“You’re wrong. I’ve met that couple,” she lied. “I spent a little time with them. They don’t have any children.”
He stepped forward and slapped her. The sting of his palm on her cheek stunned her but he backed away before she could react and attack in retaliation.
“These catacombs go under their house. At least one of those brats was a screamer when I checked it out. How many do they have? Tell me.”
She was done. “I’ve never seen a baby here.” That was honest. “I bet you’re wrong about that Gift too.”
“I have pictures of that little cat bitch.”
He wasn’t going to tell her more. She was pretty sure of that as he turned his back to stare into the tunnel and glanced down at his watch.
“Those slow, incompetent assholes. Two hours. I really hate them. Maybe I won’t kill them. I’ll just have them hauled into Fuller. Just leave their cell doors unlocked and spread a rumor that they’re informants, there to gather information. The prisoners would kill them the first damn night. I could plant that idea with Jeff. That asshole can’t ever keep his mouth shut. He’s too nice.”
Jeanie rose as quietly as possible, hoping he wouldn’t turn.
“And just for spite, once I’m far away and out of New Species’ reach, I’m going to cause them more shit.” He chuckled. “Do you want to know how people will react when they discover there’s a human woman who can pop out little New Species babies? Talk about making those anti-New Species groups blow their minds. They always preach about how the New Species will disappear in time. New Species will never die out as a race if they are breeding more little animals with sluts.”
She tensed and stepped to the side. They’d chained her right arm, the one she used the most and she swung with all her might. The chair was a little heavier than she’d guessed. It only made the slightest scraping noise as the legs skidded on the floor before it sailed forward.
Boris turned but it was too late. He was bigger but she had rage on her side.
* * * * *
True used a flashlight to stare down the hole. A ladder was at the bottom, partially visible in the standing water, but it appeared damaged. It had to be a good twenty-foot drop but he didn’t care. Jeanie was down there. He slid his feet over the edge and just dropped into the hole. The water softened his fall and he remained on his feet. He inhaled, picking up no scent of Jeanie but the water smelled bad. Males dropped into the water behind them with more flashlights.
“Wait,” Darkness ordered. “We need to go in quiet and catch them by surprise.”
It took control for True to listen to that order. There were two openings but he wasn’t sure which way to go. One had a grate over it but the other didn’t. He slogged through the water to the opening and sniffed. All he could pick up was stagnant water and a moldy stench.
“Over here,” Justice whispered.
True spun, quickly moving to the opposite side of the room.
Justice pointed the beam of his flashlight on the inside wall of the tunnel. “Blood. It’s faint but it’s there.” He muscled the gate open. It squeaked but it wasn’t too loud.
True stepped up, climbed out of the water and sniffed. “It’s hers.”
Tiger chuckled. “She’s smart. I think she is purposely marking where they took her.”
True fought tears. “She’s everything to me. What if they’ve killed her?”
“They would have done it in the house and not bothered to take her with them,” Darkness rasped.
True clenched his teeth, stifling a snarl.
“You didn’t have to point that out,” Justice stated.
“He needs to know they want her alive. That’s logical because taking her with them would only slow them down.” Darkness pushed past True. “I go first.”
True wanted to protest but the male spread his arms, blocking the narrow passage. He’d have to fight him and that would ruin the plan to sneak up and attack the humans to get his mate back.
The tunnel ended with a metal plate on the floor. True attempted to lift it but it wouldn’t open. Frustration rose. He looked at the team of New Species. Darkness crouched next to him, studying it with his flashlight.
“Shit. There must be a lock on the other side.” He waved to one of the men. “We came prepared. Give me the jack I told you to grab from one of the vehicles.”
It took too long for True’s antsy nerves but Darkness managed to use an edge of the jack to force the edge of the plate a little and then pried it open. It snapped the flimsy lock as they pulled it back. A ladder was attached the wall beneath the grate.
“Here we go.” Darkness sighed. “I hate being underground and it seems we need to go deeper.”
“Get out of my way.” True tried to climb down first.
“Calm.”
“My mate is down there. I smell her blood.” He could. She’d touched that ladder. “It’s there. My sense of smell is much better now that we’re away from the water.”
“I go first and you take orders or you’re topside,” Darkness stated firmly.
He wanted to argue but that would just waste more time. “Then go.”
They came to a place where it branched off to two smaller tunnels. Darkness paused and glanced back at True. “See if you can pick her up.”
He had to bend over to fit beneath the low ceiling and sniffed. He didn’t pick up her scent at all but he used his flashlight to try to spot blood on the walls.
“You could do that just as well,” Tiger whispered.
“He needs to,” Darkness whispered back.
True ignored them as he backed out and stepped into the other tunnel. It was just as low but he caught a whiff of Jeanie’s blood. “This one.” He found smudges of it on one of the walls a few feet in as if she’d brushed against it with her hand.
He led the way until they reached a curve and he saw light. He came to a halt, his ears straining. Darkness was suddenly there, pushing against him until they both were shoulder to shoulder.
Jeanie’s voice was faint, along with male voice. The words weren’t distinguishable but he was certain that was her. Darkness turned his head and frowned at him.
“Wait,” he mouthed. He removed his phone and texted something. He looked up and showed the screen to True and then touched it to pull up another app. It was a locator. Darkness pointed up. “They are surrounding the location. We know where we are and so do our males.”
He wasn’t sure if he had patience. He could hear Jeanie though, she was talking, and a few words filtered through. Her tone implied she was angry. Another male touched his back and he twisted his head. The male passed a rifle forward. Darkness accepted it and leaned closer.
“I won’t miss the shot. Back up and allow me to proceed. I’m going to go on my belly and crawl forward until I can reach them. I was trained as a sniper.”
Darkness dropped down and did just as he’d stated. True knew he should stay put but he couldn’t resist. He fell to his belly and scooted after the male. The tunnel ahead wasn’t that long and Jeanie’s words became clear. He couldn’t see around Darkness without lifting up, too worried he’d reveal their location if he did. Shock ran through his system though when he could hear all the conversation.
* * * * *
The chair slammed into Boris’ side hard enough to knock him off his feet. Jeanie managed to grab the chair when it bounced back. She caught it on the rounded edge of the back of the seat and on the side where the handcuffs were locked on the bar of the chair. She lifted it and smashed it down on him again.
He cried out and threw up an arm, trying to shield his head. It wasn’t effective as she used the legs of the chair to ram downward into his belly and chest. He gasped and she hit him again. Boris rolled onto his stomach at that point and she hit him one more time just for good measure.
A lot of pent-up anger drove her to nail him a few more times until she was out of breath from exertion. She only wished the chair was heavier and more solidly made. She dropped
the chair and kicked him in the side. He rolled, curling into a ball. It hurt her a little when she kicked him again, this time in the chest, but it had the desired effect. He ended up sprawled on his back. She turned a little, used the last of her strength and lifted the chair. She brought it down so the legs of it landed on each side of his neck. The support bar along the bottom connecting the back legs pressed against his throat and she leaned over, resting her weight over the seatback.
Jerry Boris, or as she’d known him, Terry Brice, stared up at her with wide eyes as his face turned an ugly shade of purple.
“Can’t breathe?” She panted. “I know how that feels. Try having some douche bag shove his dirty hand over your mouth and nose. That’s what your asshole goon did to me.”
She eased up just a little so he didn’t die. He sucked in air but his color didn’t improve. She glanced back and lifted her foot, slamming it down on his groin. He squealed.
“I know how that feels too. It’s a bitch not being able to scream, isn’t it? Does that hurt?” She ground her toes against the front of his sweats, a little grossed out, but no way was she about to let him get up. He outweighed her by a hundred pounds. Plus, I have no damn sympathy for you, asshole.
Jeanie looked at his face, saw his terrified expression and the way his hands clawed at the bar against his throat. She eased a little of her weight off the chair until he managed to suck in more air. She pressed down again.
“You and I,” she got out, catching her breath a little more, “are going to have a talk. And what I mean by that is, I’m going to talk and you’re going to breathe when I say you can.”
She waited and let him have a little more air. It wasn’t her intention to kill him but she was determined to get answers. He knew where a Gift was and he’d put her through hell but she was mostly pissed about how he’d allowed True and the others to suffer longer than necessary because it amused him and he’d wanted to get more money.
“Those jerks you hired pushed me into a hole and let me fall into dirty water. I smell. I had a gag shoved into my mouth and you planned to poison me,” she reminded him. “I could kill you. Got that? Forget about your retirement plan. Forget about getting another penny from the NSO. You’re going to tell me where that Gift is or I’m going to watch you suffocate. I might take a nap here.” She lifted enough to let him get air. He choked a little but she held off until he took a few breaths.
“You bitch,” he wheezed.
She leaned over, putting her weight on the back of the chair. “Fuck you, Jerry. Yeah. I know who your name. I saw your picture when they showed me all the men who used to work for the NSO. Director Jerry Boris. You got fired because you were an asshole to Fury’s mate. He said you almost got her killed and tried to take her from him. You just can’t leave mates alone, can you? You took me from mine and guess what? I’m furious.”
It was satisfying when he stopped struggling, going totally still. It didn’t last for more than a few seconds. He let go of the bar and tried to grab the ankle of the foot resting on his crotch. She stomped down, hoping she crushed his junk. He squealed and let go. She eased off the pressure.
“Where is that Gift, Jerry? You’re going to tell me or I’m going to torture the shit out of you. I learned something about that while at Drackwood, watching what was done to those poor New Species you hate so much. I love one of them and he almost died in there, being beaten and hurt, but you didn’t give a damn. You just wanted money. Guess what? I just want you dead to make sure you can’t hurt anyone else.”
She took a few calming breaths, trying to rein in her temper. “But I’ll let you live if you tell me where the Gift is.” She lifted up, letting him breathe. A red mark dented the fleshy area of his throat but she didn’t feel bad about that either. He didn’t deserve it.
“Never.”
Her eyebrows arched. “Really?”
“Fuck you. I’m not telling. The cat bitch will die.” He coughed. “I want money and I’ll tell where she is once I’m safe.” He turned his head and twisted his bulky body in the same direction.
It caught Jeanie off balance and she tripped as the chair slammed into her since he was a big guy. Two big hands clutched her hips to prevent her from landing on her ass and she fell against a firm, big body. Terror struck as she lifted her head to see which one of his goons had returned. She was going to die a slow and painful death.
True frowned down at her. She stared into his eyes, part of her afraid he was a dream. That beautiful gaze of his shifted away from her to something on the floor. She followed it, watching as Jerry Boris struggled to his feet. He coughed a little but managed to get up. His hands curled into fists as he spun to attack. Darkness grabbed him by his throat and slammed him up against a wall. He lifted him, easily putting the man on tiptoe.
“Cat bitch, huh?” Darkness snarled. “I’m kind of fond of them myself since I’m feline too. I take offense to you saying she’ll die.” He turned his head and held Jeanie’s gaze. “I have this. He’ll talk.”
Jeanie was in shock and worse, it was clear they’d heard and seen what she’d been doing to Boris. She sagged in True’s arms. Another New Species crouched next to her and he withdrew a small kit from one of his pockets.
“I’m going to get you free.” Tiger gave her a grim smile before turning his attention to the handcuffs attaching her to the chair.
The surreal feeling left her speechless. She’d lost it, totally snapped, and her reaction to what she’d done was setting in. She’d been willing to kill another person and might have if they hadn’t arrived to stop her. True and the other New Species had to have been horrified when they’d walked in and saw her using a chair to torture someone. She felt that way and she’d been the one doing it.
“You’re safe.” True cradled her in his arms.
“Get her out of here,” Darkness ordered.
“Working on it,” Tiger muttered. “Or we’ll have to drag the chair with her.”
“Hurry.” Darkness held Jeanie’s gaze again and seemed to study her. He frowned before shifting his focus to True. “She’s seen enough violence and suffered enough. I’m about to spill blood if that’s what it takes to get him to tell us where the Gift is. I’ll get him to confess all his crimes.”
“Those two men who work for Boris are coming back,” Jeanie managed to get out.
“We have officers down here.” Justice came into view. “They won’t make it far without being captured if they return. I’m having them map the entire system since we weren’t aware of it until now. I wonder why they weren’t in the blueprints we were given.”
Even Jeanie picked up his sarcastic tone and the way he glared at Jerry Boris. She forced her mind to work. “He thinks Fury and Ellie have a baby. He’s been keeping tabs on what has been ordered by the NSO and where it’s being delivered. That’s how he found out where I was staying. He’s also been down here going under people’s homes to listen and he heard a baby crying.” She was careful how she worded what she said. “I told him that wasn’t true but he threatened to tell the media that Species can breed, just to cause problems.”
A few growls sounded and she glanced around, noticing for the first time that over a dozen New Species had filled the chamber. She leaned into True. The handcuffs popped open when the feline was able to pick the lock. She glanced at him.
“Thank you.”
Tiger shoved the chair away and stood. “You’re welcome.”
True turned her in his arms and she raised her chin, almost afraid to look at him. “I’m sorry.” It was the only thing she could think to say.
He lifted her until they were at the same height and she had no choice but to stare into his eyes. The tears that glistened in them weren’t a surprise. He had to be mortified at what she’d done—almost as much as she was.
“For what?”
“I lost my shit.”
He sniffed. “It smells so bad down here, I can’t tell.”
Tiger snorted. “She didn’t have
an accident. She is talking about what she did to Boris.”
True smiled. “I know. I was teasing. I wanted to get a smile from her. I’m proud of how strong you are, Jeanie. It took strength to attack him and try to force him to tell you about the Gift Female.”
Her mouth dropped open. His words stunned her.
“I’m almost sorry he got away from you. You were doing so good. I’m going to have to train you a little better to watch out for moves like that. The fact that you were willing to hurt him to force him to tell you where a Gift is just shows how much of a Species you are. I’d kill for you, Jeanie.” He leaned in and pressed his forehead against hers. “We’re going home to take a bath and I’m going to mount you from behind.”
She was speechless as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
He chuckled. “Right after I tend to your wounds, which I’m trying really hard to ignore so I don’t go rip out that human’s throat. I can teach you to do that with your fingers. It’s something you should learn in case anyone else ever comes after you again. We can use those human-size dolls for you to practice on. You’d probably prefer using those.”
Jeanie sniffed, fighting the urge to burst into tears. True didn’t appear upset or appalled. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Wrap around me, mate. I really need to feel you right now. I doubt I’ll want to put you down for a week or two.”
She hugged his neck and hooked her legs around his waist. He adjusted his hold and clutched her tightly as she buried her face against his neck. He turned, heading home, and she just clung to him.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Duck!”
Jeanie gasped and dived on the bed. The throw pillow from the couch went sailing past her, missing her by inches. She landed on the mattress with a bounce and turned her head, smirking at True.
“That’s not funny.”
He grinned as he strolled into the room. “You’re faster.”
“That’s because you keep tossing pillows at me. I swear I’m going to hide every single one in the house.”