Justice unbuttoned his jacket and removed it to reveal broad shoulders and a white dress shirt. His tie came off next as he toed off his dress shoes. “I’m staying. I gave the order. I’ll help implement it.”

“Justice…” Tiger frowned.

“Enough.” Justice unbuttoned the top of his shirt. “I’m staying.” He stared at the cell. “We need him flat, not restrained against the wall. That would definitely remind him of Mercile. No automated pulley systems either. The sound of the motors might trigger flashbacks.”

Tiger hesitated. “Agreed. I’m thinking ten-foot ankle chains to give him motion yet keep him clear of the door. We could hook them to the bars at the corners in the back of the cell so they would stop him short. The wrist chains can be longer and attached to the front corners, allowing him access to the back wall area. That will give him free movement in most of the area. Four of us could pull the chains taut and force him down spread-eagle on the floor when they need access to him.”

“That should work.” Justice rolled up his sleeves. “Has he lost any of his strength?”

“Nope. He’s eating plenty and doesn’t seem to feel much pain or he’s too angry to care. He’s tough as hell still.” Tiger pulled out a cell phone. “Let me make those calls.” He spun away, walking to a distant corner.

Justice removed his belt. “I had to do a press conference an hour ago. I hate wearing all these layers of window dressing.”

Joy was nervous around the NSO leader. “I don’t blame you. I hope everything is okay. I haven’t seen the news lately.”

“It’s typical stuff we deal with on a daily basis.” He sighed. “I’m going closer to Moon.”

“I wish you wouldn’t.”

That comment earned her a scowl. “Why?”

“He is calmly watching us but that is going to change if you approach him. I don’t want him to get hurt when he starts hitting things.”

“I’m an alpha figure. I want to see if he responds to that in his current condition.”

“He’s an alpha too.” Joy frowned. “It’s not a good idea but I can’t stop you.”

“Moon is pretty mellow.”

“The Moon you knew before he was drugged probably was but the one I knew wasn’t. He’s reverted completely.” Her gaze lingered on the big male crouched inside his cell, silently regarding them. “He’s relying on pure instinct. He’s not going to back down from you.”

“How can you be so sure?”

She glanced at him. “It’s an educated guess.”

Justice slowly approached and Moon rose, snarling.

“Please don’t,” she whispered, knowing Justice heard her.

He paused but backed up. “Okay.”

Tiger returned. “They are on their way and I called the supply department. They are sending chains and restraints once they locate them. We’ll have to make whatever they find work. It’s not as if we have this stuff lying around. It’s going to take a while. Maybe hours.”

Dr. Treadmont sighed. “Why don’t we have lunch while we wait?”

“Fine.” Justice left his discarded clothing where he’d neatly folded it. “Joy? Would you like to join us in my office?”

“No thanks. I’m staying here.”

“You barely left since you arrived. Take a break.”

“I think it’s best if I stay. I asked one of the officers to see if any clothes had been located that would fit me and I used the showers upstairs this morning.” She didn’t take her attention off Moon. “I’m not leaving him.”

“Okay.” Justice waved at the males to leave. “We’ll have lunch delivered to you both.”

“Thanks.” She waited for them to leave before facing the cell.

Moon crouched again when she slowly drew closer. “Hi.” She lowered to her hands and knees to keep on his level. “You seem calmer. You allowed them to share the room without getting upset.”

His nostrils flared as he sniffed loudly.

“We used to be friends.” She crawled closer, ignoring the unforgiving concrete floor, doing it slowly in case he protested. “You’re watching me pretty intently. I wish I knew what you were thinking.”

One of his hands released the bar and slid through, reaching out to her. She really wanted to touch him. He seemed calm enough but until he talked to her, it was too risky. She’d heard countless stories from the Mercile survivors of ways Species had killed their tormentors during captivity when given the chance. He might be toying with her to draw her close enough to assault her. She stopped when a couple of feet separated his fingertips from her face.

His gaze fixed on her body and she glanced down, noticing the way her shirt fell forward enough to flash her cle**age again. She sighed, looking up. “I’m not making progress with you, am I? You’re all instincts and urges because you can see enough of my br**sts to interest you. Damn.”

She sat, blocking his view down her shirt when she straightened her shoulders. He didn’t pull his hand back inside the bars though, just continued to watch her. She smiled, trying to hide her concern.

“Will you talk to me? What are you thinking?”

He sniffed again and growled low. It wasn’t threatening in tone, more like frustration, she guessed. He wanted to touch but she wasn’t within reach. He’d always been stubborn. An idea came to her.