Page 30 of The Prodigies
Tripp tucked his fangs away. “That doesn’t mean the girl is Abbey. Did Kendra tell Abbey’s name to Wayne?”
Fred pushed out a suffering sigh. “No, she didn’t come out and say Vanessa’s granddaughter was named Abbey. But she didn’t have to. In Patrick’s notes, he has a family tree of the Drakes. Who’s who and kids and grandkids. Apparently, Vanessa’s daughter is named Rachel, who is Abbey’s biological mother. We wanted Kendra to help us get our hands on Abbey.”
My eyebrows disappeared into my hairline. If he was right, then Abbey and Layla were cousins—whether once removed or second, I wasn’t sure.
Suddenly, a conversation I’d had with Jo sharpened to a pinpoint in front of me.
“I’ve been looking into Abbey’s family history. It’s been a challenge, but I think I found Abbey’s grandfather on Rachel’s side. I don’t have much yet,” Jo said.
“Sis, if I recall, didn’t Rachel’s mom die of cancer and her father in a car wreck? Also, Rachel didn’t have any siblings. At least, not from what Pops told us.”
“I’m trying to confirm that,” she said. “And you know people keep secrets about their past for various reasons. Look at Layla’s mom, Meredith. She lied about hers. Not only that, Rachel was also good at shielding Dad from reading her mind.”
Fuck. The skeletons were coming out of the closet, and I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. It sucked we couldn’t ask Rachel, thanks to Abbey’s biological father, Edmund Rain. The asshole had killed Rachel for his own twisted reason. Nevertheless, my sister might not have to do extensive research anymore. If I recalled, she had Kendra’s phone number and so did Layla. Bringing Kendra in would confirm and clear up questions about Abbey’s maternal family, something Jo had been working diligently to achieve.
Tripp must’ve connected the dots, too, because he whipped his gaze at me.
“If you’re right, then Abbey is my second cousin,” Jordyn said from behind Tripp and me.
“All the more reason to study you and your sisters,” Fred said. “You would be a perfect candidate for our genetic program.”
“Fuck you,” Jordyn spat out.
I was beginning to feel like I didn’t have enough bandwidth in my brain to process this new information. But a question snaked through my synapses. When Ben had been Roman’s prisoner, he’d overheard Roman talking on the phone to someone by the name of Fred.
“You’re the one who hired Roman Brown to kidnap Abbey, right?” I asked Fred.
“That’s right,” Fred confirmed. “We paid him a lot of money to find her and bring her in. But we also wanted you, Mason. Your uncle was a wealth of information and detailed in documenting his data.”
“Since you’re bragging, tell us who your brother is working with other than Roman, Harriet, and the US government? Any other vampire hunters, government agencies, or supernaturals?”
We had Carly to pump for information, but she might not be privy to the business side like Fred was.
He half smiled, his recent fear replaced with a dose of courage. “If your twin can’t read my mind, you’re not about to trip me up, Mason. My brother and I have had a few years to learn and prepare for your kind.”
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” I said with no display of cockiness despite knowing we had the mad scientist in our custody. Carly might not know the details of Adam’s investors, but she had read my uncle’s notes.
“My dad died because Intech was trying to kidnap Abbey and Sam. This is fucked up. My dad wanted to live in a better world where we didn’t have to run and hide from bloodsuckers.” Jordyn’s mixture of despair, heartache, and anger rang in her voice.
“Yet here you are, living with them,” Fred said matter-of-factly.
She sneered at him. “The vampires here are protecting humanity, not killing them for sport or genetically altering them into monsters. What’s your motive? Money? Control? Power? Because it’s not to reduce the vampire population.”
“Maybe some of us want immortality,” he answered. “The Masons and others like him shouldn’t be the only ones who can enjoy life for as long as they want or have the power.”
Tripp and I laughed.
“You’re about to have your chance,” I said.
Fred’s brown eyes lit up. “Carly was successful?”
Tripp shoved Fred toward the door. “It’s time to go.”
Once Tripp and Fred were gone, I sat next to Jordyn. “This was an eye-opener.”
She puffed out her cheeks. “Once again, I feel like I don’t know who my family is anymore. When I first heard my mom came from vampires, I was blown away. But that news was nothing compared to what I just heard. I might be related to Abbey. What does that mean? Do I or my sisters have power like her?”
I leaned my elbows on my knees. “It’s possible. However, if you do, your abilities would never be as strong as Abbey’s. Your father wasn’t a vampire like hers.”
