Lann leaned forward and dropped his voice in warning. “Don’t talk as if her death is a given.”

“Kat and Lann haven’t made any plans yet,” Joss said quickly.

“She has a family,” Cain said. “They may want to stake a claim on the child. We need to prevent that from happening.”

Lann clenched his hands into fits. “I have no intentions of keeping Katherine’s child from his grandparents.”

“That’s not what I said, but your child will need a special education.” Cain added in a gentler tone, “You know that, Lann.”

“I do.”

“So,” Cain said, “you have to discuss this with Miss White, and make sure she understands.”

“I will,” Lann said, gnashing his teeth.

Cain considered him. “All I’m saying is that the legal issues need to be taken care of before—”

Lann jumped up. “I get it.”

Just as he was about to lose the dregs of self-control he was clinging to, Clelia entered with a tray. Joss got to his feet, took it from her, and left it on the coffee table.

“Kat asked for a wish.” Joss placed his hand on his wife’s back as she busied herself with pouring the drinks.

Cain looked at Lann. “What did she ask for?”

“To see her family,” Lann said.

“Security?”

Joss handed Cain an espresso. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Before I meet the lady, I want to talk about the attack.”

Lann winced. If anything had happened to her… He took the tea Clelia offered. “Thank you.”

“Josselin said David mentioned the name Godfrey.”

“Yes,” Lann said tightly. He preferred not to think about the gift hunter and his vulgar intentions.

“Lupien,” Cain glanced at Clelia, “before you killed him, slipped the name too.”

Joss put an arm around Clelia, pulling her close. Lann recognized the protectiveness in his commander, because since Katherine, he’d been feeling the same way. The only difference was that there was no way for him to protect Katherine, unless Eve found a cure.

“I dug into my resources,” Cain said, “but nothing came up.”

“Has Maya pulled up any info?” Joss asked.

“Not much.” Cain mused over it for a while, then said, “Someone is buying up large chunks of shares in various communication companies.”

Joss lifted a brow. “With what purpose?”

“Control.” Cain added with meaning, “The kind of control our enemy would be after.”

“Can we trace it?” Clelia asked.

“The buyer is clever. He bought and sold and rebought the same shares to different companies he created, burying his roots so deeply they’re untraceable in cyber space.”

Joss took a seat on the sofa, pulling Clelia down next to him. “However, you think it’s the same person.”

Cain gave them a crooked smile. “It’s just a gut feel.”

Cain’s gut feel was never wrong. Lann watched him closely. He was hiding something. “What are you not telling us?”

“I want David tracked. I want to know who he was hunting for.”

His intention dawned on Lann in a flash. “No fucking way. You will not use her as bait.”

Cain clicked his tongue. “Do you think I’d endanger a pregnant woman’s life?”

Lann didn’t hesitate. “Yes.” He glanced at Clelia and Joss. Not so long ago, Clelia had been the bait. Now Lann understood how Joss had felt.

“Lann, Lann.” Cain shook his head. “We won’t use her as bait. We’ll use you.”

Lann narrowed his eyes. “What game are you playing, Cain?”

“Finding Katherine’s hunter will bring us another step closer to our enemy. We’ll use you to trap David. He’ll think that wherever you are, Miss White will be near.”

“He’s Piranha, Cain,” Lann said. “He’ll smell the lie before he gets near me.”

“Nobody is using Lann as bait,” a voice said from the door.

Her voice. Air bent around him, lifting the ends of his hair. Lann spun around. Katherine stood in the door, her small hands balled into fists and her nostrils flaring.

Chapter 7

Closing his eyes, Lann uttered a curse under his breath. He never meant for Katherine to discover what he was truly involved in, and definitely not like this. As long as he could protect her from the unsavory truth, he’d do it with his life.

She was dressed in a white dress with a loosely knit jersey falling down one shoulder. Her thick hair tumbled in waves around her face and over her shoulders, reaching down to her waist. She looked pale. Against the backdrop of her skin, her eyes seemed even brighter than usual.

Lann stood and went to her, but when he reached for her hand, she shook her head. She was angry, as she had the right to be. She squared her shoulders and entered the room.

For a whole two seconds, Cain appeared surprised. He quickly recovered. Getting to his feet, he crossed the room. “Miss White, I’ve read so much about you in my reports.”

If the statement insulted her, she didn’t show it. It was typical of Cain to be tactlessly honest.

“May I congratulate you?” Cain asked.

“Thank you,” Kat said, not looking at the others.

Tags: Charmaine Pauls Seven Forbidden Arts Fantasy
Source: readsnovelonline.net