“But dead is good too.”
“You’re mean.”
The guy gripping her snorted. “Tell me something I don’t know. Turn around, princess. You better be real smart and listen close.”
She turned when he let her go, very careful not to move her feet much. The floor was cold and she was pretty sure they were in some kind of tunnel system since they’d said they were under the streets. A drainage system? Why wouldn’t the NSO know about it? It wasn’t a mystery who would hire them to kidnap her. She really wanted to live because that meant coming face-to-face with the man who’d lied to her and used her.
Her kidnapper fisted her upper arm. “Take one step back and remember it’s a hole. You want to step down about ten inches and you’ll feel the first rung.”
The next few minutes were terrifying as she blindly took instructions from a man she didn’t trust. The metal ladder was rough, the rungs spaced apart the way he said they would be. Each one dug into her bare feet in the center when she carefully placed them as she lowered into the unknown. It was so dark she couldn’t make out a thing.
Her foot finally landed against solid ground and she stepped down, stood still, too terrified to move. Was she on a ledge? The air was colder but she couldn’t smell anything but dirty water from the gag. It tasted bad too. Composing a list of diseases she could catch from stagnant water helped distract her from the danger she was in.
“Move two feet to the left,” her captor demanded from above. “Otherwise I’ll step on you.”
She inched to the left, her feet carefully dragging on the surface she stood on to make sure she didn’t step into a void. The bastard laughed as if it amused him. His boots echoed loudly when he brushed against her. He must have jumped the remaining distance and landed next to her. He grabbed her arm again.
“Make sure you seal that good, up there.”
“Got it.” Something metal protested before thumping loudly high above her head.
The one steering her shoved her again, forcing her to walk ahead of him until he reached up and planted his hand on the top of her head.
“Duck. Keep bent a bit. Otherwise you’re going to slam your head on the tunnel. It gets narrow here until the next chamber.”
A faint light shone down the rounded tunnel when they turned. She could make out more as they walked, horrified that she’d been right. They were in some kind of drainage system. Dirt stained the concrete but unlike the one other time she’d ventured into one as a teenager, this one had no signs of graffiti of any kind.
The tunnel ended and she stared at the open chamber that was a few feet down. Camping lanterns had been placed on the floor around the space and a metal lawn chair placed in the center. The jerk gripping her lifted his hand off her head and straightened, reaching for his face. She turned her head to peer up at him as he removed night-vision goggles and shoved them up, on the top of his head.
It was the blond who’d tried to kidnap her from True’s apartment. She was positive it was the same man. He was wet, his hair plastered to his head and face, but there was no mistaking it as he frowned at her. “The chair.” He jerked his chin. “Walk there or I’ll put you there.”
She raised a hand and pointed to the gag, too afraid he’d hit her if she tried to remove it.
He shook his head. “That’s up to the boss.”
He pushed her forward, almost making her fall down the two steps. She regained her balance with no help from him and collapsed into the chair. The T-shirt she wore was plastered to her body. She reached down to tug it to cover her knees—grateful she wore True’s big shirt—and got it done just before the blond grabbed her wrist and slapped on handcuffs. He locked one end of the cuffs to the side of the chair and stepped back.
She turned her head when boots sounded and watched another man come out of the tunnel they’d just left. He yanked off his night-vision goggles completely and frowned at her as he walked closer and down the steps.
“I hope this guy shows soon. I want to be paid and get out of here. We delivered her.”
“I want to change out of these wet clothes.” The blond cursed and turned away, walking to a duffle bag that had been dropped along one wall. He crouched and unzipped it. To Jeanie’s disgust, both men began to strip. She closed her eyes, refusing to watch. The noises echoed in the room. She tried to forget they were underground, something she’d always had a phobia about, but it seemed a miniscule problem compared to the others she faced.
She’d been kidnapped and the man who’d claimed to be Agent Brice was apparently on his way to their location. Some of her fear was replaced by anger. The handcuffs were a mere annoyance since the chair wasn’t bolted down.
I’ll stand up and use it to beat him, she silently promised. The image of doing just that helped keep her calm.
* * * * *
True became aware with a roar of rage. He sat up, shoving at the male hovering over him. Dr. Harris cried out, barely flinching away from the punch aimed at his face. A strong hand clasped True’s fist and prevented him from making another go at striking the human. Justice crouched on the living room floor and shifted into position to get in his face until he was his only target.
“Easy,” Justice ordered. “You were drugged but we got to you fast enough to counteract it. You’ve been down for about fifteen minutes.”
“Jeanie!” He twisted his head, saw the room full of Species, but she wasn’t there.
Justice released his fist and gripped his shoulder. “We’re searching. They took her this time but they can’t go far. We’re in lockdown. I heard you about the same time that Darkness got your text and sent out a general alarm. Nothing is getting in or out of Homeland. We have everyone awake and hunting for them. There’s nowhere they can hide for long.”
Grief tormented True with the intensity of pure agony. He tore out of Justice’s hold and tried to get to his feet. Dizziness knocked him back on his ass as the room and the faces of the Species around him blurred.
“I told you he should be taken to Medical,” Dr. Harris protested. “We’re not sure what they gave him but it was a lot. He needs to be monitored for at least twelve hours. He—”
“No,” Justice snarled. “Get out if you’re going to start with that again, Harris. No disrespect but his mate has been taken. None of our people would consider it forgivable if we allowed him to stay drugged while she’s in danger.”
“Yeah, because dying from heart failure is so much better. There are dozens of you to track her down. Why does he need to be part of it?”
“Because she’s his mate,” Darkness stated in a chilly tone. “He’d rather die than not do everything to get her back. And he’s the only one who can be absolutely sure it is her scent beneath all this masking odor they used.” The male bent, peering at him over Justice’s shoulder. “Are you with us?”
That drew True’s attention. “Yes, I’m okay. What odor?”
“The strong smell of trees.” Darkness sniffed. “Smell it? But it’s off. Not a natural scent. Human hunters use sprays to mask their scents when they are in the forest stalking game or hidden in the trees. That’s what they used here.”
True realized that was what he’d smelled in the living room and he could pick it up now. He grew angrier as he sniffed the air.
True wanted to nod but feared he’d have another dizzy spell. He took a deep breath, hoping it would alleviate the dizziness, and tried to rise to his feet—a little more slowly this time. Justice assisted him as he straightened and clasped his hands, hauling him up. He was unsteady but the male still released him after a few seconds, knowing it was a matter of pride. True locked his legs and took several more deep breaths. It helped.
“I need to find Jeanie,” he rasped.
Darkness held his gaze as he stepped closer. “There’s blood in the bathroom. You know your mate’s scent better than anyone. Tell us if it’s hers, if you’re able.”
Rage and fear surged through True at the thought of her dead or severe
ly injured. He took a step and stumbled. Justice and Darkness were abruptly there to grip his arms. They leaned in enough to support him and they helped him walk. It got easier as they made their way down the hallway. More Species were in the bedroom.
The sight of the destroyed door was devastating to him.
“She tried to lock them out,” Darkness quietly informed him. “She was smart. She knocked the dresser over and placed a chair between it and the door. It slowed them getting in and they had to break the chair to gain entry.”
“Be grateful,” Justice muttered. “My mate would have rushed out and fought them.”
“I told her to run,” True managed to state.
“She tried.” Darkness kicked some of the broken chair out of the way. “She is a good mate to listen to you and try to follow your orders.”
“You were next door.” True gave Justice an accusing glare. “What took you so long to get here?”
He winced. “We woke when we heard you yell something but didn’t catch what you said. I believed you were sharing sex with your mate. We listened but it grew silent so I began to kiss Jessie.” He paused. “We didn’t hear anything else until Jeanie screamed for help and a loud bang sounded. I leapt from bed but it took me a few seconds to get on my pants and secure Jessie with a weapon. I rushed over and found you on the floor. She was already gone when we searched the house.”
True dropped his gaze. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. I knew you would get here as fast as possible. This is my fault.”
Justice growled, seeming to disagree, but said nothing as they led him into the bathroom. It was another sight that stunned him. The door had been kicked in and the floor was littered with the grit and shattered bits of tempered glass from the broken shower door. Someone had obviously slid through the goopy substance that covered the floor. The double vanity area had a big hole where one of the cabinet doors should have been and pieces of it were shoved inward, as if someone had slammed into it.
“She locked the door and set a trap for them. She’s resourceful,” Darkness muttered. “When one of them crashed through the door, he not only hit it but the open shower door. It was enough resistance that it knocked him off balance and he slid in the stuff she dumped on the floor. Looks as though a large boot slammed into the cabinet and there’s blood from the one who collided with it. Not much but a little.”
“That’s not Jeanie’s blood. Her feet are small and she was barefoot.”
“The window.” Justice steered him toward it. “She got out here.”
True regained enough of his equilibrium to pull out of their hold as he approached it. The window was wide open and he sniffed. His senses were dulled but some blood was visible on the lower section of the window shelf. He bent and sniffed. Relief came instantly.
“It’s not hers.”
“You’re sure?”
He glanced at Darkness. “I know it’s not hers.”
“Good. Now sniff around the frame. I did and found more. It’s different. I just wasn’t sure if it was hers or more blood from a male underneath that artificial odor.”
“This is hers.” He turned his head, smelling the other side. “And here. That’s Jeanie’s blood.”
“It’s faint. She probably harmed her hands when she grabbed hold to pull herself outside.” Justice backed away, lifted a radio and spoke into it. “Get our best trackers here. We’ve got blood from one of the humans and from the mate.”
True tensed and then jumped, barely wincing when one of his shoulders slammed against the frame. He landed in the backyard. He stayed low, staring at the ground. It was flattened, trampled where Jeanie and the males had exited the bathroom. He sniffed, not picking up blood right away. Then he did. It belonged to the human male. He bent closer, sniffing.
“What do you have?” Darkness climbed through the window and crouched, sniffing too. “I smell it too. The male stepped here and he’s bleeding.”
“We need lights out here!” Justice yelled. “In the backyard.”
True kept low, sniffing. “I lost it.”
“Me too.” Darkness frowned at him.
“He must have known he was bleeding and stopped it somehow.”
Darkness growled. “They are smart.”
True rose and began to circle the brick wall that enclosed the yard. He sniffed, also looking for evidence of where they went over it. Darkness shadowed him, doing the same.
“It would be faster if you started on the other side.”
“You were drugged. Two noses and sets of eyes are better. We don’t want to miss anything.”
True should have been offended but the male had a point. He wasn’t going to trust his senses at that moment with Jeanie’s life on the line. The slider at the back of the house opened and more males rushed out. They were canines and they started along the other wall.
They met near the center. “I don’t understand,” Darkness growled. “Did they fly over the wall?”
True wanted to howl with frustration. “Maybe they went back inside and left through the front door or the side gate.”
“You saw the lock still in place and it hasn’t been touched. It was rusted in place,” Justice argued. “Also, I was the first to arrive. Jessie wanted to come with but I demanded she stay. They didn’t leave from the front. Two teams arrived within half a minute of me.” He shook his head. “We had Species rushing out of their homes. They didn’t leave that way.”
“The backyards?” Darkness leapt, landing gracefully on the corner edges where the walls connected. He stared out, turned his head, and frowned before glancing down. “I only see Species. They appear to be searching every yard.”
“I ordered them to.” Justice growled. “How did they get her out? For that matter, how did they get inside Homeland?”
“It’s almost as if they flew out,” one of the Species muttered.
“Darkness?” Justice frowned at him. “Is it possible they somehow flew over Homeland and dropped in? Maybe found a way to fly out as well?”
He jumped down, landing in the yard. “I’m going over options but no. We would have heard a helicopter if they were airlifted in or out. There’s no way they could have used gliders.” He pointed to the hill behind them. “Even if they’d managed to climb up there to use it for a jump-off point, they don’t have the range to make it out from that height.”
“Air balloons?” Tiger strode into the backyard. “Is that possible?”
Darkness snorted. “Do you know how big that would have would be to support the weight of three humans? We’d have seen it and radar would have picked it up. No way did they get that in and out of here without it being detected.”
“Perhaps they have something smaller.”
Darkness shook his head. “It would be too difficult to control with this wind without motors to guide them and we’d have heard them. We just haven’t thought of how they were able to get in or leave.”
“So where did they go?” True was frustrated and worried sick. His stomach churned and he wasn’t sure if it was from that or the drugs he’d been dosed with. He spun, staring at the yard. “The attic. That’s where they got in the house.” He lunged forward, ready to tear it apart searching for Jeanie but Tiger blocked his way.
“Already looked there. That’s how one of them got in. He tore off the air vent on the side of the house and used it to gain entry.”
“Which side of the house?”
“The right.” Justice pointed. “All the cottages have them.”
True stomped toward that area and stared up at the hole in the side of the house near the roof. It infuriated him that he hadn’t known about it before or he would have made sure no one could get in that way. He frowned though as he stared at it.
“How did a human get up there?”
“Maybe they climbed on the roof and used a rope?” Darkness backed up and then ran to gain momentum before he leapt. He landed on the roof.
True was stunned. It was a twenty-foot jump. Species were
good but that was something he couldn’t have done. Of course he wasn’t feline either. They were better jumpers than canines. The male crouched, easily scaling the tile to the peak of the roof. He straddled it, glancing around.
“There’s no sign of that. I don’t see any disturbances up here.”
True lowered his gaze to the hole. If a human hadn’t used the roof, he would have needed a ladder. There was no sign of one. He walked forward, leaving the grass for a sidewalk. The air-conditioning unit was there but it wasn’t high enough to have been helpful to a human who was trying to gain access to the attic vent, unless maybe someone boosted him. He crouched, staring at the artificial grass that had been laid around the area to make it appear more natural looking.
His nose twitched as a faint scent filled his nostrils and he growled, bending over as he leaned closer. “Jeanie.”
“What is it?” Tiger came closer with Justice on his heels.
A heavy body landed behind him as Darkness jumped from the roof.
“Her blood. It’s here.”
True sniffed again, following it. It stopped and he drew back. A faint gap in the grass became noticeable. He reached out and slipped his fingers into it, touched concrete. He lifted, seeing more of it instead of the dirt he suspected should be there. He tore it back and stared at a metal grate.
“Son of a bitch,” Darkness grumbled. “What is that?”
True released the area-rug-size artificial turf and bent, sniffing. Some of her blood was on the side of the hole. He turned his head, staring at the feline. “This is how they got out.”
“What is that?” Justice sounded furious. “Why didn’t we know about it? It’s big enough for people to fit through. That is probably how the human escaped after their first attempt. That’s why we could never locate him.”
Darkness cursed and nodded. “Homeland was built as a military base, correct?”
“Yes.” Justice still frowned.
“The humans could have built underground tunnels or it could be for rain runoff from the hill above.”
“I don’t care what it is.” True grabbed the metal grate and lifted. It was heavy but it yielded easily. He tossed it aside. “I’m going after her.”