“I imagine he does,” Conner agreed. “She’s murdering his people, forcing them into servitude. He’s a proud man who managed to bring his people into this century, yet still keep his culture intact. He’ll fight her with every breath in his body.”

“Then how?”

“We just need him to buy us some time. She doesn’t know, or care anything about the tribe, so Adan can make up ceremonies that have to be done before he leaves and buy us a couple of days there. She’ll be gloating, figuring now that she’s bent the will of the most influential tribe elder, everyone will fall in with her plans. Once he’s in the forest, she’ll have to send her rogues to watch him. She’ll have no choice. None of her other men would have a chance of staying up with him and she’ll need to know he’s complying with her orders.”

Isabeau was horrified. “Conner, he won’t deliver the drugs and they’ll kill him.”

“Adan doesn’t die so easy. And we want the rogues to trail him. We need them out of the compound.”

“Dead. You mean you want the rogues dead.” Her eyes met his steadily.

“What did you think we were going to do? Smile and ask pretty please? You sent for me because I’m a bastard. The biggest bastard you know. That’s what you need to get those kids back and to make certain it doesn’t happen again. She’ll tear those villages apart once we leave if she’s alive. You wanted me here because I’m the one you know who can get them back. You knew exactly what you were getting, so don’t act shocked. Anyone who hires us knows what has to be done, they just don’t have the guts to do it themselves.”

She ignored the bitterness and glimpse of hurt in his normally expressionless voice. “I have the guts. Adan said no. And for your information, I wasn’t putting judgment on you.”

His eyebrow shot up. “You accused me of killing your father. I stood there like a damned idiot and almost got shot for you.”

“What are you talking about?”

He studied her pale face for a long moment. His eyes slowing changed back to dark gold. “It doesn’t matter, Isabeau. We have a truce. Let’s just keep to that.”

She frowned at him, her expression genuinely puzzled. “I don’t understand what you meant. I saw you.”

“You saw your father put a gun to my head. He nearly blew my brains out.”

“You had him trapped. What was he supposed to do?”