“Get me cameras on that building,” Darren Artino shouted. “The woman is too green and I bet she’s just panicking. I’m going to fire her ass when this is over.”
“I’ve got the East Street camera on line,” a man called out. “Screen fourteen.”
Darren Artino pointed to the right screen and knew Justice breathing down his neck. Both men focused their attention on the screen. They watched a truck accelerate toward the front entrance of the women’s dorm.
“Son of a bitch,” Darren spat.
“What are Hail Mary doors?” Justice grabbed Darren by the arm and spun him around.
Darren took a deep breath when he met a pissed-off pair of cat eyes. “Hail Mary is a prayer. It’s, ‘oh hell, it’s bad’. Reinforced doors have been activated inside the dorm and they cut off entire sections of the building.” He jerked his arm to break free of Justice’s grip. “Get every camera we have inside the dorm on screen and I want heat signatures being tracked on every floor, right now! Priority one to all frontal screens.”
Justice reached for his cell phone to place a call. “The women’s dorm is under heavy attack.” He hung up.
“Thirty-four heat signatures are on the third floor. The Hail Mary doors are down and secure,” a woman shouted out. “One heat signature is on the first floor and its moving fast.”
“There are thirty-five women living inside the dorms, according to our records,” a man called out. “All accounted for.”
Cameras normally inactive inside the dorm clicked on. One screen displayed women who sat or leaned against walls inside the hallway of the third floor.
“Those are my women.” Justice tensed. “Are they safe where they are?”
Darren nodded. “Very. Nothing can get to them. The steel doors are almost a foot thick. Not even a bomb could dent them. I told you they would be safe.”
“We have the front doors on screen ten,” a man yelled.
Justice and Darren looked at that camera view and Darren cursed. The glass doors were down on the floor. The damage along the top of the wall where they’d been anchored had been twisted inward.
“Son of a bitch! The glass held but the building didn’t.” Someone stated the obvious.
“We have movement with four new heat signatures,” a woman called out. “We are tracking the original single heat signature. It’s inside the kitchen. I’ve got all cameras on line now.”
* * * * *
Ellie ran into the kitchen. She’d heard the doors come down with a loud crash and knew she was trapped. She could either hide while she prayed help reached her before those men found her or she could fight. Her odds of facing off and winning against the four armed men weren’t good. Her main concern had been the New Species women and it comforted her, knowing they were safe. She’d understood it would be a dangerous job when she’d taken it but she never thought something this bad could happen.
She yanked open the knife drawer and grabbed the largest one she could find while she watched the open doorway over her shoulder. A she tried to quell her panic, knowing she needed a clear head. I need a place to hide.
Her focus immediately landed on the island and she moved to it, ducked down and got out of sight. She cracked open one of the cabinets and started shifting items inside, doing it as quietly as possible.
“Here, kitty, kitty,” a male voice yelled.
Are you kidding me? Ellie shook her head. They can’t even tell the difference between a human and a New Species. The idiots don’t even know what to shoot at. Hunters, my ass, she fumed, remembering that word painted on the side of their truck.
“Come out, kitty cat.”
The voice sounded closer. Ellie’s heart raced while she eased into the small space. There wasn’t much room but she managed to wiggle under the counter and get the cupboard door closed. She had her knees pressed to her body and her head bent in a balled position in the darkness. She tried to control her breathing to prevent them from hearing it. Her ears strained for the slightest noise. All she could do at that point was pray they didn’t find her until help arrived.
“I’m not going to kill you. I just want to talk.”
Ellie clenched her teeth. The guy obviously believed her to be a complete moron if he thought she’d believe him for a second. There was no way she’d attempt to talk to those insane jerks without bulletproof glass separating them. To allow them get close to her would be the fastest way to die and she wanted to live.
* * * * *
Justice continued to glance at different screens to watch what took place inside the women’s dorm. He flipped his phone out and hit speed dial. He’d just seen Ellie Brower hide inside a cabinet under the island in the kitchen. His gaze tracked the four intruders who searched the lower section of the house. They’d realized the elevators were out and they were blocked access to the second floor by a large steel door that cut off the stairs. The men split up and moved room to room on the first floor of the dorm, searching for Ellie.
“Our women are secure on the third floor but the human female is hiding inside the kitchen. It’s just a matter of time before they find her. She’s trapped. There are four heavily armed males inside and they gained entry by breaking down the front doors.” He hung up.
Darren Artino spun to frown at Justice. “Who were you talking to?”
“My security team is on their way.”
Darren’s mouth dropped opened and then slammed shut. “Security is my job. Communications are still down. I can’t exactly call my security guards and order them to give anyone permission to enter Homeland. They blocked off the front gates by using employee cars to barricade it to prevent anyone else from coming inside.”
“They are already here,” Justice growled. “They are my men, my people.”
Darren’s face reddened with anger. “My job is to protect New Species, not have them leave the safety of where they are to confront these crazy bastards. We almost have it contained. Call them back and order them to return to safety.”
“‘Almost’ won’t save that female.” Justice jerked his chin toward the screen showing the kitchen. He softly cursed. One of the intruders had just stepped into the kitchen.
Chapter Seven
“Kitty, kitty, kitty,” a male voice called out, as if she were a cat. He started yanking open cupboards on the other side of the kitchen.
Ellie’s entire body trembled and her hand clutched the knife hard enough for the wood handle to dig into her palm. She closed her eyes and listened as he slammed things. Suddenly something hit the counter above her. She bit back a moan of terror. Maybe he won’t think to look inside the lower cabinets, she feverishly prayed.
Her luck ran out as the cabinet door jerked open next to her. He reached inside and grabbed her left arm. A brutal grasp dragged her out of her hiding spot with one hard yank.
“Got you, you little cat bitch.”
“I’m not a cat,” she informed him in a shaky voice. “I’m as human as you are.”
He jerked her painfully to her feet and glared down at her. He appeared to be in his mid twenties, stood about five foot eight, with a stocky build. A tattoo peeked out from his T-shirt collar.
“I don’t care what you are, bitch. Now you’re dead. This is our country and you damn two-legged animals need to die.” He reached behind him to the waist of his jeans to withdraw a handgun.
Ellie saw the weapon and understood he planned to just shoot her. Pure terror flashed through her as she plunged the knife at his chest. She stared into his eyes when the blade struck him, slid through the shirt, into skin, and watched his green gaze widen with shock. He stumbled back, dragged her by the arm, and she tore her hand from the knife handle imbedded deep in his chest. Blood poured down the front of him and onto her. His arm with the gun rose as he tried to make a last-ditch effort to shoot her. Ellie grabbed his wrist with both hands and struggled to keep him from pointing it at her.