at his back, and his feet all but tied together, he’d need leverage to tackle the commander while keeping Madison from shooting him. So he shifted slightly on the table.
Madison smoothly shoved a needle into his leg and depressed the plunger.
Instant warmth filled his thigh, and his vision swayed. Damn it.
The commander widened his stance. “Soldiers die all the time, and it’s a miracle you’ve never lost a brother. Hell, I can’t figure out why you’re still alive. As a kid, you were pathetic.”
He was still alive because his brothers had made sure he survived. Without question, without his brothers, he never would’ve made it through early training before he grew. Now, he was a stone-cold killer who’d do what he had to do—even use Piper against the commander. He wavered on the table, trying to remain conscious. “You’ll pay for getting that kid killed.”
The commander glanced at his wristwatch. “Take blood and do a full mock-up, and then toss him into the training field. Let’s see how fast he heals now.”
Jory’s head lolled. “Why don’t you join me?” he slurred.
“I might.” The commander clasped his hands at his back. “I haven’t beaten you in a while, although I did have a good time with Nathan in DC.”
Jory forced a grin. “You mean before he escaped with Audrey and blew the place up?”
The commander frowned. “He’ll pay for his disloyalty, I promise you.”
“Right.” Jory sucked in air and tried to focus his vision while Madison drew blood. “Your daughter has no clue what a bastard you are.”
Pain flashed in Madison’s eyes, to be quickly veiled. Jory cleared his throat. He’d forgotten how much the batty scientist loved the evil commander. “Did you know the commander had a kid?” Jory asked.
She turned to tap info into her tablet. “Your vision should be graying.”
Yeah, it was. He faced the commander again. “One-night stand?”
“Yes. She was a receptionist at the Tennessee compound. She was good in bed.” The commander leaned to read over Madison’s shoulder. “My first instinct was to force her to get rid of it.”
“You didn’t, though?” Jory concentrated on the blood pumping through his veins and tried to speed up the action. He needed to move the drugs quickly to absorb them.
“No.” The commander sighed. “Ego, I’m afraid. I’d hoped for a boy to raise here, but alas, it was a girl. So I just left them alone.”
Jory shook his head, his heart cracking for the poor girl. “Yet she’s here now.”
“Turns out she knows something about computers.” The commander turned and smiled. “Good genes.”
Was that fatherly pride or just ego? Jory couldn’tconcentrate. Pain flared along his leg again, and he glanced down to see another needle.
Madison sniffed. “We can’t have you trying to escape again, now can we?”
His eyes fluttered shut as he sank into unconsciousness, his last thought of a little black-haired girl with sad green eyes, wondering why her father didn’t visit.
CHAPTER
7
P IPER STRETCHED HER neck, pleased when the code finally uploaded. Chance had long ago left to do something else in the compound, and she missed his company. While he wouldn’t talk about his life, the kid had been knowledgeable about everything from history to current politics, and she’d enjoyed bantering with him.
But he’d kept his face averted most of the time they’d talked, completely avoiding making eye contact. Maybe he was just shy. Really shy.
Why was such a young person at the compound? If it was some sort of internship, why wouldn’t he talk about it? Nothing seemed to be adding up, and her mind worked overtime to make sense of the entire situation.
The door burst open, and two soldiers dragged in a nearly unconscious Jory. His feet thumped on the ground, and his head lolled on his neck.
Piper jumped up and gaped at Jory’s face. A cut above one eye trickled blood, while a purple bruise swelled alonghis jaw. Mottled
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