Fury grabbed Cobb around the throat. “You killed him.”
“I surely did,” Denver said easily, his smile widening. “Nearly took his head off with one swing of the bat.”
Cobb’s blood actually felt like icicles pumping through his veins. The jerk was lying. He hadn’t been big enough to kill with a bat at that time. “We both know it was one of your brothers.”
“No. Then I started him on fire with lighter fluid and gasoline and a match from the Dixie Motel in town,” Denver said quietly. “You ever seen a body burn? Man, it stinks.”
Cobb lost it. With a roar, he lunged toward the bed, his knife already slashing down.
CHAPTER
27
Noni’s head lolled on her shoulders and she coughed. The sound woke her more. She lifted her heavy head. Were there weights on her head? She opened her eyes to darkness.
Blinking several times, she tried to grasp reality. Slowly her vision began to focus. A yellow fluorescent light in the ceiling illuminated what appeared to be a small office. She faced a paneled wall decorated with several black-and-white photographs of early airplanes.
Cold. Her entire body was freezing.
She tried to move . . . and couldn’t. A quick glance down confirmed that zip ties secured her wrists to a leather chair. She struggled, quickly realizing that her bare ankles were tied as well. She leaned to the side to see a similar zip tie attaching her right ankle to a wooden spoke above the chair’s roller. Her legs were slightly spread, and considering she wore only Denver’s T-shirt and thin panties, a devastating vulnerability washed over her.
“Ah. You’re awake finally.” High heels clipped, and the chair was turned around. “Hello.”
Noni blinked up at a woman, waiting until her vision cleared. “Dr. Madison,” she murmured, recognizing the woman from the manila file she’d found in Denver’s pack. “Where the hell is my daughter?” Fury and fear nearly choked Noni, but she struggled against the bindings anyway.
Madison took a couple of steps back. “My records show the adoption hasn’t gone through yet. You have to finish the paperwork in Alaska.”
“Wrong.” Maybe the paperwork wasn’t finished, but Talia was her daughter, and fierce maternal protectiveness nearly choked her. “Bring my daughter to me. Now.”
“No.” Madison studied her, head to toe. “You’re not much to look at. What is Denver thinking?” She tapped a red nail to her very red lips.
The judgment in the woman’s tone was like a wake-up slap. What a bitch. Noni looked frantically around. The office held a heavy oak desk complete with stapler, tape, and pencils. Was that a letter opener? She could use it to stab. A leather sofa was across from her. Maps and the pictures of airplanes covered the walls. An open doorway led to a wide concrete hangar housing a quiet white jet. She was in a private hangar? How long had she been unconscious? “What did you give me?”
“Just a simple sedative,” Madison said, taking a seat on the sofa and crossing slim legs. She wore a heavy blue sweater over a thin pencil skirt and high-heeled boots. “It should be clearing your system now, although you’ve been out for quite a while.”
Noni pricked up her ears. “Where. Is. Talia?”
“She’s sleeping in the plane,” Madison said easily, her gaze sharp. “Do what I tell you to do, and I won’t toss her out into the cold.”
Fear gripped Noni’s heart like a fist made of pure evil. “I want to see her.”
Madison arched perfectly shaped dark eyebrows. “What you want is irrelevant.”
Noni shook her head, trying to concentrate. Everything still felt a little numb. “Why did you take us?” She tried to curl her toes and push away, but she couldn’t get purchase on the smooth floor. “I mean, why drug Denver and take us?” It didn’t make any sense.
Madison sighed. “That’s a long story, and I doubt your IQ is high enough to grasp the intricate concepts. The drug was just to subdue Denver. My soldiers had orders to take him as well, but the boy lived up to his potential. Killed one and seriously injured another.” She smiled, pride in her eyes. “I finished that one off for him. Rather, I ordered it done.”
God, the woman was nuts. “Listen, lady. Unbind me and get me to my daughter, or I swear to God, I’m going to rip out your condescending tongue and shove it up your ass.” Noni yanked against the restraints, and pain cut into her wrists. Even so, she couldn’t stop fighting, struggling as hard as she could. Finally, she subsided with a hard glare toward the bitch on the sofa.
Madison shook her head. “Denver’s surrogate was a free-spirited artist. Brilliant, with an impressive IQ, but a dreamer nonetheless. Apparently that created a type for him.” She sighed. “I guess I should take that into account with the next generation of my creations.”
Noni paused. “Denver’s mom was an artist?”
“No. Just his surrogate was. We took genetic material only from the best, but babies have to cook, you know. We used women who needed money.” She flicked lint off her skirt. “His maternal donor was gifted intellectually.”
Noni’s stomach lurched. “Is she still alive?”
“I hardly think that’s any of your concern.” The woman looked her over as if she would be the next one to throw into a volcano. “That boy is special even among the special. You’re trash and don’t belong with him. Ever.”
