible scenarios we may encounter and plot my reactions.”

“Okay.” She wasn’t sure what that meant but it must be a man thing.

Shadow laughed. “We all do that. This is your world and not ours. Everything is strange to us and we try to make sure our responses are as smooth as we can make them.”

She could see how out of place they would probably feel in the big world. She’d read about the NSO Homeland and the NSO Reservation. They were massive properties that housed all New Species and were run by the New Species Organization. They had their own civilizations on those two properties but little was known beyond bits and pieces of information that the press got wind of. No one really knew what was true or not.