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“I don’t understand what’s going on,” Abby exclaimed as Frank hustled her and Hope toward the staff entrance of the giraffe exhibit.

“You’ve got a tail,” Frank replied brusquely.

She hadn’t see anything odd, unless Spec-ops was recruiting school children now.

Maybe he saw the guys.

“No. Wait. We had a couple friends bring us.” She tried to pull away, but Frank held her tight.

Her eyes widened when half a dozen soldiers greeted them upon entering the animal care building. Her gaze swung toward Frank, eyes narrowing.

“You called the Feds,” Hope leveled the accusation before Abby could get the words out.

“The vehicle is waiting out back on the access road,” one of the soldiers in fatigues reported.

“What the fuck, Frank?!” Abby screeched and started struggling harder to get away.

“We’ve got five incoming,” another grim-faced asshole announced.

“Good! Ash. Ash!” she screamed.

“Shut up.” One of the Spec-ops grabbed her arm and started running through the building.

She tried to resist but the guy was wrenching her arm, forcing her to keep up.

“Ow, dammit, asshole!” Hope yelled at another soldier giving her the same treatment.

Abby was shocked the prick didn’t use her to shove open the back door. There was a feral snarl unlike anything she’d ever heard. It sounded like one of the lions had gotten loose. Her head swung to see two hooded figures jump over the twenty-foot fence.

“Ash!” she screamed again as the soldier shoved her into a black SUV.

Ash let out another enraged roar while he raced toward her. The car door slammed, locking her and Hope inside, just as the soldiers started firing at Ash and Aculus.

“No!” she cried in horror, pounding on the window as the nightmare unfolded.

“Oh my god. Oh, fucking god,” Hope screamed.

Before the SUV peeled out, spraying gravel in its wake, she watched Aculus and Ash dive to avoid gunfire.

“Please be okay. Please be okay,” Abby chanted with her hand on the glass, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“What is your problem, Frank? We trusted you!” Hope bellowed.

“You girls have no idea what you’ve gotten yourselves involved in,” Frank retorted from the passenger seat.

Immense anger filled her. She never expected this kind of betrayal.

“What have you done? Dad is your friend,” she snarled.

“Dad better be all right.” Hope glared at Frank.

“I was told you two were abducted, but I have a feeling that wasn’t the case,” Frank barked. “Do you have any idea what these things are capable of?”

“People, not things,” she countered, undaunted by Frank’s surly attitude.

“Are you trying to start a war Earth can’t possibly deal with?” Hope pointed out.

“You have no understanding of what’s going on.” Frank then clamped his mouth shut and didn’t say another word as they drove.