He didn’t know whether he wanted to laugh, cry, or grab his mate and shake her. The guard didn’t look like he knew quite what to do with the female, either. His lips pressed into a thin line, and he rested his hands on his hips but didn’t speak for several long seconds.
Eventually, he pulled a black card embossed with silver writing from the breast pocket of his uniform and passed it to her. “If you see any humans on the road, be sure to call that number.”
Mackenna took the card, but she didn’t look happy about it. “You mean Raiders, right?”
“Or rebels.”
“And how will I know if they’re rebels?”
The guard growled at her. “Just call the number if you see anything suspicious.”
Mackenna nodded curtly. “I’ll be sure to do that. You have a nice day.”
Less than a minute later, they were back on the highway. Vibrating with fury, it was a wonder Mackenna could keep the SUV between the painted lines.
“You okay?” he asked.
“No,” she answered through clenched teeth. “What was that?”
Cade shrugged. “That was the Coalition.” He had tried to warn her. “Would you like to guess what would have happened if he’d actually searched the car?”
“We’d be dead.”
Or the guard would have been, which could have been just as bad.
“But why?” she pressed. “We didn’t do anything.”
Cade had wondered as well. At first, he’d worried his so-called pet registration had been flagged. When that hadn’t turned out to be the case, he’d wondered if the guard had been reacting to his scent. He could keep his mouth shut, but he couldn’t just turn off his emotions. Thinking back over the conversation, he suddenly realized exactly where she’d gone wrong.
“You said we are returning to Denver.”
“Well, we are. There are two of us in the car. What the hell else was I supposed to say?”
“If I was a Labrador, would you have included me in that statement.”
“I don’t know. Probably.”
Fair enough. She had been studying to become a vet after all. “What if I was a bug?”
She wrinkled her nose and frowned. “No, probably not.”
“Or if there was a cooler of blood in the front seat?”
Her scowl deepened. “Of course, I wouldn’t.”
Cade sighed. She still didn’t get it. “That’s how most Gemini think of humans, Mack. At best, we’re property. At worst, we’re bugs to be crushed.”
“Crap, you’re right.” Her brow creased, and she shook her head. “The couple at the diner didn’t treat you that way, though. Hell, even the staff at the hotel weren’t as bad as that douchebag.”
The couple at the diner had certainly been the exception. He could grant her that. The hotel, however, had been something completely different. “In Vegas, you presented yourself as a responsible pet owner. Maybe a little strange, but not enough to draw suspicion.”
“But—”
“You didn’t act as if we were equals.”
Mackenna opened her mouth, but no words came out. After a moment, she turned to him with red-rimmed eyes. “Cade, I’m so sorry.”
“No, shh, it’s okay.” He stroked her hair and wiped away a tear that had spilled down her cheek. “That’s exactly what you should have done. Baby, I know you don’t really feel that way. I’m not offended.”
“Good, because I don’t think I’m better than you. I would never—” She cut herself off abruptly, and her eyes narrowed. “Cade, sit back.”
“What?”
“Put your hand down and sit back.” Her gaze flitted to the review mirror, then back. “He’s following us.”
“Shit.” Dropping his hand, he settled back in his seat and glared at the cruiser in the side mirror.
“What do I do?”
They couldn’t outrun him. If they turned off the highway, it would only make them look guilty, which would ultimately lead to another confrontation. They sure as hell couldn’t lead him back to the safe house.
Cade rubbed both hands over his face and groaned. “I guess we’re going to Denver.”
Chapter Sixteen
Something had changed while they’d been away.
Mackenna didn’t know what, but tension flowed through the hospital now, a disquiet that hadn’t been there before she and Cade had left for Nevada. The sense of unity remained, but there was now an edge to it, a precariousness evident in the way people ducked their heads and didn’t speak as they passed each other in the halls.
“Oh, my god,” Roux exclaimed when they entered the dining hall. Jumping up from her seat, she hurried across the room and hugged them both hard. “Where the hell have you been? You were supposed to be back days ago.”
“We ran into a little