True Read online

  “You think that’s necessary?” She really hoped not as she leaned her head forward enough to peer at the driver.

  “I do.” Breeze smiled. “I’m paranoid though. I really love watching human movies and in one of them I saw a group of good guys get attacked on their way to the police station while escorting a witness. I figure the bad guys might watch the same ones as I do and steal that plot twist. Now we have snipers in place to shoot the shit out of them if they try to set up a roadblock.”

  “Don’t frighten her,” True ordered.

  Jeanie had the opposite reaction. She laughed, amused.

  True reached up and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at his grim expression. “This isn’t funny.”

  “It isn’t,” she agreed and sighed. “It’s just that I really like her.”

  “I like you too,” Breeze cheerfully called out. “Hold on. It might get rough. I’m not taking a route they’ll expect. I always wanted to do this.”

  Jeanie grabbed hold of the bar above their head. True released her chin but his other arm tightened around her waist—him being her seat belt. The Jeep took off fast and abruptly veered across the road and jumped the curb. It almost tossed her off True’s lap but he kept hold of her when the wheels landed on the grass.

  “You’re driving through the park?” Jericho cursed.

  “Yeah,” Breeze laughed. “Brilliant, huh? They’ll think we’ll use the roads but we’re not. Our guys can see us from the rooftops so we’re covered.”

  “Do you want to turn on the headlights?” Jinx pushed his head between the seats from the back. “So you don’t hit a tree. Do you see that one directly in our path?”

  Breeze jerked on the wheel, sending the Jeep to the right before straightening it out. “I see it. I’m not blind, and no, I’m not using headlights. Humans don’t have our night vision. The point is to get there without them knowing where we are. Now shut up and sit tight. I’ll have us there before—”

  “The bushes!” Flame yelled.

  “I see them.” Breeze swerved to the left. “Isn’t this fun?”

  “No,” True grumbled, “it’s not.”

  “Spoilsport.” Breeze chuckled. “And yes, I see the lake.” She turned the wheel. “We’re not going for a swim.”

  Jeanie closed her eyes and turned into True, grateful she couldn’t see anything out in the darkness. The speeding Jeep bumped and swayed over the uneven terrain, the wind cold against her skin, but she felt safe despite it all.

  “Hang on. We’re leaving grass for road,” Breeze warned.

  “Remind me to drive next time,” Jinx grumbled. “Slow down!”

  “Did you lose your yarn balls, kitten?” Breeze laughed. “This is fun!”

  The sensation of being airborne only lasted a second or two before the wheels landed on unforgiving pavement again. True cushioned her as they were thrown up into the air a little before slamming back against the seat. He snarled.

  “Damn it, Breeze. My mate doesn’t need to be frightened even more.”

  “You’re not worried about being shot, are you, Jeanie?”

  “Definitely not,” she agreed, more concerned they’d be involved in a car accident.

  “See?” Breeze laughed. “I knew this would distract her. Okay, braking. Brace!”

  True snarled again and his body tensed. The wheels squealed in protest as the Jeep came to a too-sudden stop.

  “Safe and sound.” Breeze turned off the engine.

  Jeanie opened her eyes when she lifted her face away from True’s chest and glanced around. They were in a well-lit area, parked near the curb in front of a single-story building. Two New Species in uniform stood with weapons drawn but holstered them and frowned.

  “You’re a menace, Breeze,” one of them accused.

  “Love you, too, toga boy.”

  He snarled. “I told you to stop calling me that!”

  “Be nice or I’m going to go say hello to your mate. I missed Beauty while you guys were at Reservation. I’m sure I could find a flag somewhere on the way and tell her how romantic it is to relive memorable moments by reenacting them and how capturing it on camera is really awesome.”

  “You wouldn’t dare. I’m not posing for pictures.”

  Breeze climbed out of the vehicle and snorted. “You’ll do it if your mate asks. Remember that, toga boy.”

  True lifted Jeanie out of the Jeep and placed her on her feet. She glanced up at him. “What are they talking about?”

  “I don’t want to know and you don’t either,” he answered. He clasped her hand. “Let’s go inside before they start fighting.”

  She glanced at the tall Species woman facing off against the taller Species man as True led her toward the building. “Maybe we should stick around to make sure this doesn’t escalate into violence. He looks kind of mean.”

  True chuckled. “They are like siblings. Besides, Breeze can handle any male in a fight and it would be for play. Feel sympathy for Shadow. She never makes threats unless she’s willing to follow through.”

  Jeanie stared wide-eyed as another New Species used his card to swipe a reader and punched in numbers to open a steel door. She was amazed at the amount of security they used. The interior was a large room with a bunch of computers. Three more New Species worked inside, one of them Luna. She stood and grinned, waving them over to her station.

  “I’m all ready for you to look at the records, Jeanie. These are the employee files for Homeland and all have pictures. Have a seat.”

  Jeanie released True and sat. Luna leaned over her and typed in commands on the keyboard.

  “Thank you.”

  “I removed all female humans. Just click the arrow button to go to the next record. I’m sorry but there are a lot of them. Homeland was totally run by humans and built by them so there are quite a few males for you to look at. It’s going to take some time.” Luna smiled encouragingly. “I’m going to be right over there.” She pointed to another desk before indicating that True should take a seat next to Jeanie. “That’s for you. I knew you’d want to stay by her side.”

  True sat and scooted closer. “I hope we find the bastards.”

  “Me too.”

  Jinx and the other New Species males who’d come with them hovered near the back of the room. Jeanie turned her full attention to the screen to stare at the first employee file. It had the person’s name, job title, a photo, and a lot of other information with click-on options. She studied the face and hit the arrow button. He wasn’t Agent Brice or the blond man who’d come after her in True’s apartment. She had to remember that their hair colors could have been changed and keep in mind that they might look different in these photos. She carefully studied each face.

  Jinx brought Jeanie a cup of coffee at some point. She gave him a smile of thanks and sipped it. True quietly remained next to her. He reached over from time to time to rub her back. She appreciated the fact that he was there to give her moral support. The files were in the hundreds. Jeanie was tired of looking at so many faces almost an hour into the process but she kept going. The next file appeared when she hit the arrow and the face on the screen made her gasp as she stared at it.

  True leaned in. “What is it?”

  “It’s him.” Jeanie stared at the photo and her gaze slid to his name. Jerry Boris. “It’s him!” Her voice rose. “That’s Agent Brice!”

  Movement in her peripheral vision caused her to tear her gaze from the monitor. Every New Species in the room converged on her location. True reached over and gripped her thigh, squeezing it.

  “That’s Director Jerry Boris. He was in charge of Homeland when it opened,” one of the New Species growled.

  “Oh man,” Jinx said, “are you sure, Flame?”

  The redheaded New Species grimly nodded while pulling his cell phone from a pocket of his uniform. “I’m calling Justice and the Council. They wanted to be informed if the male was found.” Flame stared at Jeanie. “You’re absolutely sure he is the on