True
Page 112
True dropped his gaze. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. I knew you would get here as fast as possible. This is my fault.”
Justice growled, seeming to disagree, but said nothing as they led him into the bathroom. It was another sight that stunned him. The door had been kicked in and the floor was littered with the grit and shattered bits of tempered glass from the broken shower door. Someone had obviously slid through the goopy substance that covered the floor. The double vanity area had a big hole where one of the cabinet doors should have been and pieces of it were shoved inward, as if someone had slammed into it.
“She locked the door and set a trap for them. She’s resourceful,” Darkness muttered. “When one of them crashed through the door, he not only hit it but the open shower door. It was enough resistance that it knocked him off balance and he slid in the stuff she dumped on the floor. Looks as though a large boot slammed into the cabinet and there’s blood from the one who collided with it. Not much but a little.”
“That’s not Jeanie’s blood. Her feet are small and she was barefoot.”
“The window.” Justice steered him toward it. “She got out here.”
True regained enough of his equilibrium to pull out of their hold as he approached it. The window was wide open and he sniffed. His senses were dulled but some blood was visible on the lower section of the window shelf. He bent and sniffed. Relief came instantly.
“It’s not hers.”
“You’re sure?”
He glanced at Darkness. “I know it’s not hers.”
“Good. Now sniff around the frame. I did and found more. It’s different. I just wasn’t sure if it was hers or more blood from a male underneath that artificial odor.”
“This is hers.” He turned his head, smelling the other side. “And here. That’s Jeanie’s blood.”
“It’s faint. She probably harmed her hands when she grabbed hold to pull herself outside.” Justice backed away, lifted a radio and spoke into it. “Get our best trackers here. We’ve got blood from one of the humans and from the mate.”
True tensed and then jumped, barely wincing when one of his shoulders slammed against the frame. He landed in the backyard. He stayed low, staring at the ground. It was flattened, trampled where Jeanie and the males had exited the bathroom. He sniffed, not picking up blood right away. Then he did. It belonged to the human male. He bent closer, sniffing.
“What do you have?” Darkness climbed through the window and crouched, sniffing too. “I smell it too. The male stepped here and he’s bleeding.”
“We need lights out here!” Justice yelled. “In the backyard.”
True kept low, sniffing. “I lost it.”
“Me too.” Darkness frowned at him.
“He must have known he was bleeding and stopped it somehow.”
Darkness growled. “They are smart.”
True rose and began to circle the brick wall that enclosed the yard. He sniffed, also looking for evidence of where they went over it. Darkness shadowed him, doing the same.
“It would be faster if you started on the other side.”
“You were drugged. Two noses and sets of eyes are better. We don’t want to miss anything.”
True should have been offended but the male had a point. He wasn’t going to trust his senses at that moment with Jeanie’s life on the line. The slider at the back of the house opened and more males rushed out. They were canines and they started along the other wall.
They met near the center. “I don’t understand,” Darkness growled. “Did they fly over the wall?”
True wanted to howl with frustration. “Maybe they went back inside and left through the front door or the side gate.”
“You saw the lock still in place and it hasn’t been touched. It was rusted in place,” Justice argued. “Also, I was the first to arrive. Jessie wanted to come with but I demanded she stay. They didn’t leave from the front. Two teams arrived within half a minute of me.” He shook his head. “We had Species rushing out of their homes. They didn’t leave that way.”
“The backyards?” Darkness leapt, landing gracefully on the corner edges where the walls connected. He stared out, turned his head, and frowned before glancing down. “I only see Species. They appear to be searching every yard.”
“I ordered them to.” Justice growled. “How did they get her out? For that matter, how did they get inside Homeland?”
“It’s almost as if they flew out,” one of the Species muttered.
“Darkness?” Justice frowned at him. “Is it possible they somehow flew over Homeland and dropped in? Maybe found a way to fly out as well?”
He jumped down, landing in the yard. “I’m going over options but no. We would have heard a helicopter if they were airlifted in or out. There’s no way they could have used gliders.” He pointed to the hill behind them. “Even if they’d managed to climb up there to use it for a jump-off point, they don’t have the range to make it out from that height.”
“Air balloons?” Tiger strode into the backyard. “Is that possible?”
Darkness snorted. “Do you know how big that would have would be to support the weight of three humans? We’d have seen it and radar would have picked it up. No way did they get that in and out of here without it being detected.”
“Perhaps they have something smaller.”
Justice growled, seeming to disagree, but said nothing as they led him into the bathroom. It was another sight that stunned him. The door had been kicked in and the floor was littered with the grit and shattered bits of tempered glass from the broken shower door. Someone had obviously slid through the goopy substance that covered the floor. The double vanity area had a big hole where one of the cabinet doors should have been and pieces of it were shoved inward, as if someone had slammed into it.
“She locked the door and set a trap for them. She’s resourceful,” Darkness muttered. “When one of them crashed through the door, he not only hit it but the open shower door. It was enough resistance that it knocked him off balance and he slid in the stuff she dumped on the floor. Looks as though a large boot slammed into the cabinet and there’s blood from the one who collided with it. Not much but a little.”
“That’s not Jeanie’s blood. Her feet are small and she was barefoot.”
“The window.” Justice steered him toward it. “She got out here.”
True regained enough of his equilibrium to pull out of their hold as he approached it. The window was wide open and he sniffed. His senses were dulled but some blood was visible on the lower section of the window shelf. He bent and sniffed. Relief came instantly.
“It’s not hers.”
“You’re sure?”
He glanced at Darkness. “I know it’s not hers.”
“Good. Now sniff around the frame. I did and found more. It’s different. I just wasn’t sure if it was hers or more blood from a male underneath that artificial odor.”
“This is hers.” He turned his head, smelling the other side. “And here. That’s Jeanie’s blood.”
“It’s faint. She probably harmed her hands when she grabbed hold to pull herself outside.” Justice backed away, lifted a radio and spoke into it. “Get our best trackers here. We’ve got blood from one of the humans and from the mate.”
True tensed and then jumped, barely wincing when one of his shoulders slammed against the frame. He landed in the backyard. He stayed low, staring at the ground. It was flattened, trampled where Jeanie and the males had exited the bathroom. He sniffed, not picking up blood right away. Then he did. It belonged to the human male. He bent closer, sniffing.
“What do you have?” Darkness climbed through the window and crouched, sniffing too. “I smell it too. The male stepped here and he’s bleeding.”
“We need lights out here!” Justice yelled. “In the backyard.”
True kept low, sniffing. “I lost it.”
“Me too.” Darkness frowned at him.
“He must have known he was bleeding and stopped it somehow.”
Darkness growled. “They are smart.”
True rose and began to circle the brick wall that enclosed the yard. He sniffed, also looking for evidence of where they went over it. Darkness shadowed him, doing the same.
“It would be faster if you started on the other side.”
“You were drugged. Two noses and sets of eyes are better. We don’t want to miss anything.”
True should have been offended but the male had a point. He wasn’t going to trust his senses at that moment with Jeanie’s life on the line. The slider at the back of the house opened and more males rushed out. They were canines and they started along the other wall.
They met near the center. “I don’t understand,” Darkness growled. “Did they fly over the wall?”
True wanted to howl with frustration. “Maybe they went back inside and left through the front door or the side gate.”
“You saw the lock still in place and it hasn’t been touched. It was rusted in place,” Justice argued. “Also, I was the first to arrive. Jessie wanted to come with but I demanded she stay. They didn’t leave from the front. Two teams arrived within half a minute of me.” He shook his head. “We had Species rushing out of their homes. They didn’t leave that way.”
“The backyards?” Darkness leapt, landing gracefully on the corner edges where the walls connected. He stared out, turned his head, and frowned before glancing down. “I only see Species. They appear to be searching every yard.”
“I ordered them to.” Justice growled. “How did they get her out? For that matter, how did they get inside Homeland?”
“It’s almost as if they flew out,” one of the Species muttered.
“Darkness?” Justice frowned at him. “Is it possible they somehow flew over Homeland and dropped in? Maybe found a way to fly out as well?”
He jumped down, landing in the yard. “I’m going over options but no. We would have heard a helicopter if they were airlifted in or out. There’s no way they could have used gliders.” He pointed to the hill behind them. “Even if they’d managed to climb up there to use it for a jump-off point, they don’t have the range to make it out from that height.”
“Air balloons?” Tiger strode into the backyard. “Is that possible?”
Darkness snorted. “Do you know how big that would have would be to support the weight of three humans? We’d have seen it and radar would have picked it up. No way did they get that in and out of here without it being detected.”
“Perhaps they have something smaller.”
