Cabal would be. Strangely enough, Jolian wasn’t worried about Tanner.
“I don’t believe you mean me any harm. I warned them they were making a mistake.”
Jolian’s head lowered, her hands gripping the stone rail that edged the marble patio.
“They think I’m a spy.” Her mocking laughter was a thread of pain. “I could see it in Cabal’s eyes. They were filled with disgust.”
And Jolian was filled with pain because of it.
“You’re in love with him,” Scheme guessed.
“And you’re mated to him and his brother. Damn, some people just have all the luck, don’t they?”
Jolian didn’t turn around. Her hands lifted from the balustrade though and wrapped around her br**sts. The loose cream-colored gown she wore wasn’t particularly flattering on her frame, and it was evident no one had taken the time to try to advise her on her dress. Most likely, the other Breeds were steering a path far clear of her at the moment.
“I’m sorry,” Scheme said softly. “About Cabal and about what happened yesterday. If you would let me, I could make it up to you.”
Give her some hair and clothes advice to start with.
“How could you help me?” Jolian turned to her, anger marking her face, her gaze. Then her eyes widened, rolled back in her head, and she slumped to the ground.
Scheme rushed toward her, without thinking, without considering the consequences. In the next second, blinding pain shot through her head, sending a blaze of white-hot light to explode in front of her eyes as she felt herself crumpling over the other woman. And wishing to hell she hadn’t come out here without Tanner.
Tamber Mason.
She was trained in communications, and she had been a part of the inner circle of the pride since Sanctuary was first inhabited by the Breeds. She was Merinus’s friend and sometimes bodyguard and Callan’s most trusted communications expert. She often went shopping with Sherra, sparred with Dawn and was rumored to have slept with Tanner and Cabal on several occasions.
She was also Cyrus Tallant’s spy.
This was why the spy was so confident. Why Cyrus had such a hard time controlling her. Her place within Sanctuary had been firmly established years ago. She was, in essence, a part of the family.
Scheme had seen all their files. The Breeds at Sanctuary as well as those now working in the law enforcement and military areas. She had gone over them, studied them, learned all she could about them before they were destroyed. And she had somehow managed to let this one blip past her radar.
Because Tamber was plain. Unassuming. There had been nothing in her files to indicate a connection to Cyrus Tallant or to anyone within her father’s organization. She was simply a well-loved member of the Lyons’ extended family.
But all Scheme had had was her picture to go by. Once she fully heard Tamber Mason’s voice rather than the mumble she had been given at the party, Scheme knew exactly who she was. Her father’s second in command’s former lover.
Scheme had only heard her voice; her father’s wannabe son had never mentioned her name or her expertise.
“You know they’re going to track you,” she warned Tamber as the jeep moved over the uneven road leading through the woods. “They’ll know you were the one who attacked Jolian and took me.”
“It really won’t matter.” Tamber flashed her a hard, cold smile. “I won’t be returning for a while. I’ve just taken care of my mission, two in one; John will take me in for a while.”
Scheme wanted to turn, to check on the unconscious child in the back of the jeep, but she didn’t dare. If she looked at him, she might not survive it, she would break down, and she couldn’t afford that.
“You really think John is going to allow you freedom?” she asked Tamber instead, working at the rope binding her wrists. “Do you think you’re the only spy he’s f**king, Tamber?”
“Actually, I know I’m not.” A smug smile curled Tamber’s lips. “But working in Breed communications isn’t the only thing I’m trained for, Scheme. The Breeds don’t have my DNA; all they have are my fingerprints. DNA is voluntary, you know. In six months, I’ll be right back, working somewhere else within Sanctuary, with a new name and a new face as well as new fingerprints and a different scent. The Council scientist can work with the scent neutralizer and make it whatever they want it to be. I am a chameleon. The Breeds will never know.”
Like hell. Scheme knew that unknown to the Council or to other Breeds, Tanner and Cabal’s sense of smell would easily detect her. And they would be looking for her. She would never survive returning to Sanctuary.
“You’re too confident, Tamber.” Scheme braced herself against the door as she shook her head sadly. “Ego goes hand in hand with failure.”
“I’m confident, period,” she snapped. “I’ve been working on this for years, you stupid bitch.”
There had to be a way to escape. They were following the exact path she had laid out on the map for Callan; all she had to do was find a way to delay Tamber, to make her stop.
Scheme struggled harder with the ropes, feeling the burn of her wrists, the slickness of her own blood, but the ropes were loosening, closer to coming free.