She was silent for a moment. “No. Not really. You’re incapable of being with people long term. You’ll destroy any woman or child in your life because you won’t be accessible to them. Then you’ll leave them.” She sighed. “I understand you and want to work with you.”
He swallowed over a lump in his throat. The doctor had studied him since birth, and she had a pretty good grasp on him. But did she really see everything? There was no way to reach her. No way to reason with her. Worse yet, she was probably right. The idea made his entire torso hurt, and for a crappy second he felt eight years old again. Vulnerable and lost.
He was beyond fucked up. Love was just a pretty word for him. Reality was dark. But he couldn’t let Madison win. He wouldn’t.
As he thought the problem through, Heath’s laptop dinged. Heath stiffened and then spun it around, his mouth gaping.
Denver read quickly. Holy shit. There she was—somewhere in the south. Heath had finally found Sheriff Cobb on traffic cams and a couple of ATM cameras located between Snowville and Boise. They knew where Cobb and Madison were located.
He had to clear his throat to sound normal. “I want that baby safe.”
“Babies, babies, babies,” Madison muttered. “I am happy to give this child, this ordinary child, back to her mother. All I want is you.”
Denver frowned. Were there other babies Madison had taken? “What you said—about babies. What was that?”
She chuckled then, and the sound skidded over his skin like a razor blade. “Oh. You haven’t put it all together.” Her chuckle turned into a giggle that was freakishly odd considering her age. “Funny.”
He looked at Ryker, who shook his head. “What? What have I missed?”
Madison sighed. “I’m sure the news of your parentage has caught you a little off guard. But Denver? I have a daughter. Audrey.”
Denver’s vision went black at the edges. He’d totally forgotten. Nate Dean, the second-oldest Gray brother, had married Audrey, who was Isobel Madison’s daughter. And now she was also pregnant. They were safe up in Montana right now. “I forgot,” he said, his voice so low even he could barely hear it. He had a sister. A vulnerable, pregnant, delicate sister who was still hiding from their mother.
His chest filled. Oh, he had a duty, and he’d meet it. Nobody would harm Audrey or that baby.
“Yes, well. You’re going to be an uncle. Congratulations.” Madison clicked something in the background. “After you come home, we’ll create a plan for Audrey and the baby to live with us. I really must study that child.”
Denver jolted upright.
Ryker shook his head and motioned for him to calm down.
Adrenaline flooded Denver’s veins, and his focus narrowed as his emotions finally shut down. “Let me know when you want to do the swap. Me for Talia.” His voice didn’t even sound like him.
“Good night, Denver,” she purred. “I’m looking forward to the future.” She clicked off.
He stared at a satellite feed of Boise, Idaho. She was somewhere in that vicinity, and he was gonna find her. “Oh. That’s going to be sooner than you think,” he murmured softly. He had not only Noni and Talia to protect but his sister too. A pregnant sister he hadn’t even known he had.
Yeah. It was time.
Chapter
33
An hour before they reached Boise, after a surprisingly excellent burger from a mom-and-pop joint, Noni settled back in the passenger seat of a truck Denver had borrowed. Okay. Stole. It was about ten years old but in good shape, and it very much needed snow tires. Heath and Anya drove a SUV while Ryker and Zara followed in another truck. Three vehicles, all stolen from the north so they hopefully wouldn’t be discovered too soon in the south.
Ryker had done some switching of plates that looked way too smooth to have been his first time boosting vehicles. Plus, they’d stored all their gear—guns, knives, bulletproof vests, baby stuff, and food. Once they hit Boise, which was turning out to be a nine-hour drive from Coeur d’Alene because of the heavy snowfall, they were going off the grid.
Noni cleared her throat as the white world sped by outside. “Did I ever tell you that I have Aunt Verna’s smile?”
He cut her a look. “You’re biologically related to Franny, not Verna.”
“Not by blood, no.” She rolled her neck, wanting so badly to help him. His mouth was drawn, and from where she sat, his shoulders looked tense. “But I have her smile. She raised me, and somehow I mimic her.”
He kept driving, his gaze forward. “Okay.”
“You and Heath move the same way. Across a room.”
He slightly tilted his head. “We do?”
“Yes.” She warmed to the subject. “And you and Ryker, somehow you have the same laugh.” It was slightly off-key, actually.
Denver looked her way and smiled.
Her heart stuttered.
“Thank you,” he said softly before concentrating on the road again.
She relaxed. “You haven’t told me about your discussion with Dr. Madison last night.”
He shook his head. “She’s too smart to manipulate.”
Yeah. Noni had figured. “Did she say anything about Talia?” Just saying her baby’s name made her heart squeeze.
“No, but she’ll keep the baby safe.” He switched lanes as the world became even more of a whiteout on the nearly deserted road. “Trust me.”
She did. Completely. “So, um, should we talk about the shower? I mean, what you said?”
He kept his alert gaze on the storm, and his hands seemed relaxed on the steering wheel. “It’s the truth. Doesn’t change anything.”
She gaped at him. “You still think you’re not going to make it.”
He frowned. “I just can’t make promises. I have to make sure Talia is safe before I do anything, and I can’t plan until then. Can’t fight until then.”
She understood putting the baby first. They both had to do that. Plus, their entire romance was first created on a lie and then full of intrigue and danger. What would they be like in an ordinary life? Could Denver even have an ordinary life? She studied his profile. In the overcast afternoon, his features were all angles and hard edges. Could he take his skills and rough history and be a family man? Was it even possible?
Or was it the rebel in him—the man who faced danger and fought with guys holding knives that intrigued her? She sighed and settled back in her seat. Maybe he was right and discussing their relationship, such that it was, right now was silly. But still. She had things to say. He cared for her, and they needed a chance together. She couldn’t let go of that hope. “I don’t want you to sacrifice yourself. I want us all to live through this.”
“That’s the goal.” He still didn’t turn from the road.
Yeah. Terse sentences and no help. The man had been distant and preoccupied for the entire trip. No doubt he was planning his raid, but it seemed like something more. “Why won’t you tell me how you feel about having a sister?” she whispered.
He leaned over and flicked the heater to a hotter temperature. “Your seat should be heated. Do you have it on?”
“Yes,” she snapped, her chest aching.
“How are you feeling? I mean, after the time in the cold?” he asked, also increasing the speed of the windshield wipers.
So he didn’t want to talk. She’d learned that sometimes he needed to process before talking. Perhaps he was mulling over his conversation with Madison and just wanted to figure it out before sharing. Of course, being so understanding last time was how Noni had ended up alone and wondering where he’d gone. “I’m fine. My toes still ache a little, but I have feeling in them, so I’m not worried.” Should she let him off the hook or should she push him?
“Open the laptop and bring up a map I downloaded of the Boise area, would you?” he asked.
Her shoulders tensed, but she did as he asked. “There are tons of ranches and acreage around Boise and up against the Payette River,” she murmured. “How are we goi
ng to find where Dr. Madison has started to build her new compound?”
“Land records,” Denver said simply. “Once we get settled at the ranch house Ryker hopefully is leasing right now, I’ll hack into the local land-use organizations and trace companies that don’t look quite right.” He rubbed his chin and stared out at the swirling white mess outside. “Or maybe businesses that look exactly too right.”
She tried not to feel isolated. They were together right now, and they were headed to get Talia. Somehow. “I want to go on the raid.” Her daughter would need her.
He didn’t answer.
That was kind of an answer all by itself.
“Denver?” she asked.
“No.”
All right. Now he’d answered. “I don’t want to go in guns blazing, but I want to be there the second you find her.” Noni’s arms felt useless without the baby, but explaining that would just sound crazy to somebody who wasn’t a mom. And she considered herself a mom. She really did. Fear made her voice tremble. Was her baby okay? “I have to be there for her, Denver.”
He switched lanes again when the potholes on the slow side got too deep. “I understand.”
“I can be behind you guys but still have a gun.” She had to believe they’d find Dr. Madison, so it was good to make plans for that eventuality. “I need your support in this.”
He turned down the heat.
Temper and fear competed in her chest. “You’re not talking to me right now.”
“I’m thinking and trying to drive in conditions we shouldn’t be driving in,” he said calmly, not looking at her.
The roads were pretty bad, but he could still talk. Though perhaps giving him some quiet time would convince him to include her in these plans. In his thoughts. Heck. In his life. “Fine,” she mumbled.
He drove for about twenty more minutes and then reached over and took her hand.
Warmth and strength instantly enveloped her, running up from her palm straight to her heart. It was a small gesture, but it was something.
Perhaps it was a start.
* * *
Denver finished hooking up the computer in the home office, more than a little impressed with the Internet connection. The four bedroom ranch was off the beaten path and surrounded by beautiful and snow-covered trees. It had been remodeled recently with comfortable furnishings and high-end appliances. “This place is great,” he said to Ryker, who was standing in the doorway.
Ryker nodded. “Agreed. Even the alarm system is top-notch.” He rocked back on his heels and brushed snow off his hair. “I had to use our actual Lost Bastards accounts to qualify for the lease, so those are all burned once we’re done. Just a heads up.”
“Got it.” Denver connected the two laptops.
“Noni seems a little out of sorts. Is she okay?” Ryker asked, his eyes sober.
Denver looked up. “Yeah. This is just…a lot.”
“Isn’t it?” his brother asked quietly. “That baby is going to need a father, Den.”
Denver’s breath caught, and he sat back in the leather chair. The words punched him in the gut. He’d do anything for the innocent little one. Include walking away. “I don’t know about babies. She’ll need somebody who can express, you know, emotions.”
Ryker rolled his eyes. “She needs somebody who protects her, defends her, and loves her. Maybe one who teaches her computer skills.” He shook his head. “Everything Madison said to you the other night, let go of it now. She’s a master at getting in our heads. You know that.”
“Yeah, I know,” Denver said. He wasn’t like Madison, no matter what she said. But the future wasn’t something he could worry about right now. Nothing Ryker said could change the fact that they were going to run right into hell as soon as he had a location. There was a slim chance they’d all make it out alive, and he had to cover his brothers’ backs.
“Stop blaming yourself,” Ryker exploded, fury darkening his high cheekbones.
Denver jerked. “I’m not.”
“Yes, you fucking are.” Ryker crossed his muscled arms. “You always have, and I’m done with it. We lived in hell, and we got out. Heath and I killed Ned Cobb.”
“You came down to the basement to save me,” Denver burst out, his body jerking. “Remember?”
“Yes.” Ryker sighed. “The same as you would’ve had it been one of us. Ned killed that kid. He was going to kill you or one of us.”
It was the truth, and Denver knew it. “How can you make promises to Zara with what we’re about to do?” Ryker had gotten engaged. Ring and all. “We might not make it.”
Ryker studied him. “I know. If I die, I want my ring on her finger when I go and I want her to know I loved her with everything I ever had.” He wiped a hand across his jaw. “My hope is that she’ll move on and find a good life for herself. Find somebody to love, because that woman is full of love. But if I’m leaving her, she’s going to know the truth. That she meant everything to me.”
A lump settled in Denver’s throat. “Does she know that?”
“Yeah. And before we go in, I’m gonna remind her.” Ryker shook his head. “Let the past go, man. We have right now and we have the future.”
“That’s exactly what Madison hinted at,” Denver said slowly, his temples starting to thrum.
Ryker barked out a laugh. “Yeah, we also have one another. We’re brothers.” He held up his hand, revealing the scar line across his palm.
Heath poked his head into the room. “What’s going on?”
“Just telling Denver to let go of the past and live for the now,” Ryker said easily.
“Ah.” Heath settled in the doorway next to Ryker. “Is he still blaming himself for our being on the run since we were kids?”
Denver frowned. Had his brothers been discussing this?
“I’m not sure,” Ryker said. “Denver? Reach any conclusions?”
He studied his brothers, his chest filling. Together they were secure and strong, no matter what the world threw at them. They weren’t alone. From day one, Ryker and Heath had included him as family. Then they’d all formed lives together. Even if he left this world soon, he had been loved. He’d had family, and that meant everything. “I don’t blame myself any longer.” If nothing else, he’d give his brothers that. His voice choked. How had he been so lucky to have found them? “Everything we’ve gone through has been worth it to become brothers.”
Ryker’s eyes darkened. “Damn straight.”
“Amen to that,” Heath added. “Family is all that matters.”
Ryker nodded. “And that’s why we’re going to beat Madison. She doesn’t understand that—she never has. It must drive her crazy, not truly understanding what motivates us. What she’s missing in life.”
Denver breathed out. “Cobb understands.”
“No. He just understands revenge,” Heath countered. “That’s all he wants, which is why we’re going to beat him as well. He and Madison don’t have the same goals in this, and they’re not really working together. As kids, we didn’t get that. As adults, we can see how to beat them.”
Maybe. But Madison’s troops were well trained. It didn’t take understanding or awareness to pull a trigger, and that was the unfortunate truth. Denver had to come up with a way for everyone to survive. “I understand what you’re saying. How about I finish up with the Internet searches here, and then we have dinner and plan?”
“Sounds good.” Heath pivoted and disappeared, no doubt going to look for Anya.
Ryker pushed off the door frame. “As soon as you have a location, we’ll need to let the Montana contingent know. The more backup we have with this, the better.”
“Agreed.” For a full-blown fight against Madison and Cobb, they needed the Montana brothers. Denver returned to uncoiling some wires as both screens flashed land searches in rapid succession. When he looked up again, Ryker was gone.
Denver sat back, his mind spinning the entire conversation over. He didn’t have a right to keep himself f
rom Noni in an effort to protect her in case he got his head blown off. Letting go of the past hurt in an odd way, maybe because it had been with him for so long—the guilt and the fear. Now that the time had come, he was ready and oddly calm. No fear. No guilt. Just determination.
Feelings for Noni, full and deep, welled up inside him. He couldn’t keep himself from her any longer. No matter what happened, he had to let her know how much she meant to him. She was everything to him, and she deserved to know it.
The left screen caught his eye, and he leaned forward, reading the text. A drumming sounded in his head. Grabbing the keyboard, he typed in a series of commands, reading each result with his breath heating. A fifty-acre parcel, purchased five years previous, stopped his typing. Noting the location, he hacked into satellite maps and scrolled through the last five years, looking for changes. For additions. A building. Then two more. Then large metal shops. And fencing. Then odd changes to the landscape. Finally…what looked like a training field.
Ryker appeared in the doorway again. “Hey. Dinner will be ready in a couple of hours. Homemade stew in a Crock-Pot.”
Denver took a deep breath and looked up at his brother. He could barely breathe. “I’ve found them.”
Chapter
34
After dinner of a truly delicious stew, Noni finished filling the clip of yet another gun—this one a 9 millimeter. Well, what she thought was a 9 millimeter. After a while the guns all looked the same. She sat on a bed in one of the many bedrooms of the ranch house that had come fully furnished in an overly strong Western theme.
First things first.
She looked around for another project. Tension hung throughout the house. How were they going to beat the sheriff, the psychotic doctor, and their trained soldiers? Denver and his brothers had been preparing for decades, but still.