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.