Total Surrender (29 page)

A choked sound came from Chance. “Never alone.”

“Yeah.” Jory dropped an arm around Chance’s shoulders. “No matter what, you’re never alone again. I promise.”

“Do you think Greg’s in a better place?”

Jory breathed out, his chest constricting. “I really do. He’s in a good place now.”

“Even if we don’t have souls?”

Jory tightened his hold on his brother. “We have souls. From the beginning, I could see beneath the surface of everything. Everybody. We have souls because I’ve seen them move. Grow. Hurt. Love. I promise you, no matter how they made us, we have souls.”

Chance stiffened. He coughed. Then, with a shudder of absolute defeat, he turned his head into Jory’s good side and broke.

Finally.
Jory held him as he let it out, watching over Chance, keeping him safe. His gut hurt, his heart hurt, and
now, it was time for them all to heal. Chance would be all right. And he’d never be alone again.

P
IPER TAPPED AWAY
on the commander’s laptop while her mom bustled around with dishing out breakfast. Fragrant homemade cheesy egg casserole had delighted the two younger boys, who were digging in over by the grandpops. Her mind spun.

Now that the danger had passed, where did she and Jory really belong? Was it all the tension? Would he still want her now that he had an entire life to live?

How well did she know the guy?

After dinner, they really needed to talk. Her heart kind of hurt, and she couldn’t keep questioning everything.

She nibbled on her lip, flipping through files. Many old mission notes, many contacts delineated in governments around the world, and several plans to grow the compounds and the military research facilities. The commander had been a visionary—and crazy. She’d never think of him as her father again. In the short time she’d known Earl, the guy had acted more parental toward her than the commander ever had. Before breakfast had been served, Earl had mentioned speaking to Jory about his intentions toward Piper.

Matt Dean had paused in grabbing plates for the kids. “Can I watch?” he’d deadpanned.

Laney had promptly elbowed him in the ribs. “I think we should discuss your intentions toward me.”

Matt had turned to her, gray eyes softening. “Oh, we probably shouldn’t discuss my intentions in mixed company.”

Laney had snorted. “Perv.”

The place felt like home, and the people felt like family. Piper genuinely liked Laney, Audrey, and Josie, and they seemed to like her. Piper hoped she got to stay with Jory.

Man, she wanted to keep him. In this amazing place.

A sense of finality and relief permeated the makeshift family meal, along with a strong feeling of freedom.

Finally, the Dean brothers were free.

She’d be forever grateful they’d destroyed the kill chips. The Dean brothers deserved to live.

Jory and Chance walked through the front door, chuckling about something. Chance’s face was puffy, but his body was relaxed. She lifted an eyebrow at Jory, and he gave a quick nod. All was okay.

Her mother hurried toward Chance and led him to the kitchen sink. “Wash your hands, sweetie. Then we’ll dish you up some food.”

Chance blinked and then nodded, allowing her to lead him to the sink. “Thanks, Nana Rachel.”

So damn sweet. Piper rubbed her eyes and went back to the laptop.

A hidden file caught her eye, and she clicked to open it. Secured. Hmmm. Her fingers all but flew as she hacked, the challenge rising in her. Within minutes, the file opened.

Jory dropped into the seat next to her with an overflowing plate of eggs and bacon. “I love your mom.”

“So do I,” Piper murmured absently, scrolling through documents. He said he loved Piper, too, but she needed to hear him say it in the light of day and not when death loomed over their heads. She stilled. “Oh, my.”

“What?” Jory happily shoveled in protein.

She rapidly read the file. “I found a file on Matt.”

Matt lifted his head from across the room. “What kind of file?”

“Everything.” Piper lifted a shoulder. “Your early tests, your schooling, your psychiatrists’ notes.” She peered closer. “I’m not reading any of them… just listing them for you.” She flipped through and then caught her breath. “The number of brothers created from your father’s sperm.”

Jory stopped eating and leaned to look, while Matt rose and crossed the room.

Piper started reading. “Oh God.”

“What?” Matt asked, moving next to Jory.

“There are more… at the same time as you. At least three.” Piper scanned the documents. “The maternal donors were, ah,
taken care of.
” That could mean anything from bribery to death.

Matt slid onto the bench next to Piper. “More brothers our age?”

Piper swallowed and opened a word document. “Yes.” She sat back, her mind spinning.

The computer dinged. Whoa.

A series of code scrolled across the screen. She started typing, trying to slow down the numbers to see what was going on. “Shit. The file triggered an automatic link.” She reached for the
OFF
button.

Jory grasped her hand. “We can’t be traced here, and we won’t stay on long. Let’s see who opens up the other side.” He slid the computer more in front of him as a picture began to form. “Shit,” he muttered.

Dr. Isobel Madison came into view, her face close to a screen. Probably a smartphone. “Jory! You little bastard.”

Jory blew out air. “I’d hoped you were dead.”

“Not yet. No thanks to you.” Her gaze went behind him. “Is my daughter around?”

“No.” Jory’s expression gave nothing away. “Where the hell are you?”

She sniffed. “I do not know, and this call is being monitored. Come and get me. You owe me.”

“Not a fucking chance. Why did this file trigger your cell phone?”

Madison snarled. “Oh, that. Well, I wondered if you’d ever get into those files. Which one did you find?”

“You tell me,” Jory said evenly.

“I don’t know.” The nutty scientist giggled. Weird, that.

Matt reached for the laptop. “Do I have other brothers out there?”

Delight flashed across Madison’s face. “Oh. That file. Yes, you do… and I know who and where they are. Of course, unless you rescue me from the PROTECT organization, I’ll have to tell them everything.”

Matt frowned. “You already did, or they wouldn’t have let you answer this phone.”

She leaned down and glared. “You killed Franklin. You will die.”

Jory leaned closer to the camera above the screen. “Look in my eyes. I. Killed. Him.”

Pain and then calculation filtered through her gaze. “I always figured it’d be Matt.”

“So did Matt,” Jory said. “You were both wrong. I’ll carry that one. Easily.”

Her lips pinched. “You’ll die next, then. I may not agree with the PROTECT group, but they’ve vowed to help me avenge Franklin’s death in return for information. I am going to bury you.”

“Any time, any place. Come get me.” Jory shoved the computer away.

Audrey had waited patiently across the room and now moved toward them, leaning down over Matt’s shoulder. Nate was instantly at her side.

“Mother? Just leave us in peace, would you?” Audrey asked, her skin so pale as to be translucent.

Isobel’s blue eyes narrowed. “Good Lord, you’re pale. Morning sickness?”

“Yes.”

Isobel snickered. “Not surprised. You don’t even know what you have growing in you, do you? What they are?”

Audrey leaned down. “I know exactly who my son is and who they are. Come after me, and I’ll take you out.”

“Turn against your own mother, would you?” Madison shook her head. “Not a chance.”

Audrey’s jaw firmed. “Come after my kid or my family, and I’ll kill you, Mother. I promise.”

Piper smiled. Damn, she liked her new friends.

Nate tugged Audrey away. “Enough, baby. Let’s forget about her and the past.”

“Good plan.” Jory typed away, and the screen disappeared. “No offense, Aud, but that woman is bat-shit crazy.”

Audrey chuckled. “Yeah. I know.”

Matt leaned back. “We need to find any other soldiers created by the commander and Madison before the PROTECT people get to them.”

Jory nodded. “I’ll send directives to our computer center in California and get our soldiers on it. They’re regrouping after the fight at the compound, but it looks good. Several injuries for us, but no deaths.”

Matt leaned back and smiled. “We trained them well.”

Jory nodded. “We’ll start investigating PROTECT and hunting down any soldiers or brothers we might have out there.” He slid the computer away. “For today, let’s just enjoy the moment. We’re not going to die anytime soon.”

Shane lifted his Bloody Mary from across the room near the kids. “To not dying.”

The cheer went up, the idea somber but the sentiment almost gleeful.

Piper shoved curly hair off her head. If she didn’t get Jory alone to discuss their possible future, her head was going to explode. They had to have a future. “The eggs were great. What now?”

Wade took his empty plate to the sink. “Um, I saw a bunch of baseball stuff in the back room.”

Grandpop Jim nodded. “I bought that stuff off the Internet for when the baby comes.” His dark eyebrows wiggled. “We should try it all out now.”

“We have never played sports.” Kyle hopped up. “When we watched shows about families, they played baseball outside together. Even the vampire families.”

Matt rubbed his chin. “Well, I guess we could.”

Jory scratched his arm. “Um, okay.”

Piper frowned. “Why don’t you guys want to play baseball?”

The Dean brothers all shifted in their seats, but nobody spoke.

Earl patted his belly, and his eyes widened. “You don’t know how to play baseball?”

Shane shrugged. “We never really had time to learn.”

Piper gasped. “What did you do for fun as kids?”

“Put together missiles?” Matt asked.

“Practiced grappling and hand-to-hand,” Nate mused.

“Threw knives.” Shane nodded.

“Hacked into the Kremlin,” Jory said.

Piper glanced around. That was crazy. She’d never met anybody who hadn’t played baseball at least once. Her heart broke a little, and she glanced at the women in the room. “Ladies?”

Josie shook her head. “Grew up in foster care with no money for sports. I’ve never played.”

Audrey patted her still flat belly. “Boarding school. No getting dirty or playing outside—except for tennis.”

Holy crap. Piper rounded on Laney. “Please tell me—”

“Nope.” The graceful woman shook her head. “I was a lab nerd and played with chemicals for fun. No real sports.”

This was unbelievable. Piper stood up. She owed her mother for giving her a wonderful childhood. “I played softball for eight years.”

Her mom threw her apron on the counter. “I coached for several of those years.”

Earl gave Grandpop Jim a hand to help him up. “I played baseball.”

“Me, too.” Grandpop Jim’s eyes sparkled. “I guess it’s time to teach these kids how to play.”

“You cannot just create your own baseball rules,” Piper muttered, plucking a string from the bedspread. She’d already showered after the vigorous game and had left Jory to help clean up.

He emerged from the attached bathroom, hair wet, broad chest damp. A fresh bandage covered his side. A towel hung loosely at his hip.

Her mouth went dry.

He grinned. “Why not?”

“Because. The rules are the rules, and the
Piper Carry
doesn’t get you more points.” He’d tossed her over a shoulder and jogged around the bases while the boys had chased him, declaring that if he touched home plate, he got two points. “You’ve played baseball once. No new rules.”

He shrugged and grinned. “Shane liked the rule.”

“Because he was on your team.” Piper rolled her eyes. “Nate hated the rule.”

“Only because he couldn’t pick up Audrey and run around. She’d puke all over him.” Jory leaned against the door frame, muscled arms crossed. “Now do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”

The way he looked at her. Gentle determination and patient amusement. It ticked her off. “No.” She lifted her chin.

His cheek creased. “Yes. Spit it out, Piper.”

“We haven’t known each other very long, and we jumped right into this.” She wet her lips, not missing the flare of interest in his gaze.

“The circumstances surrounding us make time lines irrelevant. Together we’ve been through more in the last week than most couples get in a lifetime.”

But what did that mean? Did he want to date? Have sex? Work on a life? “Okay.”

“You love me, Piper.”

She stilled, her head jerking up. “You are so arrogant.” Although he was right, and she did love him. But how was he so sure?

“No.” He shook his head, losing his smile. “Well, not in this case. I’m just sure.”

“How?” she whispered. Yeah, the guy had her heart. But how did he know?

“I can see it.” An odd vulnerability filtered through his stormy eyes. “One of those extra abilities I have? I can see beneath the surface… things I shouldn’t be able to see.”

“Love?” She tilted her head, her heart thumping, her mind whirling. “What does love look like?”

“A wisp of color.” He stretched his neck, his gaze remaining on her. “At first, when I was young, I wasn’t sure what I was seeing from my brothers for each other. But when Nate fell in love with Audrey years ago, I saw it and I knew.”

“Nate and Audrey knew each other years ago?” Piper grabbed on to the one fact to focus.

Jory grinned. “Yes. You have a lot of family history to catch up on.”

Now that sounded promising. “Does love look the same on, ah, everybody?”

“No. Different colors, or maybe different frequencies.” He shrugged. “Masculine and feminine energies always look different.”

She stood and faced him. “What does my love look like?”

His gaze softened. Warmed. “All encompassing and bright. Full of heat and determination. All mine.”

Well then. She swallowed. “I’m stubborn. Sometimes reckless.”

“I’m overbearing and sometimes possessive.” He shrugged. “We all have issues. I like yours.”

Man, he just wanted to own her heart, didn’t he? She paused.

He faltered. “Um, we should talk about the fact that I killed the commander.” The vulnerability darkening Jory’s eyes hurt to see.

Piper shook her head. “There’s nothing to talk about, and it isn’t anything that’s standing between us. I didn’t know him, much less care for him, although I wanted to badly. You? I care about. You did what you had to do, and I’m with you.” Saying the words released something in her. She was with him and would remain so. “Can you see your love underneath your surface?”

“Yep. Darker and more dangerous than yours. Protective and possessive. An absolute.” He pushed away from the wall and reached for her arms. “Mine’s tinged with your light now and has been since the first time I kissed you. No matter what, green eyes. You live here.” He patted his chest over his heart. “I love you, Piper.”

She faltered. “I’ve never trusted a man before.”