“Do you think they have more footage they didn’t show yet?”

“I don’t know but it’s going to be okay.”

Vanni pulled away. “How? How can it be?”

Beth had tears in her eyes too. “We’ll get through this.”

“Everyone is going to see that. How am I going to leave the house? Go to work?”

“I don’t know.” Beth sniffed. “Look on the bright side.”

“I’m afraid to ask what just popped into your head, but what? I’m desperate.”

“You don’t have to make any phone calls to tell people you aren’t marrying Carl. I think it’s a given.”

Vanni leaned forward and hugged her again. “Not funny. Try again.”

“Okay,” Beth whispered. “The reporters are annoying the shit out of Carl. He threatened to kill you so I hope they give him hell.”

“Not helping.”

“I don’t know what else to say.”

“Me neither.”

A good minute went by. Beth spoke again. “Did you have sex in that alley?”

“Inside the SUV.”

Beth unwound her arms and sat back. She lifted a hand in the air. “High five.”

Vanni just stared at her blankly.

“Bucket list, remember? Sex in a car.” Beth kept her hand up. “Bright side. That’s one thing you ticked off yours.”

“Oh Beth.” Vanni shook her head. “That’s so wrong.”

Beth lowered her arm. “Work with me here. I’m trying. Otherwise we’re going to cry and stay huddled on this floor.”

“Is that so bad?”

Someone pounded on the door. Beth got up, walked over and peeked out the peephole. She cursed and backed up as the person pounded again.

“Miss Abris? Travanni? Could we please speak to you for a moment?” The voice was muffled through the door.

Beth turned. “It’s a lady with a cameraman.”

Vanni clawed her way to her feet and ran into the bathroom. She got violently sick. Her life would never be the same.

* * * * *

Smiley had been ordered to Fury’s office. He had no idea why but knew it was urgent. The door was wide open and Fury waited inside.

“You better sit.”

“I’m fine standing.” Smiley stiffened his spine. “Has Vanni been found?”

More Species entered the room, including Jericho. The grim look in the male’s eyes had Smiley rethink the offer of taking a seat. He stepped a few feet over and dropped into a chair. He really hadn’t expected to be told Vanni was dead. It was his worst fear. It seemed as good as confirmed. Bile rose but he swallowed it down.

“She’s dead?” He managed to get the question out.

Jericho shook his head. “No.”

Smiley could breathe again.

“Last night there was a human on the roof of the hotel.” Fury rounded his desk and sat. He lifted a remote and turned on the television. “Were you aware of that?”

Smiley nodded. “Yes. I heard Shane shout it out and I moved Vanni inside the back of the SUV to get her under cover in case it was a sniper.”

Fury pushed a few buttons. “This is playing on all the stations. Prepare yourself. The male had a video camera and apparently sent it to anyone with an interest. Here’s one I recorded off the television. I missed the beginning of it but it’s enough.”

The video wasn’t the best quality but it was clear enough, even in the dim alley, to make out details. Smiley squirmed in his seat. It was uncomfortable having a replay of such a personal moment displayed in front of so many males. It also angered him.

The clip ended and a white-haired news anchor took the lead. “The woman in the alley has been identified as twenty-seven-year-old Travanni Abris.” A picture of Vanni and a blond male flashed on the screen. They were smiling. It returned to the anchorman.

“You might recognize the man pictured in the photo with her as attorney Carl Woods, son of Pastor Gregory Woods of the Woods Church. The Woods Church has been a frontrunner in the campaign to shut down the NSO. We’ve been unable to reach Miss Abris for a comment. She’s gone into seclusion at her home.”

The camera focused on a woman standing in front of the Woods Church. She introduced herself. “No one will speak to us but it’s been a flurry of activity for the past hour.” The camera panned to the parking lot full of cars and then back to the reporter. “We were told by someone who wishes to remain anonymous that Pastor Woods and his son are inside the church and this has come as a total shock to the family. As everyone knows, Pastor Woods opposes New Species having civil rights. He started the church—”

Fury turned off the television and sighed. “She was engaged to the son. They were to be married in seven weeks.”

Smiley wouldn’t forget the face of the blond male any time soon. He’d appeared much smaller and shorter than himself. Their coloring was vastly different too. That was the male who had laid claim to Vanni until last night when she’d removed his ring. He clenched his jaw.

“I’m sorry.” Smiley wasn’t sure what else to say.

“For what?” Fury arched an eyebrow.

“We are to avoid news coverage and bad publicity.”

Jericho snarled. “You did nothing wrong, Smiley. It wasn’t bad for us. The Woods Church is always saying we belong in a zoo and yet that female shared sex with you. It means not everyone eats his bullshit.”

Fury nodded. “Nothing about the breeding drug has come out yet.”

Bestial cleared his throat. “Worst-case scenario, even if it does, she appeared to be the sexual aggressor. That female attacked you, not the other way around. They can’t flip this on us in a bad way.”

Tiger spoke. “I don’t understand why they used her to launch this attack in the media. It wasn’t flattering to them. The last female I’d have fuck my enemy would be the one set to marry someone so high up in their organization.”

“I can think of some good reasons they picked her.” Tim stood.

“Name them,” Fury demanded.

Tim didn’t hesitate. “They probably figured a New Species would end up killing her. She’s frail-looking, judging by that video, and has that girl-next-door look that would piss off everyone. What better way to gain public sympathy for their cause than losing someone so important to the family? They could also have sued the NSO for her death to the tune of millions. They’d assume their pockets would get lined and drain ours at the same time. It would have also kept their name in the papers and made New Species look like hell for killing that girl.”

Rage twisted inside Smiley. “You mean the son fooled Vanni into believing he loved her when he just set her up to be killed?”

Tim shrugged. “I don’t know much about him but I’ve done my research on Gregory Woods. He’s a piece of work. I wouldn’t put it past him to have chosen her out of maliciousness. He wasn’t happy when their engagement was announced. It might have been a way to just stop the wedding and get a shot in at us at the same time. Either way, I bet he’s thrilled their wedding is off.”

“Unless the son still wants to marry her.” Tiger frowned.

Tim snorted. “No guy is going to still marry her after that video went viral. He’d be a laughingstock.”

“Why?” Smiley thought that seemed insulting to Vanni.

Tim met his stare. “Pride. She was all over you. No one would ever let him forget it.”

Flame grinned. “Not to mention, would she still want to marry him after Smiley? That was one pathetic-looking human male.”

“Flame.” Fury shook his head. “This is no time for jokes.”

“I’m just saying the son looks puny.”

“What if she got pregnant?” Jericho frowned.

“She’s not. She is on birth control.” Smiley clenched his fists. “I wasn’t that out of it. I asked.”

“What kind?” Bestial peered at him.

“I’m not certain.” Smiley shrugged.

“The breeding drug can override certain contraceptives.”

Smiley felt sucker punched. “Are you certain?”

The council member nodded. “Pretty certain. Condoms work but only if they don’t break. I don’t suppose you used one?”

“No.”