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Dawn was just breaking when Bones finally rolled off Cat. She lay back with a final gasp at her climax, and then almost instantly fell asleep.
Bones smiled as he pulled the blankets up to cover her. “Promise kept, Kitten.”
A soft snore was his only response.
He stretched out in the ruined remains of the bed. In truth, he was knackered as well. She’d made him earn that promise, and as predicted, he’d loved every moment of it.
Bones only slept for an hour when the sound of his mobile chiming downstairs woke him. He would have ignored it had it been any other ringtone except this one. Ian was calling him.
Bones slipped out of bed and ran downstairs, answering it before the fourth ring. “Hallo?”
“Crispin.” Ian sounded surprised. “I fully expected you to send my call to voicemail.”
“I can hang up and do that now, if you’d like,” Bones replied with all the sarcasm Ian would expect.
Ian chuckled. “No need. I just was ringing to say I’d found the Red Reaper.”
Bones tensed. Of all the ways to ruin a truly spectacular evening… “Indeed? Well, that makes two of us, then.”
Ian let only a second of surprised silence pass before he said, “What?” in a truly cold voice.
“Why do you think I answered?” Bones replied, thinking fast. “Found her myself last night. She’s in Virginia, as you know, but what you don’t know is that I spent the day running down her closet mates. I’ll have three of them in hand later. She always was more amenable when she had something to lose.”
“What a coincidence.” Ian’s voice was still glacier cold. “I had the same intentions. In fact, I have a gala this evening to showcase my acquisition of the Red Reaper, and with the person I’m collecting, she’ll agree to all my terms.”
A gala meant Ian in room full of his closest allies. That wouldn’t do. “Save your money on the overpriced champagne. I can bring her to you without the fuss.”
“I like a fuss,” Ian replied. “And capturing three of her friends is nice, but it isn’t enough. I’ve got someone capturing the real collateral, though I suppose I can always slaughter one of the blokes you’ve got to show her that I’m not to be trifled with, and as repayment for Magnus.”
“Magnus?” Bones repeated.
“Didn’t I tell you? She murdered him the day she came after me. Magnus served me faithfully for over forty years. Killing someone she cares about is the least I can do to avenge him.”
This had gone from bad to terrible in a blink. “Who’s the ‘real’ collateral you’re getting?” If it was Denise, Cat would be beside herself trying to rescue her.
“Her human lover,” Ian said with a derisive snort. “Fellow’s a veterinarian, of all things.”
Bones almost whooped with relief. Ian’s intel had been good enough to find Cat, but it hadn’t alerted him to the fact that she’d broken up with Noah, or more importantly, who else she had resumed a relationship with.
“Max volunteered to fetch him,” Ian went on.
Bones froze. Ian already had all the “collateral” he needed. He couldn’t let Cat in the same room as Max. She’d forget everything aside from her lifelong quest to kill him.
“Going to have anyone interesting at this gala?” Bones asked while mentally rearranging his plans.
“Oh, yes,” Ian said with satisfaction. “And you’ll be there, too.”
“Will I?” Bones asked with open challenge.
Ian laughed. “I haven’t commanded you to do anything in decades, but you can stay for the festivities instead of dropping off her mates and skulking away like you usually do.”
“In fact, Iwillstay,” Bones said. “Will be interesting to watch you spar with the Reaper. She may yet have a trick up her sleeve.”
“Yes, that’s where she keeps her knives,” Ian said with a chuckle. “That’s why I’ll make sure she isn’t wearing sleeves.”
Bones’s jaw clenched, but his voice was light when he said, “Where and when is this gala?”
“My new house in Brookville, New York, at midnight, but I’ll want my hostages well before then.”
