Marin owed. No doubt Gahiji suspected the two were
linked.
“And you think Mal sent them here?” Alastor asked.
“Unlikely. He didn’t know where I was going. And
there was no reason for him to direct them here. I sent
him to get information, not give it.”
Dagan noticed that Roxy had suddenly gone quiet.
She didn’t volunteer for public consumption the fact
that she’d almost encountered the fire genies outside
the Tee Pee Inn. And for some reason, he didn’t offer
that tidbit, either. He tried to tell himself it was because
there was no relevance, but the truth was, he didn’t
want to share his insider’s knowledge. Something
about the entire situation was nagging at him like a
stone in his boot, and he wanted to follow it up firsthand without anyone else muddying the water.
“I can handle things here, Alastor.” It was a neat,
tidy way of telling his brother to grab Gahiji and get
lost. “I suggest we split up.” He jerked his head in
Roxy’s direction. “Butshestays with me.”
“Why?” Gahiji asked, surprising Dagan that he
spoke at all. Usually, he observed. He rarely asked
questions.
240
SINS OF THE HEART
“Are you asking why we should split up, or why she
stays with me?”
“Both.”
Roxy glanced toward Gahiji when he spoke, her
head tipping to one side, a small frown creasing her
brows.
