She paused and waited until he halted before her. “You came!” She had to yell.

He glanced around, speaking loudly enough for her to hear, “Come with me. You’ll be safe.”

She shifted a little to look around him at the helicopter. She had hoped Smiley would come to get her but he wasn’t there.

“We can’t stay on the ground long. We didn’t get permission. The police will arrive soon and probably news crews.”

She swallowed hard. They’d come at her request and it wasn’t as if she had any other options. A helicopter landing in a park would draw a lot of attention. She turned her head and looked at the street. Cars were stopping and people rushed out of the stores to stare. She faced Justice North and nodded.

He reached out his hand and she took it. He had warm skin that reminded her of Smiley. She followed when he tugged gently. Her legs trembled and the sound of the helicopter wasn’t exactly soothing. She’d never flown in one but Bruce could show up at any second if they were still in the area.

Justice tucked his head and led her to the open helicopter door. He released her hand and she gripped the floor of the cargo area, unsure how to climb in. It was higher than she imagined one would be. That dilemma was solved when Justice gripped her h*ps and just lifted her. She grabbed at one of the seats and scrambled inside. It wasn’t graceful but she was in. His entry made it look easy when she fell into a seat and watched him. He just put his hand on the floor and kind of jumped. He motioned her to scoot over and she did.

The four uniformed men rose and returned to the helicopter. They were inside in seconds and the door slammed. It didn’t mute the engines or blades by much. Justice sat next to her and handed her a belt. He pointed over her lap to the other side and she glanced down. She strapped in and watched him do the same. One of the uniformed men sat next to him on his other side while three of them sat opposite.

She stared at their guns since their faces were covered with tinted full-face shields attached to helmets. They all wore NSO patches on their Kevlar vests. The helicopter lifted off and she moaned in response to the queasy feeling the motion caused. The entire thing seemed to sway back and forth for a few seconds. She looked out but regretted it as they lifted higher than the treetops.

Justice touched her arm and she started. She turned to him and he held out chunky headphones, motioning for her to put them on. She accepted them and watched him put on a matching set. He even showed her how to push the mic close to her mouth. She followed his example.

“Can you hear me?”

His voice came out clearly in the headphones against her ears. “Yes.”

“You look unwell. This mode of transportation is safe. Don’t look out the windows if you are bothered by heights or fast motions. Just focus on me.”

“Okay.” She kept her gaze locked with his. He had pretty eyes and the grim expression in them had faded.

“I’m Justice. Do you remember me from the hotel?”

“I do.”

“You don’t look well, Travanni. Do you need medical attention? We can have our doctors standing by when we land.”

“It’s probably just the makeup. I’m okay. Scared but okay.” She sealed her lips. She was nervous and didn’t want to babble. He was Justice North. Her fate was in his hands.

“There’s no need to be frightened. Can you tell me why you called us?”

“I was held against my will at Gregory Wood’s vacation home last night. They were planning to force me to say Smiley drugged me.” She let the story come pouring out. She babbled after all but it kept her distracted from the horrible way the helicopter bounced around. Her fingers dug in to the seat tightly enough that she worried she might do damage to the leathery material.

“I didn’t drug Smiley,” she swore. “They said they paid the bartender to do it. That Bruce guy put on gloves, withdrew a glass vial and forced my fingertips against it. They put it in a plastic bag so Gregory could frame me if I didn’t say what he wanted.” Tears filled her eyes. She really wanted him to believe her.

He scowled. “We ran background checks on all the employees. The bartender worked several shifts with other Species in his bar without incident. That’s why we assumed it was you. The team said you walked directly to Smiley when you entered the bar, as if you targeted him.”

“I didn’t even realize he was New Species until after I sat down. Gregory said you have graveyards full of bodies at Homeland and Reservation. Please don’t kill me.”

“We don’t kill females.” He reached out and hesitated before patting her knee. It was a comforting gesture. He stopped after two taps. “That male says a lot of things about us that aren’t true.”

“Gregory also said they paid some woman to sit by Smiley but she was running late or something. Instead, I showed up and interfered with their plan. It was just by chance that I chose to sit there. I wouldn’t ever drug someone. I need you to believe me. I hate the Woods Church and everything they stand for.”

“Why were you at the hotel with them then?”

“Carl told me he wanted to make it up to me that we weren’t spending any time together. He works a lot. I thought it was just going to be the two of us for a romantic weekend. Instead, after we got there, he lays it on me that his father is paying us to attend. I wanted to leave but I didn’t have my car. Carl tricked me and then I felt stuck.”

“Why would his father pay you?”