Page 7 of The Dragon Recruit
“On all of them?”
As if he didn’t know Grant McFarland’s father and uncle had left Lochguard years ago with the traitors.
Iris frowned. “Some of them would die for the clan, like Grant. So, no, we won’t watchallof them.”
He smirked. “I was just testing you two. I already know Grant and his brother, Chase, can be trusted.”
Iris stood. “Then why waste our time?”
“Because sometimes you can learn a lot from a person’s reaction.” She opened her mouth, but Antony beat her to it. “Right, then I’m off. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll return in a few weeks. Our meetings will be more frequent, as a matter of national security.”
Before either dragon could say a word, Antony turned and exited the room. If he’d stayed, he would’ve been tempted to tease Iris some more. And nothing good could come from it. Distance was the only way to navigate his life and his work.
Because he would never again cause someone else’s death, like he’d done with his late fiancée.
Chapter Three
As soon as Antony was gone, Iris turned to Cooper. “Should we wait until after Faye’s out of the hospital before we tell Grant about this?”
“Aye, I think so. They put us in charge, so let’s study what we have first and then discuss how to broach the topic with Faye and Grant.”
Iris reached for the file folder, but before she could open it, Cooper lightly slapped his hand on top of it. “What’s between you and Antony Holbrook?”
Her dragon hummed.Nothing. Yet. But I can tell he wants us.
We’re not talking about this.
Iris replied to Cooper, “Nothing. He’s a pain in my arse, that’s all. His brother, Max, let slip one time that since Antony is usually isolated, he likes to annoy as many people as possible when he gets the chance.”
“He didn’t annoy me.” Cooper searched her gaze. “Holbrook fancies you. Maybe he’s your true mate.”
Panic surged through Iris. “No, he can’t be.”
“But what if he is? Don’t you want to know?”
“No.” She reached for the folder again and tugged it closer. “I know you want nothing more than to find yours, but some of us want to focus on our jobs and careers instead.”
She wondered if Cooper would push, but he merely shrugged. “It’s your life, not mine. Just promise me that if something happens, you’ll tell me, aye?”
“Nothing will happen, I promise. Now, let’s focus and find out what happened to the rogue dragons.”
As they each took some papers from the folder, her dragon spoke up.You can pretend with Cooper, but I know Antony’s touch affected us. Maybe we should call him and see if he answers.
Don’t be ridiculous. The phone is for emergencies.
Us finally getting some sexisan emergency.
Enough. I need to concentrate. So will you be quiet or do I have to construct a mental maze?
Her beast sniffed.Do your boring human stuff.
As her dragon settled down for a nap inside her head, Iris focused on the documents.
She was impressed with how thorough they were. Antony hadn’t been boasting when he’d said they watched the rogue dragons closely. Every movement, every dragon taking off with their color and markings noted, was here. They’d kept track of everything for years.
For a split second, Iris wondered if maybe Lochguard should’ve been paying closer attention. Oh, aye, they knew where the rogue dragons stayed, and thanks to Iris’s contacts around Scotland, she knew when and where they flew.
And yet, when night fell or if there was a storm, her informants couldn’t help her. That was a weakness she should’ve recognized sooner.
