Page 48 of When He Hunts

An incline of Gray’s head.

“Youwanthim going after Ronan?”

“I think that Marcus is probably scared shitless of Ronan.”

“Most people are,” Kane agreed. “Kurt had his gun drawn at that cabin. He was ready to fire. Ronan was faster.” A low whistle. “No hesitation. Just fast as hell.”

Ronan had always been fast, and when it came to killing, he never hesitated. “Scared men are dangerous. Scared men are sloppy.”

“Youwanthim going after Ronan.” Not a question this time.

“Ronan is hidden.” For the moment. Until Gray was ready for him to step into the light once more. “We don’t have to worry about him or Luna right now.” Because more plans needed to be put in place first. He was just at the beginning stages. All the players weren’t on the board yet. Or, if they were, they weren’t in their correct positions. “I sent Ronan intel he needs on Luna.”

“What kind of intel?” Suspicion darkened Kane’s features.

“Pretty much every detail of her life.” Obviously. “Knowledge is power, you know that.”

“What the hell do you expect him to do? Manipulate her?”

If it became necessary, yes. “Sometimes, it gets really messy when you’re trying to stop a monster.”

“And sometimes, you can become a monster if your fool-ass isn’t careful enough.”

Too late for that warning, my friend.“This isn’t Luna’s world, but she’s in it now. And there will be no easy way out. Not even for a dead woman.” He looked pointedly at Kane’s hands. Hands that were still slapped on the top of his desk. “Now, do you mind giving me a bit of personal space? It’s late. I need to crash.”

“Got to have that beauty sleep before you start wrecking lives, check.”

His eyelids flickered. “Ronan hauled me out of hell.” On more than one occasion, actually. “I love him like a brother. You should know that I would never, ever put him at unnecessary risk.”

“Sure, but Ronan lives for risk, doesn’t he? That’s pretty much the only time he actually feels alive. When he’s facing death.” Kane yanked his hands off the desk and spun around. Kane started to march away but then stopped. “What about her?”

“Excuse me?”

He glanced back. Gray had already stood. Gray made sure no emotion showed on his face.

“What about Luna? His new bride?”

“That’s just a cover story.”

“Ah. Right. Sure.” Kane scraped a hand over his jaw. “You do enjoy using those stories, don’t you?”

It was a convenient ruse. “A man and a woman have been thrown together. They have to stay close to each other, twenty-four, seven. Either they are lovers, or they are brother and sister. You tell me…would anyone in the world buy that Ronan was her brother?”

A sharp bark of laughter escaped Kane. “Not the way he looks at her.”

Again…Problematic.“Good thing that Ronan knows how to stay professional.”

Kane winked at him. “Yep. Keep telling yourself that. Professional. Cold as ice. Hard to the core. That’s our Ronan. No heart in his chest. No soul in his body. That’s a man who will never get caught up in a woman’s web.” He faced forward. “Not a man who would throw everything else away because all he wants to do is keep her safe and keepher.”

“Kane!”Real alarm flashed through Gray. “Kane, are they involved? Is it personal?” But, no, impossible. This time, he was the one to laugh. Kane hadn’t even glanced back at him, but Gray laughed. Hard. “Nice one, buddy. But they just met. The woman has practically lived like a nun. She never takes risks. She’s safe and dependable. And heisice cold. Not like he’s going to meet her and fuck her instantly. Not like she’d ever be the type to do that with a dangerous stranger.”

“Uh, huh. You keep right on using that psychology degree of yours, bro. Keep right on impressing me with how much you know about the human psyche and personal interaction.” He reached for the door. Paused. And did look back once more. “You’ve never been in the field, trapped in a life-or-death situation, with a woman who makes you ache, have you?”

Gray frowned. Something was going on here. Suddenly, he wasn’t even sure that this was about Ronan and Luna.

“You want her more than anything. Is it the adrenaline? The constant pump of danger? All emotions are heightened, even emotions that you damn well didn’t think you possessed. You have to stay with her. You have to be close to her all the time. Sometimes, even a saint would be tempted.” Kane cleared his throat. “We both know Ronan is no saint.”

No, he was death.

---