“Lunchtime,” Richard announced.

Zandy yanked her skirt down and put on her shoes. She grabbed her purse.

“You won’t need that. Your money is no good here. Just drop your purse in your desk. It’s safe. Theft is never a problem.”

Zandy nodded to Richard and followed the men out of the building. Slash studied her when she sat in the front seat of the Jeep.

“How do you like your job?”

“I am happy to have one.”

He nodded. “Good.” His gaze fixed on the rearview mirror. “How was your day, Richard? Did you lose your temper yet?”

Richard laughed. “Not so far today. Zandy kept me in a good mood through the worst of the mail.”

Slash started the engine. “Good. I am glad it is not my job to read that shit. I would be mad all the time.”

They were driven a few blocks over to a large building. It wasn’t marked but she was pretty sure it used to be a hotel. There were a lot of Jeeps and golf carts parked along the street and in parking spaces. Nervousness struck her.

“It looks crowded.”

“We all eat lunch at the same time.” Richard climbed out of the back. “They do a huge buffet but the lines move fast. We have an hour to eat.”

When Richard said the word “huge” Zandy instantly thought of her fallen angel. She gritted her teeth, knowing she had to stop doing that. He had a name. Tiger. She glanced around a big lobby just inside the building as she, Richard, and Slash walked through double doors.

She remembered high school suddenly when they reached the cafeteria. It was all coming back to her as she eyed the gymnasium-sized room. Tables were lined up in rows with trash cans placed strategically. She felt totally out of place. There were four lines and a long steel counter on the opposite side of the room. A lot of the long tables were already filled.

Zandy glanced around at the people as she followed Slash and Richard to one of the lines. The line really did move quickly. There were just a handful of fully human employees and they had to be outnumbered thirty to one. It left her feeling uneasy.

There had to be over two hundred New Species at lunch. The women were tall and athletic looking but the men were bigger. She watched one man walk by her and the amount of food on his tray amazed her. His plate was platter-sized and it was piled about six inches high with meat.

“Don’t stare,” Richard ordered softly.

She turned her head. “I was looking at the amount of food.”

He chuckled. “I guess I should warn you that most of them eat their meat raw inside. Don’t be shocked. When we hit the buffet head, move to the left, not the right. The left has fully cooked meats. The right is the raw side. It looks cooked until you bite into it. I made that mistake my first day here and while it was amusing for everyone around me, not so much for me.”

“Thanks.” She meant that. She’d hate to end up with raw meat as her selection for lunch.

Slash headed right and Zandy followed Richard to the left. Not all of the New Species chose raw meat for their meals since a few remained ahead of them in line. Her coworker handed her a regular-sized plate and grabbed his own. She followed him down the long buffet, amazed at the amount and selection of food. She ended up with meatloaf and gravy, mashed potatoes, corn, a few chicken strips, some fries, and a slice of chocolate cake. She grabbed a soda and silverware last.

They sat by the back wall near the entry doors at an empty table. Richard smiled.

“Did I tell you they really serve a buffet or what?”

She unwrapped her paper napkin, spread it over her lap and nodded. She cut up her meatloaf and took a bite. It stunned her when the flavor filled her mouth and she moaned slightly.

“Just like Mom made, huh? They have a catering service and they are damn good.”

“This meatloaf is amazing. The gravy is mushroom and it’s so good.”

He nodded. “You can always go back for seconds. And thirds. No one is going to look at you weird if you do that. We eat a hell of a lot less than they do.”

Zandy saw someone walking toward the table and recognized a familiar face. “Hi, Creek. Are you eating with us?”

“Yes.” Creek took a seat next to Zandy and flashed a smile at Richard. “Hello, male human.”

He laughed. “Hello, Creek. I’m Richard.”

Creek turned in her seat. “How was your first day so far, Zandy?”

“Great. I love my job.” Zandy glanced at her new friend’s plate, saw a few steaks with a big salad and then noticed what looked like an iced coffee.

“I didn’t see those. I love iced coffee.”

Creek pointed. “They are over there in the corner to the right. They have a chocolate flavor, one with mint, and a nutty one. We love caffeine.”

“Who doesn’t?” Zandy grinned.

She glanced around the room. Everything seemed fine. Some of the New Species were glancing her way but she figured they had to be as curious about her as she was about them. Motion from the door drew her attention as two tall men entered the cafeteria.

It was him, her fallen angel. He wore his black uniform, minus the bulletproof vest, and walked side by side with a man equally as large. They were talking softly but she ignored his friend. Her focus locked on Tiger. She couldn’t believe she was seeing him again but knew without a doubt she wasn’t mistaken.

His hair appeared a striped honey color in the daylight—highlights of red, shades of blond and soft brown combined. It hung freely around his shoulders and she vividly remembered how soft and satiny it felt to the touch. He passed her table and she got a view of the back of him.