Read Online Xenofreak Nation, Book Three: XIA by Melissa Conway - Free Book Online

grabbed the hood of her coat and yanked it down.
    “Whoa,” he said, taking a step back. “You’re that porcupine chick.”
    “Yeah, and I’m broke, okay? I’m just waiting for my—my boyfriend. He’s in the back getting a graft.”
    “Alright, sister. It’s cool.” He seemed about to say something else, but the man with the gun barked, “Hey Bull! Get behind the counter and check the register!”
    The man named Bull gave Bryn one last creepy look, like he thought he’d bonded with her and didn’t want to leave, before heading for the front desk.
    Bryn wondered about Turk and the staff in the back. Did they know what was going on out here? She looked up and spied another camera dome. Was there a live feed in the back or was the camera just recording? Turk had been gone an awful long time. In the two hours she’d been here, he’d always responded to the bell on the front door, but when those men had come in, he didn’t.
    Just when she was thinking she didn’t blame him, the bell over the front door jingled again. Her first thought was, Oh, no , some poor customer stumbling in on all this . But when she turned, she saw two men with shotguns. She didn’t even have time to register surprise before the first man raised his gun to his shoulder and fired off a shot, hitting one of the thugs in the chest. Instinctively, she dropped into a crouch, then scooted behind a display of terrarium figurines.
    More shots followed. A woman, Bryn thought it was the same one who’d gone into the turtle pond, screamed shrilly. There was a crash and the sound of broken glass like someone had smashed into a glass cage. Bryn lay flat, her cheek pressed into the cold floor, eyes wide open even though she couldn’t see anything. The acrid scent of gunpowder overpowered the animal odor.
    Through it all, one terrifying fact stood out: she’d recognized the man who’d come in first, gun blazing. He was wearing sunglasses, but his blonde hair and the crocodile xenograft on his face were unmistakable. She was already frightened, but now terror blossomed in her gut.
    Had he seen her?
    That question was answered far more quickly than she expected. The shooting stopped and other than some moans and whimpers, a relative silence fell. The next thing she heard was heavy footsteps coming closer. She felt a firm hand on her shoulder and was rolled onto her back. She saw her own frightened face reflected back at her in his mirrored sunglasses.
    Dundee grinned, a feral show of teeth. “Look what the dingo dragged in.”

Chapter Fourteen
     
    A group of about fifty people was gathered on the sidewalk and steps outside the building housing XIA headquarters. It was a secure building, an unprepossessing nine stories tall, and had several government agencies ensconced within. The XIA took up the top two floors and was open for business, but because of the riots, the other agencies had closed up shop. A notice had been posted on the main glass doors that the building was closed to the public.
    From the hastily cobbled-together signs some of the men and women in front of the building were holding, Scott figured the crowd was composed of xenos looking for protection – and answers. Then he saw a familiar xenograft, a Mohawk of ragged feathers down the middle of a bald head. It was Chief Joe, standing next to his girlfriend Liz. Both were members of the XBestia gang, and neither had any business being here if the crowd was indeed what it seemed.
    When Lo drove past, several of the protesters broke from the pack and followed the car around the corner to the parking garage entrance. Scott was glad for the dark tint on the sedan’s windows when he saw Chief Joe and Liz among them.
    In order to gain entrance to the parking garage, Lo would have to roll down her window and hold her hand under a holoscanner, but the xenos were suddenly all around them. Lo inched the car forward to avoid running over anyone as they shouted, shook their fists and banged on