Forgotten Sins (Sin Brothers, #1)(96)
Madison smoothed her pencil skirt down. “To a safe place until Shane is contained. Then we’re going home. Thank God.”
“God?” Josie gasped. No way did the psychotic bitch believe in God. “Where might home be?”
Madison twisted in her seat to flash a tight smile. “Back East. Not the facility where dear Shane grew up, but similar. State of the art, in fact.”
The woman had more than one screw loose. “You honestly think you’ll be able to capture Shane, and he’ll go back to work for you? That he’ll be an ultimate soldier doing your dirty work?” Dr. Madison really didn’t know Shane.
The smile widened. “Of course. Now that we have you, Shane will do anything I want. And those brothers of his will follow suit.” She sniffed. “They’ve had an almost unnatural loyalty to each other since birth.” Her exhale scented the car with mint. “I wonder if it’s something we did with the genetic engineering.”
Josie shook her head, trying to ignore the pounding ache in her shoulder blades from her odd position. “More likely a survival instinct. To survive their childhood and being raised by a complete nut job like you.”
“Interesting theory.” Madison pursed her lips, lines in her forehead creasing as she frowned. “Though the commander held death over their heads. I just studied them. Put them through their tests and so on.” She turned around, her gaze wandering over Josie’s face. “So who’s with Shane? There must be one of the brothers close by. Close enough to call for help.”
Just Matt. Nathan had headed out to a new assignment. Could Matt and Shane take the commander and his soldiers? Josie raised an eyebrow. “Shane doesn’t need backup, and you know it. What kind of trap do you think will work, anyway?” There had to be some way to get a message to her husband. To warn him.
Tom switched lanes, allowing a hot yellow Ferrari to pass him on the left. “Let’s just say the trap involves nerve gas that would knock out a stegosaurus. Before your boy knows it, he’ll be at the new facility working to draw his brothers back in.”
What kind of gas? Shane had just recovered from a concussion and surgery—and he didn’t even have his entire memory back. Josie had to get out of there and warn him. How did people get out of handcuffs, anyway? The more she tugged, the harder the cold metal dug into her wrists. They were already raw. Blood oozed to coat the metal. Bile swirled up her throat, and she swallowed the horrid taste back down.
Tom signaled and took the off-ramp toward Miller’s Strip.
Josie stiffened. “We’re going to the airport?” Miller’s was a small, private airport for the superrich. She’d picked up wealthy clients there before. If she left Snowville, Shane might never find her. Panic threatened to cut off her breathing.
“Yes. The airport it is.” Tom maneuvered the vehicle around a horse trailer and followed the quiet road several miles until stopping next to a large metal-walled hangar.
Josie peered out the window. The area around the building remained quiet and empty in the gathering dusk. Clouds rolled across the sky, the wind scattering loose leaves over the deserted tarmac. She shivered at how alone she felt.
Tom jumped out of the SUV and opened her door, releasing the cuffs and dragging her from the car. His frown marred his handsome face as he glared at her bloody wrists. “Josie,” he breathed. “What did you do?”
She tried to tug her hands out of his grasp. “I’d do anything to get away from you, jackass.”
He smiled. “I’ve always liked your spunk.”
Two black Escalades approached, halting on either side of Tom’s car. Men dressed in black combat gear clomped flak boots onto the cement as they jumped out, machine guns in hand.
Tom glanced at a muscular bald man. “Secure the perimeter of the hangar.”
“Yes, sir.” The man began barking orders and pointing out positions to the soldiers. They didn’t look real. Not one of them even seemed to notice Josie. She counted eight armed soldiers as well as two men dressed in polo shirts and khakis. Must be the pilots.
Turning, Tom dragged her through a small doorway into a wide hangar with two sleek jets parked in the middle. Madison clipped her high heels across the spotless cement behind them. The sharp sound echoed through the vast space. The pilots silently strode toward the two planes, opening hatches and getting to work.
Josie stumbled to keep pace with Tom, her mind whirling. How did she miss the emptiness in him? Even while he threatened her, he only seemed half there. Like he’d enjoy attacking her but could take or leave the possibility. “You know, most people who torture other people need to do it. Like a compulsion.”
Tom yanked her into a spacious office, shoving her into a plush leather chair. “Oh?” He reached behind his waist and brought out a large, square handgun to place on the desk.
“Yeah.” Josie settled into the seat. Could she get into his head? “I think so. But you, well, you don’t seem to really care.” She lowered her voice. “What did they do to you?”
His smile chilled the air. “They created me.” Both broad hands grasped her armrests, and he leaned down, his face inches from hers. “And you’re wrong. The only time I feel alive is when I have someone screaming.” Heat flared through his eyes. He inhaled, a dark flush crossing his smooth face. “You smell like softness and purity. Like clouds.” His gaze dropped from her eyes to her breasts. “Something tells me you’ll be a screamer.”