“Brigid is mated to one of the oldest vampires in the British Isles. Are you implying that I’m weak?”

“No, if anything, you’re the most dangerous I’ve ever seen you.”

“These are dangerous times.”

“You’re short-tempered. You’ve been in the ring more often the past couple of months and lost it on some of the lads.”

“I’ll hunt more.”

“And put the Irish deer population at risk? That’s not what you need, boss.”

Murphy moved toward the door, and Tom put a hand on his arm.

“It’s been a hundred years.”

“I know that.”

“Reach out to her.”

He shook off Tom’s hand. “Why? So she can ignore me again?”

“Because you came to her so reasonable-like from the beginning, throwing the women in her face like it were her fault, eh?” Tom’s face was even stormier than usual. “You may be my sire, Murphy, but you deserved to be tossed on your arse.”

“And what’s changed so much, hmm? You notice me turning into a monk in the past seventy years?”

“Stop being a stubborn arse,” Tom yelled. “You’ve changed. And she has too. Jaysus, stop acting like a child and talk to her.”

“Why are you bringing this up now? Is it because of this bloody summit? I agreed to go, didn’t I?”

Tom and Declan had been adamant that Murphy attend. He’d been reluctant but had finally seen the wisdom in pooling resources.

“It’s not because of the summit.”

Murphy gave him a look.

“Fine. Not just because of the summit. But you have to admit you’ll likely rip someone’s head off at a conference table the way you’ve been lately. Not only does she level you out, but we need every ally we can get right now. She’s Mary Hamilton’s sister, and we need that woman’s support if we’re ever going to get a handle on who is shipping this shite.”

“I know all that.” Murphy sat down again, his blood cooling. “If I approach Anne O’Dea for any reasons she might interpret as strategic, she will have nothing to do with me, and you know it.”

“She’s a practical woman.”

He shook his head. “She hates me. And her sister does too.”

Tom said nothing. Murphy knew there was nothing to say.

Except…

“Tom,” Murphy asked, “has Terrance Ramsay invited Mary Hamilton to London for the summit?”

“Yes. She turned him down. Since you’re coming, he doesn’t really need her to be there, though it would be better to present a united front. That and he wanted to placate the old man.”

Murphy pulled an old gold coin from his pocket and flipped it in his fingers. “Anne won’t have anything to do with me,” he mused. “She’s been avoiding me—avoiding us—for seventy years at least.”

“Boss—”

“But if I have Terry call her… It might work.”

She’d hate him. But she’d have to talk to him. He could probably work with that.

Murphy had never stopped wanting her. That would be akin to no longer wanting blood or water. He’d just learned to manage without her.

Tom frowned. “Why would Terrance Ramsay be wanting to call Anne?”

“No, Tom. Have Ramsay call Mary Hamilton. Tell her she’s needed at this summit. Just can’t do without her oh-so-important perspective. Or better, have Gemma do it.”

A smile touched the corner of Tom’s mouth. “You conniving bastard. Hamilton won’t come herself. She’s too antisocial. But if Ramsay insists on it…”

“She’ll send someone she trusts.”

“And she doesn’t trust anyone else as much as she does Anne.” Tom crossed his arms and puffed out his barrel chest. “She’ll hate you.”

“But she’ll talk to me.” Murphy flipped the coin in the air. It landed heads up. “She’d be forced to.”

If there was one thing Patrick Murphy excelled at, it was talking his way around a stubborn adversary.

And there was no one more stubborn than Anne.

TERRANCE Ramsay was amenable to Murphy’s plan.

“I knew Hamilton wouldn’t come, but Brigid insisted I call her. She turned me down flat. Didn’t even let me finish the phone call.”

“Call again. You’ve convinced Jetta to attend?”

“Not quite yet. The Scandinavians have someone involved in this. I’m fairly sure Jetta suspects someone in her organization. If she comes, she might be bringing the suspects with her.”

“Jetta and Mary are close. Allies, but rivals too. If you imply Jetta is coming, Mary will send someone. Once Mary sends someone, Jetta will appear.”

“Or they both call my bluff and leave me looking like a fool,” Terry said, laughing. “Does Hamilton have someone she trusts enough to speak for her?”

“One person, yes.”

Terry paused. “You think she’d send Anne?”

Could he be sure? Mary did like to be unpredictable.

“There’s no way to be sure,” he admitted, “but Mary doesn’t trust anyone as much as she trusts Anne.”

“And she’d go to a summit like this?”

“She has in the past when the situation has called for it.” And in the past, it bothered him. Thought it had divided her loyalties.