Текст книги "True"

Автор книги: Laurann Dohner

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“Fuck,” he hissed. “They dosed her instead. Even a male who hated humans would have felt pity watching her suffer, especially if she inspired any of them to feel any type of liking toward her or if they’d been given the drug before.”

Fury growled. “It would have been tempting to just kill her to end her suffering but some may have chosen to mount her instead if she treated them well.”

“Or some may have been unable to resist if they hadn’t had access to a female in a long time.” Darkness sighed. “She is attractive and everyone from Drackwood seems to like her. We’d have done the same for our females to ease the pain of the drug. They would have been careful not to hurt her if she meant something to them. It would explain why she wasn’t killed.”

Midnight drew their attention. “She kept going on about an Agent Brice and what she said answered some of True’s questions. He never understood why those at Drackwood changed their minds about killing him. You know I speak often to newly freed Species. I helped True adjust to life as a free male. I know his history well and it fits.” She paused, as if considering her thoughts before continuing. “I’m intrigued, Justice. It seems there’s a human with a badge who convinced her she was really working for us to help those Species gain their freedom. I believe her when she says he exists.”

Fury shifted his stance. “Are you sure she was being honest?”

She glanced down at his pants. “Do you want to empty out your left pocket to show everyone what you keep there? I already know and I know why you feel the need to keep Ellie’s scent close at all times.” She smirked as her gaze lifted to his. “That sedative is really strong and gets anyone taking it to make honest statements about things they wouldn’t normally share.”

Color stained his cheeks as he growled. “Understood.”

Justice glanced at him and sniffed the air. “Should I ask?”

“No.” Fury cleared his throat. “The sedative is strong enough that someone would blurt out honest information. Take my word for it.”

“What is in your pocket?”

“None of your business, Tim.” Fury shot Midnight a warning look. “She was very talkative?”

“Yes. She tried to answer the questions truthfully when they took her to the basement but no one believed her. True trusts her now. We should wait until she wakes to get more answers, find out who this human is and figure out how she was used by him.” She stared at Tim. “I have been thinking about this. Is it possible that there’s another website out there that mimics our own? Maybe she saw it and contacted this human instead of us. It wouldn’t be the first time someone tried to mess with Species.” She glanced at Justice. “How did we locate both places she worked?”

He glanced at Tim. “Tell her.”

“The tip line. We paid a million and a half out for the info on Cornas Research.”

“So someone profited from their rescue?” Midnight beamed. “See?”

“It was her,” Tim accused. “That makes it worse.”

Fury frowned. “You know this for sure?”

“No. We received a package in the mail with proof that someone had access to Species not listed in our DNA database three days before we hit Cornas. There were no fingerprints or any way to trace where the package came from. It contained sealed sample bags with Species’ DNA with a typed note. It said we’d be contacted soon and the amount of money wanted for disclosure of the location where we could recover them. Just after midnight on the day we learned of the location a computerized voice message was left on the tip line with a foreign bank account number attached. We paid and they emailed to tell us we’d find our Species locked underground at Cornas Research. Four hours later we hit it.” He paused. “I am pretty sure an anonymous tip with money demands was the same way we learned about Drackwood. Don’t you see? She’s got to be the one who did it. That bitch blackmailed a heavy sum from the NSO. I’m pretty sure we paid over a million on that one too.”

“Another human is involved,” Midnight stated. “He’s going by the name of Agent Brice.”

“Every indication is they are partners.” Tim turned, motioning to his team outside through the large windows. “I’m going to interrogate her myself this time and find out who she was working with. We’ll nail both of these bastards and get the money back.” He nodded at Justice. “They might know more locations where New Species are being kept. I’m concerned the takedown will cause panic if that’s the case and any other locations might kill any survivors. Time is of the essence.”

When the six humans rushed inside the building, Midnight growled, getting in Tim’s face. “Stop. You aren’t listening to me. She believes she was helping, not using us to get rich. It doesn’t fit.”

“Do you know that for certain? I don’t. We paid out a shitload of money and more lives could be on the line. I don’t care if she realized her partner was ripping us off. She knows who he is and they both knew how to find Drackwood and Cornas. There’s too much at stake to give anyone the benefit of the doubt.” Tim spun and motioned to his team again. “Upstairs. We’re collecting our prisoner.”

Justice intervened. “Don’t follow that order.” He stared down at Tim. “I understand the difficult situation you are in but you aren’t sending your team after that female until we learn more information.”

“She could know where other Species are being held.” Tim’s face reddened with anger. “They could be suffering right now. The faster we make her talk, the faster we can get to them.”

“She could have another panic attack,” Midnight protested. “I believe she was used by the human. True does as well.”

“Enough!” Darkness bellowed, his voice chilling. He waited until he had everyone’s attention. “No one is getting near that female without having to kill Flirt and True. They won’t allow you to take her without a fight to the death. Didn’t you hear me about the life debt?” He held Justice’s stare. “I won’t allow that to happen. They are doing what they believe is right. Let them ask her questions, or I will, but this has become a Species matter.” He turned his cold stare on Tim. “Get your males out of our dorm. I like some of them but it doesn’t mean I won’t kick their asses if they attempt to reach those stairs or the elevator.” He glanced at each task force member. “Do you want to listen to me or Tim? Leave.”

The humans backed up, retreating out the door.

Darkness didn’t care that Tim appeared furious. “You should go with them.”

“Don’t threaten me.”

“Call it a friendly warning. The female stays here. I’ll get your answers. You want to know if she was aware of the blackmail and who the male is. I’ll find out my own way.”

Justice nodded. “Darkness will handle this matter.”

Tim gasped. “She’s human, therefore my responsibility. It’s my job to—”

“Follow my orders,” Justice stated. “I understand that you’re angry because you’re looking out for us but Darkness is right. This became a Species matter when the female in question took refuge under this roof.”

“She was kidnapped from Medical,” Tim reminded him.

“Actually,” Midnight countered, “she asked True to hide her. She was pretty out of it but it was clear she wanted his help. Can you kidnap someone who has asked you to move them to another location?”

“No,” Darkness answered. “He hid her inside his apartment.”

“I’m not sure what room he’s keeping her in.” Dagger smiled. “I’d consider that hidden. He was just doing what she requested so it can’t be kidnapping.”

“Goddamn it,” Tim raged. “This isn’t a game. You’re harboring a fugitive from me and my team. I know Species have a blind spot when it comes to anything with a vagina but this bitch managed to rip the NSO off for millions of dollars in a blackmail scheme while New Species suffered. Let me do my job.”

“We’ll handle this, Tim. Why don’t you go review the details of how we learned about Drackwood? That would be very helpful,” Justice suggested.

“Son of a b—”

“Stop,” Justice snarled. “I don’t have a blind spot just because she’s female. I understand you think we’re more likely to believe her because she’s female but do you know what convinces me to allow Species to handle this matter? They care about her. We’re not idiots. Some of them know this female, spent time with her during their captivity, and they vouch for her. That’s what motivates me to walk out the door while she’s upstairs. Go do your job by pulling and reviewing the details of how we found out about Drackwood. You’ll be notified as soon as they learn any new information you can work with. Go.” He pointed to the door. “I’ll remember that you’re so passionate because you care instead of physically tossing you out on your ass for the insult you just spoke.”

Tim stomped outside where his team waited. Justice watched him go, frowning.

“Thank you for backing me up.” Darkness inclined his head in appreciation.

“He’s trying his best to do his job.” Justice paused. “Regulations state that humans are his problem but I disregarded them. Handle this matter. I trust you to keep me in the loop at all times and she’s your responsibility. She’s to go nowhere without a male at her side and to make no outside contact.”

“Understood.”

Justice turned but paused, glancing back. A slow smile curved his lips. “I’m glad to see you getting involved. You’ve been a bit distant.”

“I like True.”

“So do I. You know this could have been avoided if you’d been the one to question her. You’re very thorough.”

“I refuse to torture females.”

The smile faded from Justice’s lips. “I never said you had to. You have a very unique history with skills we lack. I doubt you’d have to resort to physical violence to convince a female to talk.”

Darkness lifted his chin, anger flashing in his eyes. “No.”

“You’re aware of what happened when the task force found that female at Cornas since you admitted to reading all available files on Jeanie Shiver. You wouldn’t have allowed her to be harmed by the team if you’d been on scene.”

“I refuse to leave NSO lands with the recovery teams. You never wish to see me in a combat situation, Justice.” Darkness’ voice lowered to a whisper to make certain it didn’t carry throughout the room. “I’ve seen enough death and they turned me into a killing machine. I’m not sure I could turn if off if I had to do it again.”

Fury cleared his throat. “Midnight? Dagger? Please excuse us.”

The two disappeared down the hallway into the library. Justice broke the silence first.

“I understand your fears but—”

“I’m not afraid. I’m what everyone else fears.” Darkness blew out a frustrated sigh. “Our people keep a wide berth from me.”

“You would have handled the situation with Jeanie Shiver better than Tim’s team did. The humans get too emotional in our defense. They believe we’re still too naïve or softhearted. No one could accuse you of that. Will you at least consider handling any future interrogations with females brought to Homeland? You can hand them off to someone else to deal with if you feel uncomfortable but I’d sleep better at night knowing you were the one in charge of gaining information from them.”

Fury drew Darkness’ attention. “You handled this situation extremely well. Justice is wise and I believe you’re not giving yourself enough credit. You’re not a monster. You’re a survivor who had to do the unthinkable but it also makes you the best one for the job. The humans trained you to gain information from other humans. You understand that females and males are not alike and should be treated different. Tim’s team doesn’t make that distinction. No torture or abuse needs to be applied to females unless they have a military background where they’ve been conditioned to withstand emotional triggers.”

“I’ll consider it.” Darkness turned away from them, cursing under his breath, making it clear he wasn’t pleased.

Justice smiled again. “Good. Do that and let me know when you make a decision. For now you’re in charge of the Jeanie Shiver situation. Just make sure True’s dick doesn’t get in the way of him being responsible. He seems too attached to her.”

Fury nodded. “I wasn’t rational when it came to Ellie.”

Darkness stared at him. “I don’t understand.”

“She worked for Mercile where I was kept, the way this female did with True. I wanted to hate Ellie at first but those emotions quickly changed. I went from wanting to strangle her to feeling the overriding desire to get her naked on my bed. It took me a while to realize I wanted her for a mate.”

“I’ll watch for the signs.” Darkness paused. “There might be a problem with that. Flirt seems equally protective of her.”

“Make sure they don’t fight.” Justice gave Darkness a hard look and then glanced at Fury. “Let’s go soothe Tim’s temper somewhat. He’s got a right to feel anger but he needs to learn how to express it better.”

“I vote that we make Brawn deal with him.”

Justice chuckled. “Don’t tempt me, Fury. Tim is his father-by-mating. We can’t push that kind of stress his way. Becca won’t appreciate us pitting her males against each other either.”

Chapter Six

Jeanie knew she needed to wake. Something important had happened but her mind struggled to remember what. She managed to force her eyes open against the temptation to go back to sleep, only to stare up at a white ceiling. She blinked a few times.

“Jeanie,” a male voice rasped.

The bed dipped a little and she looked in that direction. The familiar face took a moment to identify and with it, the memories returned as she stared at 710. He was bent forward in a chair, elbows on his knees, his chin resting on his upraised fists. His dark-brown eyes looked almost black in the dim light.

She glanced around, stunned to find she wasn’t still in a hospital bed. “Where am I?” Her heart rate accelerated as fear slammed into her. “This can’t be a prison.” She stared at him again. “This is a bedroom.”

“It’s mine. I refused to allow them to transfer you to Fuller.”

She tried to piece together what had happened once she’d learned they were sending her to the same place Dean Polanitis had been taken. Embarrassment set in. “I attacked people, didn’t I?”

“You bloodied a human’s nose with the back of your head and kneed Jericho where it hurts the most. They’re both fine.”

She swallowed hard. “Jericho is the big one with the reddish eyes, right?”

“That’s him.”

“I’m so sorry. He was nice to me.” No guilt surfaced over the human since he’d been a jerk. She moved her arms, glad neither wrist sported handcuffs as she sat up. “I didn’t mean to freak out. I need to apologize to him.”

He leaned back. “There’s nothing to apologize for. You were terrified and reacted accordingly.”

She hugged her chest, thinking hard. “I don’t remember anything after that.” Her gaze held his. “Did I attack you too?” She’d be horrified if she had.

“No. I picked you up before any more damage could occur and a nurse gave you a sedative.”

It explained why she had a blank spot in her memory. “I wasn’t lying. I worked for Agent Terry Brice. He’s real.”

“I know you believe that.”

“I met him. He’s in his mid-fifties, overweight and sweats a lot. He called and came to see me the day after I contacted the NSO tip line. He showed me a badge. Please believe me.”

“I do.”

“Thank you, 710.” She felt immense gratitude.

“I took the name True. Please use it.”

“I like it.” She bit her lower lip, studying him. “Why did you pick it? May I ask?”

“I saw a lot of my kind attempting to fit in after we were freed, by acting different than who they really were. I wanted to stay true to my nature. It seemed fitting.”

“That’s beautiful.” It touched her that he was so thoughtful. He hadn’t spoken to her much at Drackwood but he’d always seemed highly intelligent. She’d grown to care more about him every time they’d had any interaction. There had been attraction and something deeper. “I think you have a nice name, True.”

“Tell me more about this human.”

“What do you want to know? He flew in every few weeks and we kept in contact through the disposable cell phone. He’d leave me text messages since I had to hide it. I’d call him back or I’d check the phone to find out where we were supposed to meet next.”

“Why hide it?”

“Both Drackwood and Cornas invaded our privacy in every way imaginable and I’m sure Security monitored our phone conversations even when we weren’t at work. That’s why I had the disposable cell. I paid cash for it and added minutes when I ran low. I kept it off so it wouldn’t ring and kept it inside a sealed plastic bag buried in a park near the places I lived. I bought the same model phone that I used as my personal cell and would just snap in the battery when I checked it. That way I could keep charging it without someone wondering why I had a spare charger when I didn’t have a second phone.”

“Why a park?”

“I pretended to be into jogging and it would give me a reason to go out at night. It was easier to make sure I wasn’t followed that way too. I’d rest and sip water along one of the trails, act as if I was stretching my muscles, but I’d actually dig up the phone to check for new texts.”

“Smart.”

“I was terrified of being caught. It’s a great motivation not to screw up.” A thought struck. “I can tell you where my last cell phone is buried. Those texts are still on it. I never had time to delete anything. I left my personal cell phone in my apartment the day I went to work but I can give you my address. The police can go there and grab it to use the battery on that phone when they dig it up. It will prove he exists, right?”

“We know where you live. It could possibly prove his existence.”

“I don’t understand. How would he know things about NSO if he doesn’t really work here? He texted me both times to give me a heads-up when the rescues were about to happen. Drackwood and Cornas would have cleared out the buildings if they’d had any forewarning of what was about to go down. We had drills about those kinds of things.”

“What do you mean?”

She slid her hands down to her lap, intertwining her fingers. “Drackwood and Cornas had protocols in place for certain events. They had us practice what to do.”

“Such as?”

She glanced away. It hurt, looking at him while having to explain just how horrible human beings could be. “We were ordered to destroy evidence in case of a breach, kill New Species and escape from the secret exits to avoid arrest. They didn’t want any of us to get caught since we could identify the other staff.” She paused, waiting to see if he got angry. Silence reigned but she didn’t feel brave enough to look at him to see his expression. She kept her focus on her hands. “They also had drills in case we ever needed to move locations. Security estimated we could clear out a facility within an hour.”

“How?”

“Drug all the New Species and transfer them by gurneys into trucks from the loading dock. I don’t know about the other assignments given to employees but I assumed they’d have some of them trained to destroy any evidence that we were ever there. My best guess is that they’d blow up the building or torch it.”

“Where were we to be taken?”

“I have no idea.” She turned her head and lifted her gaze. He didn’t appear angry, just curious. “That wasn’t something they ever said. It was classified information I didn’t have access to. My assignment was to travel inside the trucks with the drugged New Species and monitor them to make sure they stayed unconscious. Security ran the drills and didn’t even tell us how long it would take to reach another location.”

“There’s really poison gas hidden inside the fire alarms at Cornas?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “I got lucky enough to have lunch at the same time as the guy who did it. He was someone I hadn’t seen before so I sat next to him, hoping to learn why he was there. He bragged about it.” She scowled. “He seemed proud of the fact that he’d just implemented something so gruesome. I told Agent Brice his first name was Ron. I’m not sure if he lied about that or not since he just had a visitor badge with numbers on it. He refused to tell me his last name. I tried to find out what other places he’d worked but he seemed to grow suspicious at that point. I said I had to get back to work out of fear of him reporting my interest if I lingered any longer.”

“That’s why you destroyed the mainframe computer?”

“Ron told me he’d set that up at another facility and the gas would kill anyone who breathed it in under a minute. He bragged about how Security could trigger it from their computer terminals, which were linked to the mainframe. I had to prevent it.”

“What is your connection to 712?”

She couldn’t help but smile. “I took care of him often when he was in the clinic. He’s doing well, right? Agent Brice said he was.” Dread came next when True growled, his features hardening into a mask of anger. “Oh no. Agent Brice lied? He didn’t survive?” Tears filled her eyes. “That bastard swore to me that 712 was rescued and fully recovered from his injuries. One of the guards really did a number on him with a knife to his stomach.”

“He’s fine. You care about him?”

“Of course. I care about all of them.” Relief washed over her. “I was really worried when Agent Brice said Drackwood was about to be raided because a few of them were being kept in the medical center at the time. The doctors on duty could have easily killed him and 754. She made it, too, didn’t she? They were both chained to their beds, totally helpless. All the injured New Species were at the highest risk of being murdered.”

“She is well.”

“Thank god. They’d had her there doing exploratory surgery on her ovaries. That was what the chart read when I peeked at it but I think they were really trying to harvest some of her eggs, thinking they’d figure out why none of the women were getting pregnant. The doctors were such sick bastards. They arrested Dr. Brask, didn’t they? Please tell me that son of a bitch isn’t running around free. He’s a nightmare. Agent Brice promised me he was caught but obviously I can’t trust anything he said.”

“He’s a prisoner at Fuller.”

“Good.”

True leaned in closer. “Did any Species ever mount you?”

She was taken aback by the question. “No. Why would you ask me that?”

He hesitated. “You told me about what Polanitis did to you.”

Her stomach heaved. “What?” She hoped she’d heard him wrong.

“He forced you to participate in breeding experiments. Please tell me the numbers of the males involved.”

She cringed away, horrified as it sank in that he believed she’d had sex with multiple New Species at Drackwood. Alarm swamped her. He knew about the drug trials she’d endured. The only way he’d learn that information was if she’d really told him something. Her mind came up blank on any memory of doing so.

“Jeanie,” he rasped, “look at me.”

She refused, panicking a little inside. I wouldn’t have told him anything about what was done to me. He must have asked questions like he is right now. He might figure out I did it for him. The last thing she ever wanted was for him to feel responsible. All the blame rested squarely on Dean Polanitis. He was the son of a bitch who’d targeted her for blackmail and used True to keep her in line.

“You were heavily sedated after your panic attack and terrified you’d see Polanitis. You didn’t pass out right away but instead shared how the breeding drug hurt you.”

She squeezed her eyes closed and hugged her waist hard enough to hurt her injured side. “Stop. I don’t want to talk about this.”

“I do.”

She wasn’t certain how to respond. Her goal had been to protect him from ever knowing the truth. “Please, True. I don’t want to talk about the past. You said I was babbling and drugged. Chalk it up to that. Let’s change the subject.”

“We’re not done,” he snarled.

She jerked and stared at him, unsettled by that frightening demand. His handsome face loomed even closer since he’d leaned halfway across the bed until only inches separated them. Though his eyes appeared black with turmoil, he didn’t seem evil to her. He just looked angry.

“Did anyone mount you? Tell me the truth or I’ll call Midnight to bring another sedative. Don’t make me drug you to get answers, Jeanie. I would hate to do it but I need to know.”

“No.”

He studied her. “That’s the truth?”

“Yes.” She held his gaze. “I swear.”

“I’ve been given the breeding drug. I suffered unbearable agony until it drove me insane. I retained no memories of what was done to me or if I harmed anyone. You probably suffered the same fate. Males could have mounted you without you remembering.” His voice deepened. “I’ll find out, even if I have to speak to every male who came from Drackwood.”

The blood drained from her face as she purposely recalled the horrors of Polanitis forcing her to walk with him to visit Dr. Brask. She’d never forget being strapped to a gurney or being injected. The pain, humiliation, and terror that followed had haunted her many nights. She had nightmares about being back inside that room, screaming as her body writhed from excruciating pain.

“Jeanie?”

She closed her eyes, focusing inward instead. “I’m pretty sure I’d have known if that happened. I mean, every muscle ached from thrashing around and I’d have bruises on my wrists and ankles from the restraints but nothing indicated I’d been sexually assaulted.” She looked at him. “It was just Polanitis and Brask in the room. I don’t think I ever blacked out. I would have known if they’d done more to me. They seemed more interested in diluting the drug enough to get the effects they wanted. My guess is that they were attempting to make it so it wasn’t painful to take but still caused the physical symptoms of…” She paused, blushed. “Getting a woman unreasonably in the mood to crave sex. Just the right combination to cause mindless desire without debilitating the user. It was awful at first but gradually wasn’t as painful. I retained more memories of what was being done to me as the testing advanced.”

“You don’t have our ability to detect a male’s scent on you.”

She bit her lip, trying to think of a way to delicately explain, without embarrassment, how she’d have known. She decided to just be frank. “I had to shower afterward. I was soaked in sweat. I wasn’t messed with.”

“You wouldn’t know if it happened in the beginning.”

Heat warmed her cheeks and she dropped her gaze to his neck. “I don’t agree. I hadn’t dated anyone in over a year at the time and I’m pretty sure I’d have known if I’d been raped. I wasn’t sore down there or anything.”

“They could have been gentle.”

Nausea threatened to rise at that concept but it went against everything she knew about her old boss. “Dean Polanitis didn’t know the meaning of the word. He was a brutal bastard who enjoyed inflicting terror and humiliation on everyone around him. He would have told me what they were going to do if they planned to have me raped. He also wouldn’t have it done when I was passed out. That would have been too humane for someone so vicious.”

He studied her while seeming to consider her words. “He offered you to me.”

The shocks kept coming. “What do you mean by that?”

“He said I could mount you if I didn’t harm any more of the guards. He seemed concerned that hiring new ones to replace them might heighten the risk of Drackwood’s activities being discovered.”

She gaped at him. No words even came to mind. Dean Polanitis had been malicious, a nasty person, but to offer to allow someone to have sex with her surpassed the scope of evil she believed he’d been capable of committing. It also came as a surprise that her boss hadn’t taunted her with the threat. They’d hated each other.

“I refused.”

She dropped her gaze to his chest, letting that sink in. Her response was easy. “You could never be cruel.”

He cleared his throat. “It seems this agent fooled you into believing he really worked for the NSO. There is no such person affiliated with us. I received information while you slept that ransom money was paid for the locations of Drackwood and Cornas.”

The sharp sensation to her chest had to be caused by betrayal and heartbreak after learning all she’d done had been used to financially hurt the NSO. She studied his face. “You’re sure?”

“We’re positive.” He straightened in his chair and lifted a cell phone from the nightstand. He turned the screen her way after using his index finger to manipulate the device. “See? We paid a million dollars for the location of Drackwood and a million and a half for the location of Cornas. This so-called agent pocketed the money. We were anonymously sent samples of blood, hair, saliva and fingernail clippings that were tested. It was determined they belonged to Species who weren’t in our current database. Everyone who has been freed has samples taken and tested for comparison.”

“What do they compare them to?”

He hesitated. “Some Species have a wish for family. We’ve found some who have the same biological markers. It also helps us determine if the tips are real or not. We can test to see if they are Species, if it’s someone we’ve already recovered or not. We get a lot of humans who lie and claim to have knowledge of where Species are being held in captivity in hopes we’ll pay them money. We do if we can determine their information is real.”

“I could kill Brice.” She was livid. “That son of a bitch.”

“Some believe you knew what he was doing.”

It was a verbal slap in the face and it hurt. “I didn’t.”

“Did you receive any money from him? The task force team is checking your finances.”

“Not the way you’d think.” She really wanted True to believe her. “The only time he helped me financially was when I moved to South Dakota. I had to rent a truck to move my stuff and needed enough money to get into my apartment. I couldn’t afford the first and last month’s rent because I hadn’t planned to go there until he told me about Cornas. Someone had to prove New Species were there so he could get them free.”

“How much money did you accept?” He didn’t look happy.

“He gave me two thousand dollars.”

True stood, pacing the room. Jeanie watched him, worried he’d think the worst.

“I only accepted that money because I didn’t have the funds to move. I swear I didn’t know he demanded a ransom from the NSO for the information I gave.”