She shook her head. “I was brought in when they were around three months old.”

“Were they already exhibiting signs of superior intelligence?” Trap asked eagerly.

Pepper nodded slowly. “I think that’s one of the reasons they brought me in to help. They were already communicating with each other. That was very clear.”

“But not verbally. They wouldn’t have been developed enough to create actual words,” Trap continued.

Draden sighed. “At least put food on your plate, Trap,” he encouraged. “You need to keep the fuel up, remember? We had a long talk about why a person needs to eat nutritiously. You took my bag of chips away and gave me a twenty-minute lecture.”

“I can assure you, Trap,” Nonny said. “That fish stew is very nutritious.”

Trap ladled a large helping into his bowl, frowning a little. “That would entirely depend on the fish and whether or not it was exposed to any kind of pollution. Since the hurricane…”

“Trap.” Draden shoved a piece of fresh warm bread into the man’s mouth. “Don’t talk anymore. Just eat.”

Trap chewed thoughtfully for a few minutes and then looked up at Nonny. “Ma’am. Apparently I’m not good at conversation, so I apologize ahead of time for any mistakes I make.”

Wyatt was proud of his sincerity. As a rule, Trap could care less if he hurt someone’s feelings. He didn’t notice.

Trap started to pick up his coffee mug. Pepper made a single sound, a low, long hiss escaping between her small white teeth. Her dark eyes radiated a diamond-colored starburst as she looked at the man. Trap cautiously removed his hand from the mug, and looked across the table at Pepper.

Malichai grinned at Ezekiel. “Better think twice, Trap. She might of really done it.” He winked at Pepper.

Instead of laughing with the others, Trap leaned toward Pepper, his face carved so only his eyes were alive with curiosity. “Do you really have the ability to spit venom? Can the babies? I can’t wait to get them in the lab and examine their teeth and mouths. I’ll have to look at you too. Do you know if you’re their biological mother?”

There was a silence. Pepper continued to stare at Trap. Wyatt felt her instant fury, although she looked sweet and innocent, her smile alluring. He felt the sudden electrical charge building between the two. He stood up so fast his chair fell over, breaking that swelling charge.

Judging by the shocked faces and stares, he knew no one else had seen or felt anything out of the ordinary. Only him. He knew Trap was in trouble immediately. He barely registered anything but the current tying a thread between Pepper and Trap. He reached out and shackled Pepper’s wrist, uncaring of the consequences. He yanked her out of her chair and dragged her out of the room, away from the others.

“What the hell do you think you’re doin’?” he demanded, his voice low and more than a little threatening as he took her down the hall and into his bedroom. He retained possession of her wrist as he kicked the door closed and shoved her hard against it. Stepping close, he trapped her body between the hard wood and his body.

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’ play innocent with me, Pepper. Do you think I’m not aware of every single thin’ you’re doin’? Where you are in this house? Who you’re talkin’ to? Every single thin’ you do? Every breath you take in and exhale. Don’ lie and tell me you aren’ aware of the same thin’ with me.”

He pinned both her arms above her head. “Admit it, Pepper. Admit to me you know where I am at all times.”

“Maybe I do, but that doesn’t have anything to do with your behavior.”

He heard the desperation in her voice. The ache. He knew the exact feeling. It was always there for both of them when they got together, especially if emotions were running high. “What the hell are you doin’ throwin’ out a lure to Trap? Do you want to get one of us killed? He came here to help me and he’s my friend. Are you angry with him because he threatened you?”

“I don’t care that he threatened me. Of course I want him to be loyal to you and to make certain you come back alive, but he doesn’t care anything at all about the children. He’s like the men in that laboratory and the ones in France.”

“It shouldn’t matter a damn what he’s like. You don’ use that lure on any other man, do you understand me? You belong to me, not someone else. We’ll sort it out between us. You’re not goin’ to bring anyone else into the mix. It’s too dangerous.”

“What other weapon do I have to protect myself or the children? Unless you want me to kill him, because that’s always a possibility.”

“You trust me. Me, Pepper. To look after you and the children. I wouldn’t have brought Trap here if I thought he’d be a danger to the kids. He’s my friend. He’s different, yes, and he’s analytical and a little obsessive, but he’s loyal to me and my team, which means…” He put his hand over her mouth when she would have protested. “Which means he’s loyal to my family.”

“You’re not being fair, Wyatt. I might know you, but I don’t know him. I trust you with me and the girls – but not him. He wants to put them right back into another lab and dissect them. I don’t know who you’ll choose, us or your friends if it comes down to that.”

Anger ripped through him like a tidal wave. “You know me.” He bit the words out between his teeth. “You’re bein’ a coward and you know it.”