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, and 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.”
“Plus another mess of yours to clean up,” Andrew retorted. “This time a fucking murder. I tried to keep your name clear of it, but she found out.” He edged back from her. “I don’t know what you’re so pissed about. You got exactly what you’ve always wanted.”
Naomi’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
I hid a grimace. So much for the happy reunion.
Andrew jerked his gaze away from her and out the window, but not before I saw the flash of pain in his eyes. “It means you coped with her bullshit a long time ago by staying as far away from her—from us—as you could. This time, you almost succeeded in making it permanent.” One hand clenched briefly on the blanket. “You left me thinking I’d driven you off to your death. You could have told me you were alive.”
“Right,” she snorted, though I heard the guilt behind it. “And risk one of your self righteous gung-ho-Saberton reactions?”
Brian shifted, muscles in his arms tense, and I had a feeling he was poised to put a stop to the bickering. I laid a hand on his arm and gave him a slight headshake. Sometimes the best thing for old, dirty laundry was a little airing. He frowned at me then gave a grudging nod.
“Someone has to watch out for grandfather’s company,” Andrew was saying. “But you could have had a little faith in me.” He turned back to her and shrugged, a hurt, bitter look on his face. “I don’t know why I expected anything different. You abandoned me before. You abandoned me again.”
Naomi’s jaw dropped. “I never abandoned you! I was off doing my job.”
“Which was chock full of the thrill you adored,” he replied with a sneer. “It was a bonus that it happened to help Saberton.” He waved a hand in our direction. “And now you’re off working with the people who are trying to undermine us.”
She gave him an Are you insane? look. “Zombies are being tortured and used. People have been kidnapped. My boyfriend has been captured.” She returned his sneer in force. “This isn’t about undermining anyone or anything. It’s about righting a despicable wrong.”
“Where do you draw the line at despicable?” he demanded. “Do you think it was all roses and lollipops for the people you lied to, stole from, tricked, or planted things on during your little spy games? And apparently murder didn’t cross the line.” She jerked as the last one hit home, and he lifted his chin. “As for zombies, Saberton wouldn’t have even known about them if you hadn’t stolen shit from Ivanov.”
She hauled herself up and snagged the crutches. “This is all my fault?” Her voice remained steady, but I spied the quiver in her lip. She’d already been carrying the guilt of how Saberton discovered the zombies. “You’re blaming me for your attitude of ‘They’re not like me so I can screw them over all I want’?” Tears welled in her eyes. “You never used to be so hateful,” she said. “What the hell happened to you, Andrew?”