Deadly Silence (Blood Brothers #1)(59)

Denver reached for the mouse and manipulated the screen beyond the buildings to a wide field. “Yeah?”

“Zoom in to the left.”

Denver did so, craning his neck to see around the monitor. “Okay.” He frowned. “What’s that?”

Greg paled. “That was my grave, man.”

Ryker jerked his head back and narrowed his gaze. A grave marker did line the area away from the downed fence. But…he looked closer and then whistled.

“Yeah,” Greg said. “It’s been dug up.”

“So you think your brothers are looking for you?” Heath asked.

Greg shook his head. “No. I set up several places on the Internet that they could find if they were looking, and only they could find those places on the dark web. They haven’t looked, so they don’t think I’m alive.”

“Why the hell would they move your grave, then?” Ryker asked.

“If they left the compound, if they found safety somehow, they’d take me with them.” Faith in his brothers colored Greg’s words.

Ryker fought a shiver. “True that,” he murmured.

“You think kids would’ve dug up and moved a coffin?” Heath asked.

“If it was you, I would’ve moved you even when we were kids,” Ryker said while Denver nodded, his gaze stark.

Heath pointed to the monitor. “We have an idea to bring Dr. Madison here. To fall into a trap of hers so she has to come calling. What do you think?”

Greg’s face lost all color. “Shit no, man. You don’t understand.” Panic swelled from the kid. “Madison won’t come. Soldiers—ones trained beyond what you could even imagine—will storm the entire town.”

“We can take care of ourselves,” Ryker said, more than a little surprised by the panic. Nothing had seemed to get to this kid. “We won’t let anybody hurt you, Greg.”

Greg’s chin dropped. “Oh man. You have no f*cking clue. Jesus.” He turned to go, and only Ryker’s hand on his arm stopped him. “I have to get out of here. This was a mistake.” His voice rose on the last in pure panic.

“Wait a minute—” Ryker started and stood up.

Greg swept out with his leg, catching Ryker in the knee. It buckled, and he went forward. Greg followed up with a cuff to the temple and turned to run.

Pain bloomed in Ryker’s head. He grabbed Greg by the leg, pulling him down. Greg fought hard, punching and kicking, using a combination of several martial arts moves as well as street moves. Ryker countered each one, his head ringing, his temper trying to spring free. He kept his moves to defense and held back from harming the boy.

Greg connected with a solid punch to Ryker’s mouth.

He growled and gripped the kid’s wrists, jerking him up and off his feet to plant him against the wall. “Knock it the f*ck off,” he growled, his face in Greg’s.

Denver leaned against the door frame, and Heath had moved behind them to keep track.

“Where did you learn to fight like that?” Greg hissed, struggling against Ryker’s hold.

“Me?” Ryker spit blood off his lip, his chest heaving out. “What about you? Jesus. You been training since diapers?”

Greg stilled. “Yeah.”

Ryker blinked and lowered the kid to the ground. Shock slowed his movements. They’d made the boy learn to fight before he’d walked? How f*cked up was that? “Listen. We’re in this together, whatever it is. Dr. Madison tested all of us, and there had to be a reason. Do you have any idea what it was?”

“No.” Greg stuck out his chin.

Interesting and twice as heartbreaking. “You’re lying.”

“Prove it.” Greg shook out of Ryker’s hold. “There’s no trap for Madison that will capture her. She won’t come.” He shrugged. “Unless the commander is dead, which is totally unlikely. He runs the military side of their little fiefdom.”

Ryker stepped back to give him some room. “All right. Let me get this straight. You and your brothers were raised in a military-type school where they trained you to fight.” Only size and strength had allowed Ryker to keep Greg from hurting either one of them. When Greg reached adulthood, he’d be one dangerous motherf*cker.

Greg blinked. “I take it you weren’t trained?”

“Madison studied only our IQs and conditioning. We were taught for free by a local martial arts expert and then attended a military training camp,” Ryker said. For the first time, he wondered if it had indeed been free. Had Madison arranged for them to be conditioned to fight? “We learned a lot on our own through the years as well.”

Heath cocked his head. “I wonder why we were trained at all. I mean, this is all so damn confusing. We have to find that woman to get some answers. It’s the only way.”

“I can’t stop you,” Greg said. He stepped toward Ryker. “But take some advice. If they come for you, they’ll come at your weaknesses. They’ll come at what you care about. Cut Zara loose now.”

The words spoken by such a young face sent chills down Ryker’s back. Anger tried to take hold, and he forced it back, needing to stay calm and in control for Greg. “I can take care of Zara.”

Greg wearily shook his head.

“Greg, you have to trust us,” Heath said. “We’re trained, too. We won’t let anybody hurt you or Zara.”