"We'd better keep an eye on Talon. I fear he may be more involved than we currently think."
"He is. He owns Konane, and he owns Genoveve."
He kissed the top of my head, his lips a feather-light brush of heat. Then he held me away from him, and the night seemed suddenly colder
"If that's the case, we'd better get moving."
I nodded, though I really didn't want to go anywhere but back into his arms
"Here, put this on, then get into the car." His voice was even, yet I had a sense of controlled excitement. Perhaps he, like me, sensed that the resolution of this whole mess was drawing close
I took the thin strap of metal he held out. "What is it?"
"It'll disrupt the chip's tracking signal and ensure we're not followed."
I strapped it onto my forearm as I climbed into the car. "Any word from Rhoan or Jack?"
"They're finished and waiting at Liander's."
We drove in silence to the workshop. Rhoan, Jack, and Liander were seated in the small dining-cum-living room behind the main workshop. Rhoan rose from the sofa he and Liander were sharing and pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back, glad to have someone in my life who was stable. Constant. Someone who loved me for what I was, not what I could do for him or produce for him. Someone who would always accept me as I was, vampire bloodline, wolf heritage, and all
"You okay?" he whispered
I nodded, not daring to answer in fear that the tears stinging my eyes would choose that moment to break free
"Sex for information is never pleasant the first time."
"That's the trouble - in the end, the sex was more than pleasant." I shivered. "I don't want to become a guardian."
But it could happen, and I very much suspected that Jack was right. That I'd not only be good at it, but I'd enjoy it. Even the information-gathering, sex-with-strangers bit
"Then fight it for as long as is practical." He stepped back, his face stern but eyes smoky with understanding. "You need a hot drink?"
"Coffee, with a chaser of bourbon."
He squeezed my hand, then walked across to the minibar. I sat down on a hard wooden chair next to Quinn
"So," I said, voice edgy, "what happened to cutting all the alarm systems?"
Liander looked more than a little affronted. "I may be rusty, but I'm not that rusty."
"Then how come Misha knew you were in his office going through his files when I walked into the Blue Moon tonight?"
"He couldn't have," Jack said. "Believe me, we were very careful."
"Electronically, perhaps, but Misha implied he had more than electronic security systems present."
"He did, and they never saw us."
"Someone - or something - did."
Rhoan handed me the alcohol and I drank it in one gulp. It burned all the way down, but at least it took the edge off the cold knot sitting deep in the pit of my stomach
"Then he didn't answer any questions?"
"No, he was quite happy to talk. He reckons he has nothing to hide."
"And you believe him?" Quinn asked softly