“That’s her male and he’s highly agitated. Your guards tried to take her from his home. One of them died during that attempt. Now, we’re here for the other one. Take us to him,” Justice demanded.
“The warden said—”
“I don’t give shit what the warden said,” Tim ground out. “Justice North just gave you an order. Lead us to the other man who was at Homeland or we’ll go in there ourselves and get him. It was a major f**kup. I’m personally going to come down here tomorrow and go over how you train your damn staff. You’re a bunch of idiots. I canceled the request for her transfer.”
Jeff sputtered. “This isn’t my fault.”
True grabbed the male before he could kill the impulse but he managed not to shake the life out of him. “Where is the human? Stop stalling!”
“True,” Fury growled. “Stop.”
He released the human with a shove and spun on the Species. “Why did they want Jeanie? Do you know a female died here?”
A motion in his peripheral vision drew his attention. Trey Roberts reacted faster than he did when the human guard pulled a weapon from the back of his waistband and pointed it at True. The task force team leader kicked out, slamming a boot into the man’s arm. The Fuller guard yelled as bone snapped.
“FUCK!” the guy screamed. “Why’d you do that? Ouch. Mother son of a f**ker!”
“You were going to shoot him,” Trey accused.
“The warden said no one goes inside.” He dropped to his knees, cradling his damaged arm with his other hand. “My men won’t let you in. I told them to shoot if anyone attempted it.”
“Why would you do that, Dill?” Jeff gaped at him. “This is Justice North and the task force team. There is a group of New Species with them. Tell your men to stand down. They can’t shoot at them.”
The injured human glared at the assistant warden. “We’ve been ordered to keep the building secured. No offense, sir, but f**k you.”
“There was no high-priority prisoner transfer. There is no prisoner! This prison belongs to New Species. The lockdown is over when Justice North says it’s over!” Jeff turned his head and stared at Tim. He looked shaken. “Dill is in control of the other guards. I’ll tell them to stand down but I don’t know if they’ll listen to me.”
“They won’t do anything you say. You’re nothing but a pencil pusher and an ass kisser,” Dill wheezed. He glared at Trey. “You snapped my arm, asswipe.”
True growled. “They wouldn’t shoot us. It’s our prison.” He advanced on the building. He was going in there to get the guard who’d attacked Jeanie, even if he had to go through the humans who worked there to find him.
“Hold,” Justice demanded.
True ignored him, increasing his pace.
“Cover him!” Tim yelled.
The task force team spread out behind True. He heard the assistant warden issuing orders for the guards inside to stand down. He reached the closed door but it was locked. He snarled and shook the handle but it didn’t turn.
“Move,” Trey insisted.
He glanced back as Trey pulled his gun and pointed it at the lock. True stepped aside. The blast was loud as the male shot the lock three times. He reached for it but Trey shook his head.
“Let me go first. I’m wearing Kevlar.”
Darkness pushed his way forward. “So am I.” He didn’t ask before grabbing an assault rifle from one of the task force members. “We’ll go in together.”
Trey glanced at the weapon. “You know how to use that? I didn’t think you ever went on missions.”
Darkness grimly nodded. “Unfortunately I do know how to use it. I never miss what I aim at. I gave my word I’d take responsibility for the female and that also means assuring her safety by retrieving the male who tried to steal her.”
“There should be two more guards on duty.” Trey exchanged his clip for a new one. “That’s protocol to have three guards and one administrator each shift but who knows what the hell is going on. I think they tossed the damn rule book out the window today.” He made a hand motion to his team. “They’ll spread out behind us and encircle the building.”
Darkness held True’s gaze. “Stay behind me. Hit the ground if we end up in a battle. Remember your female will expect you to be there when she wakes and you need to be alive to do that.”
True didn’t like them going in first but the Species had a point. “Okay.”
“On the count,” Trey urged. “Three, two, one.”
He yanked open the door and rushed inside with Darkness on his heels. True followed and so did the rest of the task force team. The interior was a long hallway that led to a room where prisoners were processed. They passed a few locked doors, which were offices and supply closets. The double metal doors that led to the interior of the prison loomed ahead.
One guard faced off against them, blocking access to the doors. He was pale and his gun shook in his hand. “Stop!”
“Stand down,” Trey ordered, his gun aimed at the human’s head.
The guard lowered the weapon. “I’m not dying because of Dill.”
“How many others are there?” Darkness used his scary voice.
“Just Paul. He disappeared, saying something was seriously screwed, the second we realized the entire task force team had showed up here.”
“The warden said—”
“I don’t give shit what the warden said,” Tim ground out. “Justice North just gave you an order. Lead us to the other man who was at Homeland or we’ll go in there ourselves and get him. It was a major f**kup. I’m personally going to come down here tomorrow and go over how you train your damn staff. You’re a bunch of idiots. I canceled the request for her transfer.”
Jeff sputtered. “This isn’t my fault.”
True grabbed the male before he could kill the impulse but he managed not to shake the life out of him. “Where is the human? Stop stalling!”
“True,” Fury growled. “Stop.”
He released the human with a shove and spun on the Species. “Why did they want Jeanie? Do you know a female died here?”
A motion in his peripheral vision drew his attention. Trey Roberts reacted faster than he did when the human guard pulled a weapon from the back of his waistband and pointed it at True. The task force team leader kicked out, slamming a boot into the man’s arm. The Fuller guard yelled as bone snapped.
“FUCK!” the guy screamed. “Why’d you do that? Ouch. Mother son of a f**ker!”
“You were going to shoot him,” Trey accused.
“The warden said no one goes inside.” He dropped to his knees, cradling his damaged arm with his other hand. “My men won’t let you in. I told them to shoot if anyone attempted it.”
“Why would you do that, Dill?” Jeff gaped at him. “This is Justice North and the task force team. There is a group of New Species with them. Tell your men to stand down. They can’t shoot at them.”
The injured human glared at the assistant warden. “We’ve been ordered to keep the building secured. No offense, sir, but f**k you.”
“There was no high-priority prisoner transfer. There is no prisoner! This prison belongs to New Species. The lockdown is over when Justice North says it’s over!” Jeff turned his head and stared at Tim. He looked shaken. “Dill is in control of the other guards. I’ll tell them to stand down but I don’t know if they’ll listen to me.”
“They won’t do anything you say. You’re nothing but a pencil pusher and an ass kisser,” Dill wheezed. He glared at Trey. “You snapped my arm, asswipe.”
True growled. “They wouldn’t shoot us. It’s our prison.” He advanced on the building. He was going in there to get the guard who’d attacked Jeanie, even if he had to go through the humans who worked there to find him.
“Hold,” Justice demanded.
True ignored him, increasing his pace.
“Cover him!” Tim yelled.
The task force team spread out behind True. He heard the assistant warden issuing orders for the guards inside to stand down. He reached the closed door but it was locked. He snarled and shook the handle but it didn’t turn.
“Move,” Trey insisted.
He glanced back as Trey pulled his gun and pointed it at the lock. True stepped aside. The blast was loud as the male shot the lock three times. He reached for it but Trey shook his head.
“Let me go first. I’m wearing Kevlar.”
Darkness pushed his way forward. “So am I.” He didn’t ask before grabbing an assault rifle from one of the task force members. “We’ll go in together.”
Trey glanced at the weapon. “You know how to use that? I didn’t think you ever went on missions.”
Darkness grimly nodded. “Unfortunately I do know how to use it. I never miss what I aim at. I gave my word I’d take responsibility for the female and that also means assuring her safety by retrieving the male who tried to steal her.”
“There should be two more guards on duty.” Trey exchanged his clip for a new one. “That’s protocol to have three guards and one administrator each shift but who knows what the hell is going on. I think they tossed the damn rule book out the window today.” He made a hand motion to his team. “They’ll spread out behind us and encircle the building.”
Darkness held True’s gaze. “Stay behind me. Hit the ground if we end up in a battle. Remember your female will expect you to be there when she wakes and you need to be alive to do that.”
True didn’t like them going in first but the Species had a point. “Okay.”
“On the count,” Trey urged. “Three, two, one.”
He yanked open the door and rushed inside with Darkness on his heels. True followed and so did the rest of the task force team. The interior was a long hallway that led to a room where prisoners were processed. They passed a few locked doors, which were offices and supply closets. The double metal doors that led to the interior of the prison loomed ahead.
One guard faced off against them, blocking access to the doors. He was pale and his gun shook in his hand. “Stop!”
“Stand down,” Trey ordered, his gun aimed at the human’s head.
The guard lowered the weapon. “I’m not dying because of Dill.”
“How many others are there?” Darkness used his scary voice.
“Just Paul. He disappeared, saying something was seriously screwed, the second we realized the entire task force team had showed up here.”
