Guardian Angel (33 page)

“Hell, Caine, we were sanctioned by our own government,” Nathan muttered.

“No,” Caine countered. “Your government didn't even know you worked for them. Did you ever report to Richards or his superiors? Were you ever acknowledged . . .”

“Go ahead and say it,” Colin interrupted.

“All right,” Caine replied. “You worked for the Tribunal.”

“I knew you were going to say that,” Colin whispered.

“You can't be certain,” Nathan argued.

“Richards didn't know until he was informed of your deaths that you worked for the department, Nathan. He's investigating now.”

“Then he'll be killed,” Nathan predicted.

“He's quietly investigating,” Caine qualified.

“Damn, I know I've made mistakes,” Nathan muttered. “I almost got you killed, Colin. I never should have involved you in this.”

Colin shook his head. “We're partners, remember?” He turned back to his brother and said, “Do you really believe Richards can be trusted?”

“I trust him with my life. Jade's going to have to give him the letters as soon as possible, or recite the contents to him.”

“We can write copies,” Colin suggested. “That way, the originals stay safe. No one will find the
Emerald.
”

“The ship was named for her, wasn't it?” Caine asked. There was a hint of a smile on his face now. “I should have guessed that sooner. Her eyes are the color of emeralds, especially when she's angry.”

“Yes, Harry named the ship after her,” Colin said. “Can you understand now why you became the target?”

Caine nodded. “Yes. I was searching for Pagan. The Tribunal couldn't take the risk of me finding the pirate and gaining the truth.”

“You're still at risk, Caine,” Colin reminded him.

“But not for long,” Caine countered. “I have a plan.”

Colin grinned at Nathan. “I told you he'd have a plan.” He couldn't keep the relief out of his voice.

Jade walked back into the room. She looked much calmer now, almost serene. She wouldn't look at him, Caine noticed, didn't spare him a single glance as she made her way back over to the chair in front of the hearth and sat down.

“Sterns has ordered two rooms made ready for you and Nathan,” she told Colin. “As soon as yours is ready, you must go upstairs and rest.”

“Are you certain we should stay here?” Nathan asked. He nudged Colin in his side. “My country home is in a very remote area. I just finished the remodeling before our last assignment,” he added with a glance in Caine's direction. “We'd be very comfortable there.”

Colin grinned. “I've heard so much about this palace of yours I know each room by heart. That's all you ever talked about.”

“Well, then, you have to agree with me. I have to say, Caine, that it's the most beautiful house in all of England now . . . Jade, why are you shaking your head at me? You don't think my house is grand?”

She gave him a quick smile. “Oh, yes, Nathan, your house was very grand.”

Nathan looked startled. “Was, you say?”

“I'm afraid I have some disappointing news, Nathan.”

Her brother leaned forward. “How disappointing?” he asked.

“You see, there was this fire . . .”

“A fire?” He sounded as if he were choking on something. Colin resisted the urge to slap him on his back.

“It was a rather large fire, Nathan.”

Her voice reeked with sympathy. Nathan winced. “How large, Jade?”

“Your grand house was burned to the cellars.”

She turned to Caine while Nathan muttered several obscenities. “I told you he'd be disappointed.”

Nathan looked a little more than just disappointed, Caine decided. Jade's brother looked as though he wanted to kill someone. Since Caine had felt much the same reaction when his new stables were destroyed, he found himself in sympathy with Nathan.

Nathan took a deep breath, then turned to Colin. He sounded as if he were whining when he said, “I'd just finished the last damned room.”

“Yes, he had,” Jade interjected, giving her brother her full support. “The very last damned room.”

Caine closed his eyes. “Jade, I thought it was all a lie.”

“What was all a lie?” Colin asked.

“I didn't lie about everything,” Jade interjected at the same moment.

“Exactly what didn't you lie about?” Caine demanded.

“You needn't take that tone with me, sir,” she countered. “I only lied about witnessing a murder,” she added with a nod. “It was the best I could come up with on the spur of the moment. At least, I think that's all I lied about. If I think of anything else, I'll mention it, all right? Now please quit your scowling, Caine. This isn't the time to be critical.”

“Will you two save your arguing for later?” Nathan demanded. “Jade? Tell me how the fire started. Was someone careless with . . .”

“It was deliberate, not careless,” Jade explained. “Whoever set out to burn your home, well, they certainly knew what they were about. They were very thorough. Even the wine cellar was destroyed, Nathan.”

“Hell, not the wine cellar!” Nathan cried.

“I believe they were trying to destroy the letters,” Jade said. “Since they couldn't find them when they pillaged the house, they . . .”

“They pillaged my house?” Nathan asked. “When?”

“The day before they burned it down,” she answered. “Oh, dear, I just remembered,” she added with a glance in Caine's direction. “I lied about falling down the stairs, too. Yes, I . . .”

Nathan let out a sigh, drawing her attention back to him. “When this is over, I will rebuild,” he said. “What about the stables, Jade? Were they left intact?”

“Oh, yes, the stables were left untouched, Nathan. You needn't worry about that.”

Caine was watching Jade. The worry in her gaze was so obvious, he wondered why Nathan hadn't noticed she hadn't finished giving him his disappointments yet.

“It's too bad about your house,” Colin said.

“Yes,” Nathan answered. “But the stables are all right. Colin, you should see my stock. There's one horse in particular, a fine Arabian stallion I paid a fortune for, but he was well worth the money. I named him Lightning.”

“Lightning?” Colin asked, grinning over the absurd name. “Sounds like Harry had a hand in choosing that name.”

“He did,” Nathan admitted with a grin. “Still, it's fitting for the steed. He runs as fast as the wind. Only Jade and I can seat him. Wait until you see him . . .” Nathan quit his boasting when he noticed Jade was shaking her head at him again.

“What, Jade? Are you disagreeing that Lightning isn't as fast as the wind?”

“Oh, yes, Nathan, Lightning was as fast as the wind.”

Nathan looked ready to weep. “Was?”

“I'm afraid I have a little more disappointing news for you, Nathan. There was this mishap and your fine horse was shot between his lovely brown eyes.”

Caine had leaned forward in his chair again. The ramifications of what she was telling her brother had just hit him full force. “You mean to say you weren't lying about that, either?”

She shook her head again.

“What the hell!” Nathan shouted. “Who shot Lightning?”

She glared at Caine. “I told you he was going to be disappointed,” she muttered.

“That sure as certain isn't my fault,” Caine muttered. “So you can quit glaring at me so intently.”

“Did Caine shoot him?” Nathan roared.

“No,” Jade rushed out. “He just didn't believe you'd be so disappointed. I hadn't even met Caine then.”

Her brother fell back against the cushions and threw his hand over his eyes. “Is nothing sacred?” he bellowed.

“Apparently Lightning wasn't,” Caine interjected dryly.

Nathan glared at him. “He was a damned fine horse.”

“I'm sure he was,” Caine said before turning back to Jade. “If you're telling me the truth about this, then it can only mean . . .”

“I really would appreciate it if you'd quit insulting me, Caine,” she snapped.

“Jade always tells the truth,” Nathan defended.

“Really?” Caine drawled out. “I haven't seen that side of her yet. From the moment I met her, she's done nothing but lie. Haven't you, sweet? All that's going to change now though, isn't it?”

She refused to answer him.

“Sweetheart, why don't you give Nathan the rest of the bad news?”

“The rest? My God, there's more?”

“Just a little bit more,” she answered. “Do you remember your lovely new carriage?”

“Not my carriage, Jade,” Nathan protested with a low groan.

She turned to Colin while Nathan went through his list of expletives again. “You should have seen it, Colin. It was splendid. The interior was so large and comfortable. Nathan had the backs of the seats done in such soft leather.”

Colin was trying to look sympathetic. “Was?” he asked.

“Someone torched it,” Jade announced.

“Now why would anyone want to destroy a perfectly good vehicle?”

Caine answered that question. “Your sister has left out an important detail,” he stated. “She happened to be inside when it was set on fire.”

Colin was the first to react to that statement. “My God, Jade. Tell us what happened.”

“Caine just did tell you,” she said.

“No, tell us exactly how it happened,” Colin insisted. “You could have been killed.”

“That was their intent,” she said, her voice tinged with exasperation. “They meant to kill me. After your house was destroyed, the carriage was made ready and I set out for London. I wanted to find you, Nathan . . .”

“How many men went with you?” Caine interrupted to ask.

“Hudson sent two men with me,” she answered.

Caine shook his head. “I thought you told me you'd only been back in England two weeks,” he said.

“Well, actually, it was a little longer,” she hedged.

“How long?”

“Two months,” she admitted. “I did have to lie about that.”

“You could have told me the truth.”

He was getting angry. She was too irritated to care. “Oh? And would you have believed me if I'd said I was Pagan and that I had just snatched Winters, given him to Nathan, and was now trying to . . . Oh, what's the use. You wouldn't have listened to me.”

“Wait a minute,” Nathan interrupted. “Who is Hudson, Jade? You said Hudson sent two men with you, remember?”

“He's the butler Lady Briars hired for you.”

Nathan nodded. “And then what happened?” he asked.

“We were just outside London when those same three men trapped us. They'd blocked the road with fat tree branches. I leaned out the window to see what was going on when I heard the shouting. Someone hit me then, Nathan, on the side of my head. It fairly knocked the wind out of me. I must have fainted, though I'm embarrassed to admit to that possibility.” She turned to look at Caine. “It isn't at all in my nature to swoon.”

“Jade, you're digressing,” Caine reminded her.

She gave him a disgruntled look, then turned back to her brother. “The interior of the carriage was ripped to shreds. They'd used their knives on the fine leather. I smelled smoke and of course got right out.”

“They were hunting the letters?” Colin asked.

“You just opened the door and climbed out?” Nathan asked at the very same moment.

“Yes and no,” Jade answered. “Yes, I do believe they thought I might have hidden the letters behind the leather, and no, Nathan, I didn't just open the door. Both sides were blocked shut with more branches. I squeezed through the window. Thank heavens the frame wasn't as durable as you believed. Actually, Nathan, now that I have time to reflect upon it, I think you paid entirely too much for that vehicle. The hinges weren't at all sturdy and . . .”

“Jade.”

“Caine, don't raise your voice to me,” Jade instructed.

“That was a close call,” Colin interjected.

“I was very frightened,” Jade whispered. She turned to look at Caine. “There isn't any shame in admitting I was afraid.”

Caine nodded. Her tone of voice suggested she was challenging him to disagree with her. “No, there isn't any shame in being afraid.”

She looked relieved. Did she need his approval, then? Caine wondered about that possibility a long minute, then remarked, “Now I know how you got those bruises on your shoulders. It was when you squeezed through that window, wasn't it?”

“How the hell do you know if she has bruises on her shoulders or not?” Nathan roared his question, for he'd only just realized the significance of Caine's remark.

“I saw them.”

Nathan would have gone for Caine's throat if Colin hadn't thrown his arm in front of his chest. “Later, Nathan,” he stated. “You and Caine can settle your dispute later. It looks like we're going to be guests for a long while.”

Nathan looked like he'd just been told he had to swim with the sharks again.

“You'll put yourself and Colin in danger if you leave,” Jade said. “It would be too dangerous.”

“We have to stay together,” Colin added.

Nathan reluctantly nodded agreement.

“Caine?” Colin asked. “When you went after Pagan, you put yourself in danger. The remaining members of the Tribunal couldn't risk the chance of you finding the pirate.”