Page 74 of Blood Stone

Roman gave him a wise expression. “Fuck off, Calum.”

“The jerk that Terry is sitting on right now makes it my business. Why did he come after Kate? The same reason you did?”

Roman sobered. “Not possible.”

“Why?” Garrett pressed. “Because no one could possibly know? The jerk with the gun seems to be extraordinarily informed, wouldn’t you say?”

It was a shot in the dark. Garrett threw it at Roman to see how he reacted, because he wanted to know – no, heneededto know that Roman had hooked up with Kate for the purest of reasons.

Roman rubbed his jaw, his expression thoughtful. “I came by the information independently. I’m working alone. No one else could have the same information because I haven’t shared it withanyone.”

Disappointment made Garrett feel cold. He studied Roman. “Look at you. After all the crap she has thrown at me about working her over… You don’t even feel shame. At least Kate knows I have an agenda.”

“Don’t give me that wounded look,” Roman shot back. “Kate grew up in the system. Her default position is that everyone has a motive, even me. I don’t plan on disappointing her.” He grinned. “In any way.”

The trailer door whipped open, aided by the wind. Patrick and Nial hurried up the steps. Nial slammed and locked the door behind him, while Patrick unwound the shawl from around his head and shook the sand from the folds.

“And the plot thickens,” Roman muttered, looking at them.

Nial pulled a cellphone from his pocket and pressed a speed dial button.

“Bastian…Under control? Good. I’ll be over in a few minutes.” He put the phone away and faced Roman. “I suppose I should thank you for keeping this just between us.”

Garret could almost feel Roman’s wariness leap up high. He crossed his arms, his feet spread in an easy ready stance. “The balloon goes up and they call for Sauvage’s babysitter. That makes you…who, exactly?”

Nial grinned. “They don’t go around introducing the help as a rule. But you can call me David.”

Roman tilted his head to one side. “I don’t think so.”

Nial considered him for a fraction of a second. “Nathaniel.”

Roman’s shoulders lifted and lowered as he took a deep breath. “I know you. I’ve heard of you. So. You’re the great Nathaniel. The revolutionary warrior and breaker of rules.”

“Is that what they call me?”

“The sober ones, who are being kind.”

Nial grinned. “That sounds about right.” His smile faded. “I’ve heard of you, too. And not just from Garrett.” He pushed his hands into his pockets. “We have a minor problem, Roman.”

“Just a minor one?” Roman laughed. “Getting rid of a human isn’t a minor problem these days.”

Nial waved off the issue with a wrinkle of his nose. “I’m talking about you.”

Garrett saw the wariness descend around Roman once more, like a low-creeping fog. It didn’t help that by coincidence or design, all four of them had ended up standing in a loose circle around Roman – something that the old soldier would never have allowed if Garrett hadn’t been one of the four.

But Roman didn’t know they weren’t on the same side anymore.

Garrett didn’t know which side Roman was on at all. That’s why he had called for Nial.

Nial had wanted to draw pieces out onto the chessboard so they could see who they were playing against. Perhaps they were looking at their very first pawn. That it was Roman made Garrett feel sick.

Or perhaps the gun-toting journalist was the pawn and Roman was the knight to be sacrificed while the opposition watched to see what they did with him.

Garrett was only glad that Nial got to make the final decision about this side of the affair. Garrett could do it with ruthless accuracy in a boardroom, when a decision didn’t involve bloodshed and lives. But Nial was playing with real people, not chess pieces and that was a different game altogether. It was a game that Garrett had abruptly lost the taste for one sunny May morning, centuries ago.

Roman glanced around the circle surrounding him, his gaze settling on Garrett. “I figured you weren’t here to play movie mogul. Want to tell me what’s really going on?”

“You know what’s really going on,” Nial replied.