“Just keep trying,” Father said soothingly. “You’re doing a wonderful job. Do you need a break?”
I bit my lip harder. The longer it took Edgar, the more likely it was we would have problems. Once Albert regained consciousness, who knew what would happen. He certainly wouldn’t cooperate. For all we knew, he would be able to throw up some kind of mental shield and stop Edgar from extracting any more information.
Edgar shook his head tiredly. “I don’ need a break.”
Father inched closer to Edgar and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Just do your best. We can only ask for that, and if you can’t acquire everything we need, we’ll work with what we have.”
After a few minutes, Edgar took a deep breath and placed his hands back on Albert’s head. “I’ll keep tryin’, bu’ I can’na promise it’ll work.”
“That’s fine, Edgar. It’s just fine. Do what you can.” Father removed his hand as Edgar closed his eyes and began once more.
Di picked up her notepad and scribbled the bits and pieces that Edgar extracted from Albert’s memory, but any hope I’d felt earlier was rapidly disintegrating as it became apparent Edgar’s abilities were strained to their max.
~ ~ ~
We landed in Colorado an hour later. By the time the wheels touched the runway, Edgar was shaking so badly that he pushed back and landed in a heap by the jet’s window.
“I’m sorry! That’s all I can do!” He folded his knees up and latched his arms around them before rocking back and forth. A soft wail escaped his lips.
I shifted Conroy in my arms and handed him to Luke. “Can you hold him?”
Luke held both babies awkwardly, but they didn’t stir. I rushed to Edgar’s side. Hunkering down, I placed my hand on his arm.
He jumped.
“It’s all right, Edgar. You did amazing,” I said soothingly as he wailed softly. “Without everything that you’ve done, my babies wouldn’t be safe. They wouldn’t be with me and Luke.”
Edgar lifted his head for a fraction of a second. A dark, haunted look glazed his eyes. “I fink it’s o’right, now, in’it, love?”
A stone formed in my stomach at the vacant depth of his gaze. I settled onto the floor beside him and put my arm around his shoulders. “Yes, everything’s all right, and I want to thank you for what you did. For everything you’ve done. If you hadn’t helped—” My throat tightened. “My babies could be lost forever. I’ll always be grateful to you.”
He nodded but began rocking again. “It’s o’right now. It’s o’right now,” he said over and over again. A soft knocking sound filled the jet as he rocked back and forth against the wall.
A shadow appeared above me before Susannah dropped to the floor on Edgar’s other side. Her smile was strained when it met mine.
She squeezed Edgar’s hand. “It’s okay, love. I’m here.”
I pulled back to give her space.
Susannah’s voice dropped to a whisper as she spoke quietly to Edgar. The jet continued to roll along the runway, the occasional bumps from cracks in the concrete jarring us. Edgar’s rocking didn’t stop, but after a minute, it slowed. Whatever Susannah said to him seemed to be helping.
The jet pulled to an abrupt halt. I flashed Father and Di a worried look.
Di’s brow was puckered as she studied the notes in her hand. She kept biting her fingernail as she scanned page after page of chemical formulas and preparation instructions.
The information that had spewed from Edgar’s mouth had been like Chinese to me, but since Di and Father dipped their heads together and quietly spoke about the information, I knew they understood it.
“Do you think it’s enough?” I asked.
Di flipped to another page, then another. “Maybe.”
Father sighed heavily. “We’re still missing information, but I think it’s enough. We’ll have to see what we can do.”
A low moan escaped Edgar.
I glanced worriedly at Susannah and then my sister.
“He’ll be all right.” Lena walked up the aisle toward me. Behind her, Flint, Luke, Jet, and Jasper looked on anxiously. She put a hand on my shoulder. “Eventually . . .”
Greg appeared at the front of the jet, his trim build and clear eyes taking in the chaotic scene with nothing more than a nod at Father. “I’ll get the door open so you can be on your way.”
Within minutes, we were out of the plane and rushing to our vehicles. Since it was nighttime, we had darkness to shield our movements. It helped that Flint carried Albert at his speed. A blur to my left and a slight struggle with folding the still-unconscious scientist into the back of our SUV, and we were off.
Greg waved before climbing aboard the jet. Once again, I was amazed that he never questioned or blinked an eye at some of the crazy things we did. I knew Lena had spoken to him more than any of us, and from what she’d told me, our pilot was loyal to Father through and through. I had no idea how we would have gotten away with half of our shenanigans if he hadn’t been. It wasn’t the first time we had transported unconscious individuals across state lines.
“Let’s get back to Father’s house.” Di’s clipped words filled the cab as Flint sped toward the interstate. “With any luck, Father and I can figure out how to recreate the drug we need for Emma.”
Little Emma’s hand was curled around my finger as she slept soundly in her car seat. Her lips were parted as her breath came out in tiny puffs.
“And what about this dude?” Jet hooked a thumb toward Albert’s sleeping form in the back.
The sound of Edgar’s soft wails came again at the mention of the scientist. Susannah continued to croon soothingly to him. It was the first time I’d seen the tables turned. For many months, it had been Edgar who had pulled Susannah back from the edge of insanity. Now, Susannah was trying to help him.
“Albert lives,” I replied before anybody else could say otherwise. “There’s been enough violence and bloodshed. Murdering him is out of the question. If we do that, we’re no better than him.” My tone was quiet yet firm, leaving no room open for the discussion of killing the scientist.
Luke growled at my side.
I gave my mate a sympathetic look.
I knew Luke wanted Albert dead, and even though I didn’t necessarily want the malicious scientist alive either, I still wasn’t willing to allow any of us to murder him in cold blood.
That wasn’t who we were.
I gripped Luke’s hand tightly as that absolute decision sank in, because I also knew that as long as the older scientist remained alive, we would never be free of him.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“What are we going to do with him?” Amber asked with a yawn as she peered down at the unconscious Albert. It was near midnight, but we were all still awake.
Our entire family stood in the living room with crossed arms and worried expressions. Only Edgar was missing. He’d retreated to his bedroom as soon as we stepped into Father’s home. He’d shut his bedroom door on all of us, even Susannah. When I’d tried to go to him, I’d talked to a blank door. He hadn’t replied.
Flint crossed his arms. A lock of his chestnut hair fell across his forehead. “We can’t kill him. Jacinda won’t allow it.”
A slight hum from the HVAC system filled the room. I fiddled with my hearing to tune it out.
Luke grumbled and raked a hand through his hair. He gave me a hard look. “So we let him live and leave the possibility that he could kidnap our children again?” A ferocious growl tore from his throat. “That’s not an option.”
My brow furrowed at my mate’s anger, but I held firm. “We’re not killing him.”
“What about keeping him permanently locked up in the basement?” Mica asked. “That’s not killing him, right?”
“But that’s still evil.” I cuddled both of my babies to my chest and settled deeper into the living room’s armchair.
“But it would keep your kids safe.” Jet scratched his jaw before leaning against the wall and crossing his arms
.
Jasper stood beside him with his hands on his hips. “And he’d still be alive.”
“No. Jacinda’s right.” Di’s expression was grim. She’d changed into black yoga pants and a T-shirt—comfy clothes—but her shrewd expression hadn’t relaxed. “Locking him away against his will in the basement is no different to what he and Marcus did to us. It’s out of the question.”
“Then what do we do?” Lena’s long wavy hair brushed against her shoulders as she surveyed everyone. “We can’t let him hurt Emma and Conroy again.” She shuddered.
I bit my lip as my heart pounded. My entire body felt unspeakably tired after all that had happened, but I couldn’t rest yet. What can we do?
And then, it came to me, the way the sun’s rays wash across the land, bathing the hills in golden light. I gasped and bolted upright in my chair. Conroy stirred, but Emma continued to sleep soundly. “I know! I know what we can do!”
All eyes turned on me.
“We can give him the memory-erasing drug that Father gave us! We can take away Albert’s memories! He’ll wake up, just like we did two years ago, and he’ll have no idea who he is or what’s been done to him. He’ll forget all about us and all about my babies!”
Lena’s jaw dropped just as Flint smiled.
A light grew in Luke’s gaze as he cocked his head.
Jet whooped. “Would that work?”
Di’s eyes shone brighter as a grin stretched across her face. She rubbed her hands together.
Father nodded, a smile lifting his cheeks. “Yes, Jacinth. I think that would work quite well.”
~ ~ ~
Father and Di retreated to the lab to extract the memory drug while Lena called Greg to tell him not to leave for Florida yet. In a few hours, Di and Father would be returning to the airport to board our private jet with Albert in tow. Albert would wake up in Chicago with no memory of who he was or what had happened to him.
The memory drug was something Father had given to us that fateful day over two years ago when he’d tried to integrate us into the real world. After drugging us, he’d deposited us in various cities throughout the U.S. in hopes that we would start lives of our own, in a world without O’Brien—a world without sinister scientists, without hiding, with no memories of who we were or what had happened to us. Minus those memories we were no longer a threat to the drug company, but Father’s drug had ultimately failed. We’d all felt the urge to return to our Colorado home, but our full memories had never returned, not without the antidote. With any luck, Albert’s full memory will never return either.
“I have a dose.” Di walked into the room carrying a tray that held a large syringe and vial. This drug required a lumbar puncture.
Jasper cocked his head. “Uh . . . I just thought of something. How can we give Albert the dose and then take him back to his home looking like that?” He pointed to Albert’s multiple cuts and bruises.
Mica’s mouth dropped open. “Good point.”
Father’s brow furrowed. “He was away in Europe when I contacted him. His staff wasn’t expecting him back for a few weeks. With any luck, by the time they show up, his injuries will be healed enough to not draw attention.”
Mica grinned. “Crisis averted.”
“Now, as I was saying.” Di moved closer to Albert. “I have the dose ready for him.”
Jet’s eyebrows rose. “Should we be concerned that this drug is still around? I’d hate to piss you off and have you use that on me.”
Mica laughed. “Best behave then.”
I smothered a laugh at Di’s exasperated expression.
Lena smiled too before she snapped her cell phone closed. “I caught Greg in time. He just refueled and was about to take off, but he’ll wait at the airport for us to return.”
“Good,” Di said curtly. “Then let’s begin.”
Luke hunkered by my side. I’d just finished feeding both Conroy and Emma. My lids were drooping, but there was no way I wasn’t staying awake to watch Albert be eradicated from our lives once and for all. Without seeing it, I would no doubt be haunted by his potential return. I needed to know we were safe.
“Do you want me to take them?” Amber held out her arms to me, her gaze on Emma and Conroy. Her pixie haircut was in disarray, but her eyes were bright.
I sat forward. “Of course, thank you.”
A smile grew on Amber’s face when she took an infant in each arm. “It’s the first time I’ve held them.” She peered down at their tiny faces.
I squeezed her hand before she settled onto a chair near the kitchen, her attention solely on my babies. Similar to me, Amber shied away from violence. I wasn’t surprised that she’d preferred to watch over the infants instead of witnessing what was to come with Albert.
Having my babies only feet away calmed my heart. I knew it was irrational to be worried about placing the babies in the nursery to sleep, since the man who’d abducted them lay at our feet, but that fear was still there. I didn’t know how long it would take to leave them alone in a room without fear they would go missing.
A groan filled the air.
My hearing automatically tuned in to it.
Albert stirred. Everyone tensed around him.
“He’s waking up,” I whispered.
Albert lifted a hand to his head, touching his swollen eye and jaw. Dried blood matted his thinning hair. He winced. “Where . . .”
Luke growled and advanced.
My arm shot out to stop him. “No, Luke. No more violence.”
Anger simmered from Luke, and his skin warmed under my touch, but he held himself back. Similar to on the boat, my touch calmed him. We’d always been like that. He was the yin to my yang. The dark to my light. It was one of the reasons I loved him so much. We balanced each other in ways I’d never thought possible.
“Albert?” I stepped closer to him.
Luke growled, but he didn’t stop me.
The old scientist’s non-swollen eye cracked open. Awareness slid though his expression. His head swiveled around from where he lay. “Where am I?”
“Our home. We brought you here from Oregon. After what you did to our children, there was no way we could let you go.”
His eye widened, but the other remained puffy and closed.
My heart broke that it had come to this. Looking at Albert now—old, defenseless, at the mercy of whatever we chose to do to him—made a deep, aching sadness well up inside me. It didn’t matter that he was evil and had hurt us in unspeakable ways. He was still a person. A human being who had rights like everyone else.
I didn’t want power over him. I didn’t want to hurt him. I didn’t relish the thought of turning him into a lost soul with no memory of who he was or what had happened to him. I just wanted to live in peace—free from violence, free from shadows lurking in every corner, free from a world where someone could snatch my children away at any second to study them. If only you had allowed that, Albert. If only you’d chosen to do something good for once. None of this would have been necessary.
I kneeled at Albert’s side. “We’re going to drug you.”
He licked his dry lips, and his gaze narrowed. “Drug me?” His voice was a raspy whisper. “What do you mean?”
“What I mean is that we’re going to inject you with a drug that will take away all of your memories. The next time you wake up, you’ll have no memory of me, my family, my children, or what you’ve done in your life. You won’t know anything about your company, your research, or all of the unspeakable things that you’ve done. You’ll wake up only knowing your name; that’s it.”
An arrogant gleam entered his eye. “A drug like that doesn’t exist.”
Father stepped up behind me. “It does. I developed it outside of O’Brien. Believe me, it works.”
Albert’s breath stopped. “You can’t do that! You can’t give me something like that!”
I met his gaze, my resolve absolute. “Would you rather die? That’s what some here want.”
Albert shuffled back on the floor, but Flint appeared at his head in a lightning-fast move. Flint’s feet stopped him from moving farther.
Luke appeared above Albert next. “I’d be more than happy to kill you if you’d rather we go that route.” A predatory gleam glowed in Luke’s eyes.
Genuine fear entered Albert’s expression at the sight of my werewolf. Albert shrank back into the floor, as if shriveling into himself like a dried old prune. “Conroy?” His gaze sought out Father’s. “Old friend . . . you wouldn’t do something like this to me. You know that—”
“You chose this path when you abducted my children,” I said softly. I inched closer to him. Once again, sadness filled me, but Albert had given us no choice. “I wish you had chosen to use your intellect, knowledge, and financial power to help others, but instead, you chose to hurt innocent people. We can’t allow that to continue, and I won’t allow you to hurt my children again.”
Albert looked around wildly as Flint and Jet grabbed his arms. They forced him to sit upright in a hunched-over position.
“Wait! It doesn’t have to be like this! I can change! I will!” he wailed.
Di and Father leaned down to swab his back with iodine.
I sat back on my haunches and hung my head. “It’s too late for that.”
~ ~ ~
When Father and Di injected Albert with the drug, the old scientist fell unconscious within seconds. As Albert’s eyes closed, a shaved head appeared from around the living room’s entryway. Edgar stood just at the edge of the room, lurking in the shadows.
The haunted look was still on his face, but when Albert fell in a heap, something changed in Edgar’s expression—an awareness that this had ended.
I stood and went to Edgar’s side. I took his hand in mine. Cool and dry, it hung limply, like a ragdoll’s. I squeezed him anyway. “He can’t hurt us again, Edgar. He can’t hurt you. We’re safe now. Once again, we’re safe.”
For the first time since Edgar had used his powers to rescue my children, a light filled his eyes, pushing away the darkness and despair that lined his face. “It’s o’right now?”
The Complete Lost Children Series Page 100
