Once he was sure his brother was out of sight, Angus drew his power pistol and doubled back, following him.

Ian could just as easily contact the village himself. After all, there was a long-established verbal code for subtly communicating emergencies like this. That, and he had his own dark suspicions about who might be paying them a visit, and felt it would be a bad idea for Robert to face her revenge all on his own.

To say nothing of wanting to know what could be important enough to draw her to such an obscure location. So far into enemy territory, and clearly not on a whim. What secrets lay buried in that cemetery that could be worth the risk, perhaps something left over from the last war…

Secrets were his business, even before he returned to the Islands, and he had his own unanswered questions about the final battles of that conflict. Though it all went down long before he was born, back when their grandparents were still children. The last time in the Islands’ history when the name of Slash was cause for concern. Things that probably should be left alone but couldn’t be anymore.

As he set out, his mind drifted back to their last confrontation with Slash years ago, and even as he hoped to learn something strategically useful, he also wondered if this would prove to be an opportunity to rectify what he believed to be his brother’s single greatest mistake.

As far as he was concerned, the fewer who knew at this point, the better. If the village was warned now, this confrontation could very well end in a hostage situation, the last thing any of them needed. This called for stealth and cunning.

Both of which were his middle names.