She tensed. “Then by all means let him talk. Hello, Caleb. I’ve already said what I wanted to say to you. I haven’t changed my mind.”

“And you won’t as long as I can’t corner you and keep you from running away. You’re going down the wrong path, and I have to stop you.” He added harshly, “For God’s sake, I’m not trying to keep you prisoner. But we can face this together.”

“And you’ll still try to step in front of me and keep me safe,” she said fiercely. “I may not be a prisoner, but I feel like a damn captive that everybody is trying to protect no matter what the cost. Well, the cost is too damn high. Do you wonder why I’ve been so intrigued by Fiona lately? It’s because we’re alike. We’ve both been taken captive and we’ve been fighting to get free. She had everything against her, and I don’t want her to have lost her battle. I’m luckier than she was, and I have no intention of losing mine. But the stakes are getting higher and higher. And you could die, like those other people have died.”

“You’re not listening,” he said thickly. “And we have to talk. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Maybe.” She had to steady her voice. “Is that all you wanted to say to me?”

“Yes, though I knew how stubborn you’d be. It didn’t matter to me.” He added quietly, “I just wanted to hear your voice.”

And she had desperately wanted to hear his voice. It was the only reason she hadn’t refused when Rodland had turned the call over to her. She couldn’t speak for a moment. “Good night, Caleb.”

*  *  *

Rodland immediately turned to Caleb. “I think I did very well. You couldn’t have done better. You have to admit she was distracted.”

“You’re a regular Scheherazade,” Caleb said caustically. “But you did a decent job.”

“Scheherazade.” Rodland made a face. “I’ve heard she was a magnificent storyteller, but I prefer a more manly description of my own talents. Though she was supposed to be very persuasive, and I’ve always considered my own skill in that arena to be extraordinary.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.” Caleb threw the rest of his coffee into the fire. “When you tell me about Kilgoray. Why did you go there?”

Rodland slowly shook his head. “You’ll have to get that from Jane. That’s why I warned her you were on speaker. She made me promise that I wouldn’t tell anyone about our trip there.” He added, “Besides, why should you be curious? She told me that you’d visited there with her before.”