Page 10 (1/2)

Footsteps sounded, along with the rustle of clothing, and Bria rounded the building and ca lot She looked left and right, scanning the scene just as Finn and I had Bria didn’t like what she saw any better Her mouth flattened into a hard line, and her hand slid into the pocket of her jacket, probably curling around the gun that she had tucked away in there

From our position behind the Dumpsters, Bria couldn’t see us, but she would know that ere here somewhere, ready to back her up She strolled to the center of the lot and stopped, peering into the gray shadows cast by the ice-crusted trees

"Lincoln?" she called out "Are you here?"

No answer

Bria looked and listened, but nothing ht, and only the steady thuhtclub’s music interrupted the frosty silence

While aited for Lincoln Jenkins to show, Finn trained his gaze on Bria, just as he’d been doing inside Northern Aggression Supposedly,a watch out for anyone suspicious, anyone who ht have an unhealthy interest in Bria or her source, just as Roslyn and I had been doing But his eyes had rarely left Bria’s face inside the club, and he hadn’t soon the dance floor the way he usually did

I watched Finn stare atlot Maybe I should have been jealous After all, Finn and I had once been an iteers and hadn’t known any better He’d been nineteen, I’d been seventeen, and we’d spent a rather enjoyable su to know each other before we both realized that ere better off as friends than lovers Over the years, that bond had turned into a brother-sister connection, one that was very important to me Probably more than Finn knew

Still, despitehis chain, and this was definitely a prian Lane, infaiving hiined

"You don’t have to pretend withsure my voice didn’t carry beyond our position behind the Dumpsters

"Pretend about what?" Finn ap between two of theto you, another conquest to chase down and have your ith before you move on to the next woic where he stood Every muscle in Finn’s body locked into place, and he didn’t so much as blink or draw in a breath Then, slowly, he turned toward ht in his handsome face, despite the sehtclub

"And what do you ht, teasing even, but I could hear the undercurrent of worry that rippled through his words Finnup people’s deepest, darkest secrets was all fun and games, but he didn’t want anyone to know his true emotions Not even me Maybe it was just because he was afraid of what he was feeling-or worse, screwing up my newfound relationship with my sister I was a little concerned about thatto choose between Finn and Bria

"Don’t play duave hi stare "I know that you’re into Bria-really into her That you actually feel so for her beyond mere lust I can see it every ti on the char smooth and suave, but it’s there in your eyes There’s soues you in a way that I think no one has in a long tis" Finn shuddered and spat out the word "You knohat I think about theht emotion does no one any favors I, for one, am perfectly happy with my mere lust It’s clean, si

Several seconds ticked by before he sighed, shook his head, and dropped his gaze frorumbled

I arched an eyebrow "You bet your sweet ass I do Which is why I think this thing is so hilarious All these years of chasing woo and fall in love with et her pants off"

Finn sucked in a breath "Love? Who said anything about love? Please, Gin You kno much I abhor that particular word"

Another shudder wracked his body, as though sorave But for the first time, I detected just a hint of wistfulness in his tone I hid a s to be asha that you’ve finally met your match," I said "Because Bria is pretty spectacular Sh You could do a lot worse"

Finn eyedfacade, but if there was one thing thatabout his own emotions In that ere remarkably si to seduce your sister? If I reo when you told me to take it easy around sweet little Bria"

"That was before I realized that Bria isn’t so sweet and little anymore," I said "Besides, I’ve seen the way that she looks at you She’s not quite as irin spread across Finn’s face "Really? You shouldn’t have toldto try that much harder to seal the deal, so to speak Even if she is your sister"

His tone lightened, as though he’d fully reverted back to the carefree, conniving Finnegan Lane who had seduced hts set on the stragglers But the barest trace of emotion flashed in his eyes before he was able to hide it froh it didn’t matter to me what Finn did or didn’t do withmy foster brother the real reason I was suddenly on board with the Finn-Bria love train leaving the station-the fact that part of me wanted them to have each other to hold on to Because when I went after Mab again, I probably wouldn’t be around afterward for either one of them to lean on Better for them to find each other now Better for them to realize that they could trust each other now, rather than after I was dead and burned to ash by Mab’s Fire ic

"And what about Owen?" Finn asked "Jo-Jo called me and said that he came over to the salon to check on you That he was upset you hadn’t told hi Mab Apparently, I wasn’t the only one you left out of the loop last night"

I shifted on my feet Finn knew me inside and out, which meant that he could put the screws to me just as well as I could to him But for once, I didn’t mind his inquisition I needed someone to talk to this about all this relationship stuff, especially since I was in new territory here

"Owen started to tell me that he loved me," I said in a soft voice

Finn frowned "What do you mean started to?"

I drew in a breath and told hiry Owen had been withafter Mab and how he’d almost let those three little words slip-words that I wasn’t sure I was ready to hear yet, much less reciprocate

"He really does care about you, Gin," Finn said "I can see it in his eyes whenever he looks at you"

"I don’t knohy I’m not exactly the stuff that dreams are made of"

"Oh, please," Finn scoffed "S a bell? Not only does it describe Bria, but it fits you pretty well, too"

I shrugged "Maybe But it doesn’t change what I aht that Oas okay with all of that With your being the Spider"

"He ht be, but I don’t want to rub his face in it over and over again That’s just asking for trouble That’s one of the reasons why Donovan Caine leftto a previous lover of mine