The Darkest Touch

CHAPTER EIGHT

After last night’s oh-so-clear rejection, Angelique had done her best to steer clear of Ryder. She had gone straight to bed, and spent the entire next day going about her business and ignoring him. Not that she really had any business to do. She was stuck in this house with a man who had no desire to be there with her.

Though that wasn’t true. At least the desire part. Evidence of said desire had been quite clear last night, yet he’d still pushed her away-which both insulted and intrigued her.

Fine. That wasn’t the purpose of their being together anyway. It would mean complications neither of them wanted or needed, so he’d been right to put a stop to it. He’d been the levelheaded one; she’d been all gooey and emotional and passionate. She’d have pressed on, and that would have been a mistake.

Thankfully, one of them had common sense. Her mother had always told her that her passion and curiosity would land her in trouble, that she was too open, too willing to give her heart. That she should be more wary. But that just wasn’t Angelique’s nature.

She should probably start remembering her mother’s advice and save herself some heartache.

Something about Ryder sparked her, though. She’d been attracted to men before and never done anything about it. So what was it about him that made her so stupid?

She rolled her eyes and looked out the kitchen window. Ryder was outside talking on his cell phone. Frowning. News, maybe? Should she even bother to care?

She’d had breakfast, lain by the pool the better part of the day until her skin had turned prunish, then taken a shower and fixed dinner. Just a salad with some leftover chicken that Ryder had barbecued the night before. She supposed she could wander out there and let him know it was ready.

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.”

She could tell from the look on his face he thought she was lying, that she was playing some kind of angle in order to get him to release her from the house. Did he have so little faith in her?

Of course. Because of Australia. Because she’d left with the black diamond after he’d asked her to wait.

Would she have to pay for that forever?

“Look. I understand you don’t trust me anymore. I’m sorry about Australia, about hiding the black diamond. But you have to understand that my sister comes first. I was afraid for her then, and I still am. I don’t know who to trust, Ryder.”

“Did I ever give you a reason not to trust me? Did I ever hurt you or betray you, Angie?”

Damn. “No.”

“Then why did you run?”

“Because I was afraid. I thought you might be dead, that I was alone. And I knew the black diamond was important. I couldn’t just leave it there. It has some connection to me, or to Isabelle, and I couldn’t just walk away knowing the Sons of Darkness wanted it so badly. I’ve been doing this on my own for so long, I didn’t know how to ask for help.”

“Yes, you are the self-sufficient woman, aren’t you?”

“Don’t you understand anything about family?”

He snorted. “You’re barking up the wrong tree, Angie. Don’t talk to me about family, because I’m as clueless as they come.” He walked away.

She followed, refusing to be dismissed. She grabbed his arm and spun him around. “Don’t walk away from me, goddamit. Look, I don’t know what your issues are with family, with trust and responsibility. But I love my sister.”

“Oh, right. You’ve been singing her praises to me.”

“I might not agree with the way she lives her life, or her motivations and the way she acts, but I still care what happens to her. I need to know she’s okay. She’s the only family I have left.”

“Sometimes family isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Sometimes it’s best to walk away.”

“Who in your family hurt you, Ryder? Who made you so bitter?”

He grabbed her arms and jerked her to him. “Don’t.” His voice went low, dangerous, the anger radiating through him shocking her. The darkness in his gaze was menacing, but she didn’t feel threatened despite his steely grip. She stared him down.

“I’m not frightened of you, Ryder. You might be all tough on the outside, but you’d never hurt me.” As she said the words, she knew they were true.

He released her and stepped back. “Don’t play at psychoanalysis, Angie. Not with me. Not ever. Now go inside. We’re done talking.”

She felt chilled at the loss of his touch, despite the warmth of the sun on her skin.

What had happened to make him hate family so much? What had his family done to him?

And did he think so little of her that he figured one tough-guy exhibition and she’d run for the house and lock the doors? She knew him better than he thought she did.

She followed him to the ocean ledge, slid her hip onto the wide stones, close enough that her thigh touched his. He didn’t flinch or move away.

“Family is tough sometimes,” she started.

He didn’t reply.

“My mother was an incredible woman. So giving and warm. She loved Isabelle and me so much, even though we were so different from each other. But she knew how to handle us. When she got sick and knew she was dying, she told me I was the stronger one, that I had to watch out for Isabelle, because Mother was. . concerned.”

That got his attention. He turned to her. “Concerned about what?”

Angelique shrugged. “She didn’t elaborate. I figured she was afraid Isabelle would get in trouble. Mother wanted me to keep an eye on her, and I promised I would.”

Ryder nodded. “A deathbed promise. Kind of a tough burden.”

“Not really. It was just a promise. And despite my constant disagreements with Isabelle, I have always watched over her, as much as I could, anyway. As much as she’d allow.”

“Does she need watching?”

“Yes,” she admitted. “Over the years I’ve realized that she does.”

“Because?”

“Like I told you, Izzy has a dark side.”

“And that worries you.”

“Of course it worries me. I always thought it was just greed, a personality quirk. Now I’m certain it’s much more than that.”

He gave her a quick nod, and she hoped he at least listened to her, that in some way he understood how important it was that she get to her sister.

“Ryder, she’s all I have.”

There was nothing more she could say. She stood and walked toward the house, hoping it was enough to convince him.

Well, hell. Ryder knew Angie wasn’t up to something. She really was concerned about her sister.

But he was being honest with her when he told her that getting her together with Isabelle was a bad idea. It was best to keep them separated for now.

Was she serious about giving up the black diamond, though? Wasn’t that his goal, to get the diamond from her? Could he trust that she meant what she said, that she’d lead him right to it in exchange for his taking her to Isabelle?

He had to weigh the options. Maybe she was right. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to take her to Isabelle. Hell, maybe she could find out information about Isabelle better than Dalton could. Then again, it might do more harm than good. Dalton was working on Isabelle without her knowing who he was. The last thing he wanted to do was blow Dalton’s cover by marching in there with Angelique in tow and having Angie spill all their secrets.

Then again, it would solve a lot of their problems to have the black diamond-if Angie was being honest about leading him to it. Could he really trust her?

Shit. He was going to have to consider his options, then make a decision by tomorrow morning. He went inside. Angie was in the tiny kitchen.

“There’s chicken salad. Eat,” she said, keeping her gaze averted.

They ate, neither one of them talking. After, he helped her with the cleanup and she went to the bedroom without a word or a look.

She wasn’t angry, though.

He supposed there wasn’t any more she could say to him.

Or, for that matter, that he could say to her. They’d both said it all and they were at a stalemate. At least until he figured out what the next step would be.

He sat back on the sofa and stared down the hall at the closed door to the bedroom. A couple hours later, the light was still on. He worked on the weapons, occasionally glancing toward her bedroom door.

The light stayed on. Maybe she’d fallen asleep. Maybe she was reading.

Maybe he shouldn’t care.

He finally lay down on the sofa, making sure he was positioned so he wasn’t looking toward her room, since he felt ridiculous enough wondering what she was doing.

But he wasn’t at all tired-which is why he heard the click of the door opening to her room. Senses on full alert, he wished he hadn’t been so goddamned stubborn and had turned around to watch her bedroom. Was that her coming out, or someone going in?

He tightened his grip on the hilt of the knife at his belt, waiting and listening. Whoever or whatever it was crept closer to him. He could hear breathing, low to the ground, approaching the sofa where he lay.

In two seconds someone or something was going to be face-to-face with him.

He clenched the knife.

He was ready.