“New Species now get to hold the people prisoner who once kept them locked up. That seems fair.”

“No. Justice didn’t want to put any of his people in that uncomfortable situation. The prison is completely staffed by us.”

“Your team?”

“Humans.”

“They are human too, just not completely.”

“That’s true but they call us humans. It’s starting to rub off on me.” He smiled. “I’m going to sleep downstairs on the couch tonight unless you want me to sleep on the floor in here. I could.”

She was touched that he’d offer. Usually he drove her nuts but after what had happened, she didn’t really want to be alone. “You’re too old to sleep on the floor,” she joked. “You’d never get up. My couch pulls out into a king and the mattress is pretty comfy. Thanks, Dad.”

He released her and stood. “I’m just downstairs. Do you want me to leave the light on?”

Becca admitted to being tempted to do just that but she shook her head instead. He was being really sweet at the moment but she didn’t want him using her moment of weakness against her later. Her dad had a way of doing that. Before she knew it he’d be trying to talk her in to moving back into the main house.

“When is Brawn returning?” She really wanted to see him.

“He’s not.”

Shock struck, quickly chased by pain. “What? I was under the impression when I reached Homeland that they’d take his statements and afterward he’d be coming back to my house.”

Anger deepened Tim’s voice. “Tiger is in charge while Justice is on vacation and he deemed it a failure having one of their men live here. They were pretty helpful today getting you back but it’s just not safe for them to live outside those walls. It puts anyone they are with in danger.”

“It wasn’t his fault.”

“I know but I’m glad he’s not coming back. I have a meeting in the morning to go over different scenarios to get some of their guys to integrate with my team. I just have to figure out how to do it safely.”

“I’d like to talk to Brawn,” she braved, risking her father’s temper.

He paused by her door. “That’s not going to happen. I was assured that he’s done with humans. I know something happened between you, you refuse to tell me the details, but I was assured he wants nothing to do with humans ever again.” He flipped off the light and closed her door.

Tears fell. Brawn was done with humans? As in he never wanted to see her again? She remembered how he’d reacted when she’d touched his arm and yelled at Trey to get her out of there. Maybe he’d lied and he was angry at her.

It hurt. She’d fallen for him but should have remembered he didn’t want to get involved with her. He’d made it clear, yet she’d hoped. Becca turned her face into her pillow and clutched it. She missed Brawn and it tore her up a bit that it was over without even getting to say goodbye to him.

Chapter Twelve 

Nine weeks later

Becca wandered around the cabin, bored and lonely. She finally settled on the couch, curled into a ball and used the arm of it for a pillow. She was due to contact her dad soon and she’d have to think up a new lie. He thought she was traveling through Europe and would be shocked if he knew she’d never left California. They kept in touch via her computer.

It was much easier to lie that way than to figure out how to route calls with her dad’s caller ID. She had friends and family who lived in France and Germany, they knew her dad was a tyrant and were sympathetic enough to send the occasional postcard his way to keep him fooled. They thought she just needed a break.

That part had been true up to a point. Her dad had driven her nuts after she’d come home and she’d needed a break from him charging into her home trying to draw her out. She’d been depressed after her kidnapping, had taken time from work and hated to admit she’d wanted to stick close to her phone in case he called.

The thought of Brawn made her sit up and clench her hands together over her thighs. She’d been sad at first when he hadn’t tried to contact her but as the weeks passed, it had turned to anger. How dare he not even check on her? It would have been polite to at least get in touch to see if she had recovered from their traumatic ordeal. The fact that he’d had sex with her made it twice as unforgivable not to make that effort. So much for being a team.

His belongings were taken away by one of her father’s men the day after she’d returned home. She’d had to deal with repairmen for two solid weeks, patching up her poor damaged house, and she’d closed the guest bedroom door after they’d left to avoid being reminded of him. It hadn’t worked though. Every single time she passed through the hallway to go to her bedroom, she caught her glance straying there.

Four weeks later she’d made a shocking discovery that had changed her life. She’d had to plot and plan, make up a bunch of lies and move to a cabin in Northern California. She’d worked quickly to make calls to set up an elaborate deception. She discovered she was good at it and believed she’d covered all her bases. Her dad would have tipped her off if he grew suspicious.

Worry struck hard and pitted inside her stomach at the thought of making a mistake. Even the memory of the dreaded phone call she’d made three weeks ago on her way to the cabin had her tense. I bought a disposable cell phone, paid cash, kept the call reasonably short and it was far from here. I even remembered to remove the battery from it and throw it in the trash in case someone tried to track the phone. She took deep breaths. You did it all right and no one knows it’s you. That calmed her a bit.

The phone had rung twice when she’d placed that call. The NSO operator had answered and she’d asked to speak to Doctor Trisha, had lied and said the woman was expecting her call. Becca had given a false name and even used a Texas accent. She’d lived in that state for five years when she’d been a kid while her father was stationed there as a combat instructor. She felt sure she could pull it off and believed she hadn’t forgotten to keep her voice altered.

Doctor Trisha had picked up after four rings. She would never forget the way her stomach heaved at hearing each ring, her heart had raced and fear had gripped her. It was too dangerous to make the call but she’d needed some answers to some important questions.

“This is Doctor Trisha.” The woman had a cheerful voice.

Becca knew that would change. “Hello,” she’d managed to get out. “I don’t have much time, I’m afraid you’ll trace the call, but we need to talk.”

“Um, okay.” The doctor’s happy tone changed to one of hesitancy.

“Is it true that some New Species are allergic to chocolate and it makes them really sick?”

The silence had stretched longer than Becca liked, every one of them counting since time was limited. They could try to track the phone but by the time someone got there, she’d have disabled the battery, been gone and planned to dump it somewhere else in a trash bin.

“You need to address all your questions to the public relations department of the NSO,” Trisha had finally responded. “Have a nice day.”

Panic gripped Becca. The doctor planned to hang up. “Wait! This is urgent.”

More seconds ticked but the line remained open. “It’s urgent that you know if they are allergic to chocolate? What kind of nut ball are you?” Anger altered her voice again.

“I’m pregnant,” Becca blurted, clenched her teeth in regret but knew she’d have to reveal that fact to get the answers she so desperately needed. She took a calming breath to remember to talk with the false accent. “I slept with a New Species and I’m pregnant. I’m afraid that if I eat chocolate that I’ll hurt the baby. I need to know if that’s a possibility.”