Best Friends (New Species #15)(51)

“Good. The darker the building, the safer the human might feel to come after my female.”

“We won’t allow him to harm her.” Torrent walked out but didn’t go far.

Snow closed his eyes, listening to Mel breath and the soft sounds the males made in the apartment. Two lay down, one falling asleep, while Torrent paced quietly up and down the hallway. Time passed, and Snow dozed on and off. At one point, voices woke him as Brass switched with Torrent, taking a turn patrolling the hallway. Snow returned to sleep.

Until a noise woke him again.

He jerked, instantly awake and sitting up straight, straining to identify the sound.

It was faint…and it came from behind him. That would be the back of Mel’s apartment building.

He rose to his feet right as Brass silently rushed into the room. Timber followed. The three of them stared at the closed curtains, hearing footsteps right outside.

Snow motioned toward the bed. Timber nodded and moved forward, pulling aside the sheets hanging from the ceiling. It took all of Snow’s self-control to allow the other male to scoop Mel into his arms. She inhaled sharply but Timber silenced her before she could say anything. The male carried her out of the room to the bathroom. He placed her inside, with whispered orders to get into the tub and curl into a ball.

Snow backed up, taking position against the wall by the window. Brass took the other side. Timber returned, waiting by the bed out of sight of the window. Mel’s curtained bed helped hide him.

There was a slight pop, and the window softly slid open. A gloved hand reached in, pushing the curtain out of the way. The male was being very quiet for a human. It would have impressed Snow if he wasn’t so enraged. That male was coming after Mel.

They let him climb over the windowpane and step into the bedroom. The intruder wore a mask like Mel had described and black clothing.

He took a single step toward the bed before Snow lunged, taking the asshole down hard. He used all his body weight so when he landed on the male’s back, it would hurt his prey.

Brass moved to the window to make certain there wasn’t more humans.

The male under Snow grunted, the breath knocked out of him. Then he sucked in air and began to struggle.

Snow grabbed hold of his wrists and squeezed. The male screamed. It was probably from a few bones being broken. Not that Snow gave a damn; the male deserved it for coming after his female.

The asshole tried to throw his head back into Snow’s face. He dodged it and growled loudly.

“Do that again and I’ll rip your goddamn throat out,” he snarled. “Hold still, or I’ll make you scream more.”

The male under him stilled, breathing fast.

“Clear,” Brass called out. “No one else is out there.” He slammed the window closed.

“Lights,” Timber warned, before flipping on the switch.

Snow shifted his body over his prey as both of his friends dropped to their knees, frisking the male for guns. They didn’t find any.

Timber withdrew handcuffs, slapping them on one of the human’s wrist. “Roll him over.”

Snow roughly did so, glaring at the masked human. Once Brass was in place, he lifted off the human, getting in his face, and tore off the hood.

The unfamiliar male was about thirty, had swelling and raw scratches to his face, and sported some bandages. Snow grinned in satisfaction. Mel had hurt him.

The human’s dark eyes widened with fear. “I have the wrong apartment. This was a joke between me and my girlfriend, Sheila. You know. It’s a sex thing. She gets off on the burglar fantasy.”

“Shut up,” Brass growled. “Stupid human. I take it Mel has good aim. She said she nailed you with some plates and glasses to your face.” Brass frisked the front of him, pulling plastic zip-ties from the male’s pockets.

Snow snarled at the sight of them. “Were those meant for my female?” He wanted to tear the human apart.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the human lied.

Brass stood, reached down, and grabbed the human by the front of his shirt and his throat, lifting him. Timber grabbed his other arm, yanking it back roughly, and snapped on the other cuff.

“Go let your female know it’s safe and we have him,” Brass ordered Snow.

He hesitated.

Brass clasped his shoulder. “I understand wanting to hurt this male. I do. But we need answers. He can’t give them if you break his scrawny neck. Go to your female and tell Torrent to keep watch in the living room. We’re not expecting another idiot to arrive, but it’s best to be cautious.”

Snow gave a sharp nod, leaving the bedroom. Mel was his priority. He could hurt the male who’d attacked her later, after the NSO learned what they needed to know. He met Torrent’s gaze where the male stood in the living room down the hall and gave a sharp nod.

Torrent grinned and lifted his cell phone to his ear. He was in contact with Reservation. They had two teams waiting in SUVs a few blocks away.

Snow opened the bathroom door and flipped on the light. Mel was inside the tub, curled into a ball.

“We got him.” He rushed forward, helping her stand. He lifted her over the edge of the tub, hugging her. “You did damage his face.”

“I want to see him.”

“Later.” He breathed her in, refusing to let her go.

She clung to him. “I’m just so glad this worked.”