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17

Other than the heat and humidity reminding her she didn’t need to be pinched, Leila felt as if she were in fantasyland. A fairy tale. Gracie was excited to meet other children, and Wyatt’s triplets instantly adored her. Ginger, Cannelle and Thym hovered over Gracie, seeing to her every want.

“That child is going to be spoiled in no time,” she observed, happiness blossoming. Tears burned behind her eyes. This was exactly what she wanted for her daughter. People who accepted her. Would love her. Friends she could play with.

Diego had warned her that the triplets carried venom in their bite, but they all knew better than to bite. Trap and Wyatt had developed an antidote. She admitted to herself she was a little anxious and watched them carefully, but so far, the three little girls had been loving and protective.

“No need to worry about spoilin’ a child with too much love,” Grace “Nonny” Fontenot assured, a smile on her face as she watched the interaction of the children in the play yard. “There really is no such thing. Lovin’ them and at the same time givin’ firm boundaries will see to it that your child will grow up healthy and responsible.”

Diego laughed. “Seriously, Nonny? You’re going to say that with a straight face? You have those boys to raise, and I can tell you, they’re wild as hell.”

Leila gasped and nudged him. Don’t say “hell” to her.

“Sweetheart,” Diego said aloud, “she has four grandsons. Raoul is just plain psycho and she knows it. He goes by ‘Gator’ and thinks he’s funny. She had no idea what he was doing half the time when he was growing up. There’s Wyatt. You’ve met him.”

“He seemed very nice.” Leila eyed Nonny warily. She really liked the woman. Nonny exuded warmth and had welcomed Leila and Grace into her home immediately. She had taken Grace onto her lap and talked to her softly, exclaiming over having the same name. Grace had taken to her instantly. The last thing Leila wanted to do was upset her by calling her grandsons wild.

The entire house was a monument to family. Going up the stairs were photographs of the boys as they grew. At the bottom of the stairs were two hand-carved chests containing handmade quilts and other precious things for her grandsons’ wives. Diego had explained what a hope chest was. Traditionally, a woman had a hope chest to collect linens and other items in preparation for marriage. Nonny had longed for great-grandchildren, so she’d had each grandson carve a hope chest for his future wife. Nonny then filled each with handmade quilts and other things she thought their brides might want. Leila loved the idea and silently vowed she would have one for Grace.

Nonny sighed and gave Leila a resigned grin. The expression made her look like a very young woman. “Unfortunately, Diego is tellin’ the truth. My grandsons are a wild bunch. Good, steady boys, but tryin’ to get them to go to school and stay out of fights was impossible.”

“But they take their responsibilities seriously,” Diego said. “And they are the best with children. The absolute best. I hope to parent Grace the way Wyatt does his girls.”

Nonny beamed. “He is a good dad, but we have a lot of help here. Remember that, Leila. I know the boys can be intimidatin’, but each of them helps with the children. They contribute knowledge and various other needed skills. They’re all good with the girls.”

Leila had met many of the men on Diego’s team. She was used to being around enhanced soldiers, and she wasn’t exactly intimidated. Still, trusting her daughter to strangers was not in her nature. That would have to come with time.

“It’s quite beautiful here,” Leila told Nonny. She had never been to Louisiana before. She’d trained in a multitude of environments, but this swamp wasn’t one of them. No one was going to send a soldier into known GhostWalker territory and risk losing them just for training.

Nonny preferred to sit outside on her porch where she could look at the river and forest, as well as watch the children in the play yard the men had constructed for them. If Leila had such a view, she might live on her porch. The breeze came off the river, cooling the heat of the swamp. At night, a million stars were on display. There were no lights to outshine them. The sounds of branches and leaves whispering in the wind added natural music to the character of the swamp. The sunsets and sunrises had to be spectacular.

“I’m envious of this spot, Nonny,” she admitted.

Diego leaned into her and brushed a kiss along her cheekbone. He did that often. He liked touching her. Holding her hand. Kissing the top of her head or giving her a more intimate but chaste kiss on her lips. Each time he did, her heart reacted. Her nerve endings rushed to life. Her entire being seemed to reach for him.

Leila sat in the rocking chair beside Nonny, switching her gaze from the play yard to the river to the forest and back to Nonny. Diego stood just to the right of her chair and a little behind her. His hand was on her shoulder. Occasionally, his fingers would do a slow massage, easing knots she hadn’t known she had. He did that without fanfare, yet she was very aware of the flow of energy between them.

Support. It was silent, but he was there, standing with her, his touch a solid commitment, a promise that he would be there for her in the difficult times. This was all new to her. She had taken a giant leap of faith, not only for herself but for her daughter. It was a risk, but love sometimes required risks.

She couldn’t call her decision a sacrifice, but it felt a little like one simply because she was so scared of the unknown. Love required sacrifice. In many ways, the sacrifice was his. He was taking on her daughter as well, and doing so without hesitation. Already, he had spent a great deal of time wooing Grace. He was unfailingly gentle and soft-spoken with her daughter. He carried her close to his body, relaxed but protective. Grace had taken to him right away.

Contentment. Peace settled into Leila. This was what she’d always longed for but hadn’t been aware of. She hadn’t even known it could exist, but she wanted this kind of life, not just for herself but especially for Grace. For any future children.

“You haven’t had a chance to see Diego’s home yet,” Nonny said. “It’s beautiful, built of cypress and treated to last, even with all the insects and weather.”

“You have a house?” She turned her head to look up at Diego. The look on his face caught at her, made her reach up and cover his hand with hers. No one had ever looked at her that way, with that focused intensity, with something very close to love etched into his hard, masculine features.

“I told you I had a house,” Diego said. “But until you and Grace are in it, that’s what it is. A house. We’ll make it a home together.”

“It’s really beautiful,” Nonny said. “Rubin and Diego took me there to see it. Their houses are next door to each other, just set back far enough from the river, like this one is.”

“Swamp and waterway exits in an emergency,” Diego said. “Plenty of cover for us, but at the same time, we’ll see anything coming at us.”

She had to smile. How many women would want to be reassured they had emergency exits if they were attacked? Her first thought hadn’t been the river might flood and they’d need to evacuate, it had been, What if soldiers come to try to take Grace? Soldiers from Pillar or Whitney. Before she could voice her concerns, Diego had already indicated the house could be protected, and they could get out several different ways should they need to.

“Drawback,” Diego said. “Living next door to my brother.”

She felt his amusement and knew he was teasing. “That could be a problem,” she agreed soberly. “But he is married, and you said his wife is sweet.”

Nonny lifted her unlit pipe to her mouth, chewed on the stem for a moment and then indicated Diego with it. “That boy is a tease, Leila. He keeps that straight face of his, so you don’ always know what he’s up to, but half the time he’s full of…” She broke off with a laugh.

Diego’s eyebrow shot up. “Full of what? Really, Nonny, I can’t believe you just told my woman that.”

“On your side, boy, always,” Nonny assured. “Your woman has a good sense of humor. You need that when you make a life with someone. Long-term relationships are full of compromise and sacrifice. Berengere, my man, and I had a few ups and downs, but humor and commitment always got us through those tough times. We turned to each other, never to anyone else, for emotional support. Always look to each other just as you are now. Times will get rough, but you both have what it takes for the long run. At the end of the day, it will be well worth it.” Nonny stuck the stem of the pipe back in her mouth and bit down, as if adding an exclamation point to her brief words of wisdom.

Diego’s fingers brushed through Leila’s hair. “She definitely has a sense of humor. We were in some fairly sticky situations, and she always managed to make me laugh. It didn’t matter how dicey the situation, she found humor in it somewhere.”

The way the pads of his fingers moved in her hair, barely there but skimming down the back of her head, somehow massaging her scalp, sent a rush of heat through her. A rush of awareness. She wanted that connection with Diego for the rest of her life. In that moment, sitting on Nonny’s porch with the wind skipping over the river water, turning the surface to diamonds and ruffling the leaves in the trees, she knew it was always going to be Diego. She knew it with absolute certainty.

“Relationships can be hard, but if you rely on each other, don’t turn to others for emotional support but to each other, if you’re willin’ to hash things out, even if that means being upset, you’ll do just fine.” Nonny continued her advice. “Watched these boys and their women struggle at first to become good at a relationship when they really had no road map. But they are committed.” She leaned toward Leila. “If there’s one thing I can guarantee about my boys, they know what absolute commitment is.”

Everything in her settled. Leila knew herself very well. She was the type of woman who needed and wanted certain things in her life. In her man. Everything was right here. In this place with this man. She nodded toward Nonny, but her attention was centered on Diego.

I am falling in love with you , she admitted. She turned her head to look up at him. The look on his face sent a million butterfly wings brushing along the walls of her stomach.

Grateful you’re finally catching up, Warrior Woman. He smiled, that slow, sweet, real smile that transformed him if only briefly, but the warmth remained. I fell like a ton of bricks before I ever got near you. Watching you defend your sister and Luther did it for me. I could barely take my eyes off you long enough to back you up.

She knew it was true because when they spoke with a telepathic intimate connection between them, he couldn’t hide any emotion from her. He certainly couldn’t hide a lie. He actually had felt that way about her when she had a gun in her hand. Many men wouldn’t.

My feelings for you have grown stronger every single day, even when I didn’t believe they could get deeper , he continued. But seeing you in every capacity, as a woman, as a mother, it’s impossible not to love you more.

He could melt any woman’s heart. She was grateful it was hers he was after. I didn’t know I could trust a man the way I trust you. I didn’t think it was possible. And I never believed I would ever want to give a man the chance to prove himself.

Again, his fingers stroked through her hair, and he leaned down to kiss the top of her head. It was those little touches that made her feel so much a part of him. Other women might not like their men to connect physically when others were around, but she realized that was a huge part of the attraction to Diego.

“I haven’t been the most trusting woman in the world, Nonny,” Leila revealed. “Diego changed that for me. He makes me feel like the most important person in his world. It really is all him. Just the fact that he finds my atrocious sense of humor funny shows you he’s meant for me.”

“She’s never going to keep a straight face when little Gracie acts up,” Nonny informed Diego. “Berengere could never keep a straight face at our boys’ antics. I had to learn to do that, although the ridiculous things my grandsons got up to were so hysterical I’d have to go into my room and smother my laughter with a pillow.”

Leila could picture Nonny doing just that. She seemed so at peace with herself. She had a pipe in one hand and a shotgun leaning against the wall close to her other hand. She appeared serene and perfectly content. Being close to someone who gave off those low waves of energy, so low it was soothing…she wanted that not just for her daughter but for her sister.

“Did your grandson tell you about my sister, Bridget?” she asked. Her voice sounded strangled.

It was difficult to know she was in such a good, safe place while Bridget could be enduring the worst of Whitney. The man was a sadist as far as she was concerned. She had to get to her sister as soon as possible. They had to settle Grace in a safe place before they went after Bridget. The planning was already in motion. Ezekiel and Joe would be holding a meeting as soon as they worked out the mission. In the meantime, Diego was ensuring Leila and Grace felt safe as he introduced them to what would be their new home.

“Yes, he did. Ezekiel told me most of it, including that you had a good woman lookin’ after Grace for you.”

“Marcy Chariot. She looked after me before I ever had Grace. When Gracie came, she acted like a grandmother. I’m sure she’s missing her.”

Nonny turned those all-seeing eyes on her. “And you, Leila. She must be missing you and wondering if you’re all right.”

Leila smiled at the thought. Marcy had been in her life since she was ten and terrified out of her mind. Her parents had died, and they took her sister away from her. There was only Marcy to comfort her. It was Marcy who, despite shifts at a hospital, would see to her every need. If she could have, Leila knew Marcy would have taken her into her home.

In all honesty, Leila missed Marcy and wanted to check in with her. She understood why she needed to wait to contact her, especially since they were going to launch an attack against the elusive Whitney. He seemed to escape unscathed each time anyone hunted him. This time, the GhostWalkers weren’t involving anyone higher up. They weren’t about to reveal their plans to anyone, although Luther guessed and wanted to go along. Someone always tipped Whitney off, and he would leave before he could be captured or killed.

Leila believed that Marcy knew her well enough to know she would never leave her sister with Whitney. No one other than Diego’s team and Luther knew Bridget had a tracking device in her that Whitney wouldn’t be able to detect. The tracking device would lead them straight to Bridget’s location. There was no way Whitney wouldn’t be with her. He would want to “debrief” her. That was what he called his sadistic interrogations, according to Bridget.

Whitney had several laboratories, some hidden within the military system. Others were private labs he appeared not to have an association with until, after much digging, the connection was found. By that time, he was long gone. He moved from place to place, overseeing others doing his experiments. It sucked that he had her sister.

“I can’t wait to bring Bridget here,” Leila said. Her gaze swung to the play yard, where the little girls were helping her toddler on a small slide. There was a tall slide, but the three little girls had avoided it, directing Grace to the short one. Grace threw back her head and laughed, a baby sound of pure joy, holding out her arms to one of the girls, who picked her up.

“Ginger,” Nonny cautioned. “I know you’re very strong, but it would be best if you didn’t pick Grace up. Her weight might hurt your back.”

For a moment, Ginger looked mutinous, but then she kissed Grace on the forehead and gently deposited her on the ground. Both hands went to her hips, and she glared at Nonny. “I’m superstrong. She won’t hurt me.”

Thym and Cannelle spun around with shocked looks on their faces at the tone of their sister’s voice. They looked like exact replicas of Ginger, yet neither appeared to agree with the way Ginger spoke.

The screen door opened behind Leila, and the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen stepped outside. She was small but had real curves. Her hair was dark and glossy. She wore it in an intricate braid that was extremely thick. Strange dark patterns were stamped through the mass of blue-black hair. Her eyes were large, framed with very heavy black lashes. They had the same blue tint as her hair. Her eyes were even more unusual than her hair—nearly a purple violet but with a diamond starburst through the dark center.

“Ginger, do you think it’s okay to talk in a disrespectful manner to Nonny like that? Do you talk to anyone you love in that tone of voice?” Her voice was low and sultry. Enthralling. There was no hint of anger in it or in the energy she gave off. She gave the explanation patiently.

Oh my God, I’ve never seen anyone so beautiful. Who is she? Leila asked.

Pepper, Wyatt’s wife. She can’t be touched by anyone but Wyatt unless she’s pregnant. She recently gave birth to twins. An experiment was done on her, and she has some kind of biochemical that makes her very, very alluring.

Leila didn’t like the sound of that. She didn’t want to know Diego might find another woman beguiling, even if she couldn’t help it and neither could he.

She is not my warrior woman. She doesn’t meet a single one of my needs. I don’t look at other women. For one, she belongs with Wyatt, and he’s a good friend. I wouldn’t do that to a friend. Two, I am in love with the woman sitting right here. She’s all I can see.

Ginger raised her chin. Leila tried not to smile at the defiance written on the little girl’s face. She had a mop of dark wavy hair that fell in whorls and ringlets around her face.

How awful for Pepper that she has to worry all the time that someone will want her if she just touches them. That’s so isolating. His reassurance was very sincere. She felt his warmth surrounding her. That made her a little ashamed when the other woman had so much to contend with.

She and Wyatt are good together. He’s managed to find a way to live with men ogling his wife. Not so certain I’m going to be as tame.

“She was being disrespectful to me .” Ginger snapped it belligerently, but the moment the words came out of her mouth, she looked as if she wished she could take them back.

Her sisters gasped again and took a step back from her, shaking their dark spiraling curls. “Ginger,” one protested.

“I think it’s a good thing that your father is not here at the moment, young lady. In fact, not just your father, Uncle Zeke as well. You know what being disrespectful is. You don’t talk to Nonny like that. Not ever.” Now that sweet, soft voice had turned to pure steel. Pepper Fontenot was no pushover, and she clearly wasn’t going to rely on Wyatt or Ezekiel to deal with her errant daughter.

“She said I had to put Grace down, or I could get hurt.” Ginger’s lower lip trembled.

“She’s an adult looking out for you,” Pepper said. “But that shouldn’t matter, not when it comes to Nonny. We all treat Nonny the way she treats us, with love and respect.”

Tame? Leila couldn’t hide her smile as she looked up at Diego. Her heart gave that strange stutter when her eyes met his. You think it’s tame being a man who controls his jealousy?

Tame. I used that word because my reactions can be more animal than man. I do have violent tendencies when you’re threatened.

Men looking at me doesn’t constitute a threat, silly.

Ginger kept one hand on her hip, but she didn’t look quite as defiant. “I’m strong, Mama. Really strong. Stronger than kids twice my age.”

“That doesn’t mean your back is fully developed, Ginger. You just had your third birthday, and you’re still growing. That isn’t the point. Tell me what the point is.”

Leila turned her attention back to the conversation between Ginger and her mother. It was an interesting question to ask a child just turning three. The question seemed far too complex, and yet Leila could see the child turn to her sisters.

They’re talking telepathically, aren’t they? she asked Diego.

Unfortunately for all of us, they’ve been able to do that since they were barely able to walk. Or run. They are incredibly fast. We used to have to watch them like hawks.

The three girls crowded close, and one put her arm around Ginger as they bent their heads together.

What are they doing?

Leila couldn’t help thinking those little girls were super close, just as she had been with Bridget before Whitney and Pillar had ripped them apart. Her hand crept up to find Diego’s. She threaded her fingers through his but kept her gaze fixed on the triplets. Little Grace toddled over to them, and instantly, the three girls drew her into the middle, where she was protected. Leila glanced up at Pepper, wanting to convey she thought the girls were sweet.

Pepper caught her gaze and winked. The woman had fantastic eyes. Very different. The vivid violet color surrounded by dark lashes.

Ginger is a handful , Diego supplied. She’s the little ringleader. The other two are more cautious, but she has to know everything yesterday. The three of them are little geniuses, and sometimes, because they’re so young, we forget that.

Genius or not, Ginger is in the wrong. Leila wanted Diego to know she was firm about that. Gracie was not getting away with ever talking to Nonny that way. Pepper is right in reprimanding her.

“The point is, I shouldn’t have spoken to Nonny that way,” Ginger said painfully. She gripped her sisters’ hands and looked straight at Nonny, remorse stamped into her little features. “I’m very sorry, Nonny.” She ducked her head when tears shimmered in her eyes. “I don’t know why I got upset. But I love you, and I shouldn’t ever say mean words to anyone I love.”

“I love you too, Ginger,” Nonny said and held out her arms.

Ginger ran to her and threw herself onto Nonny’s lap, burying her face against Grand-mere’s shoulder. She hugged the older woman very tight.

Nonny tilted Ginger’s face up toward hers and kissed her. “Your momma hasn’t met Grace yet.” She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “You’ll have to tell her about Grace having the same name as me and your baby sister. I’m not sure your mama knows my given name is Grace because she always calls me Nonny.”

Leila was absolutely certain Pepper knew Grace was Nonny’s name, but she pretended not to hear, willing to let Ginger be very important, having knowledge her mother might not.

A smile broke out on the little girl’s face, lighting it up instantly. After hugging Nonny tight around the neck, she scooted off her lap and went to her mother, solemnly holding out her hand. “You have to meet Gracie. She’s just a little baby.”

Pepper took her hand and moved down the steps with her. “Where did she come from?”

“She’s Uncle Diego and Leila’s little girl,” Ginger said. “She’s so cute, Mama. Isn’t she, Thym?”

Thym nodded enthusiastically. She and Cannelle were on either side of Grace, ensuring she didn’t leave the play yard and head toward the river. There was a fence surrounding the play yard, but the gate was wide open. Leila found it rather amazing that the little triplets were so careful of her daughter. They weren’t very old, and yet they were very focused on Grace’s safety.

She also found it sweet the way Nonny and Pepper handled Ginger after she showed remorse. The incident wasn’t brought up again. Her guilt wasn’t hammered home. She was forgiven the moment she showed real remorse and that she understood why she shouldn’t have done what she did. Leila liked that. She liked watching as Ginger took her mother down the steps and across the grass to the play yard, where Pepper crouched down in front of the toddler as her triplets happily introduced her, all three talking at once.

“I love this for Grace,” Leila said. “She only had Marcy and me before this. I’m surprised she isn’t too shy to interact.”

“She doesn’t seem in the least afraid,” Nonny agreed. “You’re raisin’ a very confident young lady. She’ll be pure steel, just like Ginger. You want that, Leila. A woman can be soft when she wants to be and steel when she needs to be.” She laughed softly. “The goal is to let a child have their own personality, their own goals, dreams and beliefs. You want that for them. You want them to be able to stand up for what they want or need. You want them to stand up for those less fortunate who can’t do it for themselves. But…” She laughed again.

The sound of Nonny’s laughter brought warmth and closeness, as if she were sharing a secret world with Leila.

“But?” Diego encouraged.

“You raise them right, you’re goin’ to have them standin’ up to you. Arguin’. Going against your rules. Decidin’ for themselves what they want, long before it’s good for them.”

Leila sighed. “I was that child. Bridget was always the rule follower. I think it’s so funny when I see things on the Internet indicating the firstborn is the angel child and the second a little demon. I was always the one driving my parents crazy with questions. I questioned everything. It had to make sense to me, or I wasn’t going to listen. I was lucky in that my parents were very much science-based and didn’t mind explaining everything to me. Ginger definitely reminds me of me when I was a child.”

“And you’ve grown out of that?” Diego teased. He bent down to nuzzle the space between her neck and shoulder. “Just remember, I’m excellent at hearing lies.”

Leila burst out laughing. “I’m not sure I’ll ever grow out of needing explanations. And I fully admit to being stubborn. I’m not proud of that trait, but it’s there.”

“There’s nothin’ wrong with holdin’ your own opinion if you can honestly say you listened and did your research,” Nonny said. “You have the right and sometimes the duty to stay strong in the face of everyone else tellin’ you different.”

Leila sent Diego a teasing grin. “I think your grand-mere is a very wise woman.”

“I think Grand-mere has found a way that sounds logical to allow you to get your way.”

“Diego,” Nonny said, pinning him with her laughing gaze. “I believe Miss Leila is goin’ to get her way, even more than that adorable child you’re already so in love with.”

Leila’s breath caught in her throat as Diego’s gaze swung to Grace. The toddler was fully engaged in a conversation with Pepper. It was the look on Diego’s face, the hard lines, soft now, his features filled with warmth, and his eyes…his eyes. Those dark eyes, looking like velvet, were soft with love. There was no other word for it. Diego had fallen for Grace. He’d claimed her fully just as he’d claimed Leila. He was all in, happy to be her father.

“You makin’ it legal?” Nonny asked. Her tone was mild.

Diego nodded. “Just as soon as we bring Bridget home. I’ve already got the necessary paperwork going for the marriage and adoption.”

They had talked marriage. She hadn’t brought up adoption, a part of her fearing he would have a wrong answer. She wouldn’t be with someone, no matter how much she wanted to, if he didn’t embrace her daughter.

“Adoption?” she echoed, trying to keep her tone neutral.

“She’s ours, isn’t she?” Diego asked. His intent gaze didn’t leave her face. Waiting.

Leila nodded slowly. “Yes, she’s ours. I just thought you would wait.”

“For what?” He sounded genuinely puzzled. “You’re going to marry me. Spend your life with me. That means that little girl will spend her life with me as her father. I never want her to think she wasn’t wanted. I want her to grow up knowing exactly who her father is and that she was wanted from the first moment you told me about her.”

He could melt her heart in seconds. He always seemed to say the exact thing she needed to hear. “How can you be so certain?”

“Sweetheart, you committed your life to mine when you left Chariot and took a leap of faith. I’m not doing any less.” He flashed her that slow, beautiful smile that sent butterflies winging through her stomach. “Truth is, Leila, I know. In my heart. In my soul. I know we belong together.”

She knew it as well; she just didn’t understand how it had happened so fast. How it was so intense. She couldn’t look at him without her heart skipping a beat.

Pepper made her way back to the porch. There were four rocking chairs set out, and Pepper took the one positioned at an angle so she could face Nonny and yet still keep an eye on her children. “They’re so happy little Grace is here.” She fanned herself, and Nonny reached into a small cooler that sat by her chair and handed Pepper a bottle of water from it. “I’m glad. I was a little afraid they would be jealous when the babies first came.” She smiled serenely. “You can see how they are with Grace. They’re very much the same, maybe more so, with the twins. From the moment the twins were born, the three of them wanted to take care of them.”

“Are you feeling okay, Pepper?” Diego asked.

Leila really looked at the other woman, trying to see beyond her natural beauty. It was difficult, but Diego wouldn’t have asked if he hadn’t seen—or felt—something worrisome.

“I’ve been really tired,” Pepper admitted.

“You may be anemic.”

Pepper nodded. “Wyatt said I was, but I don’t seem to be responding to the iron supplements.”

“Does he know why you’re anemic?” Diego persisted. “Have you had Rubin take a look at you?”

“Not yet. Wyatt was going to talk to him today.” She gestured toward the swamp. “It isn’t life-threatening, but Wyatt said he wanted Rubin to take a look. They’re at Trap and Cayenne’s, doing something in the laboratory. Trap wanted Joe, Wyatt and Rubin to look at something important he’s working on. I just got a text from Wyatt. They’ll be home soon.”

What laboratory? Leila tried to keep anxiety out of her mind, but she’d brought Grace to this place believing no one would ever experiment on her. Leila had gifts, and she was enhanced genetically, just as Grace’s biological father had been. She could already see how advanced Grace was physically. There was almost an animal quality to the way she moved, fluid like a cat, sure-footed when she was only seventeen months and should be off-balance occasionally. And she could climb anything.

Diego brushed his palm soothingly down the back of her head before settling his fingers against her scalp. “Trap spends a great deal of his time in his lab. Wyatt is like he is.”

“The girls would bite when they were teething or afraid,” Pepper said, lowering her voice. “Trap and Wyatt developed antivenom specifically so that no one here could be harmed if there was an accident. They’ve removed tracking devices Whitney put in a few of the women. They’re pretty remarkable.”

“Did they take the girls to the lab?” Leila challenged.

“Not Trap’s lab. The one here.” Pepper indicated the locked garage. “We talked to them first and explained what we were doing so they wouldn’t be afraid. It was hardest on Thym, but she does whatever her two sisters do. The best thing is always to convince Ginger first, and the other two will follow her lead. By the time we made that decision, they trusted Trap and Wyatt. They adore Zeke. Actually, all the men on the team.”

Nonny smiled and shook her head. “They get a little jealous when one of their uncles finds his woman. In particular, Bellisia, Ezekiel’s wife. They did their best to run her off, but it only lasted a day or two.”

“Zeke sings to them,” Pepper said. “And tells them stories. If Grace is having a difficult time sleeping or she’s sick, call Uncle Zeke. He has a gift for soothing a baby, although he’d never admit it.”

Diego’s finger and thumb found Leila’s chin, and he tilted her head back, forcing her to meet his gaze. No one will ever touch our children without our permission. You have my word, Warrior Woman.

It was impossible not to fall in love with him.