Before I can type a response, the phone buzzes again.
Speaking of my guard, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.
I hold my breath as I wait to see what she’ll say about me.
I’m pretty sure he has a thing for me. How do you feel about that?
She’s pretty sureIhave a thing forher? Ach, the lass has lost her mind. It’s been the other way round, and I just happened to get caught up in it myself. A man can only deny a siren’s song for so long when she keeps singing so prettily.
If you’re uncomfortable with that, I’ll tell him to stop.
Like hell she will! The lass can try, but I’ll just chase her harder.
I really don’t want to damage… whatever this is.
I finally realize I’ve just been standing here having an argument with myself while the wee girl worries in a bathroom stall. There’s no reason for me to be jealous of her feelings for another man when I’m both of them, and I’ve got to remember that.
Even so, it won’t hurt to push her toward me just a bit. The real me.
I’m not the possessive type. If you want to explore something with him as well, you have my blessing.
I hit send, even though the entire message is a lie. She’d have the opposite of my blessing if this were really coming from me, as I’m a very possessive man when I want someone all to myself.
Really? And you’ll still meet me tonight?
Wouldn’t miss it for the world.
I’m still staring down at the tiny screen, waiting for a reply, when Quinn appears behind me. Before she can spot the familiar device, I shove it into my pocket and offer her a smile.
“All good, lass?”
“Better than good,” she says with a cheeky smirk. “Now, where is this torture practice you’ve set up for me?”
I motion for her to keep moving past the seating area and into the performance space. My brain is still back at the bathrooms, though. I’m still reading those messages and wondering what they might mean.
As we step into the center ring, a spotlight clicks on overhead and brightens the space. I shield my eyes and look toward the control box.
“Thanks, pal,” I say to Gary.
He grins and gives me a thumbs-up. Jim sent him ahead to set things up for us, and I can only hope he’s done as I’ve asked. Gary’s not the brightest man I’ve met, and he’s been even less so since he took that bonk to the noggin on the pirate ship. Still, he’s a good bloke, and he’s the sort I’d share a beer with if I were the sort to share a beer.
Beneath our feet, the sawdust begins to vibrate. Quinn grips my arms to steady herself as heavy-duty chain-link fencing rises from the floor circling the center ring, caging us within. The zoo-grade fences click into place with a groan once they’ve reached their full height.
Just tall enough to contain a tiger.
Gary hurries from the control box and disappears into the backstage area. Moments later, the red curtains part as he appears again, pushing a wheelchair toward us. The man in the chair screams and tosses his head from side to side as he tries to tip over. Gary just grits his teeth and keeps pushing.
“See his yellow jumpsuit?” I say to Quinn.
She nods. “He’s an animal abuser.”
“Aye, lass. That he is.” I grin to myself. She’s a quick study, that one. “He ran a little roadside zoo in the Midwest. Well, he ran it until Jim discovered how he’d been keeping the poor beasts. He’d remove the monkeys’ teeth so that tourists couldpose with them without being bitten. The larger animals were forced to perform, and when they wouldn’t—or couldn’t—he’d use intense pain and starvation as a motivator.”
“Stop,” Quinn whispers. “I don’t want to hear anything else.”
I nod, because I don’t want tosayanything else. I may be heartless where my fellow man is concerned, but I have a genuine affection for animals. My early yearning for blood never involved helpless creatures. Always humans.
Always the creatures who are more heartless than I.