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The doctor smirked. “I figured as much. You know, I heard there was a hefty reward for finding the person who killed him.”

Colt’s icy blue stare seemed to tell the man everything he needed to know.

“Heh.” He threw an unsteady glimpse at Hector. “I would never sell out such fine gentlemen, of course.”

Truth be told, Colt was a bit surprised the man hadn’t sicced his bodyguards on them earlier. But surely, by now, there was little remaining doubt that Colt really was the twins’ father. It would have been rather difficult for anyone else to answer all of the doctor’s previous questions.

Dr. Marcus cleared his throat. “So the short of it is, you don’t know what this Rofal person subjected your children to.” He scratched the back of his head. “Assuming the kids would’ve developed normally otherwise, I think I can tell you what they went through.”

Colt’s brow rose. “Go on, then.”

“I don’t think they were beaten, fortunately. But they were terrorized in some way. Most likely, they were discouraged from speaking at all, as their captors probably wanted them to be quiet. Any kind of curiosity the children displayed was likely met with anger. And I’m certain that they were kept confined to a small space and not allowed to crawl or roam freely.”

The more Colt listened, the more he wished Rofal were alive so that he could kill him again.

“It’s very good that you got them out of there when you did, but now you need to be thinking about the future. Like I said, they need a stable home environment.”

“I get it. What else?”

The doctor hunted down a pen and paper. He started scribbling as he talked. “Speak to them directly as much as you can. Use their names. Also, encourage them to walk and explore. Help them stand and keep their balance. They should pick that up quickly enough on their own. And just try to stimulate their minds as much as possible. Toys, books, music, even just opening a bag of snack food can be turned into a game. Remember that you’re making up for lost time here. They’re at a critical age, and given that they’re already behind, they definitely need your full attention now.”