“Is that all?” Titus asked.
“He rambled for a little bit. It was really making me uncomfortable. When he offered to buy me a drink I excused myself.” Erica held eye contact for a moment before looking away.
“When you say rambled, what sort of things was he saying?” Major Carter asked.
Erica thought for a moment. “Something about pheromones and Bona something. It was all very weird, and he was so insistent on talking in a private location.”
The room went quiet as Sol and Titus exchanged glances.
It was Sol who spoke first. “Was it Bona Dea?”
Erica nodded. “I believe it was.”
“Shit,” Sol said.
“What does that mean?” Major Carter asked.
“It was the name of the reproductive program,” Titus said.
Sol grunted and walked over to the window.
Erica felt her brain shutdown as it processed this new information. “Reproductive program?”
“It’s actually the name of a fertility goddess who had a cult-like following,” Titus continued. “The Horatius Group was focused on reproduction. Nothing ever came of it, but it was the focus of many within the company.”
She felt her stomach turn. The place they came from was so dark. It was a wonder these men were even able to normally function at all.
“What did he want with me?” Erica asked meekly.
Sol turned back from the window to look at her. “He likely would have drugged you and then used you to lure men.” Sol turned away. “To some, you have a very alluring pheromone.”
Erica felt a heat stir in her chest as she continued to watch Sol. It was hard not to wonder what her pheromones did to him.
“So what exactly are we doing here right now?” Kate spoke up.
The men looked at one another before the major moved to the remote. He froze the feed on a shot of Mark. Kate tensed next to her, and Erica reached over to hold her hand.
“Do either of you know this man?” he asked.
The way he asked made Erica think that it was some sort of trick question. Like they might lie about it.
“That’s my boyfriend,” Kate said, frowning. “Ex-boyfriend. We both know him.”
Her tone was flat, but the tension in her fingers gave her away.
“Do you know where he is?” Titus said.
“No,” she said with force. “But I’ve got a few things to say to him if I do. Last time I saw him was when he left me for dead, and your friend saved both our asses.”
Erica watched in shock as Titus continued to stare down Kate. Locked in a battle of wills, his nostrils flared in anger.
“He left us here without a ride,” Erica said. “I think it’s safe to say we aren’t his biggest fans.”
Her attempt to defuse the situation only seemed to mildly work. Kate and Titus broke eye contact, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
The major played the feed. They watched silently as Mark hurried past the barrier posts and down a long hall. The feed then changed to a different channel where they watched him go through a door. A few minutes later, he came back out and tucked something into his pocket.
Kate and Erica turned to look at one another. It was weird behavior, and neither could understand what they were seeing.
“What was he doing?” Erica asked.
“We were hoping you could help us with that,” Titus said. A smirk spread on his face as he leaned back.
“Why would we know?” Kate shot back.
The major sighed. “Did he mention anything to you?”
Both women shook their heads.
“Did he say why he was able to get two rooms at such an exclusive event?” Sol asked from the window.
“Just that he did some work for people, and it was a good chance,” Erica piped up.
The men looked between one another and then back to the women.
“We’d like to ask you both some questions separately,” Major Carter said.
Kate glared at them. “Why?”
Titus came forward this time. Authority radiated off of him. “You were at the scene of a crime, your friend was seen talking to the possible culprit and your boyfriend was seen entering a barricaded section of the lodge.” He leaned in over her. “I think that’s enough.”
Standing up straight, he gave her a dazzling smile. “Not to mention this is on our land. Our jurisdiction. Our laws.”
“And what might those be?” Kate crossed her arms and glared at him.
“Whatever I say it is, sweetheart.” He grinned.
Sol cleared his throat, and Titus broke the standoff to look at him. They stared at each other for several moments, and Erica wondered if they had some special way to communicate like telepathy.
She was surprised when Sol turned to her and nodded toward the door.
“Follow me,” he said and strolled to the door.
She stood and looked down at Kate and then at Titus.
“Nothing will happen to your friend,” Major Carter said. “I’ll be here the whole time.”
Erica nodded and looked back to Kate.
“Be good,” she mouthed to her and followed Sol into the hall.
Chapter Five
Sol shut the door to his office and started to have regrets about bringing Erica into such a closed space.
He watched as she dropped into the seat on the other side of his desk and fiddled with the buttons on her shirt. Sol swallowed. The skirt rode up her smooth peach thighs. His mouth went dry.
“So what is this?” she said from her seat. “Good cop, bad cop?”
“What?” he sat in his chair and studied her face.
“I bet you’re the good cop because your leader sure seemed like a bad cop in there.” She laughed nervously.
Sol shook his head. Apparently when she was nervous, Erica like to babble about nonsense.
“There are no cops here, but I am head of security,” he said. He glared at her and wondered if she might be mocking him, which was quickly confirmed when she stifled a laugh.
“What do you know about the bombing yesterday?” His voice was steady and firm.
Erica frowned, her pouty lips puckered and ripe for nibbling.
“It was loud and scary?” She crossed her arms over her chest, causing her breasts to rise. “You aren’t suggesting I had something to do with it, are you?”
Sol leaned back and studied her face. “Did you?”
He jumped when Erica popped out of her chair and slammed her hands onto the desk.
“How dare you!” She glared at him. “I spent last night nearly being either kidnapped or killed, and you have the nerve to ask if I was involved?”
She leaned forward, and the warm smell of her soap filled his senses.
“You can bet on this,” she said quietly. “If I was involved, I would have had the common sense to get the hell out first.”
Sol cleared his throat. She had every right to be mad as hell, and he knew it. He shifted uncomfortably, staring at her flushed, angry face. Getting her angry shouldn’t make him so hard, but it certainly was. Maybe her pheromones kicked into overdrive when she was angry. His nostrils flared as he sucked in the heady scent of her body.
He had to bite back a groan and gripped the desk instead.
“Whatever.” She leaned back. “I’m out of here.”
“Wait!” Sol nearly shouted, standing, as she made her way to the door.
He lowered himself back into the chair before she noticed his arousal. “You’re right. We don’t actually suspect either of you on the bombing. It’s actually your association with Mark Kincaid that is far more troublesome.”
“Mark?” Erica made her way back to the chair.
He sighed when she was seated again.
Sol stood up and walked to his filing cabinet. The metal IN box on the wall was nearly full again. This job was far more paperwork than he had been told. Hell, there were nearly three full filing cabinets in the tiny office and that didn’t
count the small one under his desk that he used for papers needed more regularly. Add him to the space, and it was barely enough room to be considered a broom closet. He gathered the papers from his IN box and slapped them on the desk.
“How well do you know Mark?” he asked, laying out the papers.
He looked up when she snorted. “Well enough to want to punch him in the nose.”
Sol’s eyebrows shot up. He was glad to hear her opinion matched his.
“You don’t like your friend’s boyfriend?”
“Listen,” Erica started. “Kate’s been dating him for the past year. They ran into each other at some meeting. He’s an asshole who’s always looking to take down some company. That’s not my thing. It’s also the reason why I won’t work with him.”
Sol narrowed his eyes at her. “You have the same job as him?”
Her laugh was almost musical and nearly made him smile.
“Hardly,” she said. “Well, not exactly. When I had a job, I was a forensic accountant.”
“And you aren’t doing this now?” Sol set down the papers.
Erica shook her head. “Last job had layoffs. Tried to tell them someone was skimming, but they just wouldn’t listen. They ended up closing down.”
“So you help companies?” Sol leaned forward.
“Sort of,” she said. Her forehead wrinkled as she talked, and Sol had to fight the urge not to run a thumb over the lines. “I see patterns. So it could be any number of things, but yes, I like to help companies.”
“But Mark isn’t like this?”
Erica shook her head. “There isn’t much money in helping a failing company. Mark doesn’t help losers.”
“Or injured women,” Sol mumbled.
Every time he thought back to the heartless move, it rocked him to the very core. He would have never thought a man would do something like that.
He was startled as Erica grabbed the reports from his desk. She glanced at the top page then frowned.
“I don’t think you should,” he started.
“This is wrong,” she said and flipped to a new page. “All of this is off, and what’s with this surcharge every so often?”
She laid the paper on his desk and pointed to the fee.
“I don’t,” he started again.
“Someone is stealing from you,” she said bluntly.
“Who?” Sol could feel the rage pouring through him.
Erica shrugged her shoulders. “Can’t tell from this, and it’s subtle, but there should be a trail.”
“Can you tell this to Titus?”
“Sure.”
Sol grabbed her tiny hand and pulled her out of the seat. They raced through the halls. This was big, and she had just confirmed everything he had been thinking. Someone was out to make sure that the hybrids failed, and he was sure Mark was connected somehow.
* * *
When they reached the door, the air crackled with tension. After throwing it open, Erica peeked around Sol. Horror raced through her as she found Titus nose to nose with Kate. An uncertain-looking Major Carter stood off to the side.
Titus’s eyes flicked to them, and he growled loudly.
“What the hell is going on in here?” Sol asked, throwing his arm up in front of Erica.
“I’m not entirely certain,” Major Carter said. “They were arguing about Mark when Titus gave an order. When she didn’t listen, he started staring her down. I can’t seem to get through to him.”
“I’ll tell you what happened,” Kate said and propped her hands on her hips. “This asshole thinks he can just give an order, and I’ll jump.”
Titus growled louder when she turned to look at them. His eyes were an eerie glowing yellow.
“I don’t think calling him names is such a great idea,” Erica said from behind Sol. She was gripping his arm with such force that her nails bit into his skin.
“Titus,” Sol said with command. “You need to calm down.”
The glow in the other man’s eyes started to subside. Kate slowly stepped away from him but stopped when his arm shot out.
Erica raced forward past the barrier of Sol’s arm. Without thinking, she threw herself between the two. Titus growled again but didn’t advance on them. When she turned to look back at Sol, his eyes were fixed on her.
She shuddered seeing the anger in his eyes but put her attention back on Titus.
“Let’s just all calm down,” she said with a shaky voice.
“Love to,” Kate huffed. “As soon as this asshole quits trying to bully me into doing what he says.”
Kate glared over Erica’s shoulder at the very angry man. “I’m not one of your men. You don’t just give an order and expect me to jump.”
Erica pushed her friend further back.
“Kate,” Erica started. “That’s really not helping.”
Erica could see Sol moving slowly to them, and she could only hope that he made it to them before her friend opened her big mouth again.
“Whatever.” Kate pulled further back. “I’m not going to stay here and let him insult me.”
A menacing growl came from behind Erica. She glanced back at Titus. She didn’t want to look back but was afraid Titus might take them both down. His eyes glowed brightly. Rage contorted his face, and she wondered if he was even in control. Kate stood still behind her.
“Titus,” Sol said from the side, still a good ten feet away. “You need to pull it together.”
As he inched forward, the growling grew. The women backed away as Titus stepped toward him.
Erica turned to Sol. Helpless to prevent what might happen next, she shook from head to foot. Lacing her fingers with Kate, she felt somewhat better. At least they were together.
Titus lunged forward, and Sol tackled him from the side. Sol had him pinned to the ground but didn’t look like he’d be able to do so for long.
“Get them out of here,” he shouted to the major.
Major Carter swiftly walked over to the women and yanked them both out of the room. Erica turned to find Sol watching her. He had protected them. Again. She had the urge to run to him and be wrapped in the warmth of his embrace.
“Go,” he said quietly.
She nodded and closed the door behind them.
Sol shook out the haunting images of Erica and turned back to the man he was currently sitting on.
“Titus,” Sol growled. “Get it the fuck together.”
Titus pushed up, tossing Sol into the desk. The contents scattered across the floor, and the top split from the force.
Sol jumped up, ready for the attack.
“No!” Titus roared to the door. “Mine!”
Sol had never seen this sort of behavior. They had a number of tests at the facility related to hybrid-enticing pheromones, but it never amounted to much. Some woman had it, while others didn’t. The Horatius Group barely even explained it to the hybrids. They mostly found it out themselves. There was some talk among the men that they felt more since being free. Some even wondered if it was a matter of captivity. Most of this was brushed off, since although they might contain some animal characteristics, they were men. Well mostly men.
Watching his leader’s behavior, Sol wondered if that were truly the case. Maybe they were only men until instinct kicked in.
Titus moved toward the door, and Sol leapt in his way.
“Get out of my way,” Titus growled.
Sol shook his head. “Can’t let you do that.”
He slowly walked forward and placed his hands on Titus’s shoulders.
“I get it. Something about her is driving you crazy.”
Sol’s mind flashed back to the small woman with creamy peach skin.
Titus hung his head and sucked in deep breaths. “She’s mine. I can feel it in my bones.”
“Well scaring her and ordering her around isn’t going to help things.” Sol dropped his hands and leaned back against the door.
When Titus looked up, his eyes had returned to their normal ligh
t amber. “What can I do?”
Sol shrugged. None of them were all that skilled when it came to women. Aside from their time with the women the facility paired them with, they had no contact with woman. They were still so ill-equipped to deal with day to day issues that most didn’t even know the first thing about talking to a woman. He sure as hell didn’t. Now the bedroom, that was another story, but he didn’t think they could just keep the women they wanted in bed all day.
Sol made a note that they would need to work out something. Not a shrink. None of the men would react well to that, but there had to be another option. He looked to his leader and could see their fates in his. They needed to find help and quick, but first they had to handle whoever was trying to bring them down.
He cleared his throat as Titus sat hard into the chair near the upturned and broken desk.
Major Carter came in and slammed the door shut.
“Anyone want to tell me what the hell that was all about?” He stomped over between the two men.
Titus sighed and scrubbed his face. “She challenged me,” he said simply.
“What?” The major whirled on him, his face red.
“She challenged me. I am the leader, and she challenged me.” He lowered his head into his hands.
“She’s not one of your damn men. You can’t just go threatening her because she didn’t do what you said.” Major Carter frowned. A thick vein popped out on his forehead.
Titus looked up at him. “I wasn’t threatening her. She needed to know I was in charge.”
The other man spun away and began pacing the room. “I just don’t know what the hell all this means.”
“Sir,” Sol stepped in. “It’s not about threatening. It’s more like sexual dominance. He’s the alpha. She had to know that.”
The major stared at him in shock for a moment before he spoke. “That’s even worse. So we could have had a harassment suit on us?”
“It wasn’t harassment,” Titus said quietly. “She wanted it.”
Sol shifted uncomfortably. “We could smell her excitement.”
The major cleared his throat a few times as they avoided looking at one another.
“Well I’d like a little heads up next time,” he said gruffly.
Luna Lodge: Sol Page 4