Silencing Eve

it’s the only way Kendra can participate without being on the spot. She’ll probably try to use me as her stand-in.”
    “And you don’t object?”
    “Not unless it interferes with my helping Jane. Kendra is very clever and won’t let that happen. She knows that’s why I’m with Jane.”
    “You’ve made that crystal clear.”
    She leaned back and studied him.
    Darkness again, and the storm was closer. “No one can say I’m not honest.” She paused. “For instance, I don’t care about all this lust and emotional fireworks you and Trevor are obviously experiencing around Jane. I’ve never gone through it, so I can’t see what all the shouting is about. I’ve never been able to read you, but I’d guess on your part it’s probably purely animalistic, and that’s part of nature. Trevor is on a higher plane, and I think he genuinely cares about her.”
    “I’m really not interested in your opinion, Margaret.”
    She nodded. “Because you screwed up.”
    He didn’t answer.
    “You told me Jane was better. That means you probably did that blood thing that you did to her before. Right?”
    He slowly nodded.
    “And that you didn’t mind if I disturbed Jane. I had to think about that for a minute.”
    “But I’m sure you came up with an answer.”
    “You wanted her to be disturbed because she was with Trevor.” She tilted her head. “And at this time of night it’s logical to assume that they’re sleeping together.”
    “Very logical.”
    “So you did something she didn’t like.”
    “Wrong.” He smiled recklessly. “I did something she did like … too much.”
    She shook her head. “If Jane went to Trevor, it’s probably because you did something pretty bad. You might not even recognize that it would seem that bad to her. You’re two different species.” She thought about it. “No, you probably did know. But you’re one of the wild ones, and you didn’t care at that particular moment.”
    “None of this is your business, Margaret. You’re annoying me.”
    “I know. But Jane is my business. Mating is natural. I don’t give a damn what you and Trevor do to her as long as it’s okay with her. Maybe this time it wasn’t.” She frowned. “So, I thought I’d warn you that if you sent her running to Trevor, I’m going to help her to stay there.”
    “The hell you are.”
    The storm was no longer hovering but there before her. Dark eyes glittering with intensity. Lips drawn back from white teeth.
    “I told you that honor and fair play mean a lot to Jane. I think that Trevor understands that. She’ll be safer with him.”
    “Stay out of this, Margaret.”
    “Can’t,” she said simply. “She took that bullet for me. I owe her. It’s not over until it’s over.” She smiled cheerfully. “But now that you understand my position, we can forget about it unless there’s a problem. I do find you very interesting, Caleb. Sometimes, the most unpredictable animals are the most fascinating.”
    He shook his head in disbelief. “You’re incredible.” He added harshly, “And I don’t even know why I’m even listening to a half-baked kid like you.”
    “Half-baked?” She thought about it. “I do have a lack of experience in some areas, but in others I’m ahead of the game. So I don’t think you can call me that. Maybe three-quarters baked?” She got to her feet. “And now I have to go to the bathroom and get a drink of water. Will you order me breakfast? Orange juice, roll, and coffee.”
    “Haven’t you heard you shouldn’t eat in the hall of the enemy?” he asked sarcastically.
    “Don’t be melodramatic. You’re not my enemy.” She moved across the room. “Unless you—” She stopped as her phone rang. “Kendra. I told you she’d keep her word.” She answered, “I’m already in Chicago, Kendra. You took long enough. I’m with Seth Caleb. I’m putting you on speaker.”
    “Whatever,” Kendra said impatiently. “I think I’ve got it, Margaret. It was easy once I connected the dots.”
    “I’ve seen you connect dots before, and there’s nothing easy about it,” Margaret said. “I don’t see the same paths that you do.”
    “You have to come back to the prime realization that Harriet has always had a passion for English literature and move forward from there. She even infected her son, Kevin, with the same passion. He wanted to please her, and he knew that was the best way of doing it. It was clearly something they shared from the time he