Guardian Angel - Garwood Julie - Страница 60

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his letter that way, and the other two followed suit. Their corruption was complete by that time."

"They started acting independently long before that, Colin," Nathan remarked.

"The end justified their means," Colin explained to Caine. "As long as they believed that what they were doing aided their country, they could justify anything."

"Very like your attitude, Jade," Caine announced.

She was so startled by that comment, her eyes widened. "No, not at all like my attitude," she argued. "Caine, I'm nothing like my father. I don't approve of what he did. It's sinful to admit, but I don't have any feelings for him, either. He chose his path."

"Your father's lands were confiscated, his fortune taken away," Caine said.

"Yes," she agreed, wondering what he was leading up to with that remark.

"It's the reason you steal from the wealthy, Jade. I'd say you're getting even."

"I'm not!"

Her shout told him he'd rattled her with that opinion. "Power corrupts," he said. "Absolute power

corrupts absolutely."

"You needn't quote Machiavelli to me, Caine. I will agree that the Tribunal was after absolute power."

"You were on the same path."

"I'm not," she cried out.

"Was, Caine?" Colin asked.

"Was," Caine announced. His voice was hard.

"Then you…" Colin began.

"Not now, Colin," Caine ordered.

"What are you talking about?" Jade asked. "I've never been after power."

Caine ignored her protest. "Tell me the rest of this," he ordered Nathan.

"Our father had a change of heart," Nathan said. "His conscience began to bother him when his director,

a man named Hammond, was sanctioned."

"Sanctioned?" Colin scoffed. "What a pleasant word for such a foul deed."

"Hammond was director over all three," Nathan interjected. "There was Ice, Prince, and Fox. Anyway,

in the beginning, they did whatever they were ordered to do. It wasn't long, though, before they started acting independently. Hammond was beginning to get wise to their doings and the three were certain he was growing in his suspicions. Ice came up with the idea that they sanction him."

"My father didn't want to kill Hammond," Jade said. "Papa was on his way to London to warn the director when he was killed. At least that's what we've been able to piece together."

"Who was killed? Your father or Hammond?" Caine asked.

"Our father," Nathan answered. "He had sent Hammond a note telling him that he had to meet with him as soon as possible, that it was an urgent, life-threatening matter."

"And how were you able to piece that together?" Caine asked.

"Hammond showed me the note at my father's funeral," Nathan replied. "He asked me if I knew

anything about this urgent problem. I didn't know anything, of course. I'd been away at school. Jade

was too young to understand."

"Our father confided in Harry and gave him the letters he'd saved."

"And Harry told you everything when you were older?" Caine asked Jade.

She nodded. She refused to look at him and kept her gaze directed on her lap.

"Harry wanted Nathan to go with us. Father had a ship and Harry was bent on becoming a pirate. Nathan wanted to finish school. He thought Harry was taking me to an island in the south and that I'd be safe until he could come and fetch me."

"When I started hearing about the escapades of a pirate named Pagan, I have to admit I never once considered that it might be Harry," Nathan interjected. "Why didn't you come for Jade?" Caine asked. "He couldn't," Jade answered before her brother could. "Harry and I were never in one place long enough. Besides, Nathan had his own problems then. Father's enemies knew he'd saved the letters. They were desperate to find them. Once Nathan's rooms had been searched, they left him alone… for a time anyway, until we started a fresh investigation of our own."

"The letters were with you?" Caine asked. "Or did Harry hide them somewhere safe?" "We kept them on the Emerald," she answered. "I want them," Caine demanded. "Is this vessel near enough to send one of the men? Or perhaps…"

He stopped his question when she shook her head. "There isn't any need to fetch them. I can tell you the contents."

"Word for word," Colin said. "Pagan need only read something once, and it's committed to memory for the rest of her life."

If Caine thought that talent odd, he didn't mention it. Jade was thankful he remained silent. "Pagan, recite the letters for Caine," Nathan suggested. "If you call her Pagan one more time, I'm going to beat the hell out of you."

Nathan scowled at Caine a long minute, then gave in. "All right," he snapped. "I'll call her Jade, though only because I don't want anyone hearing her nickname."

"I don't give a damn what your reasons are, just do it," Caine grated out.

"Hell, Colin, I'm trying to be accommodating, but I swear to God I'm going to knock the arrogance out

of him when this is over and done with."

Jade believed a fight was imminent. She drew everyone's attention by beginning her recitation. The telling took over thirty minutes. She didn't leave a word out. And when she was finished, no one said a word

for a long while. Everyone was slowly filtering through the information she'd just related.

Then Colin spoke. "All right then," he began, his voice filled with enthusiasm. "That very first letter was addressed to Thorton… that's Nathan and Jade's father, of course, and it was signed by a man named William."

"They hadn't been assigned their operative names yet," Jade volunteered.

"Yes," Colin agreed. "Then Thorton became Fox, and William became Prince. Ice is another matter, though. We don't have any clues as to his…"

"Colin, we can speculate about his identity later," Nathan interrupted.

Colin nodded. "I went to Willburn and told him all about the letters, Caine. Nathan and I decided we had to trust him. He was our director, after all, and he'd taken good care of us. To this day, I still don't believe he was involved with the Tribunal."

"You're an innocent," Nathan muttered. "Of course he was involved with the bastards."

"You'll have to prove it to me first," Colin argued. "Only then will I believe."

Nathan shook his head. He turned back to Caine. "We were sent to the south on what we now know was a setup. We were supposed to meet with two informants at the harbor. It was a trick, of course. Before we knew what was happening, we had both been bound and gagged, and tossed into the warm waters."

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