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 severely 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.”