“You should never be shy about anything with me.”
It’s not just him though, she reminded herself, darting a look around. They had gathered a small crowd of customers who seemed to have nothing better to do than follow them around taking pictures with their cell phones. She quickly looked away from them and forced what she hoped was a smile.
Smiley approached her and offered his arm. His other hand brushed a few loose strands of her hair back from her cheek as he leaned in closer. “It’s almost over. You’re so brave.”
She didn’t feel that way.
“You can do this, my Vanni. I’m right here. Now we just need to get you some shoes. The ones you’re wearing make you a little unsteady on your feet.”
The heels weren’t the problem. It was her nerves and feeling as though she were on stage in some play. She refused to look at the other people again but could sense their stares. She gratefully allowed Smiley to lead her to the shoe department. One pair of flats, a pair of tennis shoes and a pair of black two-inch pumps later and she was done.
“Can we go now?” She really wanted to leave.
“Yes.” Smiley led her to the front of the store.
She looked up and skidded to a halt. The sight in the parking lot shocked her. The NSO team they’d left outside kept them back but at least a hundred or more people were blocking the parking area along the front.
“It’s not bad yet,” Slash rasped. “It’s still manageable. Only two news crews have set up. They demanded an interview but were told no.” He reached up and tapped his ear, drawing her attention to the device he wore. “I’m in contact with the team outside and Homeland is monitoring.”
Only two? Vanni panicked but Smiley seemed to realize she was about to lose it. He spun her to face him and lowered his head, staring deeply into her eyes.
“It’s okay. I’m right here. Slow your breathing a little.” He took a deep breath and blew it out, as if to show her how to do it. She mimicked him. He grinned. “That’s my Vanni. They are just curious people. That’s all. They mostly just want to observe us, if that helps. You’ll adjust to it.”
She doubted she ever would, not that she’d have to. She silently vowed there would be no more outings. She really didn’t like being the center of so much overzealous attention.
Smiley squeezed her hand. “Trust me?”
“Yes.” She didn’t hesitate to answer because it was the truth.
“We’re fine. This isn’t a large gathering yet. We’ve dealt with much worse. We’ll pay for your things and leave. We’ll be back at Homeland in ten minutes.”
She took another slow breath and turned, facing the front of the store again. There were so many faces out there that it was weird. The NSO officers had help blocking off the street that ran between the store and the parking area. She noticed a few police officers had joined them along the sides to keep people from entering the store. Her shopping trip had, in effect, closed it down.
The cashier grinned when they reached the front. It seemed as if they’d opened a line just for Vanni and the New Species. “Hello. Right here. I’ll take you!” The woman waved them over.
Vanni was grateful for Smiley. He took charge, steered her there and thanked the cashier. The woman beamed at him and it helped that her attention seemed focused totally on Smiley.
“I never thought I’d see any New Species in here.” The cashier started to scan the clothes.
Smiley pulled Vanni closer. “This is Vanni. She’s visiting me at Homeland and didn’t pack enough clothing. I wanted to take her shopping.”
The cashier finally stared at Vanni. Her mouth popped open and her eyes widened. She glanced at Smiley, then at Vanni. “Oh my gosh! You’re that couple on TV!”
Vanni pressed against Smiley since he stood behind her. He released her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Yes. We are.”
“That’s so cool! You’re my first celebrities.” The cashier resumed scanning the clothes but grinned. “You two are dating?”
“We are.” Smiley rubbed Vanni’s stomach with his palm. “I met her and knew she was the one for me.”
Vanni knew she had to say something. “It was love at first sight,” she blurted.
Regret came next. She shouldn’t have used the word love but it beat mentioning being drugged. Smiley didn’t tighten his hold or seem to mind her word when he agreed.
“It certainly was. She’s beautiful and sweet. I couldn’t resist her.”
The cashier paused again and grinned at Vanni. “That’s so romantic. I can’t even get my boyfriend to stop at the grocery store but yours takes you clothes shopping. You’re a lucky woman.”
“He’s amazing,” Vanni added, meaning it.
“You’ve drawn a mob.” The cashier jerked her head toward the front. “I’ve never seen that many people want to come in here before.”
“Sorry about that.” Smiley eased his hold around Vanni’s waist. “It happens when we leave Homeland. People are curious.”
“Don’t apologize.” The woman laughed. “We need the business. Stop in any time. I’m Donna. Just ask for me. I’ll get you right through the lines. I’m the manager here.”
“We deeply appreciate that.” Smiley let Vanni go and withdrew a wallet from his back pocket. “I have this, babe.”
Vanni nodded. “Thank you.”
“I’d do anything for you.” He winked.
The cashier told him a total that made Vanni flinch. She hoped she hid it as he swiped his card and put in his pin number. Flame and Slash took her bags and Smiley held out his hand. She gratefully took it. They headed toward the exit and Vanni had to force her legs to keep moving.
The doors opened and some people shouted for them to look their way. She squared her shoulders and peered at them. Cell phones were out and they were either taking videos or pictures. She smiled and clasped Smiley’s hand in a death grip. He waved with his free hand and kept her moving.
“Can we have an interview?” A woman with a microphone and cameraman tried to rush at them but a police officer opened his arms, preventing them from going forward.
Another news crew got around an officer but the NSO team was able to keep them at a distance. “Not now. No interviews,” one of them announced.
Wager pulled the SUV up to the path cleared by the police who had kept people back to give them an exit and Smiley yanked open the passenger door. Vanni climbed inside, eager to be out of the spotlight. Smiley slid in behind her and closed the door.
“Are you okay? You’re pale.”
“I don’t do well with crowds. There were so many people staring and shouting at me.”
He surprised her by suddenly reaching out and lifting her onto his lap. “It’s okay. The windows are tinted. They can’t see inside. You did really well.”
She turned against him and enjoyed his arms wrapping around her in a hug. “I never want to do that again.”
He massaged her shoulders. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know this would frighten you.”
“I’m not scared. I just…” She struggled for a word to describe almost having a panic attack but none came.
“You’re just shy,” he finished for her and kissed the top of her head. “No more outings.”
“Thank you.”
The other members of their group piled into the SUV. Slash opened the hatch door, put the bags inside and then just climbed over the third seat.
“Here we go,” Wager warned as he closed the hatch from the driver’s seat. “I’ll drive slowly so we don’t hit anyone. We lost our backup team but they’ll catch us soon.”
Vanni peered over Smiley’s shoulder to see out the back window. No second SUV trailed them. She saw them still in front of the store though. They seemed to be trying to get to their vehicle but the news crews were keeping pace with them. They took a turn and she lost sight of them.
“That was crazy,” Vanni mumbled.
“This is our life outside Homeland.”
She sh
ifted to stare into Smiley’s eyes. “I never realized.”
He shrugged, keeping a firm hold around her waist. “We have adapted. Those are the nice ones. No one threw anything at us or screamed obscenities.”
“Some people suck,” Vanni muttered.
He grinned. “We try not to take it personally. Relax, this will be over soon. I promised to help you get out of those clothes.” He glanced down at the front of her shirt and made a soft noise.
“Wait for that until you get home,” Jericho ordered from the seat next to them. “You’re not alone.”
Vanni tucked her head and rested it against Smiley’s chest. She liked him holding her on his lap. It was illegal to be in a moving vehicle without a seatbelt but he’d said no one could see inside. She had no desire to scoot away and take the middle seat.
Chapter Sixteen
“We have trouble,” Wager growled from the driver’s seat.
Smiley tensed, lifting his chin off the top of Vanni’s head. “What is it?”
“The front and back gates are packed. They’ve had a significant increase in traffic in the last few minutes.” Wager met his gaze in the rearview mirror. “Do you want an earpiece?”
“Yes.”
Flame twisted in the passenger seat and held out one of their communication devices. Smiley grabbed it and placed it on his ear.
“Four news crews at gate one,” a Species announced. “We also have six unmarked vehicles lining up. They could be reporters.”
“There are two news vans at gate two and a lot of foot traffic. I’d guess four dozen humans. They aren’t holding signs but they don’t appear to be friendly.”
“This is Smiley,” he chimed in. “What about gate three? Can we go in that way?”
“Negative.” Smiley recognized Trey Roberts’ voice. “There are too many cars on that street and they’ll see you enter. The businesses are opening so employees are arriving at work.”
“What about four?” Gates three and four were secret so one of them should be clear. Smiley just wanted to get Vanni inside without incident.
“No,” a male growled. “We have children on the field. They are having some kind of outing in the park across the street from my location at four. It’s too dangerous.”
“They are children,” Trey responded. “How are they a danger? All they’d see is an SUV pulling into what they’ll assume is someone’s home.”
“We don’t risk children,” the male responded. Smiley identified Creed’s voice. “What if they are being followed?”
“There are still two possible tails on us,” Slash responded.
Smiley turned to look out the rear of the SUV. There were a lot of cars on the street but he wasn’t sure which two held Slash’s attention.
“Understood,” Trey announced. “We’ll go to backup plan B then. Go to that location and I’ll send the helicopter to meet you.”
“Cancel that,” Tim O’berto demanded. “I’m here now. Enter gate two. It’s not critical. We can handle the traffic.”
“I don’t want to take any risks.” Smiley turned his head to peer at Vanni. She seemed to be handling the situation with grace but he wanted to be reassuring. “It’s going to be fine,” he reassured to her.
“Exactly,” Tim muttered. “It’s going to be fine. I’m watching the monitors and the foot traffic doesn’t appear aggressive. Just drive in. We’ll be ready at the gates, right?”
“We are,” one of the officers responded. “We’ll pull in the two news crews to the holding area and that way the SUV can just drive around them.”
“Don’t do that,” Tim snapped. “Leave them outside. You don’t have time to search their vehicles properly before they reach you. No vans past the first gate section without an inspection. Order the media to back out.”
“We tried that. They are refusing.” The male sounded irritated. “Would you like us to pull the drivers out and move their vehicles ourselves?”
“Hell no,” Tim cursed. “I don’t want that on the evening news. Tell those bastards someone will give them a statement if they comply. That usually works.”
“We’ll try,” the irritated male grumbled.
“Wager,” Tim instructed, “enter through gate two. We’re sending extra officers that way now. They are on the move. You’re still two minutes out so they’ll beat you there.”
“Understood.” Wager glanced in the rearview mirror again and reached up, probably muting his side of the coms. “I don’t like this.”
“Nor do I.” Smiley lifted Vanni and put her on the seat next to him. He leaned forward to peer out the front.
Wager turned down a few streets and they neared the gates. Humans were milling around the sidewalks and two news vans still blocked the entrance, parked side by side in front of the gates.
“Fuck.” Smiley didn’t like it.
“Keep calm,” Jericho demanded. “You’re frightening your female.”
Smiley looked back and saw Vanni’s pale features. She hugged her waist and was pushed up against Jericho’s side. It was a stressful situation. He masked his features. “It’s going to be fine.”
“I trust you,” she stated. “Don’t worry about me.”
“Engaging tamperproof locks,” Wager called out. The snap of locks sounded. “I see one of our officers talking to a driver. I think they are going to get out of the way and let us pass.”
The SUV stopped in the street to allow one of the news vans room to maneuver. The driveway to this gate was narrower than at the main entrance. Smiley glanced up at the top of the wall, grateful to see a strong presence of uniformed officers. More joined them until they stood shoulder to shoulder, their weapons in view. Humans would have to be stupid to attempt anything.
He glanced at the humans gathered on the sidewalks. A male caught his attention when he reached around, going for something tucked in his waistband. Smiley tapped his com. “Possible gun!”
He spun, grabbed Vanni and twisted her sideways on the seat until his body shielded hers but no gunfire erupted.
“Camera phone.” Wager blew out a breath and continued, “He’s taking pictures. Threat averted.”
Smiley eased some of his weight off Vanni. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to crush you.”
“I’m okay,” she mumbled.
“Stay there,” he ordered, as if he gave her a choice since he kept on top of her to keep her in place. He peered out over the front seats. The media van hadn’t backed out to allow them to pass.
“What is the holdup?” He stared at the uniformed male—he was pretty sure it was Book—speaking to the driver of the van.
The male in question glanced his way. “He refuses to leave unless he gets the statement. They are aware of who is visiting us.”
Smiley grimaced. The news outlets had already heard Vanni was at Homeland and instead of rushing to the shopping center, they’d come directly to the NSO.
“Traffic,” Slash hissed. “Lots of it. We’re pinned in. They must have spotters on the ground.”
Smiley turned and saw more news vans coming at them in the street from both directions. A few cars were behind them. “Pull the driver out and move that van,” he ordered.
“Don’t you dare,” Tim argued. “Just stay put. I’ll handle that asshole myself without causing a shitstorm. Those pussies will be screaming brutality if you lay a finger on them. You’re fine in the SUV. I’m on my way.”
Smiley couldn’t fault the task force leader for being worried. They weren’t allowed to physically touch anyone outside the NSO walls. It was one thing to use water hoses to disperse crowds or toss the occasional smoke bomb when the protestors stormed the gates but humans might see it as abuse if they yanked someone out of a vehicle.
Jericho finally spoke. “Let’s rush the gates.”
Smiley snapped his head around to glare at his friend. “No.”
“More incoming,” Slash hissed.
“Rush the gates,” Jericho repeated in a deeper tone.
&nbs
p; Smiley didn’t like the idea of taking Vanni out of the SUV so close to all those humans. Their intent was unclear but as he looked at the road, his opinion changed. More cars and people were coming down both sides of the street. It seemed they knew Smiley and Vanni were trapped outside the gates.
“Let’s do it.” Smiley admitted Vanni would be in more danger if they were completely surrounded by hundreds of humans instead of just a few dozen.
“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Tim reminded them.
“We don’t have time,” Slash answered. “It’s getting out of hand. Scoot to the middle with her, Smiley. Let me by the door. I’ll run interference and take down anything in front of you both.”
“Do it,” Tim agreed.
Smiley straightened in the seat and helped Vanni upright as he slid against Jericho, making room for Slash to climb over the seat. “It’s going to be fine. Stay by my side. We’re going to get out of the SUV and walk to the gates. I will pick you up if we have a problem. Just put your face against my neck and hold on tight.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Shit!” Flame hissed. “Brace!”
Smiley looked up and saw the humans rush at them. Bodies and hands slammed against the windows and the SUV rocked. All Smiley could do was hook his arm around Vanni to pull her close and grab hold of the front seat headrest. The vehicle was heavy but twenty to thirty humans surrounded it. He was tempted go for the weapon strapped at his ankle as the swaying grew worse.
“Smoke bombs are being deployed,” warned one of the officers along the wall. “Prepare.”
Smiley ground his teeth. “Hold your breath when we open that door and don’t let go of me, Vanni.”
He saw metal cans fly from above. They impacted around the SUV but didn’t hit the mass of humans. White smoke rose fast and the humans next to the windows began to choke and cough. In less than thirty seconds it was tough to see out the windows with the thick, blinding smoke. The rocking ceased though as their attackers fled.
“The gate is about sixty feet ahead of us. Keep to the far left of the driveway,” Wager ordered. “Go!”
Both sets of locks released and Smiley followed Slash when he shoved open the door, hitting something. A male cried out in pain. He didn’t give a damn if it had struck a human. He hoisted Vanni into his arms, hugged her tightly against his chest and used memory to go forward. He didn’t have a mask so he held his breath and kept his eyes squeezed shut.
Smiley (New Species) Page 21