Page 127 of The Alpha

Hmmm, he always knew when she was lying. "J.D., therearemen watching Pari Lindir's apartment, aren't there?"

She glared at him anew. "No." She gave him a satisfied smile.

He was in her face so fast she didn’t have time to blink. One hand on her shoulder to hold her in place, he held her by the jaw with the other. "You disobeyed my orders?"

She spoke despite the fact his fingers were pressing into her cheeks. "I made the decision. She won't return. Because if they have her, they won’t let her."

He closed his eyes, counted to ten, then released her jaw. "I raised an idiot." He straightened, went to the faux fireplace and switched it on. "I'll send Mr. Vance."

"Daddy," she said, her voice dropping in pitch. "When are you going to realize that I'm right?"

He sucked air through his nose, jaw set, and turned to her. "You little fool, she will want to go home."

J.D. left the chair and dared to get intohisface! "They won't let her. I don't know why they want her, but now that they have her, do you honestly think they'll allow her to return to that shabby little apartment of hers?"

He sighed. "You don't get it, do you, pet?" He rested an arm on the fireplace mantle. "Why take her in the first place? Why didwetake her?"

She looked at him, her face paling. She knew why, and he knew she didn't want to hear it. Good.

"Because,hewantsher!Hedesiresher! Did you know he destroyed a cell wall and a door trying to get to her? Hmmm?" Dr. Charles left the fireplace and walked a circle around his daughter. "The only way he'll want you, is if you either brainwash him, which I doubt is possible, or you keep him so heavily sedated he doesn’t know what's what." He stood behind her and bent his face to her ear. "He'd make a very poor bed fellow indeed in that condition. You'd have no use for him."

She went stiff as a board. "Shut up!"

"Oh, ho, ho! Stuck a nerve, have I? Perhaps you should have stuck with Griff from Hawaii."

She balled her hands into fists as a shudder ran through her. She was hopping mad now. But he had to drive his point home. She wanted to play with his prize while he wanted to savehumanity with him. But first he had to recapture the creature. A task easier said than done. If his prisoner had been rescued by Muirarans, there was no telling where they were, or when. He was long gone. Except... Pari Lindir would want to go home. If his prize had affection toward her, he might grant her request. She didn't have the fortitude to be amongst a bunch of aliens. She'd want to leave them as soon as she could. If he could only get his hands on her again, he could recapture not only his prize, but perhaps a few more just like him. If he had a half a dozen or so to study, he could call all the shots. Then all he had to do was get his associate to cooperate.

"You're being awful quiet," J.D. commented.

"I'm thinking." He stood before the so-called fire and enjoyed the warmth. "I will send Mr. Vance and a team to capture the girl, and whatever else might be with her. Then we'll take them to our second facility. I want you to go on ahead, and we'll meet you there."

Her eyes widened. "By myself?"

"Take a team. Prepare the lab for whatever guests we bring."

A renewed scowl seized her face.

Dr. Charles smiled. "Whatever thoughts you have running through that ruthless mind of yours, get rid of them." He clasped his hands behind his back, stepped to her, and bent to her face. "You will not harm a hair on Miss Lindir's head, is that understood?"

Her jaw clenched. "I saw the pictures of her in her file. She's ugly! Stupid! Why would he want her?!"

He smiled. "So jealous. Really, my dear, you don’t wear it well."

She shuddered again, and he knew she’d reached the boiling point. She wanted to kill Pari Linder with every fiber of her being. And all because of her infatuation with his prize. Well, good luck with that.

“Misbehave, J.D., and I will lock you up so fast your head will spin." He smiled at her. "And then, I'll let you deal with our associate, and you can explain to her why you tried to do away with the one thing that can guarantee my prize will show up at our other facility should we fail to capture him ourselves."

"How can he?” she said with narrowed eyes. “He'll never find her."

"Seems to me he found her once; he can do it again." He returned to his chair, sat, and picked up his cup and saucer. "Did you have anything else to report?"

She shook, hands still balled into fists as she stared him down. "No, Daddy."

"Good. Then leave." He took another sip of tea. It was getting cold; he'd have to make another pot.

J.D. stood a moment longer, still glaring.

"Well don't dawdle," he said.

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