Page 68 of Protector Unmatched

“Well, we’re always glad to help,” Winter said as she poured water in her teapot and carried it to the island. “I hope you’ll remember that it was Pearce who saved your life.”

Daphne’s chin dropped. Was that a threat of some sort? Before she could formulate a reply, Leila put a hand on her forearm. “Oh, I’m sure Daphne knows what a wonderful guy Pearce is, so don’t you worry, Winter.” She smiled. “Now, who wants a midnight snack? I think we still have ice cream in the freezer.”

~ ~ ~

Pearce stared at the photo Hamish held up. He couldn’t believe his own eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“It’s the real thing. We compared the photo to the drawings and paintings in the archives,” Logan confirmed.

“The source dagger…” It was undoubtedly the dagger that had vanished hundreds of years earlier, the only dagger forged in the Dark Days that had the power to create portals that could transport a Stealth Guardian from one side of the world to the other within seconds.

“And you think that our dagger is in that safe, the one Daphne was supposed to rob?”

Hamish nodded. “Grayson is on his way to speak to Tim to see what he knows, and Enya left to interrogate Vasili about it. After all, he had the picture on him. If Grayson had shown it to Enya right away when he frisked the guy, she could have gotten more information out of him right away, but Grayson didn’t realize its significance.”

“We should ask Daphne too,” Manus suggested. “If she was tasked with breaking into the safe, she would have known what she was supposed to steal.”

Pearce shook his head. “She was told to empty the safe, no matter what was inside it.”

“What if she’s lying?” Manus asked.

“And why would she do that?” Pearce growled.

“Why would she want to kill you?” Logan said. “There could be plenty of reasons for either. I’ll accompany you to her place, and we’ll ask her.”

Pearce ran a hand through his hair. “That won’t be necessary.”

Logan went toe to toe with him. “I’m coming with you. End of discussion.”

“She’s not at home.”

“Then where…” Then something seemed to click. “Really? Are you fucking nuts? You brought her to the compound?”

Pearce shrugged. “Hamish told me over the phone that it had to do with the thugs that attacked Tim. Naturally, I figured it meant that Daphne could be in danger. So I, uh… Well, she’s here.”

“Guess there’s nothing we can do about that now,” Aiden said. “I’m assuming she’s not running around without supervision?”

“’Course not,” Pearce said. “Winter is with her.”

Logan’s eyes narrowed. “You left her with Winter? What if she—”

“Daphne won’t hurt her. If she’s any danger at all, then she’s a danger to me, and me alone. Winter of all people knows that. Besides, I’m pretty sure she won’t harm me. The danger from Daphne is over.”

“Because you slept with her?” Hamish asked.

Pearce spun his head in Hamish’s direction. “Why is everybody so interested in my love life?”

“Oh, it’s love now,” Manus commented.

“Shut up, Manus!” Pearce pounded his fist on the desk. “Let’s stop discussing my sex life, and figure out what to do about the dagger. We have to secure it. Sooner rather than later. The longer it’s out there, unprotected, the more likely it is that the demons get wind of it. And with Zoltan knowing what it looks like…”

A few months earlier, Zoltan had managed to snatch a page from one of their books that depicted the source dagger and laid out its magical powers. Pearce was sure, just like his compound comrades, that Zoltan would try anything to get his hands on the dagger, because it meant he would be able to create a portal. A portal that was automatically connected to all portals within the Stealth Guardians’ world. It would allow him to attack from within and annihilate them.

“That goes without saying,” Aiden said.

Pearce nodded. “Then let’s work on a plan. I know about the two security systems at the house. They won’t be a problem, particularly since we’re not opening any windows or doors. We can bypass the motion detectors, which will trigger the silent alarm, by remaining invisible. The safe is another question. I didn’t get a good enough look at it to see what type it is, but maybe Daphne knows. She also had some possible combinations of codes that might work.”

“And if they don’t?” Manus asked.

Pearce had already thought of that too. “I have a little electronic device that might help if it’s the right kind of safe. I’ll bring it. And as a last option, we can always blow it open.”

“Okay then,” Hamish said. “Let’s get ready. Manus, you’re taking over the command center; Logan, you’re keeping an eye on Daphne while we’re gone. The hybrids won’t be of much use to us tonight, since they can’t get inside the house.” He motioned to Manus. “Send us a message when you hear from Grayson about what he found out from Daphne’s brother. And when Enya checks in, we need to know what Vasili said.”

“I’m on it,” Manus confirmed.

Pearce nodded. Everything was working like a well-oiled machine. And once the source dagger was in their possession, the entire Stealth Guardian race would have something to celebrate.

“Let’s roll.”