“I didn’t give her a rose,” Jamie said.

Cody’s puzzled look turned to alarm. “If you didn’t give it to her, who did?”

“Her aunt, maybe,” Duncan suggested.

Shay shook her head. “Nina never sends roses.”

“You don’t think…” Bree didn’t finish her sentence.

“The stalker?” Shay asked.

“Where did you find the rose?” Jamie asked.

“On my pillow last night.”

“That means he got in again,” Cody said. “Damn it. Must have been while we were in Luray.”

“How’s he getting past the locks and security system?” Ronan asked.

“Guess they’re not good enough,” Cody said.

***

The servant was on his way to Walmart for a clean change of clothes when he saw the woman leaving her car. At first he thought it was her, because of the blond hair, slim build, and long legs. She’d parked on the side of the store, away from the crowded lot. He watched her walk, a long-limbed sexy gait, and ached to touch, to tease, to cut. Her head was down, focused on something in her purse. He pulled around to the empty space on her driver’s side, and eased his car in to wait.

Chapter 9

“Damnation. The place is surrounded with warriors and a state-of-the-art security system, and still the guy’s getting in,” Faelan said. “What the hell is he? A ghost?”

“But why would he come back here after the book was taken from Jamie’s?” Duncan asked.

“Maybe there’s more than one person looking for it,” Cody said. “Might as well throw this bit in the mix. The mechanic said the brake line on the truck was cut. It wasn’t an accident.”

“You mean someone tried to kill you?” Shay’s legs felt weak. She leaned against the cabinet for support. Maybe Bree was right about Cody being in danger too. Was it because of Shay?

“This doesn’t make sense,” Sorcha said. “First someone’s after Shay, and now they try to kill Cody. Any bomb or death threats we don’t know about?”

“I don’t think this is about just Cody or Shay,” Bree said. “It’s about them both. Someone is trying to keep them apart, and he’s willing to kill them to do it.”

“Don’t even look at me,” Jamie said to Cody.

“I didn’t say anything,” Cody said.

Jamie gave him a surly look. “You were thinking it though. You know damn well I didn’t have anything to do with this.”

Cody scowled but didn’t say anything.

“I don’t know who the target was,” Faelan said, his face so hard he looked as if he were made of stone, “but that bastard could’ve killed my wife. I’ll hunt him to the ends of the earth.”

“Get in line,” Cody said. He plowed his hands through his hair. “I think we should move her to Scotland.”

“What’s in Scotland?” Shay asked.

Cody studied her face, his expression worried. “Connor Castle.”

“You have a castle?”

“It’s been the seat of our clan for generations,” Duncan said. “You should be safe there. Its walls have never been breached.”

“Not that we know,” Sorcha added. “There’s the nasty little problem that an identical castle exists in New York, and no one knows how it got there. And Druan had his demons follow Angus to Scotland. Let’s hope they didn’t get close enough to see where the castle is.”

“Ronan thinks he killed them all,” Faelan said.

“You have a castle in New York too?” Shay asked.

“It was Druan’s,” Bree said. “The clan is using it as a second base.”

“She’ll be protected in Scotland, and I can meet with the Council,” Cody said. Thick silence filled the room.

The first to speak was Bree. “What do you think they’ll do?”

“What can they do? I’m retired,” Cody said.

“They can still make your life hell,” Duncan added quietly.

“If they punish him,” Ronan said, “they’ll have to go through me.”

The others nodded. Even Jamie looked troubled, and he probably wanted Cody out of the picture at least as much as Cody wanted him gone.

Maybe the danger Bree sensed surrounding Cody was from his own clan. But it was still Shay’s fault.

“We’ll have to find out when the jet can get here,” Cody said.

“You have a jet?” Shay asked.

“The clan does,” he said.

Did they have a country tucked away somewhere?

“I’m going to Nina’s to check the locks and cameras again, see if there’s a malfunction in the equipment.”

“I’ll take a look,” Ronan said. “Come on, Mighty Faelan. I’ll teach you a thing or two about modern locks.”

“Good. Then I can keep you away from my wife,” Faelan said.

“You come too, Shay.” Cody brushed his fingers along her lower back, sending a sizzle up her spine. “I want to know exactly what you saw.”

Shay glanced back as she left the basement. The other warriors paired off and were filing into the area that had mats on the floor. Weapons appeared from pockets and boots, swords and daggers that looked like fancy pocket knives, until the blade was released by a small catch. They were the product of years of innovation, according to Bree, so warriors could move about without being arrested by the people they were trying to save. Shay wished she could get her hands on one.

The group crossed to Nina’s house, and Shay recounted how she had interrupted the intruder. Then she went to get her luggage while the men studied the locks.

When she came downstairs, she heard muffled voices coming from the walls. She turned in a circle, trying to locate the sound, when the wall under the stairs opened, and Cody stepped out. Shay gaped as Faelan and Ronan followed. She could see stairs inside leading to a hole. Cody pushed something, and the panel slid closed.

“What’s that?”

Cody’s jaw ticked. “Uh… a tunnel.”

“A tunnel? There’s a tunnel under Nina’s house?”

“It connects to our basement.”

“How long has it been here?”

“A while,” Cody said, not meeting her eyes.

“How long?” Shay ground out.

Ronan and Faelan glanced at each other and took a discreet step back.

“Come on now, Shay—”

“How long has there been a damned tunnel under my house?”

“Since you were a baby. We had to have quick access to and from the house,” Cody said.

Shay backed away, standing stiff against the opposite wall. She remembered waking up to go to the bathroom one night when she was about six. She heard a noise and peered over the banister. Cody’s father was standing near the stairs, and then he vanished. She thought it odd, but forgot about it in the morning. It shouldn’t hurt, but they were her stairs. What else had they hidden from her? “Damn you, Cody MacBain!” Shay whirled and stalked out. Her suitcase caught the edge of the door and fell. Shay kicked it aside and kept walking.

She heard Cody curse behind her as she stormed across the porch.

“Shay, wait.” He took her arm and stepped quickly in front of her, bringing her face-to-face with the outline of the talisman under his shirt. “We couldn’t tell you. Any more than we could tell you the other stuff.”

“You told them,” she said, jerking her thumb toward Faelan and Ronan, standing in the doorway.

“I didn’t think to tell you after you came back. I’ve been more worried about keeping you safe than telling you every secret this house has.”

“That’s the point. It’s my house. I should’ve already known.” She and Cody had gotten into all kinds of trouble together. Why hadn’t he told her about this?

“Come on, I’ll show you now.” Cody took her hand and led her inside. He pushed what appeared to be a knot in the wood, and a panel slid back. She followed the narrow stairs down to a concrete tunnel roughly ten feet tall and ten feet wide with dim lights mounted on the walls.

“I can’t believe you kept this from me,” Shay said, her voice echoing in the confined space. “You know I love tunnels.”

“He meant no harm, lass,” Faelan said behind them. “You ought to trust him. The man pulled me from my wedding, at risk to his own life and limb—from my wife—to protect you.” He passed them, kilt swirling around his knees, looking exactly like what he was, a warrior who stepped out of the nineteenth century, except for the Eddie Bauer suitcase in his hand.

Ronan moved past and brushed a knuckle under her chin. “It’s hard to understand, but they did it for you.” He jogged to catch up with Faelan.

“Maybe I don’t want protecting,” Shay yelled at Ronan’s and Faelan’s retreating backs, her voice sounding as if it came from a jar.

Ronan turned around, walking backward. “If you knew what was out there, you’d appreciate what they’ve risked for you.” His face was as grim as his voice.

She knew he was right. A demon like the one who may be after her had stolen Faelan’s life, causing him to be yanked out of his own time and thrown into the future. He lost everything. Parents, brothers, his sister. This was bigger than just her hurt feelings.

Cody put one hand on her shoulder. “Can we get past this, Shay? Can you forgive me, forgive us? We had good intentions. Maybe we screwed up, but you and I can’t keep hitting this issue every time we talk.”

“I know you meant well, but stop protecting me.”

He stepped closer, his body brushing hers. “I’ll never stop protecting you. It’s in my blood. I understand your frustration, but it’s far more important to me to keep you safe than to worry if I’ve pointed out every little security detail that you might not be aware of.”

“One more surprise, and I’m leaving,” she said.

Even in the dim light she saw a flash of fear in his eyes.

When the door at the end of the passageway opened, the silence of the tunnel echoed with the clamor of fighting. Walking into the Bat Cave was like stepping into a gladiator ring. Sweat-slicked bodies, plus the clash of swords mingled with grunts, yells, and laughter. The men had removed their shirts, and even Sorcha had stripped down to a tank top. Off to the side, Shay saw the small room with monitors. “How long have the monitors been here?”