Deadly Silence (Blood Brothers #1)(108)

“Liar,” she whispered, her voice seductive and way beyond creepy. “There are secrets from your past I’d share. Like you’re not alone. Not really.”

She hadn’t seen Matt or Jory, now, had she? “I don’t care about secrets, and I’ve given up the past. How about you just go to hell now?” he said, his voice shaking just enough to piss him off. Had his brothers found Greg? Where was Cobb? He had to get the gun from Madison, but she was right in front of him for the first time, and he needed to ask. “Why me? Why did you leave me in New Orleans as a baby and have me later relocated to North Carolina? Why did you mess with my life at all?”

“Mess with your life? I gave you life, boy.” Her gaze narrowed.

He rolled his eyes. “It’s no coincidence that Heath, Denver, and I ended up at the same place being tested by you. That much I’ve figured out. So if we’re different, and you and I both know we are, I have to think you know why.” He went with a false question so as not to give anything away. “Are the three of us really related? Do we share a parent?”

She relaxed. “No. The three of you don’t share anything but your creation. That was me and science and brilliance.”

Zara made a sound behind him, and he shook his head. “How so?”

Madison’s eyes glowed. “Test tubes, experiments, and really good genes. If there are extra abilities in men, and I believe there are, then I created you to have them. Right?”

He didn’t answer her.

She settled her stance. “Tit for tat, young man. Right?”

He slowly nodded. “I’m smart, and my reflexes are very quick. Genetics?”

“Yes.”

“Test tubes?” he asked slowly.

She smiled. “Yes. So many embryos, and most didn’t survive. But you did, as did others. You might have biological brothers out there, but you, Heath, and Denver created your own bond, didn’t you?”

If he could keep her talking, then one of his brothers would come up behind her as soon as they discovered this building. How many buildings were getting searched? If she was here, then she wasn’t hiding Greg. So Ryker continue to play along, acknowledging that he needed answers. “Who were my biological parents?” He held his breath.

She sniffed. “Doesn’t matter. I created you. I’m your parent.”

“Biologically,” he snapped.

“A soldier was your sperm donor—a truly gifted, brilliant, hard man. He died on a mission.” Her lips turned down. “I believe your mother was a lost teenage whore with a shockingly high IQ. After giving birth to you, and taking our money, she was killed by a drug overdose.” Madison held up a hand when he opened his mouth. “We did not kill her.”

He swallowed. Unfortunately, his ability to discern the truth told him she was being honest. His parents, such that they were, no longer lived.

A part of him wished he could’ve saved his teenaged mother. Not his failure, but he still hurt for her. His chest ached, but not as badly as he would’ve expected. His brothers were his family, and that would never change, no matter how many new members they added. “Did my mother have other children?”

“Yes,” Madison said. “I also harvested many of her eggs to use with other surrogates. You probably have half-brothers out there.”

Zara pressed both her hands against his lower back in a gesture of pure comfort.

“Why are you telling me this?” he asked, his body flushing.

Madison shrugged. “Think about coming with me. I’m rebuilding my business, and you have a lot to offer. I can train you. Think of the advances we could make.”

The woman was colder than ice and more calculating than the serial killer they were chasing. “You need to be put down,” he muttered. “Your business?”

“Yes. More soldiers, more test tubes, more advances in science. In fact, I’ll have a new lab ready in a matter of weeks, and I could use additional genetic material. What do you say?”

“Additional?” he coughed.

She smiled. “I still have some, young man. It’s just been stored safely away, and soon I’ll have the proper facility.”

He shook his head. They’d have to take her out before she created anybody else. For now, he owed his brothers a chance to know their pasts. “What about Heath’s and Denver’s parents? What’s the deal?”

She shook her head and glanced at her wristwatch. “They’ll have to come in if they want answers. I’ve told you enough.” She backed away, stepping outside into the snow.

He stepped toward her, and she lifted the barrel of the gun to his face. “Why? After the test tubes, why did you leave me at an orphanage?” he asked. She’d kept the Gray brothers, but she’d set him free. Why? He couldn’t ask the entire question, because she didn’t know he’d met up with Matt and Jory. “I’d think you’d want to keep your creations close.”

She nodded. “All part of the experiment, I’m afraid. I had to see how you three boys—totally unrelated but created with superior genes—would interact and survive. You were my project. Just mine. You still are.”

A roar of a motor echoed through the trees. Ryker tensed. He needed the bitch off balance and fast. “I killed Todd.”

She nodded. “I know, but that’s all right. He’d served his purpose, and frankly, his ideals were getting in my way. You did me a favor.”