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“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.”
Darkness grabbed his arm. “Wait. We need more men and flashlights. Our eyesight is good but there will be no light below ground.”
“Fuck.” True snarled. “I’m going after my mate.”
“Five minutes,” Justice promised, yanking at his radio to order what they’d need. “That’s got to come out somewhere. Tiger, go find someone who knows what that is and where it goes.”
“I’m on it!” Tiger yelled, rushing around the house.
“I’m going after her now.” True couldn’t wait. Jeanie was bleeding and in danger. Every second could count.
Darkness got in his way. “Listen to me. You go rushing in there, crashing around in the dark. They might just kill her. We need to be smart and stealthy about this. I understand that you want to find your mate but you want her alive, don’t you?”
It tore him up but he struggled to be reasonable.
“We’re going after her but we need to do it the right way.”
He clenched his teeth. “Okay.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jeanie heard the faint scrape of footsteps before light from an opposite tunnel announced Boris’ arrival. She’d had time to cool down and assess the situation. He didn’t know for sure that she’d identified him. That’s probably why she was still alive and the two thugs he’d hired hadn’t killed her.
She glanced at them. They’d changed out of their wet clothing and had shoved everything else into the duffle bag. Both of them looked eager to leave as their boss entered the chamber.
He wore black sweatpants and a black sweatshirt instead of the suit she’d always seen him in. She’d still know him anywhere. The cat ring still adorned his pinky as he stared at her, his glasses too low on his nose. Sweat beaded his forehead and cheeks while he panted.
“I forgot how long it takes to get in here.”
“Is that our cash?”
Jerry Boris glanced down at the bag gripped in his hand and nodded, tossing it in their direction. “Ten grand, just like you asked for.”
It was insulting that her life was worth so little. Boris turned his attention on her and frowned. “What is in her mouth?”
“A gag.”
“I see.”
“We’re out of here.” The blond bent and opened the bag, checking inside. He closed it and nodded at the other man then lifted it as he straightened. “It’s here.”
“Wait!” Boris flushed. “The job isn’t done.”
“You said go in, get her and bring her here. There she is.” The other guy pointed at Jeanie. “That was the job. We’re leaving. Those New Species are going to find us. We want to be long gone before that happens.”
“They won’t.” Boris reached back and pulled out a small bottle of water from a back pocket. He took a sip. “I purposely removed all the blueprints for the underground utilities and drainage catacombs. It’s how I’ve been able to sneak on and off Homeland whenever the need arose. The bastards probably think it’s magic that their streets never flood when big rainstorms hit. It’s given me full access to most of the buildings too.”
“Whatever.” The blond shrugged. “We’re out.”
“I need someone to watch her.” He glanced at his watch. “I have to be back in bed before the sun comes up.”
The brunet snorted. “A vampire, huh?”
“No.” He shot a glare at Jeanie. “They planted bugs and cameras in my home. I had to pretend to go to bed but they’ll see I’m not in it when the sun comes up.”
She was stunned. How had he known?
“You think I’d have missed a bunch of people trampling through my house? I never vacuum or dust. I could see their footprints and stuff moved on the shelves, no matter how careful they were.” He fixed his stare on the two men. “I have plans to get a lot of money for her. I’ll pay you another ten grand if you babysit her for two days down here while I negotiate.”
“It’s not worth it.” The blond took a step toward the tunnel Boris had used. “I think it’s just a matter of time before they figure out we’re down here. I have a life I plan to live.”
“Fifty grand.” Boris took another sip of water. “Each.”
“Fuck.” The brunet paused, studying him. “You think she’s worth a hundred grand? She’s a bitch. No guy is going to pay that and we were just in their house. It’s nice but they aren’t rich. It’d be cheaper if he just gets a new girlfriend. I sure wouldn’t pay that much for a piece of ass.”
“We’ll do it,” the blond said. “But we’re not prepared for that. We’ll have to leave and come back. We’re going to need food, sleeping bags, and I want more ammunition.” He reached behind him and withdrew a gun. “Not just tranq darts. I’m getting some real firepower.”
“They’ll hear it if you fire a gun. That’s why I gave you those.”
“The bastards will already know—they’ll be here if I have to fire on them,” he spat, shaking his head in disgust.
Boris frowned. “Fine. One of you go, but one stays.”
“Screw that.” The blond shook his head. “He could just take the money and not come back.”
His partner flipped him off. “Or you could.”
“You’re a team. You don’t trust each other?” Boris looked disgusted.
“We work together but we aren’t friends.” The blond shifted his stance. “Besides, I have my own weapons of choice, and don’t forget, I know how dangerous those bastards are. I already lost one man going after that bitch. We’ll need to be gone about two hours. I think you can handle her on your own for that long. You better mean cash.” He glanced around the room. “I refuse to take anything less to stay in this hellhole.”
“And we want to be paid tomorrow,” his partner demanded.
“I told you I’m being watched,” Boris protested. “It isn’t easy to get that kind of cash so fast. I can get it for you by tomorrow night. I’ll come back right after they think I’m in bed.”
“Fine.” The blond strode off with the second man following.
“Two hours,” Boris called out. “Hurry up.”
Boris smirked at Jeanie, coming closer but stopped about four feet away. “You never could follow orders well. I told you not to go to work that day. Did you listen? No. Look at the mess you’ve gotten us into.”
Her fingers curled around the chain of the handcuffs and she wanted nothing better than to stand and swing the chair at him but the sound of booted feet still could be heard as his two goons left. She couldn’t risk them turning around if she hit Boris, no matter how much she wanted to do it.
She reached up with her free hand, feeling the back of the gag. It was knotted in her hair, a wet tangled mess she tried to free.
“Don’t bother screaming. We’re about forty feet underground in a location that only has road above us. No one lives nearby and it’s the middle of the night. None of those crazy bastards are going to be out. You’ll only make me angry.”
Using her free hand, she worked the gag loose, tearing out a bit of her hair in the process. She spit it out of her mouth and tossed the offensive thing aside. It hit the ground with a splat. She sucked in air and wished she could brush her teeth. Her gaze sought Boris instead.
“Fuck you, Brice.” She decided not to reveal she knew his real name yet.
His smile widened. “I assume you know I don’t really work for the NSO by now, recovering the lost ones.”
“You were ransoming those locations for money.”
“Brilliant, wasn’t it?” He backed up and leaned against the wall, just dropping his water on the floor. “I’m going to retire really soon with a lot of money. Do they know who I really am or was the Fuller debacle the reason they are watching me?”
He doesn’t know. She decided to play dumb. “Fuller? Why would that make them watch you?”
It was the right thing to say
because he chuckled. “I run it. Surprise! I should have fired some of the staff there. I knew they were screwing around but I didn’t give a damn because it got me information from time to time when I’d listen in on the Security feeds.”
“Is that how you found out about Cornas Research? Did you ever really have a plant there or was that a lie too?”
He crossed one ankle over the other, getting comfortable. “Actually, that was pure luck. One of the prisoners didn’t like her treatment at Fuller so she complained to me. I told her I couldn’t help unless she gave me something in return. Her sister worked at Mercile too but she’d decided to go out on her own. The dumb bitch got busted with some of those animals but her sister wasn’t as greedy. She took a job at Cornas to continue her research on those bastards there. I sent you in to confirm they had some of them locked up.”
Hatred filled her but she hoped he’d tell her more. “How many other people like me are there?”
“There’s no one like you, Jeanie. You were so damn gullible.” He rolled his eyes and his voice turned high pitched. “I just want to save them,” he mimicked. He shook his head. “Stupid do-gooder. What did it get you? Shot and arrested. Then you had to go and fuck one of them. Do you know how much money you’ve cost me by spreading your legs? A lot. You should have just been transferred to my prison and that would have been the end of it. You would have slipped and cracked your head open in the shower or had a food allergy that killed you.”
“I’m not allergic to anything.”
“That’s not what the autopsy would have said.” He shoved away from the wall. “That’s okay though. I’m going to do two more ransoms and then I’m retiring. But it really pisses me off because I wasn’t done sticking it to them for ruining my life. Those animals thought they could just throw me out of Homeland, take my job and get away with it. I’m disappointed it’s ending before I was ready to disappear. Too bad I couldn’t make those bastards suffer more but I’ll just have to really enjoy these last few days I have left. No way was I leaving without making sure you paid for that.”
“Two?” She knew he planned to use her but who was the other person?
He nodded. “A woman Species. Those animals go nuts over the small ones. They’ll do anything I ask to get her back. I had my guys go scout out the place to make sure the tip was real and hired a private investigator to keep an eye on the fat cat who owns her to make sure he doesn’t plan an extended trip. The two of you together are going to be worth a lot of money. I didn’t notice they had installed cameras until I’d already made some mistakes. They might know about one of my bank accounts so I need to fatten up a new one.”
“A Gift?” His eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You said small New Species.”
“That’s what Mercile Industries called them. You really fucked up my plans, Jeanie. I’m really angry about that.”
She bit back a smartass remark, glaring at him instead. The urge was strong to batter him with the chair she was chained to but she wanted to learn more first. She had two hours before his goons returned but she hoped to be long gone before then.
“I hadn’t planned to retire this year but I had to get you to Fuller to make sure you couldn’t tell them too much. They might be suspicious of me right now and upset about how I ran the prison but they can’t nail me on anything yet. I’ve had to accelerate my plan and will just have to settle with what I’ve made so far and what I make off the two of you.”
“What were you worried the NSO would learn from me?” She wanted to know if he’d confess his real name.
He just shook his head, smiling. It was annoying.
“So where is this Gift?”
“Like I’d tell you. I’m going to negotiate for her first just to make sure you can’t tell them about her. That means you’re going to be down here for a few days.” He snickered. “Not that you will be able to tell them much of anything.”
“What does that mean?” A chill ran down her spine.
He paced a little by the tunnel and finally looked at her. “Do you really think I’d tell you I run Fuller and just let you walk out of here? It’s not happening. I want you to know that because you’ve made my life hell since you were arrested. I’ve worried that they’d piece it together and they’d grab me before I could board a flight bound for freedom. You have to pay for that.”
Her hand tightened on the chain and she straightened in the chair.
“I can’t believe you would come here.” Right under Homeland. It gave her chills. The guy is insane.
He laughed, looking every bit the part of a madman. “Do you know how much I enjoy being right under their noses without their knowledge? It proves I’m superior. Justice North will eventually figure it out. Justice for Justice. Perfect, isn’t it?”
“You’re something, all right. What are you going to do with me?”
“They’d smell a bomb on you, but poison? Doubtful. At least not at first. I’ll just tell them you’re drugged when the exchange is made. Dumb and Dumber, who just left, are going to get the blame for kidnapping you. I know where both of them live so it’s just a matter of making a stop to retrieve the money I’ll have to pay them. Neither one of them is smart enough to stash it in an offshore account or hell, even a safe-deposit box. They probably hide it under their mattresses or behind furniture.”
She watched him, waiting for an opportunity.
“You could tell those idiots of my plan but they won’t believe you. I’ll just say you made threats and said how stupid they were that you could turn them on me. That makes it even better.” He chuckled. “Being warned and yet still getting caught. Sound familiar, Jeanie?”
She braced her feet on the floor, hoping he’d come closer. All she had to do was wait until he turned a little. He wouldn’t be able to move out of the way fast enough before she’d be on him. He outweighed her but she was in better shape and had a weapon. She didn’t see one on him. The sweats were baggy but he was too arrogant to think she’d attack. It was a bet she was willing to risk her life on.
“You’re a spineless prick.”
He paused, staring at her. “You think your precious New Species are better? Give me a break. Do you know how easy it’s been to manipulate them? You have gullibility in common with them. You also wouldn’t believe how stupid some of them can be about honor and shit. They just drop money into an account if you show them any proof at all and they think they might be able to recover more of their kind.”
“You wouldn’t know anything about honor, would you?”
“Nope. I don’t have that flaw.”
He seemed proud of that fact. Jeanie felt disgust.
Jerry Boris winked. “They ruined my life. It’s only fair they pay for it. I had to create a whole new plan to get back some of what they took away. I had a really sweet thing going on until you ruined it all. I almost wish I could take you out with something really painful but it’s going to have to be a slow-acting poison and you’ll need to be unconscious. At least you’ll have a few days to mull that over and suffer, knowing your fate. I’m also petty and spiteful, by the way.”
“How can you look in a mirror?” She really needed him to start pacing again but wanted to get more information before she hit him. “You knew those New Species were suffering. Hell, you knew I was being used as a guinea pig for a drug trial but you let it go on for months. What about the Gift? Is her life miserable too? Is she being abused? What kind of monster has her? What does he do for a living?”
“I couldn’t care less if any of those animals suffer or that you did. It was funny as shit, actually. Stupid people deserve it. I dragged it out to angle for more money when I realized they’d pay the big bucks. I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the drugs your boss gave you but whose fault is that, Jeanie? You chose to take that abuse to save your favorite dog. You could have avoided it all and just quit at any time.”
“I couldn’t. I have a heart.”
“And it will get you killed.” He snorted and began to pac
e, glancing at his watch again. “They need to hurry, damn it. I don’t like it down here and they better not be late. As much as I enjoy giving the NSO some grief over what they did to me, dank, dark places aren’t my thing. I’ve seen rats down here.”
“What did the NSO ever do to you? Are you one of those morons who dislikes them because they are genetically enhanced?” She purposely curled her lip, sneering at him. “You sure aren’t.”
“I was in charge of Homeland!” He turned, furious. “I helped make it what it is today. This place was my baby and what did they do? I got fired and was told to get lost. The only reason I acquired the warden job at Fuller was because I was able to blackmail my way to get it.”
“Blackmail?”
He grinned. “Yeah. I found something out and used it.”
“What did you find out?”
He shrugged. “I discovered they can have babies. I didn’t tell that to Senator Hills but I implied I could make a lot of waves if I wasn’t handed Fuller Prison. That was the cost for my silence.”
Boris knew New Species could have children. It meant he could go to the press. She felt sickened by the ramifications of that classified information being leaked.
He leaned in closer. “How do you think I found out where you were staying? They locked me out of the back door I had into the computer systems but only on the security level. They didn’t classify their stock records of the supplies being ordered for Homeland and Reservation. Diapers, prenatal vitamins, and a whole list of other things were delivered. It was a dead giveaway. They had clothing and food delivered to a home that was previously empty right when you were returned to Homeland. It was so easy to find you, Jeanie. You thought they could protect you? It’s a joke. I’m ten times smarter than they are.”
“You’re wrong.” She decided to bluff. “Some of the human staff has babies but not New Species. I would have been told otherwise.”
He snorted. “Right. Fury married Ellie and I know where he lives. That cunt had his baby. The diaper deliveries went straight to them. You never see them on television anymore, which is good because they make me sick after what they did to me, but it’s because she’s probably a fat cow after birthing his puppies.”