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Annie smiled softly.“I was going to ask if anyone else would have gotten the alert that the alarm went off.I was actually wondering if the police were going to show up.”

“Feck.”Colum stared at his phone.He had no idea if the alarm company would call Eric.He knew how to arm and disarm both the primary and secondary systems, but they’d never been tripped before, so he didn’t know what happened after.

“You should answer it,” Xavier said, in a way that sounded almost like he’d been expecting the call.

Colum accepted the call, Eric’s face filling the screen.

Colum held back his sigh when—as expected—Eric’s expression turned black.“Who hit you?”

“Er…” Colum really needed to come up with an answer to that question.“Someone tried to break in.Why are you calling me?”

“Becauseyoudidn’t callme,” Eric replied.“I don’t like hearing from one of my admirals that the archive was nearly broken into and the archivist injured.”

One of the admirals had called him?Annie and Colum both shifted their gazes to Xavier, who crossed his arms, one brow raised, an unapologetic expression on his face.

“I’m not—” Colum started.

“I can see the bruise even with your glasses on, Colum.Who tried to break in?”

“I don’t know.I didn’t see the man’s face.He wore a hood and face mask.”

“What did he want?”Eric asked.

Colum shrugged.“I don’t know.We didn’t have a great long chat.”

Xavier scoffed as he stepped around the couch, crouching until his face was in the screen with Colum’s.

“You have a different answer, Allard?”Eric asked.

“I think the thief was looking for the Oscar Wilde manuscript.”

Eric rubbed his jaw.“Any proof of that?”

“The timing was too coincidental,” Xavier responded.

Annie was sitting closely enough to Colum that her image showed—meaning Eric could see—at least one of her eyes rolling.

“Can I assume you’re Annie Ward from the Trinity Masters?”

Annie gave Eric a friendly smile.“I am.I’m pleased to meet you, Fleet Admiral.”

“Thought you two were on a first-name basis,” Xavier muttered.

Eric closed his eyes briefly.Unlike Annie and Xavier, who’d been pulled from their beds, it was apparent the fleet admiral had been wide awake when Xavier’s admiral called him.

“Can I assume you don’t agree with Allard’s opinion about the break-in?”Eric asked Annie.

“I simply suggested we can’t jump to that conclusion without more evidence.”

Eric nodded.“I agree.”There was a brief pause.“Colum, you said you’d probably end up going to New York for this mission.Is that still true?”

“Yes, and we were planning on going tomorrow.Well, today, but…” Colum was hesitant to leave the archive unprotected.

“No buts,” Eric interjected.“I want you out of that house.The plan remains the same.Take the manuscript with you to keep it safe; study it while you travel.”

“Eric…the archive,” Colum started, ready to fight for his baby.

“It will be protected, Colum,” Eric reassured him.“I’ll send Spartan Guards and make Arthur give me some of his knights to watch over it.They’ll be waiting if the thief comes back.”