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  “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 severe