Noni tried to not be a little jealous. Plus, it wasn’t like she couldn’t ask Denver if she was so inclined.
The lights went out.
Noni jumped up from the table, her gaze swinging around in the darkness. “What just happened?”
A chair scraped. “It’s the storm,” Zara said, her voice shaking a little.
Something rumbled, and the lights flickered and turned back on a bit dimmer than before.
Anya rushed over to the door leading to a wide deck and checked the monitor next to it. “The alarm is still activated.” She turned and looked at them, her green eyes wide. “I think it’s just the weather, and the backup generators kicked in. That makes sense, right?”
A chill slithered down Noni’s spine. “Yes. That definitely makes sense.” As if in agreement, the wind howled outside, scattering icy snow against the windows. “If the alarm is still blinking green, I think we’re okay.” She hoped.
Zara started to move toward the living room. “Let’s bank the fire and get it roaring. Then we’ll find some candles and flashlights in case the generator has problems.” She kept walking toward the already roaring fire and pointed to the huge stack of logs next to it. “We’re prepared for the entire night and just have to keep it stoked and loaded with wood.”
Noni followed her. “I think we should all get our guns, too.”
Zara pulled hers out from behind her back. “I have mine.”
Anya looked at Noni. “Mine is in the bedroom.”
“Mine too.” Noni really hadn’t been expecting trouble.
Anya reached her and slid an arm around her. “Let’s go together.”
Good plan. Definitely a good plan.
* * *
Isobel Madison moved away from her lab samples to concentrate more fully on the monitor in the corner of her smallest lab, annoyed by the lights going out again. The weather in Boise wasn’t supposed to be this extreme, and yet it was the third time in a month that her systems had been forced to switch to generators. It was fortuitous that the generators were top notch, because she held all of her important frozen genetic samples here. “Say that again.”
Soldier Matthias leaned closer to the camera on his phone, his face larger on the monitor, his dark eyes serious. “I think I’ve found the Gray brothers, and I’ve just e-mailed you plans of the entire property in Montana.” Snow swirled around him, the wind lifting his black hair.
She tapped her foot on the concrete floor, found the e-mail, and printed out the materials. Anticipation flowed through her veins, giving her a nice buzz. “Do you have a visual?”
“Negative,” he said, his breath steaming in the air. “I scouted around the town all day today, and there’s a new subdivision privately owned. I walked it, and they have impressive security even on the outer ridges.”
Isobel enjoyed the heat that flushed through her. That was anticipation with maybe a hint of excitement. “So Montana it is.” That silly Noni had given her the correct state, now, hadn’t she? The Gray boys, those sweet soldiers she’d raised from birth, had sought refuge in the wilds of Montana. How adorable. To even think that she wouldn’t find them was silly.
But she’d require the Lost boys—Ryker, Heath, and Denver—to bring them in. Then she’d need leverage. A lot of it. Maybe she could break Denver enough that he’d work with her. Want to be her son and help her to continue her work.
“Do you want me to infiltrate the property?” Matthias asked.
“Not yet. You’ll require backup,” she said. Probably more backup than she had available at the moment. She thought idly about calling in favors with the government, but that could get so sticky.
“There’s more,” Matthias said. “I saw a Blackhawk lift from the Montana property about three hours ago. Looked loaded for bear.”
She paused. “Could you see who was in it?”
“I used binoculars and can’t be sure. Best guess, I saw Nate Dean briefly, but I couldn’t guarantee it.” Matthias and every other solder in her employ had studied on a daily basis the pictures of the men she sought.
“Nathan,” she breathed. If Nate had truly left Audrey to go on a mission, then it was crucial. Isobel looked around her quiet lab and the flickering lights from the generator. “Stay put. I’ll be in touch.” Disconnecting the call, she quickly typed on her keyboard, bringing up the security feeds. Nothing. If the storm had knocked out the power, this might be a coincidence.
She knew better. Grabbing her phone, she dialed Elton. The phone went to voice mail. He’d said he wanted to blow off steam and had headed to the gym on the second floor around eleven.
Her heart started to race out of pure instinct, and she eyed the wall at the end of the room. The one that looked like a bookshelf. Making up her mind, she quickly dialed her top soldier in the compound.
“Gleason,” he answered.
“Where are you?” she asked, moving rapidly toward the bookshelf and pulling out the correct book. The wall slid open.
“Scouting to the north,” he replied.
She stepped inside and closed the door. “Team of two?”
“Affirmative.”
She kicked off her high heels and jumped into snow boots. “We’re on red alert.” If Denver and his brothers were there, it was too late to fight. “Execute Campaign Rabbit.” Clicking off, she grabbed a semiautomatic Glock from the locker after throwing on a jacket and slinging her laptop bag over her shoulder. Pride filled her at how quickly her boys had found her when she’d tried to leave no trace. She knew they were here. She could feel them.
But now wasn’t the time to take them in. She didn’t have the resources to take on all three of them. All seven of them if the Blackhawk had arrived with the Gray brothers.
Hitching up her skirt, she climbed the stairs and pushed open the door at the top that couldn’t be seen from outside. Gleason roared up in a Humvee a second later, and she jumped into the front seat, slamming her door. Another armed soldier was in the back.
She nodded. “I think—”
The world blew up. Fire shot high and fierce into the sky, and a barrel blew right into a tree. “Unbelievable,” she muttered as her storage depot and the barracks went up in flames. Men started running from the barracks and from areas around the depot.
Gleason yanked the wheel and spun out, heading away from the demolished building.
Isobel turned around in time to see Heath barrel out of her hidden room. If she had to sacrifice him to teach his brothers a lesson, she’d do it. “Shoot him,” she said evenly. How quickly had he found the room?
The soldier in back started to lean out the window, his gun already outside.
Her gaze met Heath’s, and his hardened. Time seemed to slow. Did he know she’d made his eyes greenish brown on purpose? Did he know his ability to fight, his raw impressive intelligence, was all from her work? Did he want to know more about his genetics? He had to be at least a little grateful to her.
He lifted his arm and started firing at them.
Her soldier shot back.
She ducked down, panic heating her. “Go, go, go.”
The heavy vehicle fishtailed, but Gleason punched the gas, speeding away from the melee. Bullets hit the back but didn’t slow them. “What about Sheriff Cobb?” he asked.
Isobel sighed. “Either he’ll survive or he won’t.” The man could fight, and he had no conscience. He had a good chance of making it through if he got the hell out of there.
Gleason’s hands relaxed on the wheel as they put distance between them and the fight. “Destination?”
She pulled her laptop free and flipped it open, rapidly typing. “Just keep driving. I’ll have a destination in about thirty minutes if my guess is correct.” The two programs she’d need came up on a split screen, and her entire body settled.
Now was the moment.
This was the way.
She had to come at them from the side and not in a head-on fight. Oh, they’d hurried up her timeline, without questi
on. But they were men of action, and she’d created them to be that way. In fact, she’d built them to be lone wolves and deadly soldiers. They seemed to misunderstand their purpose, their ultimate function, which did not, in any way, involve connections or familial bonds. It never had and it never would. To reach their full potential, to find the state she had created in them, they needed to be alone. To be singular in their pursuit of her agenda.
To make the ultimate soldier.
Her computer was just another extension of her brilliance. Her boys needed to come home and get back to work. For her.
Now it was time to teach them that lesson.
Chapter
36
Denver angled to the side, keeping Cobb’s attention on him, not on the baby. Explosions rocked the world outside, and the floor shook.
Cobb stiffened. “Looks like you’re not alone.”
“I haven’t been alone in years,” Denver retorted, moving even farther from the crib. If Cobb fired, he would be aiming away from the baby. Far away from the baby. “Sounds like your depot just blew to hell.”
“I’ll get another one,” Cobb retorted, taking a step toward him. “You wouldn’t believe the money Isobel has accumulated through the years. We’ll have fifty depots.” His blue eyes blazed in the night and he again stepped forward, his hold steady on his weapon. “Last time we met, you confessed you killed my brother.” His voice trembled with barely leashed fury.
“Yep.” Denver kept his hands free, just waiting for the opportunity. The bastard wouldn’t care if he shot the baby. Denver tensed to keep his body in the way.
Shouts echoed from down below.
“Sounds like a fight,” Cobb said, his teeth gleaming, setting the flashlight down near the door. It was bright enough to illuminate the entire room.
Denver nodded. Gunfire ripped through the night, and the sound of a vehicle rushing away came clearly through the storm. “Is that Isobel? Did she just leave your ass?” God, hopefully the bitch was still on the property somewhere. Though it would be just like her to have an escape plan.
“If it is, I’ll catch up with her soon.” Cobb’s shoulders squared. “I’ve been waiting a long time to pay you back for what you did. Maybe you’ll live long enough to see one of your brothers die. Though I doubt it.”
“I’d forgotten how much you like to talk,” Denver said, flashing back to his childhood. “Yack, yack, yack. It’s like you needed foreplay before getting to the hitting. We saw it as a weakness. Still do.” The muscles in his legs bunched and prepared to launch. “I bet Isobel thinks you’re weak, too. Has she gone looking for a younger version yet?”
Something flickered in Cobb’s eyes.
Denver bit back a smile of satisfaction. The asshole had always been insecure. “Oh, she has gone a-lookin’. Rumor had it she used to bang some of her younger soldiers all the time.” He gave a mock shudder. “There’s no way you can keep up with a twenty-year-old highly trained killer, Sheriff.” His sarcastic note on the word sheriff had gotten him punched more than once as a kid.
Apparently Cobb had learned some self-control. “She never tried with you.”
Denver blinked. “You’re kidding me. She never told you.” Triumph, a dark one, roared through him. “She does like a good secret.”
Cobb’s chin lowered. “Told me what?”
The asshole had to ask. “She’s my mum, Cobb. My mother. My mommy dearest.” Denver barely kept himself from gagging on the last. So much for appearing stoic.
“Bullshit,” Cobb growled.
“She told me.” Denver lifted a shoulder, angling even more away from the baby. Tension pricked down his arms. “I wondered why she brought me presents as a kid. You know, I think I have her eyes.” Fuck, he hated that.
Cobb drew back and visibly shook himself. “I think you’re full of shit.” His voice wavered.
“You know it’s true.”
That quickly, Cobb’s vision cleared. “Then she’ll have to forgive me for killing her son. If that’s what you are. I’ll give her another one.”
Bile rose in Denver’s throat at the thought of Madison and Cobb creating a kid. “Guess I’ll have to kill you instead,” he said in a low tone.
Cobb jerked his head. “How’s your side? That knife wound had to hurt.”
“Eh. I’ve had worse hangnails.” Denver inched forward just a little.
“Stop moving, jackass.” Cobb cocked his head to the side in the same way he’d done when Denver had been a helpless kid. As if he was studying a bug on a microscope slide, trying to figure out how to dissect it. “I’ve been waiting for revenge for so long that it hurts to end this.”
“Revenge, huh? Did your oath as a cop ever mean anything?” Of course it hadn’t. Good cops didn’t hit kids. Malloy was a good cop, and he’d probably like to lock this jerk up. “You should want justice. Not revenge.” If Denver could keep him talking, maybe Ryker or Heath would make it upstairs. Denver had to get the baby clear before any shots were fired. “Right?”
“Justice and revenge are the same thing.” Cobb’s chest puffed out. “Are you about done stalling?”
“I figured you needed time to catch your breath after running up the stairs.” Another couple of feet, and Denver would be clear of the baby. “How about we take this outside?”
Cobb sighed and glanced toward the crib. “She’s a pretty little thing.”
The hair on the back of Denver’s neck rose. “I’m glad I killed your brother.” Focus. Back. Here.
Cobb swung his gaze.
Good.
“It hurts to lose something you love.” His smile almost gleeful, Cobb turned slowly and pointed the gun at the crib. “Payback, loser.”
Denver reacted instantly, throwing his body between the crib and Cobb. Three shots echoed in rapid succession, and pain bloomed across Denver’s chest. The impacts threw him back against the crib, and he hit, falling to the floor.
Talia started to wail.
Denver choked out air, his body convulsing. Holy fucking shit. Pain overwhelmed his central nervous system, and he tried to roll over. God. He couldn’t breathe.
Cobb grabbed him by the jacket and lifted him, shoving him into the dresser. The top drawer shattered. Denver’s shoulders hit first, and his head flew forward and then back. The room went dark, and he shook his head, trying to stay conscious. He had to stay awake to protect Talia. Gravity grabbed him, and he slid down to land on his ass.
His body was one large pulsing nerve of raw pain.
Cobb was instantly in his face, crouching down, his hand around Denver’s neck. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this.”
Denver inhaled deeply and punched up, nailing the sheriff in the throat.
Cobb gasped and fell back, reaching for his trachea.
Denver tried to push himself to his feet, his legs unsteady. He used the dresser at his back and stood, wobbling slightly. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, and the scent wafted in the air around him. Definitely his blood.
Cobb released his neck and lifted his gun hand.
Denver kicked out, hitting Cobb’s wrist and sending the gun clattering to the other side of the room. But Denver’s balance was off, and he dropped to the floor on both knees.
“Oh, this is better.” Cobb advanced, whipping a knife out from his back pocket. He grabbed Denver’s hair and jerked his head back. “Much better.”
Denver wheezed and forced a smile even as blood dribbled from his mouth. “You never won,” he gasped, his chest shuddering. “You were bigger and stronger…and you never broke us.” He let his head roll so he could look the asshole directly in his evil eyes. “Not once.”
“Maybe not,” Cobb snarled. “But I’m gonna kill you. It’s a nice consolation prize.”
Talia continued to scream, and Denver’s body short-circuited. He couldn’t leave that baby with this monster. Noni’s face flashed across his vision. She trusted him. She needed him. They both did. “You just don’t get it,” Denve
r said softly, his entire being settling.
“What?” Cobb pressed the knife against Denver’s jugular. “What don’t I get?”
“You can’t win. You can’t beat us. Ever.” With one smooth motion, Denver pulled his knife from his calf and shoved up, jumping from his knees to his feet and keeping going. The blade pierced beneath Cobb’s chin and shoved right up into his skull. He fell back, and Denver fell with him, landing hard and sending the knife all the way home.
Cobb’s eyes widened and then went blank.
Denver rolled off him, leaving the knife in place.
Talia kept crying.
“Just a minute, baby,” he gasped, trying to roll onto his hands and knees. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for that baby. Drawing on strength he had no clue he had, he made it to his feet and limped over to the crib, which was dented even more now. “I’m coming, sweetheart. Just a sec.” Reaching down, he patted her belly. His vision wasn’t clear enough for him to pick her up yet. “You’re okay. I promise.”
She kicked her legs out but stopped crying, as if she somehow knew she was safe.
Denver took several deep breaths and pushed the pain away, waiting until his body settled. Okay. There was some damage on his side, more than the knife wound. But his other side worked. So he gingerly leaned down and picked the baby up with his better arm, holding her to his chest. She snuggled her nose into his neck and sniffed around. “You’re safe, sweetheart.” He turned and looked at the dead man on the ground. The baby had her face against Denver’s skin, so she couldn’t see the mess. That was good.
Ryker was instantly in the doorway with Heath on his heels. They both paused, their gazes on the dead man with the knife hilt protruding from his chin.
Ryker swallowed. “You got him.” He nudged Cobb with his boot.
Denver nodded. “Yeah.”
Heath looked up and hurried toward him. “You’re hurt.”
“I’ll live because of the bulletproof vest.” Denver grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around the baby. “Let’s get this girl to her mama.”