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Reina had started the car and was going through her tapes trying to decide what to listen to when MacLeod arrived.
"So when were you going to tell me about them, Duncan?" Reina asked as Duncan was buckling his seat belt. "Or were you planning on letting me wallow in ignorance?"
"You were better off not knowing."
"You are going to have to come up with a better explanation than that Duncan," Reina said. "I'm sure Richie knows."
"The time wasn't right," MacLeod said. "After Reynaldo's death were you really ready to hear about watchers?"
Reina shrugged. "No," she said grudgingly.
"And after the fiasco in Los Angeles did you really want to hear that there may have been another witness to the whole thing?"
"No. I guess not," Reina said scowling.
"If you had told me that you thought someone was following you I would have told you about the watchers. You can tell someone's a watcher by their tattoo."
"That blue circle that looks like a Mercedes symbol?"
"Yeah."
"I'll remember that," Reina said. "So, how much do you trust these watchers? And what was the problem that Joe neglected to expound upon? The one which forced them to 'take steps.'"
"You are a suspicious one."
"Well, as I told Richie earlier, I'm a New Yorker. It comes with the territory. Besides, this is my head we're talking about. I kinda like it where it is."
"So do I."
Reina smiled. "I don't know about the watchers. Joe is cool and all but there was something he didn't want to tell me."
"You want to know about the problems with the watchers."
"I want details about the problems with the watchers."
"There was nearly a war."
"A war?" Reina asked. "Between watchers and immortals?"
"Yes. They wanted my head. The watchers thought I was responsible for the deaths of several of their members. So they went after it. The immoral they were after turned out to be a friend of mine."
"Why did your friend go after them?"
"He was avenging the death of his wife who was killed by a group of renegade watchers."
"I assume that the ousting of these renegade watchers were one of the steps that were taken?"
"Yes."
"Do you think that that watcher Peter will try something? There's something about him that isn't right about him."
"Like what?"
"I'm not sure. He hates me. It's not just that he thinks I'm arrogant, or because he disapproves of my lifestyle. He really hates me. Like he resents me or something."
"I think you're overreacting."
"You didn't sit with him while waiting for Joe. I definitely got a feeling from him that he didn't like me. And he knows where I live. Hatred, knowledge of my vulnerabilities and location makes for a bad combination."
"If it'll make you feel any better you can crash on my couch."
"I can take care of myself."
Duncan sighed. It had always been a constant battle not to set off Reina's stubborn independent streak. As the baby of her family she was always trying to prove that she was as good as everyone else at running things. His instinct to protect often bumped heads with her instinct to assert her ability to take care of herself." I know. But sometimes it doesn't hurt to have someone to fall back on."
Reina shrugged. "I'll accept your generous invitation," she said. "But only until that Peter guy leaves."
"Of course."
"Do you think that Joe will let me know when he's gone?"
"Maybe. If you ask nicely."
"I always ask nicely."
"You didn't today."
"I certainly did. Peter made things difficult. I think he was being spiteful."
"I'm sure it's your imagination."
"If you say so," once again Reina didn't sound convinced.
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