Текст книги "True"

Автор книги: Laurann Dohner

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Текущая страница: 21 (всего у книги 24 страниц)

He drove into her. She was wet enough to take him with one thrust. Her pussy was tight and he hoped he hadn’t taken her too fast but he couldn’t stop. He curled around her, pinning her tightly beneath him but making sure his upper body weight didn’t make breathing impossible. Her loud moan was heaven to his ears as he began to move.

He couldn’t slow down. He was too close to coming, completely wild with it. Jeanie moaned louder, her hands grabbing hold of his forearms, which held her trapped under him, and her nails dug into his skin. It didn’t matter if she drew blood as long as she seemed to be enjoying the sex.

Her pussy grew hotter and wetter, tighter as he furiously fucked her, snarling a warning that he was close. No words were spoken, he couldn’t form them, but he hoped she knew what he was trying to convey. She bucked under him, crying out his name and he prayed it was out of pleasure instead of pain because that’s all it took to send him over the edge of need, straight into absolute bliss.

His seed marked her as he threw back his head and emptied everything he had deep inside his mate. True lost all sense of time as he slowly recovered. His breathing leveled off and he realized Jeanie was panting under him.

“Did I hurt you?” He was afraid of the answer.

She laughed, her body shaking a little. “Wow!”

He remembered her injury. “Your stomach. I’m so sorry.”

Her head turned and she grinned at him. “I’m fine. I’m great. That was oh-my-god hot.”

He studied her eyes, looking for signs of pain but didn’t see any. He lifted up some, wishing he wasn’t locked inside her body, and just sat back on his folded legs with her on his lap. He curved around her enough to get a look down at her belly to see the healing injury. No blood marred her skin. He relaxed, hugging her.

“Let’s wait until you’re completely better to see what snaps my control next time.”

She pressed her back against his chest, lifted her arms and her hands curved around the top of his shoulders as she grinned. “Let’s not. I don’t regret that in the least.”

“I was too rough and didn’t remember you were hurt. I just love taking you doggy style.”

“I love that position too.” She chuckled. “Love is an understatement.”

He dropped his head and buried his face against her neck, breathing in her wonderful scent. Just holding her and knowing she wasn’t harmed was a huge relief. He had lost control, hadn’t thought of anything beyond joining them and part of him felt as if he’d let his mate down. Her welfare came before his needs.

“Can we do that again?” Her request stunned him as he stiffened. He lifted his head to stare at her. “Really. You have a fast recovery.” She released his shoulder and pointed up at the bed. “Instead of doggy style, maybe we can do it flat on top of the bed, though, this time, like we did before. Less rub against my stomach. It doesn’t hurt but let’s not push it.”

His mate was really something. He was certain now that he hadn’t been too rough or harmed her. “We can do that.”

Chapter Twenty-One

True jerked, unsure what woke him. He turned his head to glance at the clock on the nightstand. It was just after four in the morning. Jeanie peacefully slept, curled in his arms. He carefully withdrew and got to his feet, padded across the floor, and found his discarded pants. The cell phone in the pocket revealed no new texts. He frowned, realizing it hadn’t been the cause.

He listened, straining for any noise, but didn’t hear anything. He turned, walked into the bathroom and used it. One glance at Jeanie on the bed assured him she slept on as he quietly opened a dresser drawer to remove a pair of sweats. He donned them quickly and decided to do a security check throughout the house.

There was no need to turn on lights. His night vision allowed him to see everything quite clearly. He entered the guest bedroom and glanced around. Nothing was disturbed. He moved down the hallway, stopped in the spare bathroom then moved on to the living room. He was on his way to the dining room when a soft tap caught his attention. He swung his head around, identified where the noise had come from. It took mere seconds to reach one of the front windows and yank back the curtain.

He relaxed as he realized the tree was the source. As the wind blew, one branch brushed against the eaves above the window. He released the curtain and backed away. A slight metal creak made him spin, his instincts going on alert. It could be someone outside or just the strong breeze creating more sounds but he wouldn’t return to bed until he was certain.

True crept toward the hallway again, inhaling the scents around him. Nothing seemed out of place or odd. The aroma of the dinner Jeanie had cooked lingered, her scent and his, and he could even detect the bath salts she’d used earlier. He paused in front of the bedroom door, checking on her. She slept in the same position.

Thump. He growled low, stalking down the hallway and back into the living room. He paused there, scanning the room and inhaling again. An odd smell teased his nose, something he couldn’t place. It smelled of artificial outdoors. The slight itch in his nose assured him that the scent was off, wasn’t from a real tree, but he couldn’t place the type.

His peripheral vision detected movement and drew his attention. His heart rate accelerated as he saw the closet door slowly move. He reached for his phone, glanced down and wished it were a weapon. The screen lit up at his touch and he texted three words to Darkness.

Send help now.

He shoved the phone into his pocket and decided he wouldn’t go for the weapon in the bedroom as he tensed, prepared to attack anyone who stepped out of the closet. The door stopped moving and he strained to hear the sounds of breathing but nothing happened. He advanced, moving stealthily. He paused and then jerked the closet door open wide, prepared to fight.

His eyes adjusted to the darker interior but saw nothing. It was empty. He frowned but then a slight breeze touched his skin. His gaze lifted and he stepped closer, staring up at the ceiling in the closet. A square hole was open. The attic beyond was pitch dark. He was certain he would have noticed the missing attic access panel when he’d done the earlier walk-through inspection. The artificial tree scent was stronger in that area.

What the hell?

A very slight noise startled him. It sounded as if someone inhaled deeply. He turned his head as a dark shape rose from behind the couch. It appeared human, though somewhat rounded, dressed in all black, and it wore strange glasses. He’d seen those before at task force headquarters. It sank in that the night-vision goggles gave the human the ability to see as well, if not better, than he could. A howl of rage tore from his lips as he lunged, going for the threat.

Four sharp jabs of pain struck his chest as he reached the couch, prepared to dive over it to tackle the human. His body failed to do his bidding, going limp instead, and he slammed into the piece of furniture. His momentum carried him forward as he crashed into the couch when he fell, tipping it over. He rolled onto the floor and stayed there.

His body felt heavy and he couldn’t move his arms or legs. He howled inside his mind as he fought the drugs. Jeanie was in danger. His mate needed him. Somehow he found the strength to push up from the floor.

“Fucking tough bastard, aren’t you?” The voice belonged to a male.

Two more sharp darts embedded in his flesh, sinking into his back near his shoulder blades. He collapsed but managed to suck in one more lungful of air.

“RUN!” He roared that word before his face smashed into the carpet.

He tried to lift up again, fighting hard to stay conscious. His mate was unprotected. The drug in his system made him really lightheaded. He tried to shake it off but couldn’t get his arms to move again. He did manage to open his eyes and watched from where he lay sprawled on the carpet as the human in dark clothing rushed across the room to the front door and unlocked it. Another figure entered.

“Goddamn it, is that what you call quiet? You dumb fuck,” another male complained in a soft tone. “They probably heard that all the way to the gatehouse.”

“Those animals have great hearing but not that good. We’re inside and it’s too far away. Besides we’ll be long gone before anyone knows we were here.”

“What about the damn neighbors? They might have heard. If one of them lives next door, he might hear something. Let’s go. We don’t have time to argue. I knew I should have been the one to breach the house.”

“Like you could wiggle through the attic vent. Just calm your ass down. You heard our boss. Nobody knows about those tunnels. They’d never expect anyone to be able to get this far inside Homeland.”

“Let’s move. Where is the woman?”

“I don’t know. The animal must have heard me crawling around up there. He came out and caught me right after I dropped down. I shot him with six darts. Tough motherfucker.”

“Move and stop yammering. We have to grab the bitch and bug out. We’re supposed to get her and be back within ten minutes. Stick to the plan.”

True watched them helplessly as they rushed toward the back of the house and down the hallway, heading toward Jeanie. A door slammed before they were out of sight and he heard wood smash. He blacked out.

RUN! The howl pierced her sleep. Jeanie jerked awake and bolted upright in the dark bedroom. There was no mistaking that bellow or the snarled tone. True! She reached behind her but her hand only found warm sheets. Her heart raced. She was instantly afraid.

Lights came on in the house next door. She could see it faintly through the curtains and turned her head in that direction. It hadn’t been just a dream. The sound must have been real. For a split second she was torn between rushing out there to see what was wrong and doing exactly what he had yelled for her to do. He wouldn’t say that to anyone else.

A door closed and she heard soft voices. She slid out of bed and bent, grabbing at the first thing she found on the floor—a shirt. Her hands shook as she got the shirt on over her head and pulled it down. A loud thump sounded down the hall, almost as if something had fallen over. She wondered what was going on.

Jeanie rushed at the bedroom door and slammed it closed, twisting the lock. The door was solid but it wouldn’t keep anyone out if they kicked it down. She frantically glanced at the dresser on the wall near the door and grabbed hold of the back edge. Terror made her stronger than normal as she yanked hard and felt it give. She jumped back so it didn’t crush her toes when it landed front down. She spun, grabbed the solid chair from the other corner and lifted it. Her back protested but she dropped it into the space between the door and the fallen dresser to fill in the gap.

It wouldn’t stop someone from getting in but it would slow them down. She backed up, unsure if she should try to hide or climb out a window. A body slamming into the door from the hallway decided it for her. She rushed into the bathroom and slammed that door, locking it too. Wood splintered as someone applied something heavy as they attempted to batter through the bedroom door.

“Oh god.” She flipped on the light, frantically searching for a weapon. She had a hard time thinking as someone cursed loudly—not True—and she realized they sounded too close to still be in the hallway or at least had managed to get the door open enough to see what was blocking it.

She grabbed the glass shower door and opened it wide, putting it in the path of the bathroom door and grabbed a bottle of shampoo. Her hands shook as she grappled with the lid and just threw it on the floor by the door when she got it open. It poured out on the tile. She reached for the body lotion next, doing the same.

The conditioner was too far away without having to step inside so she just backed up, saw the window and lunged. Her hands shook as she worked on the lock but finally managed to get it to twist. She pushed hard and the window swung outward.

“HELP!” she shouted as she tried to climb up and out.

The bathroom door exploded inward and she screamed, scraping her knees and hands in the process but just shoved forward and fell outside. She wasn’t even sure how far the fall was but she landed on grass in the blink of an eye.

“Ahhhh!” a guy screamed before a loud crash sounded in the bathroom. Glass shattered, followed by what sounded like a heavy body slamming into the cabinets.

It compelled her to push up, ignoring the pain in the leg she’d landed on, to stand. She glanced around, knowing the backyard was totally fenced with a block wall but Justice North lived on the left side. She just forgot which way that was for a few seconds as she limped along.

For good measure she sucked in air and screamed again just in case they hadn’t heard her the first few times. The lights beckoned to her over the wall, assuring her she was heading in the right direction.

“Fucking bitch,” someone cursed behind her a second before an arm wrapped around her waist and yanked her off her feet.

She fought, trying to reach back and claw his face. Her fingers hit some kind of metal, as if he were wearing an apparatus on his forehead. His other hand slapped over her mouth and he squeezed her so hard around her middle it made her hiss in pain.

“Shut up or I’ll snap your neck. Stop fighting. I’ll take you alive or leave you dead.”

He twisted around hard. Her feet arched out from the force and she lost the ability to breathe. He was crushing her stomach and it hurt her injury as if she’d just been shot all over again. He crouched, slamming her into the yard.

“Where the fuck is it?”

She stared at the lights next door but couldn’t make a sound. A large form dropped next to them. “Right corner of the side yard. It’s hidden behind the air-conditioner unit.”

“Let’s get out of here. They are going to be all over this place.”

“I’m going to kill her,” the other guy promised. “That bitch dumped shit all over the floor and I think I busted my ass when I slipped. My foot is all fucked up from going through part of that sink thing.”

“Whine later.”

He lifted up but kept bent forward somewhat, dragging her along as she struggled to breathe. His hand moved as he ran, just enough for her to drag in air through her nose. They rounded the house on the right side of the yard where it was darkest.

“Right over here,” the other one whispered. “It’s hidden under the fake grass they laid over the grate.”

What grate?

The guy holding her froze and hissed against her ear. “One sound and I leave your corpse.”

She believed him. Her eyes adjusted enough to watch as the other man bent and pulled back a section of the artificial grass near the air-conditioning unit. She saw concrete there and what appeared to be some kind of drainage grille. The man lifted it and set it aside.

“Take her down first and I’ll make sure I put it back. They won’t find it.”

Jeanie was worried they were right. She’d walked around the backyard once and never would have known it was there. The man holding her crouched again, forcing her to do the same as his heavy body folded against hers. He pinned her with his legs and released her middle. The hand left her face and she sucked in a good amount of air to fill her lungs. She didn’t get the chance to scream.

Something was painfully shoved into her mouth and her hair was pulled as he tied the gag with a vicious yank. Tears of pain blinded her as she blinked them back and then he was pushing her, forcing her to crawl toward the open hole.

Her hands hurt, reminding her that she’d scraped them. It was almost natural to try to protect her injured palms but then she remembered what True had said about her blood. She hoped they were injured enough to bleed but it was too dark to see. She slid them across the fake grass to make sure she left as much scent as possible, then on the concrete until the jerk behind her shoved hard against her lower back. She tumbled headfirst into the dark hole.

The fall was terrifying and she tensed, believing she’d slam into more concrete. All she could do was throw her arms up and try to protect her face and head. It came as a shock when she landed in cold water. Her head went under and she hit something hard a few feet down. Pain stunned her, rendering her immobile.

The man fisted her hair and she was yanked upward until air hit her face. An arm wrapped around her waist and lifted, digging into her middle. She couldn’t see anything. It was pitch black. She was soaking wet, coughing and choking on the gag and had water in her nose.

The guy holding her shook her hard and it stopped the fit of coughing. He moved in a way that told her he was about thigh-deep in water and her legs were in it up to her hips.

“Stay quiet,” he demanded, out of breath.

She tried to scream but the gag made it come out muffled and closer to a whimper. He freed a hand from her waist and grabbed her throat.

“I can still snap your neck.”

Something splashed behind them and the guy carrying her stopped walking.

In seconds someone gasped in air. “Fuck. We aren’t getting paid enough,” the other male whispered.

“Tell me,” the one holding her grumbled. “Did you cover up our escape route?”

“Yeah. They should have no clue how we got out of there.”

The one holding her trudged on through the high water. It was too dark to see anything and Jeanie could only feel terror and misery. She was soaking wet and almost everything hurt. She didn’t fight, just tried to keep breathing. The gag was so wet it kept threatening to choke her since she couldn’t even spit out the water.

They paused and she was lifted, her bare legs scraping more concrete. It got her out of the cold water though. The guy who’d taken her climbed up beside her, his body bumping hers and he grabbed her hair.

“Stand.”

She couldn’t see anything, unsure of how he could. She struggled to her feet and his arm wrapped around her to lift her off her feet again. He walked with her in front of him, their legs bumping with every step. He stopped and it sounded as if a metal hinge squeaked before he advanced. Seconds later it squeaked again, as if he closed a gate or door. It was so dark she couldn’t tell which it was.

“How much longer?” It was the second man and he was close behind them.

“We’re somewhere under the street. Keep your damn voice down. The stairs are ahead and there’s a seal on it. We won’t have to worry after that. We’ll be free and clear.”

“Are you sure they don’t know about this place?”

“No. That’s what the boss said. He said he stole the building plans and they have no clue or they’d have installed security. We were able to get this far without coming up against anything but some padlocks. Do you want to carry her? She’s getting heavy.”

“I breached the house because you’re too big so you can make sure she doesn’t slow us down.”

They stopped and the one holding her eased her down onto her bare feet. He didn’t let go though. He bent enough to put his lips near her ear.

“Listen to me. There’s a hole two feet in front of you. There’s a ladder. If you don’t do exactly what I say, you’ll plunge about thirty feet to your death. Do you understand me?”

Jeanie managed to nod.

“If you run, you’ll fall right in the damn hole. You have a chance of surviving this so be good and don’t get stupid. I’m going to let go of you but steer you with my arm. Just turn and face me.”

“Should we give her a light?” The other one was close.

“Nah. This is funnier. Maybe she’ll fall. We get paid for her whether she’s dead or alive.”

“The boss prefers her alive. He wants to know what she told the NSO.”

“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 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.”