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and what they’d uncovered was some pretty nasty suspicions but no actual evidence. Havings was rumored to be wrapped up in drug and sex-slave trafficking. They’d also found indications that he might be guilty of stealing from the US military in Afghanistan and selling the stolen weapons to rebels. That had put his name on the wanted list.
    “Nope. Is he an action star?” A crime lab technician wouldn’t be familiar with that name because it hadn’t been in the news.
    “He’s a bad human I’ve met.”
    She had to remember to regulate her breathing, something that was tough to do since she was frantically trying to figure out how that meeting was possible. Why? How? When? A horrible suspicion gripped her that her dickhead boss might have been right. Are they in business with Havings? The NSO would be the perfect place for him to hide. We don’t have jurisdiction at Homeland or Reservation. He could flip us off from inside the gates and there wouldn’t be a damn thing we could do about it.
    “I was one of a group of Species he took from Mercile.”
    “Why?” She relaxed slightly. That meant it had happened in the past when Darkness had been a prisoner of the company. Havings would have had access to New Species then. Is the connection still active?
    “It was a test.” He growled, cocked his head and continued to watch her eyes. “They put explosive collars around our necks. We were biological brothers and they knew we were aware of the connection because they showed us proof. We were birthed from the same batch of embryos they’d created from two particular humans they had matched up. They always created multiple embryos, often from the same pair of humans, sometimes by pairing one or both with other donors for different physical characteristics. Our animal genetics varied but our human DNA showed a familial match. That was why he wanted us. He knew we’d protect each other and do anything for our brothers.”
    Jesus. Some of her control slipped and she knew her expression revealed the sympathy she felt. “Why explosive collars?”
    “We knew they’d set them off and kill our brothers if we didn’t follow orders.”
    “That’s fucked up.” Also a terrorist tactic—an extreme one. She didn’t mention that last part.
    He cocked his head and leaned in. His nose tickled as it brushed against her throat. He inhaled deeply, seeming to smell her. Kat didn’t protest but it made her aware of him in a new way. It was kind of sexual.
    “We’re protective of our own by nature and they used that,” Darkness whispered. “Do you want to know what they made us do?”
    “Sure.” Her gut twisted from a bad feeling that she wouldn’t like the answer.
    “They taught us how to fight and kill. We were four breathing weapons with faster reflexes, stronger bodies and keener senses than humans.” He lifted his head and came at her neck from the other side, inhaling again. It brought his chest into light contact with her breasts. “Our teachers were mercenaries with strange accents. They were brutal.”
    Fuck . The strange accents he spoke of were a tipoff. Darwin Havings only hired his bodyguards from his Middle Eastern contacts. They were the sorts usually linked to presumed assassinations. It was really bad news that they had trained Darkness. She could just imagine the things he’d been subjected to.
    “I learned everything about how to torture someone into telling me whatever I want to know.”
    Suspicion confirmed . She took another deep breath, shaking inside, terrified. She’d been trained to withstand torture but not the hardcore stuff he’d probably learned. Would he use it to break her? If so, he’d do whatever worked to get answers. It meant it could get ugly and dangerous, with the possible loss of body parts or death.
    He moved again until he could stare directly into her eyes. “You’re frightened. I can smell it on you. Just tell me the truth.”
    She wasn’t sure what to do. “Is that why