“Trusting me?” Her brows rose. “How unusual. I’m surprised I’ve at last earned back your trust.” She paused. “Since you just said that neither of us have been able to trust each other from the beginning.”

“We’re getting there,” he said quietly. “If you give me your word, I know that no one will hear about zantlatin from you.”

“Then I’ll give you my word.” She smiled recklessly. “But you aren’t being fair. I want payback. Stop leaving me in the dark. Tell me what’s going on at that castle, and who the hell this Marcus Reardon is. I promised you I’d help you get Masenak when this was over. You never said anything about anyone else.”

He nodded. “Reardon wasn’t in the deal. I might not even need you for Masenak if Baldwin gives me enough info.”

“But I want to know about Reardon, too. And I want to know what Masenak did to you that made you go after him.”

“You said it didn’t matter.”

“It matters. Because you know everything about me.”

He chuckled. “And you’re curious?”

“You can call it that.” It wasn’t curiosity. It felt more urgent, yet more intimate. She wasn’t sure what it was and didn’t want to put a name to it. She certainly didn’t want Korgan to take apart what she was feeling. She just knew she had to know what had hurt him…and share it.

His smile faded as he gazed at her expression. Finally he slowly nodded. “Okay. Trust deserves trust.” He strode over to the lake and sat down beneath a palm tree. “I wouldn’t want to be the one to refuse to break new ground.”

“Masenak,” she said as she dropped down on the ground beside him. “What did he do to you?”

He lifted his shoulders in a half shrug. “Killed a friend, burned a village, destroyed a way of life. The usual things Masenak does so well.”

“That’s no answer.”

“It’s a very good answer. Quite complete. I don’t believe I left out anything.”

“You left out the beginning, the middle, and the end,” she said brusquely. “You cheated.”

“And you’re not going to let me get away with it?”

“I can’t do anything about it if you’re going to cheat.” She met his eyes. “Except be disappointed in the man I believed you to be. But then what do I really know about Gabe Korgan?”

He tilted his head. “Subtle, and yet a very telling blow. Entirely worthy of you.”

She waited.