CHAPTER FOUR
They were having a meeting in the secret room, and they hadn’t included Isabella, who was supposed to be an integral part of it all.
Now, that just wouldn’t do.
She’d heard about the visitors as soon as they entered the cave, but had been too busy to come right away to check them out. Of course, that was Isaac’s task—but as his sister, she liked judging guests and determining their loyalties, too. Now the secret room was locked, with Clay guarding the door.
“Let me go in,” she said.
Clay shook his head, staring ahead. “It’s a closed door meeting.”
She sighed in exasperation. “I already know what it’s about. Walls have ears.” Technically, one of her friends had ears, and the information about the guest’s purpose was passed on to her right away.
It had to do with the island. Which meant she was vital to it.
When Clay didn’t respond at all, Isabella gave him a stare down. It never really worked in intimidating him, but they both knew what that stare down meant—she was going to get her way. Stepping to the side, Isabella broke her gaze away from him. Then she picked the lock and barged in without preamble, ignoring Clay’s disapproving frown.
He wouldn’t dare manhandle her.
All voices trailed off at her entrance, but Isabella held her chin high. Her brother looked at her with a dangerous glint in his eye, but she ignored him completely and turned her attention to the guests—or rather, to the obvious main guest in particular.
Her first impression was that of an elegant man—tall, muscled and fit, with a fair complexion and equally fair looks. He had the lightest of blond hair and brown eyes, and he looked like the type of guy who could charm you with a grin. Classically handsome was her first thought.
High-society scoundrel was her second.
She knew exactly who he was.
“Isabella,” Isaac said warningly, voice deceptively low. It was his you are in big trouble look.
Isabella ignored it. “Isaac,” she said simply. Then she stepped forward and held out her hand. “Isabella Hart.”
The man—shifter—looked at her for a split second before taking the hand she offered. But instead of shaking it, he raised it up and lightly kissed her knuckles.
“Dylan Masters.”
It shouldn’t have made electricity run through her, considering how perfunctory it was. Isabella snatched her hand away, ignoring the stormy look Isaac shot her. She eyed the other guests, realizing that they were teenagers. What were they doing here?
“You were talking about how to get to the island,” she said, looking back at Dylan. “I can show you the way.”
He gave her a puzzled look. “You know the way?”
“My sister has been there,” Isaac filled in dryly. “She barely escaped with her life, and now she wants to go back again.”
“To save our brother,” she said, glaring at him. “Remember him?”
Isaac’s face hardened. “I don’t have a brother who enslaves children.”
The statement had a final ring to it, which saddened her. But she couldn’t give up on Jason yet, not when he created a diversion to get her out of there in the first place. There had to be a valid explanation—she was banking on it, especially when he’d been about to say something before he was cut off. She looked Isaac in the eye, silently letting him know her stand on the matter.
Finally, the panther clan leader sighed. Then that hardened gaze shifted towards Dylan, who didn’t look fazed.
“I guess we have a plan. My sister will bring you to the island, and you will come up with a way to get in and get out. Release all the prisoners if you can. Leave my brother if he betrays you.”
A sound of protest came from Isabella, which Isaac ignored.
“Right,” Dylan said. “And who will be my entourage?”
Isaac grinned ferally. “Why, you’ll only have my sister. She’s one of our best assassins.”
A look of surprise crossed the wolf shifter’s face, covered up quickly. He nodded his head.
“I take it this means you will consider the possibility of an alliance should this mission be successful,” Dylan said. It sounded like a reminder more than anything.
Isaac glanced at Isabella. “We’ll see. Just make sure you get my sister home in one piece.”
Isabella glared at Isaac, then turned to face Dylan. “Be ready in a few hours. We sail as soon as possible.”
No one mentioned the fact that she just ordered a shifter leader without any consequence.
Not that she cared.
*****
The man was too charming for his own good.
She’d seen pictures of him on the internet, of course. He was pretty popular in the dating scene, always seen with a beautiful woman on his arm and some choice class words. He had businesses everywhere, successfully keeping his shifter and leader status a secret from the world.
He was apparently also very manipulative, which meant she needed to watch him closely for Isaac’s sake—she couldn’t forget the stories she’d heard of how this man had tried to make their panther clan a part of the one in New York, essentially destroying whatever stability they had here. It was a good thing that Isaac took a stand.
Dylan was good at hiding that side of him, only showing his pleasant side. When they boarded the ship and prepared to set sail, she instructed the few men she brought to navigate while she looked towards the sea and called out instructions. Dylan didn’t waste any time in approaching her and engaging her in conversation.
“It is my pleasure to be working with you, Miss Hart,” he began.
“Isabella,” she interrupted. “And save it. We’re both using this mission as a means to an end. Let’s just work together.”
Silence. Then Dylan nodded. “If you insist.”
She’d have rolled her eyes at the almost cheerful tone in his voice, but didn’t dare—he was still, after all, a leader equal to her brother. Instead, she turned to the side and studied the two teenagers, who were standing on the other end of the ship and watching the ocean as well. The dark-haired boy seemed to be a shifter, but she couldn’t place the aura of the girl beside him. They didn’t look like friends, either—merely acquaintances who just got assigned together on a mission, from the looks of it. The body languages were casual, but not intimate.
“What is she?” Isabella asked, careful to keep her voice low. She saw the girl’s ears perk up, though she didn’t turn towards her. Interesting. Not human, then, with that kind of hearing.
“Witch,” Dylan murmured, confirming her third guess.
“Ah. You’ve got an interesting choice of crew.”
“They’re useful,” Dylan agreed. “You’ll see soon.”
She made a noncommittal sound, then turned to the ocean again. The fog made seeing difficult, even for someone with her vision. But the men she took on trips like these knew the sea, and they would let her know if issues laid ahead. She nodded her head towards Dylan.
“We should have the meeting while we’re still on friendly waters. I don’t like to go in unprepared,” she said.
“Splendid idea,” he murmured.
*****
Half an hour later, they were still arguing the logic of the plan they’d formed in the ship’s makeshift office, with the girl named Robin bluntly offering her two cents and the boy named Simon unusually quiet, when they heard shouts from upstairs. An urgent knock sounded before the door was thrown open. The man in charge upstairs bowed at her.
“We’ve spotted a pirate ship,” he said.
Isabella’s eyes widened. “How many are on board?”
“Couldn’t tell yet. It’s not a big ship, maybe around twenty on board. Possibly thirty. We’ll be visible to it in about twenty minutes.”
Which meant they didn’t have a lot of time. Isabella nodded and called out more instructions about keeping low. When the door closed, she turned towards the group again.
“Plans are changing,” she said. “We can use that ship to dock on the island.”
“Infiltration sounds good,” Dylan agreed. “What about your men?”
“I’m not going to jeopardize them. They go home as soon as we’re no longer on board. Are you still in if it’s just the four of us?”
Dylan looked at the two teenagers, who nodded their heads. Then he did, too. “We’ve got seventeen minutes left. Have your men take this ship as close as possible without detection, then we can take a small boat from there. We will shift on the pirate ship and Robin will provide the necessary distraction. You will do the same.”
“Don’t order me around,” she shot back. Then she nodded her head reluctantly, a bit frustrated that he made sense.
Dylan raised a brow at her, the movement both elegant and sardonic. The bastard was too handsome for his own good, and he obviously knew it. She’d have glared, but that would just waste time.
Instead, Isabella sighed.
“But yes. Let’s proceed with that plan.”
“Good,” Dylan replied, pleased. He straightened up, the two teenagers mirroring his movement. “Time to go, kids. Let’s raise hell.”