New Species 04 Justice (14 page)

Justice gave his attention to the Senator. “We’ll have to sort out where he lives and what would be safest. I won’t put any of my men out in the open to be targeted by hate

groups. He has to have secure living arrangements.”

“Done.”

The door opened to admit a nurse. She gawked at the New Species. Long seconds

ticked into a full minute. The Senator moved forward, drawing the woman’s attention.

“Yes?”

She forced her gaze to him. “Uh, your, uh, daughter. She is ready to leave. Her tests

all look good and she refuses to stay for observation. They are…” She turned her head

to gape at Tiger.

“They are what?” The senator snapped.

The nurse’s attention flew back to him. “She is leaving AMA. They’re releasing her

as soon as she’s dressed.” The woman spun and fled.

“Should I carry pictures of us and just pass them out?” Tiger chuckled. “That way

they could stare as long as they want.”

“I doubt that would work. They would only want you to autograph them.” Justice

smiled to soften his words.

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Tiger flinched. “I say I don’t know how to write my name when they ask me to do

that. A lot of humans figure we can’t read so they buy it.”

Trey laughed. “You get that often, huh?”

Tiger nodded. “Yes. We were invited to the Governor’s Mansion two weeks ago

and had to deal with a lot of humans at the event. They wanted us to sign things, kept

trying to touch us and asked us to pose with them for pictures. Women passed their

numbers into my palm when we shook hands.”

Mike laughed. “Man, I wish women would give me their numbers. It doesn’t sound

so bad.”

“You wouldn’t wish it if you lived it,” Justice stated softly. “You are no longer a

person but are viewed as a thing. An object. Something not sentient.”

“But the women…” Mike winked.

Tiger grinned. “They are too fragile.”

Mike openly studied Tiger from head to foot before glancing down at his own

body. “We’re about the same.”

“No. We’re not. I’m stronger.” Tiger laughed, flashing his fangs at Bob. “I have

sharp teeth. Your women are too fragile.”

“Oh. Your women enjoy sharp teeth? Wow. That’s kind of cool. Yeah. I can see

where you couldn’t do that with ours. I nipped one on the ass once and she dumped

me, claiming I was a freak.” Mike showed his teeth. “Mine are smooth and straight and

for the two grand I paid the dentist they’d better be. She did have a mighty fine ass

though. That was one to sink your teeth into.”

Justice sighed, sending the Senator an apologetic look. The Senator smiled in return,

both of them seeming to understand sometimes their men had conversations that they

probably shouldn’t. Justice ignored Tiger and the team member’s conversation. He

really wanted to leave and go find Jessie.

“Stay and talk to your new friend, Tiger. I’ll be outside the door,” Justice stated,

moving toward it.

“Don’t forget me,” Tiger joked.

Justice glanced around the hallway as he stepped out with his other male guards.

The Senator stayed next to him. Justice’s mind worked overtime as he realized seeing

Jessie might not be the best thing at that moment. Humans were watching, gathered in

groups up and down the hallway to stare at him. Some withdrew cell phones to snap

pictures, not bothering to hide their intent.

Anger gripped him strongly when he realized the danger it posed to Jessie. Any

photograph or video clip of him reacting strongly to her would be sold to the local news

stations. By midnight it would hit every media outlet worldwide, gossips would

speculate that they might be dating and she’d become a target for reporters and New

Species’ enemies.

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They weren’t dating—that implied she wanted to ever see him again and he wasn’t

sure that was the case. He hoped she did but that didn’t make it fact. He might do

something foolish, probably would if he had the chance to touch her and he needed to

avoid that. His desire to talk to Jessie though wouldn’t be denied. One way or another,

he wanted to get access to her face to face but under safer conditions. He refused to put her in danger. He met the Senator’s gaze, a solution snapping into place.

“Jessie needs a job and I have a safe one to offer her. It is the least I can do since she was harmed rescuing one of our females. She can still work with them but under stable

conditions.”

The Senator smiled. “That would be great, Justice. To be honest, she’s going to be

pissed as hell when she finds out I fired her. You’d be saving my ass. My daughter has a

temper. What kind of job is it?”

Justice hesitated. He was making it up as he went. “She will live at Homeland. It is

secure and safe for her there. We have a segregated dorm where we are housing our

females. Jessie would be wonderful for them to have around and I’m sure she’d be a

tremendous help.”

The Senator nodded. “It sounds good.”

“She can start as soon as she’s well.” Justice had to smother a grin. He would get to

see Jessie often if she lived at Homeland. Hell, he could get as much access to her as it took to persuade her to return to his bed. The thought helped ease his urge to see her

immediately. “We’d be lucky to have her.”

I’d be damn lucky to have her.
An image of her under him on his bed the night before flashed but he pushed it back before he was tempted to storm down the corridors to

locate Jessie and throw her over his shoulder.
Don’t do it. Too many damn humans, the
press has probably already arrived and you can’t let your people down. You’re the face of New
Species. You’ll see her soon. Very soon.

“That would probably be today, knowing my daughter.”

Today.
Justice couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face. “I’ll make all the arrangements immediately.”

Justice’s cell phone rang. “Excuse me. I have to take this.”

The Senator spoke. “I understand.”

Justice walked off, taking the call. It was about the new female Jessie had rescued.

He listened. “Keep her sedated. I want her moved to Homeland immediately.”

Justice walked back to the Senator. “I must leave. It’s the female that Jessie rescued.

She is in bad shape inside her mind. She just woke, refuses to be calmed and the

medical staff had to sedate her again when she tried to flee from them. When Jessie

wants to work we’ll have her help us with that female first. You give me a call and we’ll arrange transport for Jessie to Homeland.”

“I have it. I’ll bring her myself. I’ve got a private plane at my disposal.”

Justice held out his hand. “I’m grateful she is well.”

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“Thank you for coming.”

In minutes Justice and his men left the hospital. News vans waited outside and

Justice sighed in frustration as reporters rushed at them and yelled questions but he still heard Tiger’s grunted curse.

“Our lives suck sometimes.”

Justice nodded in agreement. He’d done the right thing by leaving, despite the

gnawing regret that twisted his gut at not being able to make sure Jessie was truly all

right. As much as he wanted to hold her, to assure himself she lived, he wouldn’t

destroy her life in the process.

Jessie resisted the urge to cry. She touched the bandage on the back of her head,

winced and hated that they’d shaved part of her hair. The nurse gave her a sympathetic

look.

“No one will know if you pull it into in a ponytail or leave it down. It’s at the back

of your head so someone will only see it if you part your hair or wear pigtails. It will

grow back in time but with that length, I know it’s rough. Once it grows out some it will mingle with the rest of your hair and be harder to see. You need to keep those stitches

dry.”

“I know.” Jessie let the woman help her out of the hospital bed. She curled her lip at

the sweats she’d been handed. Her father had bought them in the gift shop and they

beat scrubs, her other option. She hated sweats in general but the fact they were

stamped with the hospital’s name and logo made it worse. “I have the paperwork

telling me how to care for them.”

“You have to sit in the wheelchair. It’s hospital policy for an orderly to escort you to

the front door.”

“Great,” Jessie snorted, keeping her comment clean since the nurse had been kind.

She sat and meekly allowed the woman to push her out of the room after setting her

bag of bloodied clothes on her lap.

Jessie spotted her father and Tim as soon as they entered the hallway. Some of the

team had shown up too. Mike, Trey, Jimmy and Bob leaned against the wall watching

her with grins. Shane was the only absent member of her team.

Senator Jacob Hills grinned when he spotted her, cutting off his conversation with

Tim and rushed down the hallway. “How is my baby?”

“Yeah,” Trey grinned, leading everyone closer. “How are you, baby?”

Jessie’s finger itched to flip him the bird but she forced a smile instead. “I’m great.

I’m ready to go home.” Her gaze met Tim’s, not a good sign that he grimly held her

glare. It meant he was still mad at her for not following orders. “How is Beauty? I was

told she wasn’t hurt. Did she make it where they wanted her sent all right?”

Tim hesitated. “We had to tranquilize her, Jessie. She was hysterical after you were

shot and couldn’t be calmed. We called the NSO right off the bat after you were taken

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care of. Shane stayed back with her since he said you’d want one of your team with her

until she was dropped off. The NSO sent a helicopter to pick her up and he transported

with her to Reservation personally but he’s on his way home now. They have her safe

and she was sleeping like a baby last time he saw her.”

Bob chuckled. “Shane filled out her paperwork and put Beauty for her name. We

thought you’d be pissed if he wrote down Mud or Monkey.”

The Senator gasped, shooting a glare at Bob. “You called her those names?”

Bob’s smile died. “No. That’s what they called her. Jessie renamed her Beauty.”

“Oh.” The senator relaxed. “I thought I was going to have a nightmare on my

hands. You never call them derogatory names. I’ll fire you if you ever do. You always

treat them with respect, as though they are family.”

Jessie smirked. “You mean like how I call Jake a butthead and ass breath? That’s

what you call family. You might want to tell them to treat them like anyone but family.”

The Senator grinned. “Your brother hates those names, Jess. If he were here instead

of in Afghanistan, he’d tell you himself.”

“Jessie,” she corrected, smiling. “I’m glad you came, Dad. I’m ready to go home and

get back to work.”

Tim cleared his throat and jerked his thumb at the men. Jessie frowned as the team

quickly walked away, leaving her with her father. He looked grim when she stared at

him, confused.

“About that.” His blue eyes narrowed. “You’re fired.”

“What?” she yelled.

“Quiet, Jessica Marlee Dupree,” he ordered in a stern voice. It was the same tone

he’d used all her life when she was in deep shit. “You disobeyed orders last night and

killed three men. You did the right thing, protected your fellow team members and I

know that. But you killed three men.” His voice broke and tears flooded his eyes.

“You’re lucky to have your brains intact. Do you know how I felt when I got the call

that you’d been shot?” He took a shaky breath. “You are fired. I love you but I can’t live with knowing I’m putting you in a position to have to kill more men or have them kill

you. You have a new job so listen to me before you lose your temper.”

Jessie was in shock. Her father was more upset than she could ever recall seeing

him except once. He’d cried when her mother had died and had never fully recovered

from the loss. She eased back into the wheelchair, her tense body relaxed and guilt ate

at her as she stared at him. He’d gone through hell over her getting shot and she knew

it. It hurt to lose her job but she loved her dad more.

“What new job?”

He hesitated. “No screaming and telling me I can’t fire you?”

She shook her head. “You’re crying. I’m sorry, Dad. You lost mom and she meant

the world to you. You almost lost me and I get it. I hate it because I love this job and I 70

Justice

love those guys on the task force but I do understand the hellish position you’re in.

What’s the new job and forget about it if you tell me you’re sticking me in an office.”

He leaned down and grabbed Jessie hard, hugging her. She hugged him back and

wished she could breathe. She wiggled in his arms and he finally let go. He

straightened, wiping at tears. He smiled at her though and it made it all worth losing

the job and almost turning blue from lack of oxygen.

“I got you a job at the NSO Homeland, Jessie. How is that for a consolation prize for

losing your job with the task force? You’re going to be working directly with the New

Species Organization still but at a safer location.” He grinned. “Justice North flew here to make sure you were fine and he offered the job himself!”

Shock tore through Jessie. “Justice is here?” Her head turned, searching for him.

“He received an emergency call regarding the woman you saved last night. He had

to leave but he said you could start at any time you’re ready. I knew you’d want to get