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“The good news for you is that the original deal is blown now that you’ve lost Pietro,” I said. “Bad news is that Jane isn’t going to sit on her hands as long as y’all still hold Pietro’s nephew. She’s all set to fuck Saberton over six ways to Sunday, and you know she won’t hold back.”
A pained expression flashed across his face. Ha! One point for Angel! Pleased, I leaned back on my elbows. “Look, we both want the same thing here. So how ’bout you make it easy on everyone and work with us.”
Pierce folded his arms across his broad chest. “I can get us in, Andrew, but it would be smoother with your cooperation.”
“And if I cooperate?” Andrew asked, eyes narrowed. “What then?”
“You see this through, and we let you go back to your mommy.” Pierce’s gaze intensified to predator focus. “You don’t, and we find out if there’s anything special about a Saber brain.”
Fear flickered for an instant, but then Andrew’s jaw set in defiant pride. “Agreed,” he said. “It’s best done soon, before my mother decides to move them to Dallas.”
Pierce gave a sharp nod. “A plan to move the prisoners is good. Except it will be your idea. We’ll discuss the final preparations as soon as Ms. Crawford finishes with you.” With that he gave me a barely perceptible wink, turned, and strode out.
Finishes with him? Oh, right. Naomi. “By the way,” I said, then snapped my fingers to pull his attention away from the doorway and back to me. “Andrew, I’d bet my left tit you didn’t hear all of the shit that came through that thing in my arm.”
His mouth pulled down in a scowl. “What makes you think that?”
I let out a soft sigh. “Because if you’d heard everything, you wouldn’t have accused us of emotional blackmail.”
“Julia,” he said softly, then shook his head. “I don’t understand what the bug has to do with my sister.” No anger or cockiness anymore. We’d put him through the wringer, an
d now he simply looked drained.
“Because anyone who listened to the whole broadcast would know that we killed the name ‘Julia Saber,’ but not the woman.” I paused. “And, yeah, I can prove it.”
“She’s alive?” He tried to stand, then sat again heavily. “Julia’s really alive? Where is she? Is she all right?”
“She’s fine,” I said, even as I heard a soft thuck swish which I suspected was Naomi crutching her way up the stairs. “Pietro made sure she was safe from your mother,” I continued. “Plastic surgery, new identity, the works. But he couldn’t take into account the damn bug.”
New, scary anger lit Andrew’s eyes. “My mother knows?”
“Unless someone else screened the bug and called the shots.”
“Her assistant listened and provided transcripts of relevant information to her, which were then forwarded to me. Or so I thought.” He forced the words through clenched teeth. “My mother called the shots and obviously passed me only crumbs. It’s all about fucking control with her. I’ll kill her. I swear to god, I’ll kill her.”
“Hold that thought a minute, Hero,” Naomi said from the doorway.
Andrew’s focus snapped to her. Emotions tumbled over his face as his worldview did a reset. “Julia?” He lurched up and yanked against the chains on his wrist and ankle. “God damn it. Get this shit off me!”
“Brian, could you? Please?” Naomi said quietly without taking her eyes from her brother.
Face expressionless, Brian moved in and unlocked the chains, then leaned in close to Andrew. “One wrong bat of an eyelash, and I will hurt you.”
He barely had time to step back before Naomi swooped in and threw her arms around Andrew’s neck. I caught the discarded crutches before they crashed to the floor, then I stepped back. Maybe I should leave the room? I wondered then saw that Brian remained at his spot by the foot of the bed. He looked out the window beyond the two, but I had no doubt he was aware of every sound and scent and movement. I doubted Andrew would do something stupid like try to take Naomi hostage, but it made sense to keep an eye on him.
Still, I felt like a voyeur as Naomi and Andrew blubbered over each other, even though I tried to model Brian’s nothing-going-on-here face. After a couple of minutes the two finally pulled apart and sat side by side on the edge of Andrew’s bed.
Andrew scrubbed a hand over his face. “Even knowing how Mother is, it’s hard to believe she did this to me.”
“To you?” Naomi scowled. “Look at what I had to do to myself to keep her from coming after me!”
“That’s not what I meant—”
Naomi cut him off with a noise of exasperation. “None of this would’ve happened if you hadn’t been a big bully and threatened to ‘tell mommy on me.’”
He stiffened. “You weren’t listening. I was only trying to shock some sense into you.”
“Yeah?” She shifted a few inches away in order to glare at him. “Well you got a broken nose for your loving support.”
