of a con artist. But a sorcerer? And not just any sorcerer, but one who could take on Sotiris? No wonder he’d kept that part of his life a secret. Most people would be scared to death of him if they knew. She frowned. Hell, she was a little afraid now.
“So Damian was a friend?” she asked finally, changing the subject like a pro.
“More like a brother than a friend.”
“Families have been known to hate and kill each other, Nick. Maybe he blames you for everything he’s suffered all these years.”
“Casey,” he said, chiding her a little bit. “I told you, he’d never do that. Did you call just to argue with me?”
“No,” she responded quietly. “I called because if this was my long-lost brother, I’d want to know about it. The decision has to be yours, Nick. I’ll do whatever you want.”
“But you don’t want me there,” he said flatly, as if she could stop him if he put his mind to it.
“It’s not that. I just don’t want you to walk into a trap.” She waited, and when Nick didn’t say anything, she said, “Look, he says he wants revenge on Sotiris—”
“Hell, yeah, he does. Wouldn’t you?”
“I don’t need an excuse to go after Sotiris. That bastard is evil and needs to die. But I see your point. And you’re the one who said that he was handy in a fight. So, let me use him, and I’ll check him out for you. If he’s telling the truth, he’ll help me recover the Talisman. If he’s playing a game, then he’ll get in my way, and we’ll know.”
“I already know,” Nick said softly. “Damian would never betray me. But it doesn’t hurt to do it your way, especially since I can’t get there until late tonight. I don’t want you to get hurt any more than you already are, babe. I’ll feel better knowing he’s with you.”
“I’ve warned you about the babe thing, Nick,” she joked, desperate for a return to their familiar banter. All this other stuff, the revelations about Nick, the reality of a statue come to life . . . she’d process it eventually. She just needed time. Like a few hours. Something more than the length of a phone call.
“You can file with HR when you get back,” he teased back. “You’re sure about this, Casey? You’re okay with Damian?”
“I’m sure.”
“All right,” he said, willing, in true Nick fashion, to respect her judgment on the situation. “But if you need me before tonight, I can be there in an hour.”
“Okay. What do you want me to tell Damian?”
“Tell him I’m on my way, and tell him—” He drew a soft breath. “Tell him I love him.”
She felt tears building behind her eyes. She could only imagine what he must be feeling. “I’ll take care of him,” she said.
He laughed. “Don’t tell him that. You’ll hurt his pride. Remember, I can be there in an hour.”
“Yeah, boss. Love you, too.”
“Smart ass. Talk to you later.”
DAMIAN WAITED impatiently for Cassandra to return, pacing from the window to the door and back again. He told himself it was because he was bored, that he’d spent thousands of years trapped in stone, and now here he was, trapped within the four walls of a hotel room. That was true as far as it went, but his concern went beyond that. They faced a formidable enemy. Sotiris was not only powerful, but ruthless and cunning, and never one to forgive an insult. Cassandra seemed to think the ancient sorcerer would have forgotten about her now that he had the Talisman within his grasp, or very nearly, since it was in the hands of his agent. But Damian knew better than that. The fact that she’d managed to steal it in the first place would be enough to rank her among Sotiris’s enemies, and the sorcerer certainly hadn’t survived this long by leaving his foes at his back. Whether or not she recovered the Talisman again, Sotiris would want her dead.
The sorcerer definitely hadn’t been in that alley last night. Damian would have sensed his presence. And, according to Cassandra, he
“So Damian was a friend?” she asked finally, changing the subject like a pro.
“More like a brother than a friend.”
“Families have been known to hate and kill each other, Nick. Maybe he blames you for everything he’s suffered all these years.”
“Casey,” he said, chiding her a little bit. “I told you, he’d never do that. Did you call just to argue with me?”
“No,” she responded quietly. “I called because if this was my long-lost brother, I’d want to know about it. The decision has to be yours, Nick. I’ll do whatever you want.”
“But you don’t want me there,” he said flatly, as if she could stop him if he put his mind to it.
“It’s not that. I just don’t want you to walk into a trap.” She waited, and when Nick didn’t say anything, she said, “Look, he says he wants revenge on Sotiris—”
“Hell, yeah, he does. Wouldn’t you?”
“I don’t need an excuse to go after Sotiris. That bastard is evil and needs to die. But I see your point. And you’re the one who said that he was handy in a fight. So, let me use him, and I’ll check him out for you. If he’s telling the truth, he’ll help me recover the Talisman. If he’s playing a game, then he’ll get in my way, and we’ll know.”
“I already know,” Nick said softly. “Damian would never betray me. But it doesn’t hurt to do it your way, especially since I can’t get there until late tonight. I don’t want you to get hurt any more than you already are, babe. I’ll feel better knowing he’s with you.”
“I’ve warned you about the babe thing, Nick,” she joked, desperate for a return to their familiar banter. All this other stuff, the revelations about Nick, the reality of a statue come to life . . . she’d process it eventually. She just needed time. Like a few hours. Something more than the length of a phone call.
“You can file with HR when you get back,” he teased back. “You’re sure about this, Casey? You’re okay with Damian?”
“I’m sure.”
“All right,” he said, willing, in true Nick fashion, to respect her judgment on the situation. “But if you need me before tonight, I can be there in an hour.”
“Okay. What do you want me to tell Damian?”
“Tell him I’m on my way, and tell him—” He drew a soft breath. “Tell him I love him.”
She felt tears building behind her eyes. She could only imagine what he must be feeling. “I’ll take care of him,” she said.
He laughed. “Don’t tell him that. You’ll hurt his pride. Remember, I can be there in an hour.”
“Yeah, boss. Love you, too.”
“Smart ass. Talk to you later.”
DAMIAN WAITED impatiently for Cassandra to return, pacing from the window to the door and back again. He told himself it was because he was bored, that he’d spent thousands of years trapped in stone, and now here he was, trapped within the four walls of a hotel room. That was true as far as it went, but his concern went beyond that. They faced a formidable enemy. Sotiris was not only powerful, but ruthless and cunning, and never one to forgive an insult. Cassandra seemed to think the ancient sorcerer would have forgotten about her now that he had the Talisman within his grasp, or very nearly, since it was in the hands of his agent. But Damian knew better than that. The fact that she’d managed to steal it in the first place would be enough to rank her among Sotiris’s enemies, and the sorcerer certainly hadn’t survived this long by leaving his foes at his back. Whether or not she recovered the Talisman again, Sotiris would want her dead.
The sorcerer definitely hadn’t been in that alley last night. Damian would have sensed his presence. And, according to Cassandra, he
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