So this was Hugh’s game plan. He wanted to separate me from the Pack. When we had talked during the Black Sea trip, he’d said that prying me from the Keep would be too difficult. He dangled the crime scene in front of me like bait, stationed his people along the approaching routes, and waited. Nick wasn’t here to kill me. He was here to delay me. He probably sent a signal to Hugh, letting him know he’d sighted me, and now he would do everything he could to stall until Hugh got here.

Derek stared at him. Their expressions were almost identical, flat, carrying an awareness of how vicious life could be and knowing they would never forget it.

“He looks like he’s been through some shit,” Derek said.

You’d know.

“What’s a crusader?” Desandra asked.

“Crusaders are knights of the Order,” Robert said.

“Aw crap,” Desandra growled.

The knights of the Order were strictly off-limits for the Pack. You might as well walk into a police station and shoot a cop.

“They’re not assigned to any chapter,” I said. “They go where needed and they bend the rules. They’re like janitors. Got a nasty problem, throw a crusader at it. He’ll cut it to pieces and leave town.”

“But he shot me! Doesn’t that count for something? What the hell is he doing with d’Ambray anyway? If he switched sides, I can kill him.”

“Crusaders are fanatics,” Derek said. “It’s not likely he switched sides. Jim thinks he’s undercover.”

“Even if he is, it doesn’t matter,” I said. “He made the decision to block us. But running up to him and trying to punch him is a bad idea. We don’t know what he’s capable of.”

We had to get past Nick. We had vampires behind us and taking a different route would take too long. We were committed now. We had to go forward.

“We don’t want to fight,” Robert called out. “We know who you are. We have no reason to kill you.”

Nick pulled off his gloves and dropped them on the ice.

“Perhaps you should negotiate?” Robert glanced at me.

Sure. I cleared my throat. “Move or I’ll cut your head off.”

Nick took off his leather jacket and tossed it aside.

“He has no weapons,” Derek said.

Robert grimaced.