didn't have a dime and was on the run after Paco was killed.' He poured coffee into the cups. 'So I took the money, and I took the crap that went along with it.'
'Until Ethiopia.'
He shrugged. 'It choked me. So I had to teach Lincoln a lesson.' He sat down in the chair opposite her and lifted his cup to his lips. 'It made him hate my guts, but he would have gotten to that point anyway. I held the power. Lincoln doesn't think anyone like me should be in control.'
'He's wrong.'
He raised his brows.
'You're the man who should be in control of
'My, my. I didn't know you thought so well of me. What about my violent nature and my lack of Lincoln's precious civilized code?'
'Deplorable.' She took another drink. 'But it doesn't change my opinion. However, it might make me pause if I was working on the same team.'
'But we are.' He smiled. 'As I told you, I'm the only game in town. At least where Danner's concerned.'
'The hell you are. You haven't done so well in getting rid of him since Paco's death. Maybe you need a fresh viewpoint.'
'I'm glad you didn't say fresh blood. That's exactly where you stepping in could lead.'
'And it could throw Danner off-balance and get us close enough to get the bastard.' Her hands clenched around the cup. 'I don't want to wait and see if Danner comes looking for us. I want to go after him. Can't we do that? Where does he live?'
'He has a place on the coast near Portland, Oregon. He has more guards around him than the president. Do you think I wouldn't have tried to get to him?'
'Of course, you would.' She frowned, thinking. 'You said they'd come after Addie. Could we set a trap?'
'We could. Providing we could locate them before they flitted off. With that many guards around Sarah's place, they're not going to attack. They'll wait and see if they can gather us in.'
'And who is the next dog they'll be targeting?'
'Wiley. His location was next on the list.'
The German shepherd. 'Is he secure?'
'Not as secure as Addie, but his guardian should be tough enough to protect him until I'm ready to move.' He was silent a moment. 'Okay, I wasn't going to wait for trouble. I'm not as complacent as you seem to think. I'm going to bring the other dogs here and bait the trap.'
Her eyes widened. 'All of them?'
'I'm going back and forth on Addie. But it would be irresistible for Danner if he could gather all the dogs up at one time.'
'It would be risky.'
'Do you think I don't know that?' he asked roughly. 'I've kept those dogs separate for one reason and one reason only. Now I'm throwing safety down the toilet and risking everything I've fought for.'
She frowned thoughtfully. 'We'd have to be certain that we could keep the dogs from-'
'Listen to you,' he said through his teeth. 'You're not invited to this party, Devon.'
'Then I'll throw one of my own. I'll go back to Denver and make sure I generate enough publicity to draw Danner. You did say he'd want to-'
'Dammit.' His gaze searched her face. 'You'd do it.'
'Of course I would. Bait is bait. As a matter of fact, I'd rather not involve the dogs. I don't want to spend the rest of my life worrying about this mess. I want to know that the dogs are safe and we have a chance of finding a way of to-'
'You're not important enough to Danner to bring him down full force. He'd send someone to pick you up, then he'd torture you until you told everything you know.'
'You really don't want that to happen. It would be very inconvenient to have me blabbing away, wouldn't it?'
'Inconvenient? Yes, you're damn right it would be inconvenient.'
'So then you'd have to go after me and probably ruin all your plans. And you would go after me. Bridget once told me that she felt like a warrior protecting Camelot. But I think you have a little of that in you, too, Marrok.' She stared him in the eye. 'So why not avoid the entire problem and let me stay with you here at the ranch.'
He started cursing again. 'I don't like being put in-' He stopped and then started to laugh. 'Damn you.'
'I don't mind fighting alone. I've done it all my life. But it's more logical that if we combined efforts, we'd have a better chance.'
'Heaven forbid I argue with logic. Though God knows how I'm going to-' His cell phone rang, and he glanced at the ID. 'Bridget.' He punched the button and listened. 'Yes, I know Devon Brady wasn't on the helicopter. She decided that she'd be of more use to us here.' He glanced at Devon. 'She's very hardheaded.' He listened again. 'I had no choice. Why are you upset about it?' He was silent, frowning. 'Do what you like. You will anyway.' He hung up. 'Bridget said she's coming here as soon as I send Larry Farland to replace her. She wants to see you. She's a little on edge about you not going to Sarah's.'
'Why?'
'She said you should be somewhere safe. I agree.'
'But her coming here isn't going to change my mind. You should tell her to stay where she is.'
'You call and tell her.'
'You have no authority over her?'
'Like a good soldier, she obeys me in emergency situations. She recognizes that there can be only one commander in those cases. Otherwise, she definitely puts in her two cents' worth.'
'And you respect her opinion.' Devon stared at him thoughtfully. 'Bridget is… unusual. She seems to combine the talents of a dog whisperer with the training of a soldier. Where did you say you found her?'
'I didn't say. Ireland. A village outside Dublin. Lincoln gave me the tip I might find her useful, and I went to see her. She was training horses for a local politician. I spent two weeks there and in the end I persuaded her to come home with me. She was everything I needed. She'd been trained by MI6 and proved herself on several missions. She was magic with animals.' He shrugged. 'And I felt she was a woman to trust. Nothing she's done since has convinced me that I was wrong.'
'She's wonderful with animals,' Devon said slowly. 'It's almost eerie. Is it some psychic ability?'
He was silent a moment. 'Probably. Though it took a long time for me to admit it to myself. I don't want to believe all that weird stuff. I thought at first it might be just a strong instinctive bonding. But Bridget sometimes senses other things.'
'What?'
'Bad events coming. The presence of enemies. I don't know what else. Bridget doesn't talk much about it. It was over a year before she opened up to me at all. She's not happy about it.'
'I can see why she wouldn't be. Does she have any family?'
'Her parents are dead. She was in an orphanage from the time she was ten until she went to work at sixteen. She said that we had that in common. But she never had a Paco.' He smiled. 'But he would have liked her. He didn't care for many women, but Bridget is special.'
'Special to you, too?'
His gaze narrowed on her face. 'Do you mean have I slept with her?'
'No, that's none of my business.'
'But you're curious.' He leaned back in his chair. 'That's encouraging. No, I look on Bridget as a guardian. Lincoln may think I have no code, but I don't go to bed with guardians. It would interfere with the relationship and might impact their work. Did I want to?' He tilted his head. 'For some reason I never even considered it. She was always my friend, not a potential lover. Which is strange because I'm definitely not a celibate man.'
'That doesn't surprise me.' She moistened her lips. 'But it doesn't interest me.'
'Yes, it does. Just as I'm curious about your marriage.'
