Aisley straightened before she sank onto a nearby bench and leaned back on her hands. “You’re taking a big chance that this woman means anything to Charon other than an employee.”
Jason briefly smiled as he turned to his cousin, the pull of the stitches in his cheek reminding him of his deformity, his lack of a healer, and the fact that for some reason his magic couldn’t heal him. He’d have to take precautions from now on.
“Ah, but I do know, cousin. You forget I was watching these Warriors for months before they knew anything of me. I know more about them than they expect.”
“In other words, they’ll underestimate you.”
“Precisely. Once I have the woman, I’ll use her to get Charon out of hiding.”
“He should be easy. After all, he isn’t at MacLeod Castle.”
Jason narrowed his gaze at Aisley. She was the one who had dared to try to leave him. Once. He’d taken care to ensure that would never happen again, but he also knew she didn’t always agree with him.
“Why the sudden interest in my thoughts, cousin?”
She shrugged nonchalantly and looked at a passing lightning bug. “Mindy was running her mouth again. I had hoped I’d seen the last of the whiny bitch, but I wasn’t that lucky.”
“You’re going to have to learn to like Mindy. She’s a part of this team.”
Aisley looked down at the bloodred heels she wore and rotated her ankle. “I’ll tolerate her because I don’t have a choice.”
“You doona have a choice about a great many things, Aisley. Doona forget that.”
“Never,” she said, and stood. “You don’t let me.”
If there had been any heat, any sarcasm to her words, he would have punished her right then. But she was just stating a fact, so he let her walk away.
Jason turned back to the stars. He could barely contain the excitement running through him. A smirk tugged at his lips as he imagined Charon’s face when he learned his precious Laura was gone.
Charon might not have taken Laura to his bed, but Jason had seen the way Charon looked at her in the surveillance pictures.
The Warrior who thought he could live among humans was about to get the surprise of his life. Jason could hardly wait for Charon’s arrival.
He could almost picture the copper Warrior demanding the release of Laura. There was no doubt Charon would offer a trade: himself for Laura.
It was a trade Jason was more than willing to make.
Charon was the first he would attack in such a way, but the others wouldn’t be the same. No, Jason had devised a unique approach to hitting each Warrior where it hurt the most.
The plan had unfolded in his mind hundreds of times. The Warriors wouldn’t see any of this coming until it was too late. There would be nothing they—or the magic of their Druids—could do about it either.
The buzz of his phone sent a spike of anticipation through him. “Aye?”
“We have a problem,” Ben’s voice said through the phone.
“Tell me you have the woman.”
“She got away.”
Jason fisted a hand to control his rising temper. “Explain.”
“She fought me. Someone heard the commotion and came to help her. I ran off before they could call the police.”
“Did Charon witness any of it?”
“I doubt it,” Ben answered. “He’d have charged me if he had. I heard no roar of a Warrior and saw nothing.”
Jason opened his eyes. “Damn. Where are you now?”
“I had to stop for some petrol, so I took the chance to call you. Do you want me to go back for her?”
“Nay. They’ll be expecting you.” Suddenly Jason laughed as a new plan took flight. “But they willna be expecting what I do next.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Where are you?”
“Outside Inverness.”
“Good. Stay there. You’ll hear from me soon.”
Jason ended the call and turned to the open doors that led into the study. He shoved the mobile into his pocket and strode into the house.
Phelan flexed his hand as his claws lengthened from his fingers while his enhanced hearing picked up the entire phone conversation. It would take just one slash to sever the head from Ben’s body.
He wasn’t surprised to learn Ben was connected to Jason Wallace. It was becoming impossible to decipher who was with Wallace and who wasn’t.
Phelan edged closer to Ben in the shadows of the petrol station. The lights were blinding and left little hiding places, but Phelan didn’t need to get that close with his hearing. It also helped that Ben didn’t care if anyone heard his conversation.
Phelan was blindsided to learn Jason had been watching Charon and the others for months. With the way he moved around constantly, Phelan was sure he hadn’t been followed.