Cruz: Scifi Alien Invasion Romance (Hell Squad Book 2) by Anna Hackett Page A

at the man in front of the screens. He was a little older than her and carried an air of authority and command. He had a handsome face, like movie-star handsome, and a dash of gray at his temples that suited him. His khaki uniform was pressed and neat.
    “I’m General Adam Holmes.” He rounded the conference table. “I’ve very happy to see you’ve recovered.”
    Ah, the boss. “Santha Kade and I’m pretty happy I recovered, too.” The general held out a hand and they shook. He had a firmer grip than she would have guessed. Behind her, she felt Cruz step up close to her. She resisted rolling her eyes. He should just beat his chest and toss her over his shoulder.
    “Thank you for sharing your intelligence with us,” Holmes said. “The sooner we can locate and rescue these prisoners the better.”
    There was a sharp edge to his voice that made her study him again. She got the impression Holmes could be just as dangerous as the Hell Squad members in the right situation. And she suspected plenty of people underestimated him, blinded by his neat façade.
    “Then let’s get to work,” she said.
    They all settled into the chairs around the table, gazes on the big screen. A pretty brunette handed Santha a handheld comp controller with a smile. “I’ve scanned as much of your data into the comp as I could.”
    “Thanks. It’s Elle, right?”
    “That’s right.” She gestured to the screen. “Everything’s in the directory marked Santha.”
    Santha studied the list of files and pulled up her maps.
    Holmes leaned forward. “You have incredible data. And you’ve survived in the city alone for a year, attacking the raptors and assisting Squad Six.”
    Squad Six? She blinked. Right, that must be Hell Squad’s official designation.
    Shrewd blue eyes watched her. “I take it you weren’t a schoolteacher or business executive before the invasion.”
    She gave a wry smile. “No.” She glanced at Cruz. “I was a police officer. With SWAT.”
    Cruz nodded. “Makes sense. You have the skills and training, knowledge of the city…and the guts.”
    God, she felt so flattered by his words. Like some schoolgirl. She turned back to the screen. “I’ll start with the main raptor installations. I haven’t quite determined what they all are yet, but some are clearly for storage, some are bases where they appear to live and work, others are complete mysteries. I can only guess some of them are research stations where they gather data on us and the planet. Possibly, they’re carrying out tests on our technology and resources.”
    “We’ve seen that they’re studying our languages, trying to decipher our books, files and scientific information,” Elle said.
    Santha nodded. “It’s what I’d do if I ever invaded someone. Let me show you a few locations that seem larger and more well-used. I’m guessing that’s where they’re more likely to hold prisoners.”
    They clicked through maps, everyone calling out theories and suggestions. Elle was furiously taking notes on a tablet. They narrowed down a long list of possibilities.
    “I’ll move onto the aliens themselves.” Santha pulled up her photos.
    “I’ve been working on their language,” Elle said. “They call themselves the Gizzida.”
    “Ugly name for an ugly species.” Santha pointed to the screen. “You’re familiar with the main fighter raptors. We also have the rexes.” Santha didn’t hide her distaste as she stared at the picture of the giant T-Rex-type alien. “Thankfully, there seem to be only a few of those. The canids.” Another two images appeared—a picture of a canid pack and a close-up of one roaring. “And you saw the hellion canids in the airport train tunnels.” The image changed to one of the mutant canids with red, glowing bellies filled with an acidic poison.
    “Hell Squad told me the canid repellent spray we’re creating now came from you,” Holmes said.
    “Yes. It’s based on cedar oil, which is toxic to reptiles. I