Deadly Silence (Blood Brothers #1)(74)

The sheriff lifted his chin. “You’re sleeping with him.”

“No,” she lied. “Yet he seems to have a bit of a crush, and I need to use that for the time being. He’s such a moron, but he does have a fighting force.”

“So when we’re done with him, you’re fine if I slice open his jugular?”

She smiled. “Of course. I’d appreciate you taking care of me that way. Did he show you to your quarters?”

“You mean, my room?” Elton patted the grooved wooden wall. “This is more like a cushiony lodge than a training facility.”

Wasn’t that the truth? “The soldiers and I use that term loosely. All bunk down in the barracks, which used to be barns.” The only hitch in her plan would be if Todd and the sheriff started fighting over her, especially since Elton would kill Todd, and she really needed Todd’s fighting forces. Her own force was at an all-time low since the depot in Utah had been blown up. “I need you to act as if you’re here as an advisor to bring the Lost boys back in, and not because of me. Temporarily.”

Elton rubbed his hand across his jeans. “Fine, but you’re gonna have to earn my cooperation.” His tone was gritty and thick with dark promise.

She’d figured. “Yes?”

“My room, midnight.” Without another word, he pivoted and disappeared from sight.

Apparently the good sheriff had gained a backbone in the years they’d been separated. She’d be smart not to underestimate him.

Heavy footsteps clomped down the hallway, and Todd came into view. “You texted me?”

The man moved like an elephant. She couldn’t help but compare Sheriff Cobb’s hard abs and lack of conscience with this soft, silly pretend soldier. Soon she’d be rid of Todd and his bizarre quest to rid the world of science. Even so, she forced a smile. “Yes. I had an alarm go off, and I think I know where a couple of my test subjects are. Cisco, Wyoming.”

He smiled, revealing a slight gap between his front teeth. “We’ll take them out.”

“No.” She held up a hand. “First, we need to find them and see who we’re dealing with. Many of these boys formed connections with each other when they were young, so if we find one, we should be able to use him to find more. Your mission is one of intelligence gathering.”

His face settled into harsh lines. “I’m a soldier.”

He wasn’t even close. She nodded. “Yes, and part of any mission is to gather intel. Just go to Cisco and stake out the address I sent to your phone. Trust me, darling. This is the right way to get the job done.”

“Where were you this morning? When I awoke, you were gone.” He sounded petulant.

She’d had to shower him off her from the night before. “I came to work, as usual.” Forcing her lips into a flirty smile, she sent him a wink. “You know successful ops stir my desire, Todd. Do a great job on this one, and I’ll let you do anything you want to me.”

He moved then and leaned over to kiss her on the mouth. His lips were too soft and mushy. “I love you, Isobel.”

“Then trust me with this op. I know what I’m doing.” She licked along his lips. “I love you, too.”

He stepped back, warmth in his eyes. “All right. I’ll check in.” Turning sharply, he stomped out of the room.

She breathed out and lost her smile. The man was straining against his leash. She couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t let emotion overrule logic and try to kill whoever was on the other end of that beacon.

Well. Hopefully it was one of the men she’d created. If not, or if they’d lost their edge, Todd or his men would kill them.





CHAPTER


26


Zara fiddled with her purse strap in the interrogation room of the police station. The heat blasted through, warming the surprisingly cozy area. The oak table appeared well polished, and the chairs were upholstered in thick leather. Pretty landscapes covered the walls, and even the commercial mint green carpet seemed well vacuumed.

Detective Norton sat across from her while Heath kicked back at her side.

“I expected something colder,” she said, looking around.

Norton smiled, wrinkling the corners of his deep brown eyes. “This is more of a conference room. The cold concrete block room is down the hallway a bit.”

“Oh.” Even though the place was nice, she couldn’t banish the hard knot in her chest. She glanced at Heath.

Heath nodded. “My client would like to make a statement.”

The detective lifted both eyebrows. “All right. Go ahead.”

Zara took a deep breath and told the detective about her helping Julie, about being in the motel room the day of the murder, and finally about the breakin at her house, where the intruders got away. She left out the tiny part about Ryker kidnapping one of the intruders and then questioning him.

Norton just looked at her, no expression on his rugged face. For a man in his early forties, he had very few lines fanning out from his eyes. Maybe he didn’t smile much.

Heath drummed his fingers on a blank legal pad in front of him. “As you can see, my client may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, but she hasn’t broken any laws. Are we done?”

The detective blinked, not taking his gaze from Zara. “No. We are nowhere near done, counselor, and you know it.”