Brawn - Laurann Dohner [81]
“Let me go, damn it!” Becca yelled and tried to twist away.
He suddenly released her and easily scooped her up into the cradle of his arms. Becca screamed and clawed at his shirt. “Put me down.” She didn’t struggle, too afraid he’d drop her and he was tall. It would be a long fall to the floor.
“Think of your baby,” he growled loudly. “Relax and slow your breathing. Calm.”
Terror hit Becca but she stopped tearing at his shirt. Her fingers fisted the material though, clung to him and tried to find words that would make the big New Species put her down.
“This is kidnapping! Yeah. It’s illegal and you’re not on NSO property. I’m a US citizen and I refuse to go with you. You can’t do this. It’s against the law.”
He glanced down at her and arched an eyebrow as he carried her through the house. “I’m aware of some of your laws. Possession is nine tenths of it and I have you.” He adjusted her in his hold to secure her tighter against his bulky chest. “You are safe.”
She knew she couldn’t get away from him and he wasn’t going to change his mind. She studied his handsome face, didn’t see anger there, but pure determination was easy to read. Flame was taking her to Reservation come hell or high water. She heard the helicopter approaching as he reached the front door. It was wide open now, something he must have done before startling her in the kitchen, making her suspicious that he had planned to carry her out in the first place.
Please don’t be my dad’s pilot, she prayed silently, watching the helicopter land between the tree line and her rental cabin. She’d met her father’s pilot but couldn’t remember his name. He’d remember her though for sure. Her dad boasted that he kept pictures of her in his office at work. The pilot might have forgotten her from the brief meeting they’d had at her dad’s house but looking at her pictures in an office almost every day tended to make someone learn a face.
Relief swept through her when she saw the helicopter pilot. He was much older than her father’s pilot, not anyone she’d ever seen before. The back doors opened. She tensed again, praying none of the task-team members were inside. It was two Species males who jumped out. No one else was inside the belly of the helicopter and she relaxed. She was still safe and unknown for the moment. Her dad wouldn’t be getting any calls that would trigger a rampage.
Flame carried her down the porch steps and addressed the two NSO officers who stood next to the waiting helicopter. “Get her things and lock up the cabin. She has food on the counter that needs to be put away. The helicopter will return for you in half an hour,” he yelled.
The men nodded. Becca glanced at the new faces, neither familiar, and gasped when they suddenly gripped Flame’s upper arms. They lifted him, with her still resting in his strong arms, off the ground and into the helicopter. Flame ducked his head, carried her to a bench and sat. The doors closed.
He adjusted her to put on his belt but was careful to keep one arm hooked around her ribs at all times in case she bolted. She considered it but the helicopter lifted off. It was too late and she wished it wasn’t so loud inside. She’d love to try to convince him to take her back, even if it was pointless. The guy was stubborn and she knew the type well. Her dad’s image flashed through her mind. He’d murder Brawn, go ballistic and maybe even take out other Species. No way would he believe she hadn’t been forced to have sex with Brawn. Even if he accepted that she’d been attracted to him, in her father’s eyes, the circumstances would have made her consent invalid.
Memory surfaced of two days after she’d been home from her ordeal. Her father had suddenly walked into her home,