Deadly Silence (Blood Brothers #1)(46)

Greg glanced at Heath and Denver. “Them too?”

“Yeah. Then she’d run us through different obstacle courses and do a series of medical tests,” Ryker added.

Greg turned then, his focus slamming into Ryker. “Did she teach you to kill?”

Ryker’s chest compressed. “No. Somebody else taught me that.”

“The commander?” Greg whispered.

Ryker studied him and, once again, went with the truth. “No. Who’s that?”

Greg licked his lips. “If you don’t know, then you don’t need to know.”

“Okay. At some point, if you really want to find Isobel Madison, you’re gonna have to trust us with the entire truth. You know we can find her. But I have to know all of it.” Ryker took another step toward the kid.

The door to the stairwell opened. “Ryker? Your phone—” Zara gave a startled “Eep” as Greg grabbed her around the neck, his arm banding around her larynx, the knife close to her jugular. He was at least three inches taller than a barefoot Zara, even at his young age.

“No,” Ryker yelled, stiffening. Pure panic exploded in his chest, but he sucked in air and went cold. He needed to think without emotion.

If the kid knew what he was doing—and the kid really did look like he knew what he was doing—he could crush her windpipe before Ryker could get to her. “Let her go,” Ryker said calmly.

Greg’s eyes grew wild again.

The detonator was in his other hand, which was down by Zara’s thigh.

“Listen, Greg. That’s Zara, and she’s a really nice paralegal who likes to cook lasagna and wear funky shoes.” Ryker immediately set out to make her human to the kid, even as his ears started to ring. “I have a feeling you haven’t known many nice ladies in your life, and you need to understand that the one you’re scaring so badly is as nice as they come. Nice, soft, and unable to protect herself from you.”

Greg blinked, and his hold appeared to loosen a fraction. “I don’t want to hurt her.” His voice rose with a painful desperation.

Zara held perfectly still, Ryker’s phone still in her hand. “What’s going on?” she whispered, her face draining of color.

“Get the info on Madison, and do it now,” Greg said levelly. “I said I didn’t want to hurt your lady, and I don’t, but I’ll do what I have to do. I have to find Madison.” The stark emotion in his eyes matched his raw tone.

The knife at Zara’s throat glinted in the soft light. So close to her jugular. Ryker failed to banish emotion. “You hurt her, and I’ll rip you apart.”

Greg nodded, his eyes desolate. “Okay. Get the info for me.”

The boy was ready to die, damn it. Ryker fought the urge to start swinging. “Fine. I’ll get the info.” He moved toward the door to the stairwell and came abreast of the two. “Now, Zara,” he whispered.

She jammed an elbow into Greg’s gut, and the boy breathed out but didn’t release her. Ryker grabbed both his wrists, using size and strength to yank Greg’s arm off Zara’s neck. She ducked beneath his shoulder and spun around behind him.

Ryker shoved both of Greg’s wrists against the wall, trying to keep from hurting the kid, even now.

Greg hissed and released the box. Denver yelled and dove forward, catching the thing right before it hit the ground.

Ryker leaned into Greg, allowing his fury to show. “That was my woman you just threatened to kill.”

Zara cleared her throat and slid a palm along his arm. “He’s just a boy, Ryker. Let’s talk about this.” Her voice was wheezy from nearly being choked.

Greg met his gaze evenly, no fear showing. “You wanna go?”

Fuck no, he didn’t wanna go. “Denver? Got the trigger?”

Denver rolled to his feet and studied the box. With a low growl, he ripped off the back.

Greg smiled.

“Jesus. This is just a blinking box,” Denver snapped.

“No bomb?” Ryker asked, his hold not relenting.

Greg sniffed. “I wouldn’t hurt a nice lady like Zara Remington. Geez. The chick bakes cookies for the old folks home every Sunday.”

Zara gasped from behind him. “How did you know that?”

Ryker frowned. He hadn’t even known that fact. Was there a questionnaire to dating he hadn’t discovered?

Greg leaned toward Ryker as much as the strong hold would allow. “Oh, there ain’t much I don’t know about Ryker and the people in his life.”

Ryker reared back and then went stone-cold. Finally. “Enough.”

Greg ignored him. “In fact, lady, I’m pretty sure I know a whole lot more about Ryker and these guys than you do.”

Zara stepped up to Ryker’s side. “Is that a fact?”

Greg’s Adam’s apple bobbled. “Yep. Would you like to know everything?”





CHAPTER


16


Zara ignored her freezing bare feet and wished she’d pulled on sweats along with Ryker’s discarded T-shirt. At least the thing was enormous and hung to her bare, chilled knees.

What in the world was going on, and why had some kid just tried to choke her while holding a knife?

“Zara? Please go back upstairs.” Ryker’s entire back undulated with barely banked violence. Tension swelled in vibrating heat around them, but his hold seemed gentle, as if he didn’t want to hurt Greg.