'What do you call her?' Caine asked his brother.
'She has several nicknames,' Colin answered. 'I call her Red most of the time, don't I, Jade?'
When she nodded, Colin continued on. 'Nathan calls her Brat all the time. He has a particular fondness for that nickname.'
His slow wink increased Jade's blush. 'Black Harry calls me Dolphin,' Colin went on to explain. 'It's meant as an insult, too.'
Nathan shook his head. 'Dolphins are gentle, Colin. It wasn't meant as an insult.'
Caine let out a weary sigh. 'Who is Black Harry?'
It was suddenly hitting him full force, this amazing miracle. He found his strength deserting him. Caine dragged Jade over to the wingback chair that faced the settee, sat down, and forced her with his hold to sit on the arm.
He stared at his brother all the while. 'I still cannot believe you're alive,' he said.
'You have Pagan to thank for that,' Colin replied. 'And I can't believe you're so calm. I was certain you'd go into a rage when you found out I made Jade promise not to tell you. Caine, there's so much
I have to explain. First, however, I do believe Nathan's sister has something she wants to tell you.'
Jade was shaking her head vehemently. 'I have nothing to say to him, Colin. If you feel like enlightening him on all the facts, do so after I've left.'
Caine wasn't paying any attention to her rantings. He let go of her arm, leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, and said, 'I want you to tell me who did this to you. Give me the name, Colin. I'll do the rest.'
Jade took advantage of Caine's inattention. She once again tried to leave. Caine never took his gaze away from his brother when he grabbed hold of her hand. 'I believe I mentioned that you aren't going anywhere.'
Nathan looked incredulous. 'Why haven't you put your knife through him yet?'
She shrugged before answering. 'Colin would have been upset.'
'What's taking Black Harry so long?' Nathan asked Colin then. He strolled over to the settee, took his place next to Colin, and propped his feet up on the same wide stool.
'He'll be a while yet,' Colin explained. 'He lost his spectacles.'
Both men started laughing. Jade was horrified. 'Black Harry's here? In England?'
Her voice shook. Only Nathan seemed to understand the reason for her distress. 'He is,' he announced
in a hard voice. 'And when I tell him…'
'No, Nathan, you mustn't tell him anything,' she cried out. She tried to get out of Caine's grasp. He tightened his hold in reaction.
'Who is Black Harry?' Caine asked, ignoring Jade's struggles.
'He's the uncle,' Colin answered. 'He took care of Jade after her father died.'
Caine was trying to filter all this information through his mind. The way Jade had reacted to the news
that Harry was here indicated she was afraid of him.
'How long was she with him?' he asked Colin.
'Years,' Colin answered.
Caine turned to Nathan. 'Where the hell were you when she was growing up? Out robbing people blind?'
'Damn it, Colin, a man can only take so much,' Nathan muttered. 'If he keeps it up, I'm going to kill him, even if it means losing your friendship.'
Colin was still too exhausted from the walk to take part in the conversation. He wanted to rest for just a few more minutes before he started his explanation. With a loud yawn meant to draw attention, he said, 'No one's going to kill anyone until this has all been straightened out.' He leaned back against the cushions and closed his eyes.
A loud commotion drew everyone's attention then. Caine looked up just in time to see a large flower pot fly past the windows to the terrace. The pot crashed against the stone wall. A sharp blasphemy followed the splintering noise.
'Harry's here,' Colin drawled out.
Caine continued to stare at the entrance, thinking to himself that he was prepared for just about anything now. Nothing more could ever surprise him again.
He was, unfortunately, mistaken. The man who finally strutted across the threshold was so outrageous looking, Caine almost laughed.
Harry paused, put his big hands on his hips, and glared at his audience. He was dressed all in white, with a wide red sash tied around his pot-bellied waist. His skin was bronzed by the sun, his hair was silver as clouds. Caine judged his age to be near fifty, perhaps a bit more.
This one could give children nightmares for months. He was amazingly ugly, with a bulbous nose that covered most of his face. His eyes were bare slits, due to the fact that he was squinting fiercely.
The man had flair, he'd give him that much. He literally swaggered into the drawing room. Two men rushed ahead of him, moving objects out of his way. Two more filed in behind. Caine recognized the
last two. They were Matthew and Jimbo. Both of their faces were covered with fresh bruises Caine had inflicted when he'd had his little talk with them.
'It's getting damned crowded in here,' Caine stated.
