strode outside. Taking and releasing a deep breath, he stepped onto the patio.
“Hey. You’re back.” She drew her head back, as if expecting him to kiss her. Instead, he sat down in the chair next to her, taking her hand. “How did it go?”
“Interesting, as always. What have you been doing?”
Katrina swept a hand across her body. “You’re looking at it. I did the dishes and came outside. I hope you don’t mind me opening the wine in the cooler.”
“Not at all. You know, Kat, we’ve talked a great deal about my family and background. You haven’t told me much about yourself.”
Gunner noticed the way her face blanched before she looked away. “You’ve met my family, and you know I work at the nursery.”
“And that you moved here from Omaha.”
She relaxed a little at his comment. “That’s right.”
Leaning back in his seat, he took a long swallow of his water. “Where’d you live before that?”
“Um, you know. Around.”
Chuckling, he rubbed his thumb over her palm, noticing her slight shiver. “Were you born in Nebraska?”
She shook her head. “No.”
Raising her hand, he kissed her fingers. “Are you going to make me guess?”
Staring at the way his lips moved over her fingers, she shoved aside the spasm of desire rolling through her. “A small town in Northern California.”
“That right?” He knew it was a lie. Wrath had shown him all their documentation, including birth certificates showing her and Brady’s birthplace as Las Vegas. It also showed her father was Steven Treager…Zeus.
Her features froze in irritation. “I’m certain of it.”
She glanced at him before quickly shifting her gaze away. Touching the glass to her lips, she took a large swallow of wine.
“Interesting.” He pulled three folded papers from his pocket, handing them to her. “I guess these certified documents are fake.”
Hand shaking, she set her glass down to pick up the papers. Her eyes widened a fraction more as she scanned each one. She tried to form a measure of indignant anger, finding it too elusive. Katrina had never been good at lying.
“There are reasons I don’t want anyone to know the truth of my past.” Returning the birth certificates to Gunner, she gulped down the last of her wine. “I should go.”
Placing a hand on her arm, he shook his head. “You aren’t going anywhere, Kat. What you are going to do is tell me the truth about your family’s past so we can help protect you.”
She didn’t relax, nor did she try to shirk out of his hold. “We?”
“Me and the Brethren. Wrath is the one who gave me these, along with a shit load of information you may or may not know about who’s after you.”
This grabbed her attention. “You know who shot at Chaos and me?”
Standing, he went to the kitchen, retrieved the wine and a beer. Filling Kat’s glass, he sat down.
“I have Wrath’s permission to share what we’ve learned. The caveat is you must agree that I’ll be the one to tell Teri and Brady.”
“That’s ridiculous. There’s no reason I can’t be the one to talk to Mom and Brady.”
Sighing, he leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out in front of him. “Then you’ll learn nothing from me.”
A deep red flush crept up her neck to her cheeks, jaw clenching. “That’s blackmail.”
“Actually, it’s not. I’d be withholding highly classified information, which is in no jurisdiction a crime. My game, my rules, Kat.”
“This isn’t a game, Luke.”
“The hell it isn’t. All you’ve done since leaving Vegas six years ago is play a game of chance, and the odds have never been fifty-fifty. Would it surprise you to know your father’s closest associate has always known where you are?”
Stomach roiling, she gripped the edge of the table. “My…father?”
“Surely you remember Steve Treager. Or Zeus to most people.”
Face paling, she fought a wave of nausea as her head spun.
Reaching out, he placed a hand on her upper arm, steadying her. “Zeus is your father, isn’t he?”
Her tongue flicked out to moisten her suddenly dry lips. “Yes.”
Slipping his hand behind her neck, Gunner drew her to him, brushing his lips across hers. “Talk to me, Kat.”
The kiss had her stilling, a sick feeling building in her gut. Struggling out of his hold, she stood, glaring down at him.
“Was this the end game, Gunner? Get close to me so you and the Brethren could learn about my father and the Disciples?” Turning away, her hands fisted at her sides before she whirled back toward him. “I’m such a stupid fool