Heath slid an arm around his waist and helped him toward the door, his other hand bracing the back of Talia against Denver. “We found the lab that still had our genetic samples. Then we set the explosives and should probably get a move on.”
Denver looked at him. Seriously. “Okay. Run.”
Chapter
37
Noni stood up again and looked out the window, her gun heavy in her hand. “I’m thinking it was just the storm.”
“Agreed.” Zara added a log to the fire and stoked it. “We’re fine. It has been an hour, and if anybody wanted to make a move, they would have.”
“Plus, there’s no way anybody traced us,” Anya said, relaxing in a chair with her gun on her legs. “It was just the wind, folks.”
Something rumbled in the distance. Noni stilled and looked. “Is that a car?”
“Maybe.” Anya leaped to her feet and ran to the front door. She looked out. “It’s the SUV.”
Noni hurried over, her heart nearly bursting through her chest. “Oh God. Are they all there? Can you see?”
“I can’t see anything.” Anya pulled the door open and walked out onto the porch.
The SUV pulled up with a lurch and slid a foot on the ice. A back door opened, and Denver shoved himself out, a green blanket in his arms.
Noni cried out and ran forward, reaching him at the edge of the front porch. “Talia,” she breathed.
Denver turned the baby over to Noni, and she held her tight, tears filling her eyes. “You got her back.” Turning, she hustled for the warmth of the house. Talia smelled like baby powder and Denver. The baby snuggled close, as if she knew she was home. Noni’s hands shook, and she slowed. Tears slid down her face. “Let’s look at you.” Laying her on the sofa, Noni unwrapped her and checked her from head to toe. Relief made her sway.
She picked the baby up and turned to see Denver leaning against a wall, watching her. Her heart clenched tight. He’d saved Talia. She’d known he would. “Denver?”
Ryker moved in, setting a shoulder beneath Denver’s arm and helping him into a chair. “Let’s see how bad.”
Noni gasped. He was hurt? Her head started to spin.
Heath was right behind them, his hands full of papers and his eyes full of concern. He had bruises down the right side of his face and what looked like burn marks across his neck. “I smell blood.”
“It’s mine,” Denver said, grimacing as Ryker released the Velcro straps on the bulletproof vest.
Noni’s stomach tensed. Holding the baby tight, she hurried over to Denver. “How bad?” God. He had to be all right.
“I’m fine,” he said, his face pale beneath his five-o’clock shadow. “It’s okay.”
Ryker finished with the vest and lifted it over Denver’s head. Blood soaked Denver’s light gray T-shirt. Noni blinked several times as dizziness took her.
“Sit down, Non,” Denver said. “I’m okay, but you need to sit down.”
She looked frantically around, and Anya was instantly at her side with arms out.
“Thank you.” Noni set the baby in Anya’s arms and moved forward, dropping to her knees in front of Denver. He had to be okay. There was so much blood. Her ears started to ring. “We need scissors.”
Zara ran in from the kitchen with a first-aid kit and scissors. She handed them over to Ryker, who quickly cut Denver’s shirt away. His stitches had popped open, leaving red and jagged skin bleeding along his rib cage. And bruises, purple and dark red, covered his entire chest. His ribs were swollen and an even deeper purple—almost black.
“What in the world?” Noni breathed, studying the striations.
“Three bullets, but the vest took the impact, just leaving a few broken ribs,” Denver said, looking down at his side. “No new bullet wounds?”
Ryker pulled him forward and ignored his groan as he looked down his back. “Doesn’t look like it. Wait a minute.” He lifted Denver’s arm to show a huge gash. “Good news? The bullet just ripped through you. Bad news? More stitches.”
Denver leaned his head back and groaned. “Wonderful.” Then he opened his eyes. “Heath? Look through those papers while Ryker sews. There has to be something about a safe house for Madison in case her headquarters was infiltrated. You know she has one.” Then he looked at his oldest brother. “Ryker? What’s wrong with your left side?” He poked at Ryker’s vest, lifting his head when Ryker hissed out breath. “Take it off.”
Without waiting for Ryker to argue, Zara immediately went for his vest. Ryker let her with a long-suffering sigh, groaning when she yanked it over his head. “I’m fine. Got shot also…maybe a couple of broken ribs.” He reached for the kit with his right hand, leaving his left arm against his body. “Unlike you, no blood.”
“Fair enough.” Denver leaned back again.
Noni reached for antiseptic. “I’m so sorry.” She poured it on the wound.
Denver’s eyes flared, but he didn’t move a muscle. Man, he was tough. She gently wiped the blood away and then shifted to the side so Ryker could begin sewing him up again. After glancing back to reassure herself that Talia was sleeping peacefully in Anya’s arms, she looked toward a wounded Denver. “Where are Jory and his brothers?”
“On the way to Montana,” Heath said, tossing papers across the coffee table and kneeling to read them. “We found printouts and plans of their property up there in Madison’s lab as well as a couple of pictures. So she knows where they are.”
Noni swallowed. “She’s still alive.”
“Yeah,” Denver said. “But not for long. Heath?”
“I’m looking,” Heath said, scouring through papers.
Denver kept his gaze on Noni. “Is the baby okay?”
Noni nodded as Anya kept bouncing Talia, who was giving happy yips. “Yes. You saved her.” How could she ever thank him? “What about Cobb?”
“Dead,” Denver said, no inflection in his tone.
Ah. All right. Noni eyed him. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” He said the word like he meant it. “I’m fine.” He paled as Ryker drew the needle through his skin, but he didn’t protest. “There’s a tree down on the way into this property,” he said. “Took out the electricity.”
Anya slapped Noni gently on the arm. “Told you. Was just the storm.”
Noni grinned. “You were the voice of reason.”
Heath looked up. “Always.” His gaze darkened. “You look good with a baby in your arms.”
Anya blushed and then kept rocking. “I look good anyway.” She rubbed her nose against Talia’s forehead. “Such a sweet baby.”
Noni’s hands started shaking, so she clasped them together. What was happening? She cleared her throat.
Zara looked down at her with concern. “You okay?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
Denver’s gaze slashed to her. “Take deep breaths. You’re coming down from the adrenaline.” He smiled but still looked pained.
She levered up onto her knees to see Ryker put the needle in again. Her stomach lurched.
“All righty.” Zara tucked her arms beneath Noni’s arms and turned her around. “How about you don’t look at the surgery.” She clasped Noni’s cheeks. “Better?” she asked gently.
Noni snorted and leaned back against Denver’s knee, wanting to feel him close. She concentrated on Zara’s stunning blue eyes. “Actually, that is better.” So she didn’t handle blood all that well. Who did? Besides everyone else in the room. Although Heath was lost in the papers, and Anya was having a good time playing smoochie kisses with the baby.
Denver’s hand descended on Noni’s hair, and he ran his palm down it in a soft caress. “We’re almost finished,” he said in a low rumble.
She tilted her head back to give him access, and he continued as if soothing himself as well.
Finally, Ryker leaned away. “We’re all good. Stitched up and bandaged.” He stood gingerly to his feet, still keeping his left side protected. “Let’s find that bitch, go help in Montan
a, and then take a fuckin’ vacation.”
“Sounds good,” Anya said in a singsong voice to the baby.
Talia giggled and planted her hand on Anya’s nose.
“Let’s get this done. Madison needs to die,” Denver said.
“Copy that,” Ryker said grimly. “If we don’t kill her, she’ll never stop coming for us. It has to happen.”
“Well, now,” said a cultured voice by the kitchen. “That’s just not nice.”
Noni gasped and swiveled around to see Isobel Madison come in from the other room, a gun in her hand and pointed at her. A soldier moved in from the bedrooms, and another came from the dining area. She hovered near Talia, not sure which intruder to shield her from.
They were surrounded.
Chapter
38
Denver stood and counted the positions and the angles of shots in a nanosecond, going into battle mode without moving an inch. Jesus. Three guns were trained on them, but there were six of them. If he charged, his brothers would follow, and somebody would get hit for sure. Maybe one of the women or even Talia.
“Dr. Madison,” Ryker drawled, inching toward Zara. “What a surprise.”
Madison gestured with her silver gun. “Stop moving or I’ll shoot her in the head.”
Ryker stopped moving.
Tension billowed through the room like the prelude to a tornado.
Noni moved close to Talia and Anya, obviously ready to throw her body over the baby if anybody started shooting. She looked wildly around. “How long have you been here?”
“Long enough,” Madison said smoothly. “The storm has been quite handy.”
Anya still held the baby. “Did you knock the lights out earlier?”
Madison’s finely arched brows drew down. “Of course not. We’ve been here only an hour.”
Denver loosened his arms. If the shooting started, he could get across the room and cover Noni and Talia as well as Anya, but they might get hit. There had to be a way out. He cocked his head. “How are you here?” he asked her. “You didn’t follow us earlier. I know you didn’t.”
“No,” she said, smiling broadly. “You’re all too smart for that. But I don’t need to follow you, do I, Denver?” Her voice lowered to a purr at the last.
Heath moved an inch toward the soldier by the dining area.
Denver kept her attention. “Apparently not, considering you found us here and at the hotel on the border.” He narrowed his gaze. None of this made sense. He felt like puking. “How?”
Her cold blue eyes somehow sparkled. “I know you, my boy. Always have.” She swept her gun out toward Ryker and Heath. “I know all of you. Don’t you comprehend? You can’t make any move I won’t see coming.”
“Life isn’t a game of chess,” Ryker burst out.
Denver slid closer to Noni, his mind spinning.
Heath coughed. “You’ve always been a crazy bitch.”
Ryker moved still closer to Zara.
Madison sighed. “Would you all please remember your manners?”
God, Denver hated her calmness. There was no way she knew him this well. “How did you find us?”
She giggled. “Why won’t you believe empirical evidence? I know how your minds work. I created you.”
“You are psychotic,” Noni spat, throwing her arms wide.
Denver took another step toward her. Smart woman, his girl. If they could keep Madison’s attention moving, then they could keep moving into defensive positions. “I’ve always thought sociopathic,” he said evenly. “But dishonesty is something new.”
Madison sighed. “You’re easy to trace. Period.”
No, he wasn’t. He let go of the fear and shame; he let go of any uncertainty. He was damn good at his job. So there had to be a way Madison had tracked him to the hotel the other night and then all of them to this place. Realization hit him so hard his ears rang. “You bitch.”
Her eyes widened and then she giggled more. “Oh, Denver. You are too intelligent, aren’t you?”
He could barely keep from lunging and taking her down to the ground. “You tagged a baby? You’re that evil.”
Noni gasped and turned to Talia. “Tagged? What does that mean?”
Denver cut a look at Ryker, who was trying to control his shock.
Ry shook his head. “Even for you, Madison. That’s crazy. Beyond crazy. You definitely don’t believe in an afterlife, but I do. You’re going to burn in hell.”
Noni took Talia from Anya’s arms and held her close, turning to look at Denver. “What does that mean?”
“She’s okay, Non.” He kept his voice low and commanding. “It’s just a small tracker beneath the skin so the person is findable. Madison has done it with soldiers before.” But he still wasn’t getting it. “All right, so that makes sense that you’d find us now. But not at the hotel near Montana last time, when you took Noni and Talia.” He thought it out, clicking through facts.
She danced back in her boots. “You’re getting it now.”
Heat flushed through him. “You tagged the baby before we even won the auction. When the Kingdom Boys gang still had her.” It was the only explanation.
Madison smiled. “Yes. Did you really think I missed the numerous sites that held your picture with that slut? Come on, boy. I contacted that little gang in the middle of your so-called auction. Paid them a nice amount to let me spend an hour with her. They didn’t even ask why.”
Noni rubbed Talia’s back, her gaze still confused. Then ignoring everyone, she set her down and started feeling the baby’s arms.
Madison sniffed. “The tracker is in her left heel. There’s no need to search her.”
“Noni,” Denver said quietly, his mind reeling. How had he come from such a lunatic? “She’s fine. Concentrate on the matter at hand.”
Ryker took the opportunity and lunged at Madison. She fired, and he flew back into the wall.
“Ryker,” Zara yelled, rushing for him.
“Stop,” Madison ordered, “or I’ll shoot again.”
Zara hesitated, her gaze going from Madison to Ryker.
Ryker hissed and pushed himself into a sitting position, putting his back to the wall and grabbing his thigh. Blood welled between his fingertips.
“Ryker,” Zara whispered, her voice tortured.
He gave her a lopsided smile. “It’s just a scratch, Z. I’m fine. Just need a bandage.” Sweat popped out along his forehead and dotted his upper lip.
“No more of that,” Madison said coolly. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a blinking box. “We made good use of our time waiting for you.”
Denver’s blood chilled. “You planted explosives?” His voice had gone hoarse.
“Yes. Now we’re going to have an honest discussion.” Her voice, even while threatening mass murder, remained calm. “Where is Elton?”
“I killed him,” Denver said instantly, looking her in the eye. “If you know me like you say, you can tell if I’m being honest.”
She studied him, and her patrician nostrils flared. “You killed Elton.” She tsked. “Denver. You’ll be punished for that.” Her chilling gaze moved to Noni. “I promise.”
Noni straightened and put her body between Madison and the baby.
“Then we buried him where he’ll never be found,” Denver said easily. Oh, they’d left the soldiers with the burning buildings, but Cobb could be traced to them, so they’d actually broken into a crematorium and made sure he’d never be found. “I guess you did make us a little bad.”
She sighed. “I suppose I did.”
Heath barely moved closer to the soldier he was tracking. “We should also let you know that we destroyed your lab and the area where your samples were stored.”
Her face flushed. “That was unkind of you.”
Heath shrugged. “Yeah. Probably.”
Everyone seemed to be holding their breath. Denver kept an eye on Ryker, who was getting pale.
Madison tapped her heeled boot. “I’ll j
ust have to obtain more samples, then.”
Ryker grimaced. “We know you’ve found the Gray brothers. How many soldiers have you sent to Montana to fight them?”
She smiled. “Just one. I don’t need to go to Montana. No. The Gray boys are going to come to me.”
“By using us as bait,” Heath ground out.
“Yes,” she said, focusing on her two soldiers. “Do you have the dart guns?”
Both men whipped out dart guns, keeping their Sigs pointed at the room.
Denver’s chest settled. If he and Heath were darted, she’d get them out of the house with Ryker. “We’ll go with you without darts if we leave now.”
She tilted her head and then shook it sadly. “I’m afraid that won’t do.”
God. She was going to blow the house with the women in it.
“You can’t kill them all,” Ryker snapped, his voice low with pain.
She sighed. “I have no other viable alternative.”
“Now,” Denver roared, hoping Noni would drop to the ground. He pivoted and went for the soldier nearest him while Heath did the same.
The soldier tackled him to the ground. Pain flared along his side, and his stitches popped open again. The agony burned.
Noni screamed.
Denver shoved away pain. He punched the guy hard beneath the jaw and rolled them both over, smashing his head into the ground and hearing it crack. The guy’s head bounced twice, and he died instantly.
Grabbing the soldier’s Sig, Denver leaped up and turned.
Madison stood next to Noni, her gun pointed at Noni’s rib cage.
Noni had gone so pale her lips looked blue.
“You’re okay,” Denver said, pointing the Sig at Madison. Ryker lay panting on the floor while Heath had taken out the other soldier, who lay on the floor with his neck at an odd angle.
Heath moved easily toward Anya, covering both her and Zara.
Denver stared at Dr. Madison. He had to get her away from Noni. “I have your eyes,” he whispered softly. Could he distract her?
Heath moved forward a couple of inches, keeping the women behind him.