“Not now. I’m busy.”

He tried to brush past him, but Zane didn’t budge. “He said it’s important.”

Impatiently, he yanked the phone from Zane’s hand and brought it to his ear. “What?”

“I need to see you. Now,” Gabriel answered.

“I can’t. Whatever it is, it’ll have to wait.”

Gabriel sighed. “I’m sorry to have to do this at a time like this, but . . . ”

“I said I can’t.” He pressed the disconnect button and tossed the phone back at Zane.

By the time he’d made it up to the second floor, the cell phone rang again. Behind him, he heard Zane’s footsteps following him, then his hand clamping over his shoulder.

“I suggest you take the call,” Zane warned.

Pressing his lips into a tight line, he snatched the phone and answered the call. “What the fuck is so important?”

“I’m going to cut you some slack right now, because of what’s happened, but another sign of insubordination, and I’m going to have your hide!” Gabriel said in a calm voice that betrayed the seriousness of his words.

Shit, did everybody have it in for him tonight?

“Do I have your attention now?”

Quinn cleared his throat. “Yes.”

“Good. I have an assignment that just came in. You were requested especially.”

“I don’t have time for an assignment.” Oliver needed him now.

“You’ll be interested in this one. I get the feeling that there’s something odd about it. It’s worth checking it out. The woman says you’re old friends and that you owe her a debt. Yet at the same time she’s offering an outrageous amount of money to secure our—and in particular, your—services.”

Quinn’s ears perked up. “I don’t owe anybody anything. Who is she?” He wasn’t aware of any outstanding debt or favor. And certainly not one he owed a woman. He was always careful not to leave any loose ends.

“Her name is Rose Haverford. She . . . ”

But Quinn didn’t hear the rest of Gabriel’s words, because blood suddenly thundered through is head, rushing past his ears like a freight train barreling through a quiet countryside. It drowned out all other noise.

Rose.

A voice from the grave. His Rose.

“Is she still there?”

“Yes, she’s in my office, waiting.”

“Keep her occupied. Make sure you’re armed. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

He disconnected the call before Gabriel had a chance to say anything else. As he pressed the phone back into Zane’s hand, his friend stared at him.

“Something wrong?”

Quinn nodded. Everything was wrong.

“She’s dead, long dead.”

Zane gave him a confused look, but Quinn brushed past him and rushed down the stairs and out the door without another word.

This imposter would have to pay for the cruel joke she was playing on him.

7

Rose knew she had to be very careful. The wrong word and she would be toast. The less any of the Scanguards people knew, the better. Particularly Quinn. He could never find out what had really happened two hundred years ago, or he would never help her save Blake.

Nor was he allowed to find out what Keegan really wanted, not yet anyway. First she had to figure out which side he stood on: would he help her protect what she had stolen, or would he simply want it to attain power himself by using it? The Quinn she knew from when she was human would have never wanted that kind of power, but what about the vampire he was now?

Rose looked around the comfortable office, waiting for Gabriel to return. He hadn’t wanted to make the phone call in front of her, which she couldn’t really blame him for.

Despite the gruesome scar on his face, he had appeared very civilized, polite even. It could be a trick of course, just as Keegan’s polished behavior had simply been a façade. Beneath it, he had hidden his brutality.

She was sick of violent men. They had crossed her long life too many times. This time she would be more careful. She couldn’t afford to trust the wrong man again. There was too much at stake. Besides, she wasn’t here to rekindle her relationship with Quinn. All she wanted from him was his help in protecting Blake. Once he was out of danger, she would disappear again.

Staying away from Quinn was the only way to protect her secret, because if he ever found out what she had done two centuries ago, he would kill her.

“Excuse the delay,” Gabriel’s voice came from behind her.