Read Online Turning Payne by Chantel Seabrook - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Chantel Seabrook
Ads: Link
chest.
"Seriously? You really think you can keep this from my brother? When he finds out you've got both of Richard Boyd's daughters holed up in…shit, in MY basement!" Lora turned on Chase and punched him in the shoulder. "And you knew about this?"
"Can someone please tell me what's going on, and what my father has to do with any of this?"
"She doesn't know?" Lora threw her hands up in the air and started to pace.
"Know what?"
"Nothing," Turner bit out. Clenching his fists, he forced himself to hold back the anger that pounded through his veins at the mention of Boyd's name. He gave Riley a hard look. "Let's go."
Riley fisted her hands at her side. "Tell me what's going on, right now!"
"Fine." A long snarl rattled from Turner's chest and Riley flinched. "You want to know the truth? Your father wasn't just a geneticist. He ran an underground program that dissected and mutilated metamorphs. He was responsible for the death of hundreds, maybe thousands, of innocent lives, all in the name of research ."
The color drained from Riley's face.
Turner knew he was being too harsh, but he couldn't shake his growing anger, the resentment that lurked just below the surface. Even when his lion rumbled in warning, he pushed on.
"Right before his death he wasn't only killing metamorphs. He was extracting their organs…heart, lungs, kidneys, liver…and transplanting them into humans. He was trying to find a way to replicate metamorph DNA. To give humans metamorph strength—our ability to heal and fight off disease. He was looking for a way to turn humans into metamorphs…sound familiar?"
Riley visibly stiffened. He saw the tremble in her chin, and watched as she pulled it back, her expression unreadable. She was stronger than he gave her credit for. But it didn't change the fact that her father was a monster.
"Your sister turning into a fucking lion wasn't random. Somehow your father is responsible and I'm going to find out how."
"You're wrong. My father was a good man. He'd never intentionally hurt people."
"We weren't people to him," Turner growled. "Just animals to torture."
Her eyes glossed over and she shook her head.
"He's telling the truth," Chase said, stepping forward and placing a hand on Turner's shoulder as if to pull him back from the edge. "The Therian Agency has spent years compiling data on your father."
She shrank back, away from them. "No, no, no."
"Think about it, Riley." Turner shrugged his brother's hand away and took another step towards her. "Marcus DuPoint worked for your father. How do you think he knew about me, about what I am? And where do you think he got the shit to infect Kiera? Sorry to break it to you sweetheart, but your father's the monster responsible for turning your sister into a fucking lion, and when I get my hands on—"
"Enough." Lora put herself between him and Riley. "You don't have to be such an ass about it."
"She needs to know what he's done," Turner said.
"Maybe, but not like this. You're scaring her." Lora turned to Riley. "Why don't you come and sit down."
Riley didn't move, even when Lora tried to gently nudge her towards the living room. She stared at the floor, her expression unreadable. After a long moment of silence, Riley finally looked up, meeting Turner's gaze, green eyes brimming with unshed tears.
"There were tapes," Riley whispered.
The words were spoken so soft that Turner almost missed them. "Tapes?"
"VHS tapes. Hundreds of them. I found them when I was about ten or eleven. I thought they were documentaries he'd recorded, but when I put one in to watch…" She closed her eyes and shivered. With a steadying breath, she opened her eyes. There was acknowledgement and deep grief behind the emerald depths. "He wasn't just experimenting on animals…they were people?"
She took an unsteady step and reached out to grasp the counter. A tear slid down her cheek and she swiped it away with the back of her sleeve.
Guilt slammed into
"Seriously? You really think you can keep this from my brother? When he finds out you've got both of Richard Boyd's daughters holed up in…shit, in MY basement!" Lora turned on Chase and punched him in the shoulder. "And you knew about this?"
"Can someone please tell me what's going on, and what my father has to do with any of this?"
"She doesn't know?" Lora threw her hands up in the air and started to pace.
"Know what?"
"Nothing," Turner bit out. Clenching his fists, he forced himself to hold back the anger that pounded through his veins at the mention of Boyd's name. He gave Riley a hard look. "Let's go."
Riley fisted her hands at her side. "Tell me what's going on, right now!"
"Fine." A long snarl rattled from Turner's chest and Riley flinched. "You want to know the truth? Your father wasn't just a geneticist. He ran an underground program that dissected and mutilated metamorphs. He was responsible for the death of hundreds, maybe thousands, of innocent lives, all in the name of research ."
The color drained from Riley's face.
Turner knew he was being too harsh, but he couldn't shake his growing anger, the resentment that lurked just below the surface. Even when his lion rumbled in warning, he pushed on.
"Right before his death he wasn't only killing metamorphs. He was extracting their organs…heart, lungs, kidneys, liver…and transplanting them into humans. He was trying to find a way to replicate metamorph DNA. To give humans metamorph strength—our ability to heal and fight off disease. He was looking for a way to turn humans into metamorphs…sound familiar?"
Riley visibly stiffened. He saw the tremble in her chin, and watched as she pulled it back, her expression unreadable. She was stronger than he gave her credit for. But it didn't change the fact that her father was a monster.
"Your sister turning into a fucking lion wasn't random. Somehow your father is responsible and I'm going to find out how."
"You're wrong. My father was a good man. He'd never intentionally hurt people."
"We weren't people to him," Turner growled. "Just animals to torture."
Her eyes glossed over and she shook her head.
"He's telling the truth," Chase said, stepping forward and placing a hand on Turner's shoulder as if to pull him back from the edge. "The Therian Agency has spent years compiling data on your father."
She shrank back, away from them. "No, no, no."
"Think about it, Riley." Turner shrugged his brother's hand away and took another step towards her. "Marcus DuPoint worked for your father. How do you think he knew about me, about what I am? And where do you think he got the shit to infect Kiera? Sorry to break it to you sweetheart, but your father's the monster responsible for turning your sister into a fucking lion, and when I get my hands on—"
"Enough." Lora put herself between him and Riley. "You don't have to be such an ass about it."
"She needs to know what he's done," Turner said.
"Maybe, but not like this. You're scaring her." Lora turned to Riley. "Why don't you come and sit down."
Riley didn't move, even when Lora tried to gently nudge her towards the living room. She stared at the floor, her expression unreadable. After a long moment of silence, Riley finally looked up, meeting Turner's gaze, green eyes brimming with unshed tears.
"There were tapes," Riley whispered.
The words were spoken so soft that Turner almost missed them. "Tapes?"
"VHS tapes. Hundreds of them. I found them when I was about ten or eleven. I thought they were documentaries he'd recorded, but when I put one in to watch…" She closed her eyes and shivered. With a steadying breath, she opened her eyes. There was acknowledgement and deep grief behind the emerald depths. "He wasn't just experimenting on animals…they were people?"
She took an unsteady step and reached out to grasp the counter. A tear slid down her cheek and she swiped it away with the back of her sleeve.
Guilt slammed into
Similar Books
