“We have a problem.” Tiger stood there looking grim. “Sheriff Cooper called us. Two more women have been taken from the town. They need our help to track them. I need your help, Valiant. I know it is not Tammy this time but these women work for us. You are one of our best trackers with your stronger sense of smell and though other males from the Wild Zone have keen senses like yours, I can’t trust any of them around humans. The humans lost the tracks in the woods. Will you help?”

Valiant studied Tiger. Long seconds passed.

“Valiant?” Tammy waited until he glanced at her over his shoulder. “Please help them.”

He blinked at Tammy before he nodded. “I will do this for you.” He moved toward the bedroom. “Let me change my clothes. I will be with you in a minute.”

“Thanks,” Tiger whispered when they were left alone.

Tammy nodded. “Do you think this is related to the men who took me? Their boss should be in town by now unless you figured out who he is. Did you?”

“The survivors haven’t broken and given up the name of their boss yet. We have no idea who hired them to kidnap you. I don’t know many details but the sheriff said the women are roommates and they work here at Reservation. They are both cooks who decided to live in town instead of accepting human housing inside the gates. Someone broke into their home and took them.

The neighbors heard screams and witnessed at least six men removing the women by force. It happened half an hour ago. They found the van they were taken away in at the location where you were found.”

“I hope you find them.”

“Me too.” Tiger sighed. “The sheriff thinks they were targeted because they worked for us. This means that all of our human employees need to be warned and we will offer them protection here again. I don’t know where we will put them but we look after our own. There aren’t that many of them at least. Slade is notifying them and will handle those arrangements.”

Valiant returned wearing jeans, a black T-shirt, and running shoes. He walked to Tammy, looked down at her, and said, “I will be back soon. I will miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too and thank you for doing this. Be careful.”

“A lways.”

Tammy watched the two men leave. She sat on the couch and began to worry. She wondered if she knew the two women, if they were locals she might have grown up with, and wished she’d asked Tiger their names. She stood suddenly and walked to the phone to dial her boss, Ted, at home. The phone rang six times but his answering machine picked up. She left him a message to warn him that he might be in danger just in case New Species hadn’t thought to contact subcontractors who dealt with them.

She was worried about Ted and all the people she worked with. They’d done more than a few catering jobs for Reservation since that first one when she’d met Valiant. She proceeded to call her other coworkers but got their machines as well. She left them messages and included the phone number printed on the phone so they could call her back. She wondered where they all were, hoped they were out on a job, and not also kidnapped.

Seconds later the phone rang. She grabbed it up.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Miss Shasta. This is Charlie A rtzola. We just met, remember? I am at my office down the block and there seems to be a problem.”

She sighed. “Did I forget to sign something?”

“No. It’s just that I can’t find you in the system. It’s as if you don’t exist.”

“Excuse me?” She was shocked. “What system? I don’t have a criminal record.”

He laughed. “No. I mean I ran your driver’s license number but you don’t exist according to the database. I need to fax a copy of it to get your marriage license since there’s some kind of computer glitch. I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding but we need to clear this up. I called the hotel and asked if someone from security could escort you to my office. I’m sure we can sort this out if you could bring me your identification. They’ll accept a faxed copy of it as proof that you do exist.” He laughed.

“So, do you mind coming down here? It shouldn’t take more than maybe ten to twenty minutes. Just bring your wallet with you and your license.”

She sighed. “Sure. Let me get my shoes and find my purse. It’s a good thing the sheriff returned it to me. It’s around here somewhere. Did security say it was all right for me to leave? I’m supposed to stay inside the suite.”

“I obtained permission from Tiger before he left.

Someone will be there to escort you when you are ready to leave. Thank you, Miss Shasta. This is a big help. I know Valiant wanted this done quickly and I can’t get the marriage license without submitting proof of who you are.”

“I’ll hurry.”

She hung up and walked into the bedroom. A t least it would distract her from worrying about Valiant for a little while. Her purse still sat on the closet floor where Valiant had placed it after the sheriff had brought it with him to interview her. The New Species had to check it first and it had been delivered later that day. She’d also learned that the sheriff had her car safely towed to her house when he’d retrieved her purse from the crime scene.

She brushed her teeth and hair again. She didn’t bother with makeup. The quicker she could get back, the better, her mind was still on her coworkers. She didn’t want to miss their calls when they got her messages.

Flame stood outside in the hallway when she opened the door. She smiled at him.

“That attorney called and said he needed me and my purse.” She lifted it to show him. “A nd here we both are.”

Flame smiled. “He called. A re you ready to go? His office isn’t far. I’ll call for a Jeep and I’ll drive you there.”

“Thanks.” They left the suite.

Flame used his radio to ask for the vehicle to be pulled up in front of the hotel while they waited for the elevator and by the time they walked out of the lobby, it had arrived. Flame helped her climb inside and rounded the vehicle. He drove from the hotel to where a two-story office had been constructed. He parked and helped her out.

The reception area was empty and silence filled the air. It seemed the building wasn’t currently in use. Flame hesitated. “I’m not sure where his office is. I haven’t been in here before. Only a few human employees work at Reservation and I haven’t been assigned this post. Did he tell you where it was?”

“No.”

Flame sighed. “Let’s find him. I’d make some calls but we’re on high alert right now and I don’t want to bother anyone when I can sniff him out.” He drew in air a few times through his nose and pointed to a hallway to the left. “This way. Male, human, and recent. His aftershave stinks and not in a good way.”

She grinned. “Most guys are clueless and wear stuff that reeks.”

“We tend to be sensitive to smells. Most of our people use natural-scented products. Humans don’t.”

Tammy followed him through a maze of hallways.

“A re you on high alert because the two women were taken in town?”

He nodded. “Yes. We have tightened all incoming security and put our snipers on top of the walls in case someone decides they want to try to breach Reservation.

We will never forget the attack that happened at Homeland.”

She’d heard about that on the news. A hate group had attacked the New Species Homeland right after it had opened. They’d rammed the front gate and a bunch of men with guns had invaded with trucks.

Deaths had resulted from that attack. Luckily those killed had been mostly the hate-group members.

Tragically, a few human security guards who worked for Homeland had also died. It had been shocking that something like that could happen. Obviously the New Species were afraid of another attack and she didn’t blame them.

They found Charlie A rtzola on the second floor in one of the offices. He sat behind his desk digging inside a drawer. He glanced at them both when they entered and he smiled.