True
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She shrugged. “There are some flaws. I won’t deny that.” She continued with the story, explaining what Agent Brice wanted her to get and how she managed to smuggle out evidence. “He texted me before Drackwood was raided to make sure I didn’t go to work the next morning. I called him back and we argued because I wanted to be there to help.”
Her gaze darted to Luna and Flirt. “You both were in severe danger because the drug cabinet was where you were being treated in the clinic. I was terrified the doctors might kill you before they tried to escape.”
“The doctors weren’t there yet when the NSO rescued us,” Luna informed her. “They were in a meeting.”
Jeanie’s hands trembled so she laced them together on top of the table. “Agent Brice said they were going to hit Drackwood hard and fast and the SWAT team might mistake me for a bad guy when the shit hit the fan. I didn’t care.” She stared into Luna’s eyes. “I was willing to risk it but he threatened to have me arrested if I left my apartment. He said he wasn’t going to allow me to blow the operation and they had agents watching the location so I’d never reach Drackwood without being stopped. It was a horrible situation. I wanted to be in the clinic when they came to make sure nobody got near either of you but he convinced me you’d die for sure if I did anything to tip off Drackwood of what was about to go down.”
Luna gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I understand and believe you. I know you’d risk your life for mine. That guard might not have been knocked unconscious. He was a big male and he might have done to you what he planned to do to me to gain revenge for striking him. They really were vicious when we fought back. You’re small enough for him to have killed with one blow from his baton but they never just hit once. You would have died if he’d gotten up.”
“You risked a lot.” True didn’t appear happy as he spoke. “You were lucky.”
She decided to change the subject quickly because she didn’t like the look in his eyes as he stared at her. She had a sinking feeling he planned to give her a little hell later for the danger she’d put herself in. “Agent Brice came to visit me right after Drackwood was taken down to tell me he had an informant in another location but she was too afraid to smuggle out evidence. He had a way to get me employed there so I agreed to go. There were New Species who needed help.”
“You were sent to the facility rigged with bombs?” Luna frowned.
“No,” Query answered for her. “She’s talking about Cornas Research.”
Jeanie went into more details about working at Cornas and finally paused. “I told Agent Brice I’d stay home the day of a raid. I even borrowed a neighbor’s car that morning to take to work in case the police were looking for me. I made it to Cornas and made sure they couldn’t gas the New Species.” She shared all the details right up until she woke at Homeland. “That’s when I found out Agent Brice really doesn’t work for the NSO and that he’d been using me all that time.”
“You left out an important detail.” True shot her a pointed stare.
She stared back him, clueless as to what he referred to. “I think I covered it all.”
“Tell them what happened to you at Drackwood and what you endured.”
She felt the blood drain from her face. “That’s irrelevant.”
“They should know all you’ve suffered trying to get us freed, Jeanie.” His stern expression brooked no argument. “Tell them what Polanitis did to you.”
She lowered her voice. “It’s not necessary.”
“It is.” True stood so fast his chair fell over, crashing to the floor with a bang. “Polanitis threatened to have me killed if Jeanie didn’t submit to taking breeding drugs.” He bent forward, flattening his hands on the surface of the table. “She agreed and I’m alive.” He slowly examined the male faces around the table. “I want to know if any of you mounted her while she was drugged since she wouldn’t remember. I’ll even allow you to live long enough to try to explain to me how any of you could hurt her that way.”
“Shit.” Query rose to his feet a lot slower, his gaze locked on True. “Are you serious?”
“Did you mount her? She was drugged and helpless. She retains no memory of it.”
“Fuck no!” He shook his head in denial. “I never touched her and you must be mistaken. They wouldn’t give that shit to a human.”
True snarled. “Don’t look at her that way. They did, and I want to know if any of you touched her.”
“Me too,” Luna spat, her tone harsh. “A male would have to have agreed to mount her without drugs in his system since she’s still with us. She wouldn’t have survived otherwise. I could barely withstand an out-of-control male in that state and that’s only because I was clear-headed enough not to struggle. The pain she would have endured from the breeding drug alone would have her thrashing around and that would have incited more rage aggression from him.” She looked around the table. “Which one of you agreed to mount her?”
No one spoke.
“Perhaps if you hadn’t stated that you were going to kill them,” Flirt quietly announced, “they might be more willing to confess.”
True’s upper lip lifted, showing his sharp canines. “I will allow them to apologize to her and explain why they’d hurt Jeanie before I use my bare hands to deal out justice. She was helpless. You know what that drug does and there is no given will. She didn’t agree to be mounted.”
Her gaze darted to Luna and Flirt. “You both were in severe danger because the drug cabinet was where you were being treated in the clinic. I was terrified the doctors might kill you before they tried to escape.”
“The doctors weren’t there yet when the NSO rescued us,” Luna informed her. “They were in a meeting.”
Jeanie’s hands trembled so she laced them together on top of the table. “Agent Brice said they were going to hit Drackwood hard and fast and the SWAT team might mistake me for a bad guy when the shit hit the fan. I didn’t care.” She stared into Luna’s eyes. “I was willing to risk it but he threatened to have me arrested if I left my apartment. He said he wasn’t going to allow me to blow the operation and they had agents watching the location so I’d never reach Drackwood without being stopped. It was a horrible situation. I wanted to be in the clinic when they came to make sure nobody got near either of you but he convinced me you’d die for sure if I did anything to tip off Drackwood of what was about to go down.”
Luna gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I understand and believe you. I know you’d risk your life for mine. That guard might not have been knocked unconscious. He was a big male and he might have done to you what he planned to do to me to gain revenge for striking him. They really were vicious when we fought back. You’re small enough for him to have killed with one blow from his baton but they never just hit once. You would have died if he’d gotten up.”
“You risked a lot.” True didn’t appear happy as he spoke. “You were lucky.”
She decided to change the subject quickly because she didn’t like the look in his eyes as he stared at her. She had a sinking feeling he planned to give her a little hell later for the danger she’d put herself in. “Agent Brice came to visit me right after Drackwood was taken down to tell me he had an informant in another location but she was too afraid to smuggle out evidence. He had a way to get me employed there so I agreed to go. There were New Species who needed help.”
“You were sent to the facility rigged with bombs?” Luna frowned.
“No,” Query answered for her. “She’s talking about Cornas Research.”
Jeanie went into more details about working at Cornas and finally paused. “I told Agent Brice I’d stay home the day of a raid. I even borrowed a neighbor’s car that morning to take to work in case the police were looking for me. I made it to Cornas and made sure they couldn’t gas the New Species.” She shared all the details right up until she woke at Homeland. “That’s when I found out Agent Brice really doesn’t work for the NSO and that he’d been using me all that time.”
“You left out an important detail.” True shot her a pointed stare.
She stared back him, clueless as to what he referred to. “I think I covered it all.”
“Tell them what happened to you at Drackwood and what you endured.”
She felt the blood drain from her face. “That’s irrelevant.”
“They should know all you’ve suffered trying to get us freed, Jeanie.” His stern expression brooked no argument. “Tell them what Polanitis did to you.”
She lowered her voice. “It’s not necessary.”
“It is.” True stood so fast his chair fell over, crashing to the floor with a bang. “Polanitis threatened to have me killed if Jeanie didn’t submit to taking breeding drugs.” He bent forward, flattening his hands on the surface of the table. “She agreed and I’m alive.” He slowly examined the male faces around the table. “I want to know if any of you mounted her while she was drugged since she wouldn’t remember. I’ll even allow you to live long enough to try to explain to me how any of you could hurt her that way.”
“Shit.” Query rose to his feet a lot slower, his gaze locked on True. “Are you serious?”
“Did you mount her? She was drugged and helpless. She retains no memory of it.”
“Fuck no!” He shook his head in denial. “I never touched her and you must be mistaken. They wouldn’t give that shit to a human.”
True snarled. “Don’t look at her that way. They did, and I want to know if any of you touched her.”
“Me too,” Luna spat, her tone harsh. “A male would have to have agreed to mount her without drugs in his system since she’s still with us. She wouldn’t have survived otherwise. I could barely withstand an out-of-control male in that state and that’s only because I was clear-headed enough not to struggle. The pain she would have endured from the breeding drug alone would have her thrashing around and that would have incited more rage aggression from him.” She looked around the table. “Which one of you agreed to mount her?”
No one spoke.
“Perhaps if you hadn’t stated that you were going to kill them,” Flirt quietly announced, “they might be more willing to confess.”
True’s upper lip lifted, showing his sharp canines. “I will allow them to apologize to her and explain why they’d hurt Jeanie before I use my bare hands to deal out justice. She was helpless. You know what that drug does and there is no given will. She didn’t agree to be mounted.”
