“You injected Carly?” My voice pitched higher.
She folded her hands behind her head. “That bitch helped Sam. She deserved to be punished.”
“But taking the serum isn’t punishment. You think it’s the Holy Grail for immortality.”
“For Carly it isn’t. She doesn’t want to be immortal.” Her evil laugh made the hairs on my arms stand to attention. “Now she is.”
A part of me felt sorry for Carly. “Do you know that for sure or even where Carly is?” I wasn’t about to tell her if she didn’t know.
“I don’t care about that bitch,” Rianne said with disgust.
I tapped my finger on my lips as I connected the dots. “But she is the scientist, and she was trying to help those with incurable diseases like Granny.”
She shrugged. “Not anymore.”
The lightbulb suddenly shone like the sun on a hot summer day. “Adam kicked you and Granny out of his circle because of what you did to Carly.”
Adam and Carly were tight. He knew her motives and she his. Plus, Carly had told my grandmother that Adam was only tolerating Harriet because of her money and that my grandmother was supposed to keep Rianne from pulling stunts. I would bet my life that Adam sent them packing.
“You’re also here because Granny is livid with you. She’s not part of Adam’s team anymore, which means she has no access to find an immortal cure for her blood cancer. And you’re trying to make up for your indiscretions, hoping to show Granny you’re worthy, which means you came here to snag my child for her.”
Our grandmother’s words strangled my throat.But now that you’re carrying Sam’s baby, I don’t need him.
She sat up, glowering at me. “You think you have it all figured out. Don’t you?” She guffawed. “You have no clue.”
“Maybe not,” I volleyed back. “But one thing I know for sure is you won’t be leaving this cell.”
She let out an evil laugh as if to negate my statement. “I’m done talking.” She resumed lying down.
I’d gotten more from her than I’d expected, and she wasn’t going anywhere. I could always come back tomorrow if I had more questions, but I doubted she would give me anything more than she already had.
I started to walk away.
“Layla,” Rianne said. “Be careful who you trust.”
“Thanks for the warning,” I said as I left.
If a mole existed among our ranks, I was sure the SEALs would flush out that person. For now, I had babies and a husband waiting for me. I wanted to spend as much time with them as possible because the way our lives were headed, I was afraid I wouldn’t have very many opportunities, especially if fate decided to fuck with Sam and me even more.
32
SAM
The moon was big and bright, drowning out the canopy of stars. Low tide gave way to a wide carpet of wet sand as Layla and I sat on a blanket in front of the stairs leading up to the house.
Sleep was a thing of the past, and knowing Rianne was in town set my nerves on fire. Layla couldn’t relax, and Rorie was unusually fussy. She didn’t have a fever. She had drunk her full bottle of formula a couple of hours ago, and she had no symptoms of colic, at least from Rebekah’s medical expertise. I was siding with Rebekah for the simple fact that once Layla picked Rorie up, she’d stopped crying, which pierced a hole in my heart because I’d tried to calm my daughter down. I’d even given her a drop of my blood, thinking that might have been what she’d needed. But no such luck. I felt like a failure as a father. She should know who I was, but I hadn’t been around for three weeks.
At the moment, Rorie was snuggled against Layla’s chest in one of those baby wraps, and my gorgeous, feisty huntress was rubbing gentle circles on Rorie’s back while seated between my legs.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Layla whispered on the wind.
I kissed her ear, staring out at the water. The moon’s rays glinted off the ocean’s serene surface, giving the water a glassy look. “I love you, baby doll. More and more each day. My heart stopped when I heard Rianne was in town. But Conrad said you did great.”
I’d never been more afraid in my life than when I’d found out Rianne was in Maine. How the fuck did she know where to find Layla? It was crystal fucking clear that we had a mole among us. Tripp had Sawyer checking the command center. After all, Sawyer mentioned we had a breach in our security system that he’d caught quickly. But maybe not in time. We couldn’t rule out anyone, even our closest confidants. Hell, for all we knew it could also be one of Stan’s men.
“Not really,” she said. “I got lucky. I need weapons training. I want a sword. When dealing with creatures like Noah and Rianne, it will take more than a dagger to kill them. I feel like we’re about to go to war with zombies, and the only way for them to die is to cut off their heads.”
I inhaled her cherry scent, an aroma that had a way of relaxing me. “We have plenty of swords in our weapons room on base. I know just the one that would fit you.”
