“Damnation. The place is surrounded with warriors and a state-of-the-art security system, and still the guy’s getting in,” Faelan said. “What the hell is he? A ghost?”
“But why would he come back here after the book was taken from Jamie’s?” Duncan asked.
“Maybe there’s more than one person looking for it,” Cody said. “Might as well throw this bit in the mix. The mechanic said the brake line on the truck was cut. It wasn’t an accident.”
“You mean someone tried to kill you?” Shay’s legs felt weak. She leaned against the cabinet for support. Maybe Bree was right about Cody being in danger too. Was it because of Shay?
“This doesn’t make sense,” Sorcha said. “First someone’s after Shay, and now they try to kill Cody. Any bomb or death threats we don’t know about?”
“I don’t think this is about just Cody or Shay,” Bree said. “It’s about them both. Someone is trying to keep them apart, and he’s willing to kill them to do it.”
“Don’t even look at me,” Jamie said to Cody.
“I didn’t say anything,” Cody said.
Jamie gave him a surly look. “You were thinking it though. You know damn well I didn’t have anything to do with this.”
Cody scowled but didn’t say anything.
“I don’t know who the target was,” Faelan said, his face so hard he looked as if he were made of stone, “but that bastard could’ve killed my wife. I’ll hunt him to the ends of the earth.”
“Get in line,” Cody said. He plowed his hands through his hair. “I think we should move her to Scotland.”
“What’s in Scotland?” Shay asked.
Cody studied her face, his expression worried. “Connor Castle.”
“You have a castle?”
“It’s been the seat of our clan for generations,” Duncan said. “You should be safe there. Its walls have never been breached.”
“Not that we know,” Sorcha added. “There’s the nasty little problem that an identical castle exists in New York, and no one knows how it got there. And Druan had his demons follow Angus to Scotland. Let’s hope they didn’t get close enough to see where the castle is.”
“Ronan thinks he killed them all,” Faelan said.
“You have a castle in New York too?” Shay asked.
“It was Druan’s,” Bree said. “The clan is using it as a second base.”
“She’ll be protected in Scotland, and I can meet with the Council,” Cody said. Thick silence filled the room.
The first to speak was Bree. “What do you think they’ll do?”
“What can they do? I’m retired,” Cody said.
“They can still make your life hell,” Duncan added quietly.
“If they punish him,” Ronan said, “they’ll have to go through me.”
The others nodded. Even Jamie looked troubled, and he probably wanted Cody out of the picture at least as much as Cody wanted him gone.
Maybe the danger Bree sensed surrounding Cody was from his own clan. But it was still Shay’s fault.
“We’ll have to find out when the jet can get here,” Cody said.
“You have a jet?” Shay asked.
“The clan does,” he said.
Did they have a country tucked away somewhere?
“I’m going to Nina’s to check the locks and cameras again, see if there’s a malfunction in the equipment.”
“I’ll take a look,” Ronan said. “Come on, Mighty Faelan. I’ll teach you a thing or two about modern locks.”
“Good. Then I can keep you away from my wife,” Faelan said.
“You come too, Shay.” Cody brushed his fingers along her lower back, sending a sizzle up her spine. “I want to know exactly what you saw.”
Shay glanced back as she left the basement. The other warriors paired off and were filing into the area that had mats on the floor. Weapons appeared from pockets and boots, swords and daggers that looked like fancy pocket knives, until the blade was released by a small catch. They were the product of years of innovation, according to Bree, so warriors could move about without being arrested by the people they were trying to save. Shay wished she could get her hands on one.
The group crossed to Nina’s house, and Shay recounted how she had interrupted the intruder. Then she went to get her luggage while the men studied the locks.
When she came downstairs, she heard muffled voices coming from the walls. She turned in a circle, trying to locate the sound, when the wall under the stairs opened, and Cody stepped out. Shay gaped as Faelan and Ronan followed. She could see stairs inside leading to a hole. Cody pushed something, and the panel slid closed.
“What’s that?”
Cody’s jaw ticked. “Uh… a tunnel.”
