Now Daniel wastheirsoldier? Interesting. She hadn’t decided to share him. “Yes. He’s searching new rentals in Snowville as we speak but so far hasn’t found Heath, Ryker, or Denver. I still think Snowville is a red herring, and they’re somewhere else here in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle would be my bet,” she said. “It’s a big enough city, they can get lost but still have access to mass transit to flee if necessary. I believe the Gray brothers are somewhere in the West, too, and now that they’ve all connected, I surmise they’ll stay close to one another.” Which was nicely convenient for her.
“Makes sense.” Elton plucked a framed picture off the desk. The silver frame looked delicate in his beefy hand. “This is new.”
“I finished unpacking and found it in some boxes. She’s beautiful, right?” Isobel glanced at the photograph of her daughter, Audrey. It had been taken during Audrey’s graduation from high school, where she’d earned straight A’s in advanced classes.
“She looks just like you. Blue eyes, black hair, flawless skin,” Elton said, turning the photo around in his hands. “Different expression in those eyes, though.”
“Really?” Isobel watched his movements, curiosity rising. “How so?”
“She looks a little lost, whereas you always look determined.” He gently set the picture down on the desk again. “She has to be about seven months along now, right?”
“Yes.” What Isobel wouldn’t give to test that baby. A cross between Audrey and one of Isobel’s genetically enhanced soldiers might be something new. Something incredible, really. The hair on her arms stood up. “Audrey and one of my creations are giving me my first grandchild.”
He cleared his throat, scrutinizing her. “Do you feel love like other people?”
She tilted her head to the side. Interesting question. “I don’t know how other people feel, but I do feel love. It’s probably more cerebral than most.” Of course, most women would probably be hurt that their only daughter had fled with a man who hated her mother, but not Isobel. It was what it was, and she’d get what she wanted in the end. “I do love you, Elton.” He provided her with a service, and that was love as far as she was concerned.
He steepled his fingers at his chin. “I love you, too.”
She smiled and double-checked the code on her computer. It seemed important for him to be able to say those words, so she lingered in the moment. “I’m glad we’re finally together. We’re almost family.” His chest swelled at the words. Yes. They had been the right words. She allowed her smile to widen.
“Speaking of family. About your daughter—you’d be sad if she died, right?” He frowned as if trying to read her mind.
Why was he questioning her? “I’d be devastated.” For goodness’ sake. Audrey was carrying the first baby born of Isobel’s creations. If that baby died before she could examine him or her, it’d be a scientific loss of epic proportions. “I can’t even imagine something so terrible.” She caught herself and slumped her shoulders a little. “Not to mention the loss of my sweet Audrey. It’s hard to explain a mother’s love for her daughter.”
Elton relaxed. “Yeah, that’s what I figured.”
Isobel nodded solemnly.
“I was wondering. When you get the lab up and running, what if you and I had a kid?”
She blinked. “What?”
“A kid. You and me and a surrogate. It could happen, right?”
She sat back, her mind spinning. She hadn’t hit menopause as of yet, so she might have viable eggs. Elton was strong and smart . . . and slightly sociopathic. Her breath burst out, surprising her. “You want a child?”
He shrugged, his skin flushing. “Yeah. I think I’d like a son to name after my dead brother. The one Heath and his brothers killed.” Defiance crossed his broad face, and a softer light than usual glimmered in his eyes. Vulnerability?
“You want this,” she mused, calculating the possibilities.
“Yes.” His chin lowered, and he met her gaze directly.
A child would certainly bind Elton to her for the rest of his life. It also seemed a shame to waste Isobel’s intelligence; maybe she should pass that on to another generation like she had with Audrey. Through the years, Isobel had considered creating more children, but her secret hope had been to have one with the commander. That hope had only recently been destroyed by his death. “You’re sure?”
“Yes,” Elton said.
With some splicing and careful work, she might be able to create the perfect soldier using her own genes. Perhaps she should harvestseveralof her eggs.
What would combining her genetic material with samples from one of her earlier creations do? Heath’s extraordinary reflexes, self-control, and raw size would be a nice combination with her intelligence. Elton could never know that her thoughts were going in that direction, however. “I’m very intrigued by your idea, Elton.”
He smiled. “I thought you would be. Just think of the kid we’d have.”
“I am,” she said softly, donning a sweet smile as her mind went to work. The new lead with Detective Malloy had her instincts humming and her spine straightening. Oh, she was so close to finding them.
It was time. The Lost boys would be back home within the week. She just knew it. Codes started to stream across her screen. “It’s time to send a force to Snowville.”
CHAPTER
