She stepped out the door and toward him. His frown deepened when he saw her approach.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Lou,” he said. “We should stay put here. Isolating them from each other keeps the demons from centralizing everyone. I think that’s what they want, everyone in a single location.”
What was he talking about? Or who?
She waited while he listened.
“I am trying to find out,” he continued. “Do you think I’d still be here if I already knew?”
She arched a brow. She knew what he was talking about. The black diamond. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, impatiently waiting for him to get off the phone.
“I don’t know. Nothing’s happened here yet, so we’re safe for the moment. But that could change. I’ll let you know.”
He hung up and turned to her.
“What?” she asked, observing the tension in his muscles.
He seemed reluctant to say anything. Something big was happening.
“Ryder, tell me.”
“Dalton found your sister.”
Dread mixed with excitement, her stomach flipping over. “Where? Is she all right?”
“She’s fine. She’s in Malta on an archaeological dive.”
Angelique exhaled, then sat on the chaise lounge. “Thank God. When do we leave?”
“We don’t.”
She stared up at him, his face shadowed by the falling sun behind him. “What?”
“We’re not leaving, Angie. We’re staying put.”
Oh, no. They weren’t going to do this to her. “I need to see my sister.”
“That’s the worst possible thing we could do.”
“Why?”
“Because putting you and Isabelle in the same place is exactly what the Sons of Darkness want.”
“It is not. They don’t care at all about me. They want Isabelle.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do know that. If they wanted me, they had a shot at me in Australia. They know I’m worthless to them.”
He sat in the chaise next to hers. “Angie, there’s a lot we don’t know about them, about their motives and plans. It’s best to keep you and your sister separated for now.”
Then it struck her. “You’re doing this to punish me because I won’t tell you where the black diamond is hidden.”
His narrowed gaze showed his anger at her statement. “No, I’m doing this to keep you safe.”
She didn’t believe him. “Ryder, I have to see Isabelle. I need to talk to her, to find out where she’s been, what’s been going on with her. Something’s wrong.”
“Dalton said she’s fine. He’s watching over her.”
“Dalton doesn’t know her like I do.”
“He doesn’t need to know her to keep her safe.”
Panic bubbled through her bloodstream, a sense of urgency the likes of which she’d never felt before. Even though they were outside in the open air, she felt closed in, like she couldn’t breathe. She had to get out of here, and to Malta. The need to see Isabelle was overwhelming, the sense of danger multiplying by the second.
But what could she do? Ryder would never let her leave.
She knew then what she’d have to give up. “I’ll give you the black diamond if you take me to Isabelle.”
He looked at her like she’d just sprouted two heads. “What?”
“I’ll take you to the black diamond. The Realm of Light can have it. I just want to see my sister.”
He stood, walked a few steps, then turned to her. “I don’t believe you. What kind of game are you playing now, Angie?”
She rose from the chaise and followed him. “I’m not playing any game. I need you to understand how important this is to me. I’ve been looking for Isabelle for months. I need to be with her.”
“Enough that you’re willing to give up the black diamond, just like that.”
“Yes.”
“Bullshit.”
Frustration made her stomach hurt. “What can I do to convince you? Let’s leave now. I’ll take you to the black diamond immediately, then once we retrieve it we can go to Isabelle.”
