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swallowed and gestured her toward the elevator. “I mean, Mrs. Kayrs.”
    Irritation jumped under her skin, and she yanked shields back in place. “Is there something you’d like to say, Marshal Nelson?”
    “Oh, well, no.” He punched in a lower floor number, something near his left foot capturing his muddy brown gaze. “It’s just, well, they’re such
barbarians.
I mean, they
kidnapped
the director three years ago, call all the shots, andwon’t even tell us where they live. They’re cavemen with superior technology. They won’t even share that technology with us!” Nelson took a breath to continue his rant and then slammed his lips together when the doors opened. Two large marshals entered the elevator, crowding the small space.
    As the car descended, one of the men smiled at Cara with a perfect row of even, white teeth. She automatically returned the smile until she met his eyes. An uneasy warning trilled in the back of her mind. The feelings swirling through him contained a darkness she’d never encountered. Her shields slammed up.
    She swiveled to warn Nelson just as the other marshal pivoted, shoving him against the side wall, injecting him with a small needle. She started to scream as Nelson fell to the floor and then, with a quick pinch to her neck, there was nothing.

Chapter 4
     
    G roaning, Talen finished signing the last of the legal papers while Janie happily colored pictures of ponies beside him. His brother Dage owed him big time for appointing him liaison to this agency. The metal building housing the secret U.S. Marshal base hoarded heat like a miser with gold, and he wanted out. The third floor was even more stifling than the lower ones with the sparse conference room. He was anxious to get his new family home and claim his mate.
    Suddenly, his watch blinked an insistent green. He pushed a small button on the side.
    “Why the hell do we have you traveling away from the pick-up spot at a quick rate?” Although he phrased it as a question, his brother’s deep voice sounded more irritated than curious.
    “What?” Talen’s heart thumped.
    “We. Have. You. Moving. Away.” Dage’s voice went from irritated to pissed in a heartbeat. He was well known for disliking surprises.
    “Fuck.” Talen jumped to his feet and picked up a startled Janie, running for the elevator. The door slid open, and he wasn’t surprised to see Nelson unconscious on the floor. Talen dodged inside as the director swiped a card over a small window before leaning down to make sure Nelson was still breathing.
    Talen didn’t spare a glance at the fallen man. An odd clenching of his gut caused his breath to hitch and a ringing sound to fill his ears. Fear? Brittle pine filled his nostrils, and his eyes started to burn.
    “Are you on the tarmac?” he asked his brother, a rage building in his gut.
    “Of course,” Dage growled. “Where the fuck are you?”
    “In the elevator, heading down. I’m not wearing my cuff; my wife has it on.” Talen held Janie close as the car moved slowly—too damn slowly—down several floors. He should’ve taken the stairs.
    There was a silent pause, then, “Wife?”
    “Yeah, wife,” Talen confirmed as he ran from the elevator, straight at his brother in the secured landing site, the small child held safely in his arms. He passed Dage, jumping aboard the open side hatch of the sleek blue vessel. His brother pivoted and followed, setting himself in the pilot’s seat next to Talen, punching buttons before he even sat down.
    “Ready for takeoff,” Dage said while the engine quietly roared to life. The military vessel had been tweaked a bit by their brother Conn.
    “What the hell?” Dage muttered at him while expertly maneuvering the small craft into the air. Talen had never appreciated his brother’s ability to jump into action as much as he did right now. Or his brother Conn’s ability to take any vehicle and alter it to fit their needs.
    “Here she is.” Talen’s mind