Brawn - Laurann Dohner [54]
Becca was the most important thing to him. Without hesitation, he’d give his life and those of the males and kill every human who posed a threat to her. He adjusted his hold, lifted her gently in his arms and saw how pale she looked when she stared into his eyes. Tears made her blue eyes glimmer and he felt like a total bastard. He’d promised to shield her body yet he hadn’t. He’d selfishly taken her at a great expense.
She’d never forgive him regardless of her being generous enough to share the blame. He knew the truth. Even if they survived somehow, if they got out of this nightmare alive, their time together was tainted by the ugliness of being locked inside a cage by their captors. He laid her down on the cot, curled up tightly to her on the small bed and tucked her firmly against his body.
“Sleep,” he urged. “I am here and will protect you.” As much as I am able. Shame burned deeply that he felt so helpless. She deserved a better male. He’d failed her miserably.
Chapter Nine
Tim Oberto was fit to be tied. “What the fuck is taking so long?”
Tiger, head of security for the NSO, watched the man grimly. “We lost the signal.”
“How the hell could this happen?” Tim paced like a caged animal. “They took my daughter.”
Tiger knew what it was like to pace that way. He’d been caged. He watched the human male and could relate to his worry. Tiger felt that emotion too. He didn’t know the man’s daughter, Rebecca Oberto, but he did know Brawn.
“We have to search the area and it’s taking time. You have your men out here too, going to every building.” Tiger took a deep breath. “The signal was last active in this section and they have to be within a mile radius. It’s an industrial area and hundreds of buildings are close together.”
Tim spun. “You know this guy, right? This Brawn? I want you to tell me everything about him now. He’s with my daughter.”
“Brawn is a council member. He’s—”
"Explain the council to me."
Tiger took another breath. “Each of the four testing facilities that we were rescued from appointed a Species to represent them after we elected Justice to lead. We knew he would be busy dealing with the outside world and trying to handle our people as well. Some human suggested each set of survivors from the testing facilities have one spokesperson to represent their needs and issues. They keep track of all the Species from their labs and report to Justice if there is a problem. Brawn was chosen for his ability to remain calm under pressure, his fighting skills and his intelligence. He’s known among my people to have a good sense of humor and to be very reasonable.”
“His fighting skills didn’t save him and my daughter,” Tim raged. “If he was any good they’d never have been taken.”
Tiger immediately took offense. “He never would have been captured if he wasn’t protecting your daughter. He could have fled and left her. He’s feline. He could have easily leapt onto your roof from the window or to the ground below without injury on his own. We believe he was mixed with black leopard. I have hunted with him myself and he’s really fast. I told you that there were at least six men inside your daughter’s home and you saw the body. He fought but they had drugs. He didn’t flee because he stayed with your daughter. Do not dare insult him.”
Trey Roberts cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, everyone calm down, please. This isn’t helping.”
A man sitting in front of a laptop computer cursed suddenly. He turned to face his boss, Tim. “I’ve got really bad news.”
“What is it?” Tim tensed.
“It was tough but I have hacked into the dead guy’s financials. He’s been getting regular deposits from a shell company. I was able to trace that to the real source of money.” He held Tim’s gaze. “Mercile Industries is behind this. The money is coming from a slush fund they have. All the deposits in that account