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

tried a lot of things to see if anything repelled them and this seems to work. It won’t kill them or stop them for long, but they don’t like it.”
    “We’re starting field tests soon, so thank you.”
    She nodded. “I also took these pictures very recently.” It showed raptors moving an enclosed box the size of a car. “It was rocking violently and I could hear snarling.”
    “Another type of alien?” Holmes said with a frown.
    “I think so. But I never got to see it.”
    “How many boxes like that?” Cruz asked.
    “About a dozen. And the raptors seemed nervous. Didn’t like dealing with them.”
    Shaw flopped back in his chair. “Great. Why do I get the impression we do not want to know what’s in that box?”
    “We’ve also seen a very large raptor,” Cruz said. “A super-raptor. He carried a flamethrower and spoke some English.”
    Santha nodded. “I’ve seen one but didn’t get any images of it. I called it a flamer.”
    “Works for me,” Cruz said.
    Santha clicked up another image and watched everyone frown.
    “That’s just another raptor,” Cruz said.
    “Look again.” Staring at the commander’s face made Santha’s blood boil.
    “It’s taller and leaner than the other raptors,” Elle said.
    “Good. You’ll also note the smoother skin that’s several shades darker than a regular raptor.”
    “Still looks like a raptor to me,” Claudia said.
    “It is. But I also think it’s a female raptor,” Santha said.
    Everyone hissed in breaths.
    “A female?” Holmes repeated.
    “Yes. And she appears to be the one in charge in this area. The commander.” Santha caught Cruz’s gaze. He was watching her intently. “And I want her dead.”
     

Chapter Six
    Cruz could almost feel the rage pumping off Santha. “Why? Why do you want this one dead so badly?”
    “She’s in charge of destroying our part of the world. Our city!”
    He studied the stark lines of Santha’s face. “That’s true. But it’s more than that, isn’t it?”
    “She killed my sister.”
    He saw the way Santha’s hands curled into fists. She was barely hanging on. “You saw?”
    “Every second.” Her eyes squeezed shut. “It was about a week after the invasion. A raptor patrol caught us in the street. I fought, but got a tiny splatter of their fucking poison on me. I couldn’t move, couldn’t even speak and got tossed by a raptor. I ended up under a car.” She dragged in a breath. “They beat my sister to death and there wasn’t a single thing I could do about it.”
    Madre de dios . Cruz closed his eyes for a second. He knew what it felt like to watch someone you cared about die. They’d all been there when Zeke had fallen. But at least they’d been fighting back.
    “They didn’t even leave me a body to bury.” Her green gaze caught Cruz’s, glimmering with unshed tears. “They dragged her away like trash and the commander just stood there like she was watching a mildly inferior show.”
    He wanted to touch her, but he was afraid she’d shatter. To see a strong woman’s tears almost bought him to his knees. “I’m sorry. We’ll help you avenge your sister.”
    “Wait a minute,” Holmes said. “We can’t have personal vendettas—”
    “We’ll help you find this raptor commander and kill her,” Marcus reiterated.
    Holmes pinched the bridge of his nose. “Steele, I do not want to have another shouting match with you about the chain of command.”
    “Don’t stress, Holmes,” Marcus growled. “We’ll get the prisoners too.”
    Elle cleared her throat to ease the tension. “I’m so sorry, Santha. I’ve no doubt this information can help us beat the raptors.”
    Santha wiped a hand across her face and straightened. “I hope so.”
    Elle’s considering gaze moved back to the screen and the picture of the commander. “They’re a bit like a bee colony.”
    “What?” Cruz asked, frowning.
    “There are thousands of raptor fighters, they’re kind of like worker