Guardian Angel - Garwood Julie. Страница 63

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."