Page 19 of Iron Princess
“Can’t tell you. Because there might be another alternative.”
“Like what?”
“Maybe he found that line he wouldn’t cross.”
I snort. “Right. The man who’ll smuggle anything if the price is right suddenly has morals.”
He looks at me strangely. “You think your brother will smuggle anything?”
“I assume so.”
Kane shakes his head. “First off, from what I know, Rafe doesn’t take every job that comes his way. He can pick and choose, just like me. He might work a lot, but he’s choosy all the same.”
I’m not sure if that makes me feel better or worse. “So, what’s the next step? Kill the people who are trying to kill him? Find him before they do?”
Kane tosses back the rest of his liquor. “We dig. Then we react.”
The generic reply doesn’t exactly fill me with comfort.
“How long does Rafe have to realistically stay safe? You said you have an exclusive contract for thirty days. Then what?”
10
Kane
Temperance is an anomaly. She should be crying and begging me to find her brother. Offering up anything and everything to get Rafe back right this very minute. The fact that she’s not tells me a hell of a lot.
First off, she’s far more aware of how Rafe’s world works than I realized, even though I know he keeps her on the periphery. Her questions are pointed and intelligent.
All of this just makes me want her more.
Over the last fifteen years, I’ve convinced myself that no woman walking this earth, except possibly one in my same line of work, could fit into my life or overlook what I do. I definitely shouldn’t be thinking that Temperance could, but based on this limited amount of information, I am.
“Depends. Rafe’s good at disappearing. He knows those swamps better than most, I’d say, and if he doesn’t want to be found, he won’t be for a long damn time.”
She rubs her face. “So, how does this work? What’s the real threat?”
I give it to her straight. “If they can’t get to Rafe, they’ll try to use you to draw him out. They’ll kill you both. If they find him before we come up with a plan, they’ll kill him.”
“So, what the hell is the plan, and when are you coming up with it?”
“I’m working on it.”
“I’m not second-guessing your skills, but it sounds like there’s a whole hell of a lot up in the air right now.”
“There is, but Mount called me in to keep you safe. You’re not part of this. You don’t need to suffer for what your brother did.”
“But you have to keep him safe too. I can’t ... I can’t lose him. Rafe’s all I have left.”
I can’t tell her that there’s very little chance this is going to work out with a happily-ever-after.
“Can’t you just kill all the bad people, and then he can come back?”
I meet her gaze. “We keep you out of their hands, and I’ll work on Rafe. That’s all I can do.”
When she tips back the rest of her liquor, I rise and retrieve the decanter to refill her glass, and then splash another measure into mine.
“That’s the plan, then? Wait and see? Why not hunt them down?”
