New Species 11 True (22 page)

“Don’t,” the one holding her ordered. “Use the injection
instead. We’re under orders to get her to Fuller alive. They want to
interrogate her and those darts are too strong for someone her size. She’d
overdose.”

The hold around her throat eased just enough for her to suck
in air. Tears filled her eyes as she clawed at the arm holding her but couldn’t
get him to let her go. The blond shoved the weapon between his vest and shirt,
effectively hiding it. He reached into a pocket on his thigh and brandished a
syringe.

The blond used his teeth to yank off the cap and jabbed the
needle into her arm. She tried to cry out but the arm tightened around her
throat, effectively silencing her.

“Pull that bastard inside and lock the door. We’ll rappel
off the balcony. There are too many of them on the first floor to sneak her
past and some of them might smell her if we try to go out the back. You know
they can sniff out pussy from a mile away.”

The blond just threw the syringe on the floor and walked
back to the door. They’d drugged or killed the guard at her door. He grabbed
the downed New Species by one arm and dragged him inside the apartment. The
locks engaged with a soft metal click when he sealed them inside.

Jeanie sagged against the one who held her, her lungs
starved for oxygen. Spots danced before her eyes and the urge to fight was
strong but her limbs felt really heavy. The tight hold around her throat
loosened when he let go of it to snag her around her waist instead. She tried
to scream as soon as she could breathe again but she just pitched forward. The
only thing keeping her from slamming into the floor was the man holding on to
her.

“The doctor said it would work fast.” He lifted Jeanie and
dumped her on the couch, crouched and stared into her eyes. “She’s with us
still but she shouldn’t be able to move much.”

She blinked, realizing that while she was awake, her body
wouldn’t respond to her commands. Her lungs worked as she exhaled and inhaled
but she couldn’t even manage to lift her hand when he grabbed her jaw, jerking
her head until she stared into his eyes.

“Scream,” he demanded.

She couldn’t even open her mouth. She was helpless. The
dark-haired man released her after grinning, seemingly satisfied the drug was
effective, and straightened. She could only watch as he removed his vest to
reveal a tight coil of thin nylon rope. He addressed the blond.

“We do this fast. I’ll carry her. As soon as we’re in the
van I’ll stash her under the seat bench in the back. You drive. We practiced
this. Just remember, they can smell nervousness so think about banging that
stripper girlfriend of yours or something when they stop us at the gate. Got
it? Don’t blow it by speeding until after we’re outside.”

“I’m not a dumb fuck.”

“I didn’t say you were.” The dark-haired man threw the rope.
“Let’s go. Fast and quiet.”

Jeanie felt sick to her stomach as she was lifted and none too
gently dumped over the man’s shoulder. Though almost completely healed, her
gunshot injury throbbed from the brutal pressure. He carried her into True’s
bedroom and opened the slider to the balcony. The blond bumped against her as
he passed them, her limp arm nearly tangling with his leg.

“Don’t drop her,” the blond joked.

“Fuck you. I didn’t risk my ass for nothing. We’re getting
paid a lot and he was clear that there’s no money in it if we bring him a
corpse. He needs to get important information from her.”

Numbness settled into Jeanie. Her mind was alert but her body
seemed totally deadened.

True!
She silently screamed his name.

“Let’s get her to Fuller. I want to be paid and then get
laid.”

She had to believe that True would come for her. She
silently prayed he’d come home soon and realize what had happened. That man Tim
had obviously lied to True and had her kidnapped so he could interrogate her.

True will come for me.
She had to believe that.

* * * * *

The first sign that something was wrong was when True
stepped out of the elevator. Slash wasn’t in the hallway and he picked up the
faint scent of human males. The stench of cologne couldn’t be denied. No
Species male wore it. It was offensive.

He tried the door, found it locked. He realized he hadn’t
taken his keycard. He knocked but no sound came as he strained to hear
anything. He backed up, his heart accelerating with fear, and kicked out. His
foot landed next to the lock and wood splintered as it snapped, forcing it
open.

The sight of Slash on the floor enraged him. He jumped over
the male and glanced around. “Jeanie?” A quick search of his home revealed that
she was missing and the slider to the balcony was wide open.

True rushed to the balcony just in time to see a human face
disappear over the edge of the railing. He grabbed hold and stared down,
shocked when he spotted a second male on the ground below. The one closest to
him had Jeanie hanging over his shoulder. Terror gripped him at seeing her
precarious position and how limp she appeared to be. It sank in that she was
unconscious. The male could drop her and she was helpless to even grab hold to
prevent a deadly fall. The human’s upraised arm gripping the rope and the male’s
neck was the only thing keeping Jeanie from slipping out of his grasp.

True howled in rage, unable to do anything else for the
seconds it took him to evaluate the situation. A blond male looked up, his face
clearly visible in the lights coming from the bottom floor and True memorized
his features before the man spun and rushed off without his partner in crime.

True gripped the railing tightly and swung over it, his feet
finding purchase on the other side. It was tempting to grab the rope but he
feared it might dislodge the male’s grip and send Jeanie hurtling to the
ground. He twisted his head, leaned back, and judged the distance to the second-floor
balcony. He released the railing to drop an entire floor. The sensation of
falling was unpleasant but he managed to catch the metal rail to break his
fall. His muscles straining, he clung, glanced over his shoulder, and saw the
male with Jeanie release the rope once he reached the yard.

True just let go and twisted in the air. The twenty-foot
drop might hurt but he was motivated enough by rage and fear to attempt it. He
had to save Jeanie. Felines were better at landing on their feet without causing
injuries from those heights but the soft earth cushioned him as he hit the
ground in a crouch. His gaze sought and found the male who carried his female.

His hands clawed the ground and he shoved up with all his
power, launching toward himself at the male. He wanted to just attack him but
refused to risk Jeanie being hurt if he tackled the male. He got in front of
him, turning with a snarl. Both arms were thrown wide to block the male from
passing him.

“Let her go!”

The male came to a jarring halt to avoid slamming into him
and Jeanie slid from the human’s shoulder. True lunged and caught her before
she fell to the ground. One glance at her face assured him she lived as he
watched her take two breaths. He threw back his head and howled his rage. The
human male stumbled back, frantically looking for an escape.

There will be none.

True bent and gently lowered Jeanie to the ground,
stretching her out on the grass. The human spun around and ran for his life.
Someone landed with a grunt from an upper balcony and True whipped his head in
the direction of the noise. Darkness rose, the enraged look on his face scary,
even to True.

“Go after the other one. This one is mine.” True jerked his
head in the direction of the fleeing male.

“Which direction?” Darkness sniffed the air and his head
turned toward the direction the blond had taken. “Never mind. I caught his
human scent.” He was gone an instant later, sprinting off in pursuit.

Three more males landed on the ground in crouching
positions, having followed True from the upstairs balconies. He glanced at
Book, Dagger, and Flirt. “Take care of Jeanie.”

He knew she’d be safe and they’d get her medical attention.
A split second of indecision tore at him—the strong desire to remain at her
side or the even stronger desire to exact revenge on the male who’d dared
attempt to steal her from him. Revenge won out. She was safe now but that male
might come after her again. A snarl tore from his parted lips and he was off.

The male didn’t even make it to the street before True was
on him. He jumped on his back, his fists slamming into the male first. They
crashed into the sidewalk and the human took the full force of the impact with
the unforgiving concrete. Bones crunched. The human seemed unable to do
anything but struggle to breathe at first as True rolled off him, getting to
his feet.

The human sucked in air and screamed. True felt no pity for
the agony the male must suffer from his injuries. He’d touched Jeanie. He could
have killed her if she’d slipped off his shoulder and fallen to her death when
he’d decided to take her off the balcony. True reached down and dug his fingers
into the man’s shoulder, yanking him to his unsteady feet. The male threw a
punch, missed True’s face by inches, but True’s fist found its mark as it splintered
the male’s jaw. The disgusting sound of bone and skin being demolished barely
registered. He didn’t want to just hurt the male. He punched him again, this
time in the throat.

He knew before he released him that the male was dead. The
body slumped as True released his shoulder. He watched the deceased male for a
moment, making sure the bastard never took another breath. He didn’t. There was
no feeling of remorse or even guilt. He was just sorry the male hadn’t suffered
more.

He rushed back toward the dorm. The three males crouched
around Jeanie’s still body. He shoved Book out of the way and ended up on his
knees, huddled over her. Her eyes were open and she blinked. Her nose flared as
she breathed.

“Jeanie.” His hands shook as he carefully reached for her.

“She seems drugged or something,” Flirt whispered, clearly
shaken as well. “She is awake but can’t seem to move or speak.”

Terror jolted through True. Had her neck been broken? He
examined her face and throat for new injures but there were none he could see.
His gaze locked with hers. “Talk to me,” he begged. “Tell me what they did to
you.”

She blinked, terror showing in her wide eyes.

“She can blink. Maybe she can hear and understand what we
say.” Book crawled closer. “Don’t move her. Medical is on the way.”

Dagger sniffed and gently reached for her arm.

“Don’t touch her,” True growled, knocking the male’s hand
away.

“I smell a little blood,” Dagger explained.

True crouched lower, examining her arm. He spotted the
injury right away. The mark was one he knew well. A little smear of blood
marked an injection site. “They drugged her.”

Males rushed around the building and True hoped they had
brought Dr. Harris but one glance revealed Jericho and Jinx came to their aid.

The large primate was slightly out of breath as he came to a
halt. “Slash was drugged. He’s still down.” He took a deep, restorative breath
and blew it out before asking, “Is she okay? What can we do here?” He turned
his head, staring at the sidewalk. “I take it that one is dead?”

“Yes. Go after the other male. Darkness is out there alone,”
True instructed.

Book rose to his feet. “Who’s with Slash?”

“Flame and some of the other males. They are doing a
scoop-and-run since he seems to be unharmed except for the dart they pulled out
of him. It’s faster to just take him in,” Jericho answered then turned to hold
True’s gaze. “We should do the same. Cancel Medical and just take her there
ourselves. It’s faster. Do you want me to carry her? I ordered one of the males
to get two Jeeps.”

True crouched over Jeanie. She blinked at him, fear still
apparent in her eyes, but he knew it was a plea directed at him. He hoped his
body and the other males blocked her view of the sidewalk. She hated violence
and spotting a dead body might cause her more trauma.

“Can you understand me, Jeanie? Blink twice if you can.”

She blinked twice in rapid succession.

“Are you hurt? One for yes, two for no.”

She blinked twice. The immense pressure in his chest lifted
and he breathed easier. “Are you able to move or speak?”

She blinked twice and he hated to see the traces of tears in
her eyes. She had to feel helpless and it was an emotion he understood since he
struggled with it as well. His Jeanie had been hurt and he hadn’t been there to
protect her when those humans had shoved a needle in her arm.

“Is it okay if I lift you and carry you to a Jeep?”

She blinked once.

He very gently eased one hand under her thighs and with the
other he cradled her back and neck as he lifted her into his arms. Strong hands
gripped him under his arms and helped him rise to his feet as the other Species
assisted him. Her slight weight against his chest only heightened his awareness
of her frailty.

“Let’s go.” He kept glancing at her face, looking for any
signs of alarm in her eyes as he quickly walked around the building.

Two Jeeps were waiting. Flame and another male already had
Slash in the backseat of one of the vehicles. They supported the drugged male
between their bodies. Another male jumped into the driver’s seat and they
speeded away.

Jericho took the driver’s seat of the second Jeep. “They’re
expecting us at Medical.” He had somehow managed to grab one of the earpiece
microphones Security used and was in contact with them. He reached up and
touched the device. “We’re coming in with her.”

True had more help from Jinx and Flirt as he climbed into
the backseat of the Jeep. Dagger jumped in the back and used the cargo section
to crouch, gripping him by the shoulders, and braced his body behind the seat.