HauntedLaird

by Tara Nina

  “Are you ready ta go?” Travis called. “We’ve got a good bit o’ ground ta cover ta reach Fin’s grandpa’s house.”

  “’Til later, mi wee one.” He brushed a quick kiss to her forehead then stepped past her to open the door. “Aye. We be ready.”

  His words tickled her to the core but confused her still the same. His actions renewed her lust for him but how was she his salvation? When he turned in the doorway and held his hand to her, she couldn’t miss the intensity in his gaze. It gave her goose bumps just looking at him. Strands of his hair hung in his eyes, giving him a bad-boy appeal. She took his hand and they followed Travis and Fin.

  Her nerves were on edge from lack of sleep. After that magnificent dream, she spent the rest of the day pacing the cabin, going outside only to relieve herself or to get a bit of fresh air. Every noise she heard added to the edginess. On occasion, Travis or Fin dropped by to bring her food and check on her and make sure she and Padon were safe. She wondered if they too found it odd that nothing was seen or heard from Lonnie and Timothy.

  Were those two lost in the woods? Had they taken off when Jasper put a scare into Timothy? Something in her gut whispered that didn’t happen. Those two were unpredictable as far as she was concerned. And unpredictable made them dangerous.

  She didn’t like that once they cleared the woods it was open terrain for the rest of the trek to the farmhouse. The full moon gave them great visibility but also made them an easy target. It was obvious the men didn’t like it either. Fin stayed on point and Travis brought up the rear. Padon kept her close and never stopped scouting the area for any sign of possible attack. With the three of them around her, she doubted anyone would make the mistake of messing with them. But anything was possible.

  A sigh of relief escaped when she first saw the MacIntyres’ farmhouse. A light was on in the rear of the house and Fin pointed out that it was the kitchen.

  “Grandpa likes ta sit in the kitchen, drinking his tea and reading the local news before bed,” Fin explained as they closed the distance. “He leaves it on for me when he knows I’m in the area.” He pointed at the sedan. “He probably saw the car and thought Travis and I were off fishing or hunting.”

  Fin opened the unlocked door and stepped inside. The others followed. The kitchen was empty. But he came to a halt, pointing to the paper on the floor by the chair and the cup of tea sitting untouched on the table. When he tugged the knife from the sheath at his hip, Padon followed suit, drawing his sword.

  “It is no like grandpa ta leave a mess or a full cup,” Fin whispered with a nod toward the table then switched off the light to make them less visible to whoever was in the house.

  Padon nodded then turned to Lynn, placing a finger to his lips then motioning for her to stay put. Fear sliced through her. What was going on? Was someone in the house who wasn’t supposed to be there? She stepped backward until she leaned into the corner of the cabinets and the wall containing the back door. The shadows swallowed her, at least that’s what she hoped. Padon winked then took his place beside Fin and Travis at the door leading into the front room.

  “When we go through the door,” Fin whispered and nodded at Travis, “you take the dining room ta the left.” He looked at Padon. “You take the room ta the right and I’ll clear the hallway and entrance.”

  The three of them glided through the door one at a time, each slinking off in his appointed direction. A swinging door inside the kitchen to the left slowly opened and a man snuck in. It had to be the dining room where Travis had just entered through the hallway door. But whoever was hiding there moved through the door and into the kitchen. As he maneuvered toward the door that led to the hallway from the kitchen, it appeared to Lynn as if he planned to attack them from behind. She couldn’t let that happen.

  Frantically she looked around for a weapon. Grabbing the only thing she saw, a cutting board, she quietly walked up behind him and before he made a move, she whacked him on the head. He crumbled to his knees and landed face-first in the doorway holding his head and whimpering.

  Travis reached in through the swinging door and flipped the light switch. Padon stood over the moaning man, who rolled onto his back. Timothy lay sprawled out at their feet.

  “My head, oh my head,” Timothy whined.

  Fin returned from searching the rest of the house. When he saw Timothy on the floor, he dropped to one knee, fisted the front of his shirt and jerked him upward. Sneering in his face, Fin demanded, “Where’s my grandpa?”

  “Lonnie has him,” Timothy gasped without letting go of his head.

  “Where?” Fin growled between clenched teeth.

  “Not telling you.” Timothy groaned. “But you got ta give Lonnie what you found in the cave if you want your grandfather back.”

  Padon reached around Fin and dragged Timothy to his feet. He slammed Timothy’s back against the doorjamb. The man dangled like a damp rag in the wind. No matter how hard he stretched, his feet wouldn’t touch the ground as Padon held him firmly in place with one hand while pressing the tip of the sword to his throat.

  “I believe m’caraid asked ye a question. Answer and be spared disembowelment.”

  “D-dis—” Timothy stuttered. “Disembowelment?”

  From the look on his face, Lynn doubted he knew what the word meant but feared Padon’s threat anyway. She studied Padon for a long few seconds. Would he or wouldn’t he slit the man open and gut him like a fish? Not a good thing to have to explain to the authorities. Not realizing she still held the cutting board in her hand, she stepped closer. Timothy flinched at the sight of her and she swallowed the smile. He feared her as well. Maybe she could use this to their advantage.

  “Timothy,” she said in an even-keeled tone. Lynn put her best stern face on and stared directly at the shivering man. “Do you understand how much trouble you already are in for kidnapping me?” He shook his head and she believed he didn’t realize what might happen to him. “If I report you and Lonnie to the police, you will go to jail. Now that the two of you have committed another kidnapping that will be considered your second offense and you’ll be sentenced to an even longer term.” She looked at Travis. “About how long do you think the Scottish courts will give them for something like this?”

  “At least twenty years,” Travis answered in a deadpan tone without cracking a smile. “Maybe more considering they took an American hostage and they damn near got her killed.”

  “Hostage. Killed,” Timothy blurted. “We didn’t kill anyone. She’s standing right there.”

  Lynn adjusted the cutting board and Timothy leaned back tight against the doorjamb and looked as if he wished he could run. “You’re right. I’m not dead but you and your friend put my life in danger. I fell off a cliff and rolled ass over teakettle into a deep ravine. I could have died and I think that’ll make a valid impression on the court.” She shot a quick look at Padon, who stood with a steady hand on the sword at Timothy’s throat and a look of pure menace in his eyes. If she were on the wrong end of that sword, she’d be scared to breathe.

  She gave Timothy as hard a glare as she could muster and hoped this worked. “If you want leniency for any of your actions, it would be in your best interest to tell us where your partner is hiding.”

  “He’ll kill me,” Timothy gasped.

  “Death now,” Padon stated, gliding the tip of his sword gently up Timothy’s neck to stop at his chin, “or later. Ye choose. At mi hand, death shall be agonizingly painful. At thy hand o’ a friend, ye may stand a chance o’ survival or a quick, less messy end if’n he be a true cariad. Choose wisely.”

  Fin hovered beside Timothy and added just the right ingredients to the mix to tip the scale in their favor. “Think it through, Tim. Who got their hands dirty the most taking her captive? We did. Who carried her up the mountain? We did. Who did he drop over the side o’ a cliff into the unknown o’ a cave? You. And who did he leave behind ta get beat up or killed when we arrived?”

  Lynn saw a bead of s
weat trickle down the side of Timothy’s face. It appeared as if he digested every word before saying, “Me. Lonnie left me behind.”

  “A true friend leaves no one behind to face a posse of danger. He could’ve left a note for us, detailing what he wanted,” Travis piped in.

  Every ounce of color drained from Timothy’s face. On a hoarse whisper he repeated, “He could’ve left a note. Instead he left me.”

  Lynn cupped Timothy’s cheek. “Tell us where to find Fin’s grandfather and I won’t tell the authorities you were a part of this.”

  Timothy swallowed hard and his head bobbed like a dashboard doll’s. “Aye. I’ll tell you what you want ta know.”

  * * * * *

  After much discussion, the strategy had been agreed upon and their path set in motion. Timothy explained that Fin’s grandfather and Lonnie were picked up by several members of this new group they joined run by someone named Brother Leod and taken to Edinburgh. Padon insisted they rescue Fin’s grandfather before returning him home. Fin’s grandfather was in danger. Padon’s homecoming could wait until the elder was safe.

  The three of them had been careful not to explain to Timothy what had been found in the cave. They made him think it was an object of great value and not a MacKinnon statue. Padon thought it odd that this Brother Leod, this supposed leader of their group, would not choose wiser men for his brigade. Timothy never clued in, even with how Padon was dressed, that he was the object in question. Travis claimed him to be his cousin and Timothy simply accepted it. Padon shook his head. Either Timothy was truly not bright or plain scared witless by his current situation.

  A glance to the stars and he knew which direction was home. Turning north, he stared long and hard as if he could conjure the image of the castle in front of his eyes if he concentrated. Two hundred years had passed. What were a few more days? He sighed.

  It startled him to see Travis and Fin shove Timothy into the belly of some sort of odd-shaped beast. Then they climbed into the front compartment of it. It roared to life and its eyes opened, shooting out bright beams of light. In a split second, his hand found his sword and prepared to attack, but seeing the men inside unharmed as they waved made him hesitate and drop his hand to his side.

  “That’s Fin’s car,” Lynn stated as if that was supposed to soothe him, but it didn’t.

  He’d listened earlier when Fin explained that he drove to the farm with Lonnie and Timothy then tracked them into the woods. The how they’d gotten there hadn’t sunk in until now.

  He swallowed his confusion and the multitude of questions barreling through his brain. So many new things surrounded him. The inside of the house with its magical overhead lights, its running water in something called a sink and a stove that heated without wood for a fire. So much to learn his head hurt from the effort.

  He followed Lynn as she walked away from the object that confined the men. When she stopped at a smaller, yet similar, beast and opened its side, his gut knotted. Was she getting in this thing? Did she expect him to as well? From the look of it, she did. Padon dug deep, hoping not to show his disdain for this new object.

  Her touch to his arm soothed some of his angst as she smiled up at him. If this petite beauty had no fear of this metal beast then he would trust her instincts and do as she did in order to overcome this minor obstacle in his pathway home.

  The gentle rub she gave his wrist made him smile as her soft twang floated to his ears. Concern filled her words. “Are you okay? There’s so much that has changed since you’ve been cursed. I’m willing to help you learn about some of the things you need to live in this world. Beginning with this.” She pointed to the metal beast as she continued. “It’s a car. We use it to travel instead of a flesh-and-blood horse. Consider it a mechanical horse that takes you places at greater speeds than a real horse.”

  He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Lynn, if ye say this me-chan-ical,” he stumbled over the word as he spoke, “horse be safe then it be as ye say. I trust ye, mi wee one.”

  Her face flushed with color as she wiggled her hand from his. The spark of fire in her gaze even though she blushed from his words made him even more curious to learn her every nuance. When she moved, he couldn’t help but watch her.

  “You need to take off your sword to fit in the seat.” She opened the rear door of this beast and held her hands out for him to pass it to her.

  There was no hesitation as he slipped it over his head but he didn’t give it to her. A grin brightened his face. “Mi wee one, mi sword be very heavy.”

  She cocked her head to the side and he liked the cute arched-eyebrow look she shot him. It appeared his wee one had a playful nature. “How heavy could it be?”

  He laid it in her open hands without releasing it completely. Both of her hands automatically lowered as she tried to hold it steady. A surprised laugh escaped as she agreed. “No wonder your arms are so big. This thing is solid.”

  He brushed a kiss across her brow then leaned in and placed the sword where she indicated. She shut the door and showed him to the front seat. Lynn bent over and pushed the seat as far away from the front of the car as possible. Padon couldn’t pull his eyes away from the delectable roundness of her bottom. His palms ached to fondle its softness. When she straightened and turned it was all he could do not to show the guilt of his thoughts upon his face.

  Och, the woman made him as randy as a young buck in mating season.

  “Hopefully this will give you enough room,” she said as her gaze swept from his feet to his head. “But I doubt it.”

  When he got settled on the seat, she reached across him and showed him how to operate what she called a seatbelt. She closed the door behind him and scooted to the opposite side.

  Her scent had permeated his senses when she’d reached across to strap him. If the others had not been waiting for them, he would have taken her in his arms and ravished her mouth like a hungry animal.

  Padon watched her move in front of the metal beast. He liked the sexy little jiggle of her breasts as she walked with purpose. Closing his eyes, he leaned into the seat. The image of her standing in the kitchen doorway over Timothy as she held a board in her hand made his lips twitch into a smile. She’d knocked him on his arse with one blow. Now that was a woman.

  She’d tried to carry his Claymore but it was too heavy for a wee one like her. The fact that she’d even attempted it showed she didn’t fear weapons. Perhaps after he returned to Castle MacKinnon, he’d locate a fine swordsmith and commission a special dagger for this spitfire o’ a lass. It would be a perfect gift in his opinion.

  His eyes sprang open the moment the beast beneath him roared to life. Lynn pulled a lever and the mechanical horse moved. Padon’s heart thumped inside his chest as he gripped the seat. His knees pressed against the inside of the beast’s stomach and he wished he had more room to maneuver. In this position, he couldn’t reach his sword quickly enough if trouble arose.

  Her hand grasped his, causing him to look her way. She gave him a quick smile right before she stared straight to the beast in front of them. “We will be fine, Padon. Relax. I’m a good driver. I promise.”

  Relax. How in the name o’ the angels was he going ta relax while riding in the belly o’ a metal beast? He turned his eyes forward and was stunned to see the beast in front of them also had red glowing eyes on its arse. Was it angry that they followed so closely?

  Lynn drove but couldn’t keep her thoughts off the hunk next to her. In the house, she’d noted Padon had studied his surroundings carefully, as if taking mental notes of every detail. But he’d remained quiet and didn’t ask questions though she knew he must have had a zillion running through his brain. Standing next to the car, she’d caught the first visible signs of distress in him since the cave when Jasper had to leave. She saw the fear in his eyes as she opened the passenger side door for him.

  It tore at her heart to see him this disconcerted. Big and bad mixed with vulnerable and scared made him even more hu
nky in her eyes. She did her best to help soothe his nerves by rubbing his wrist. The touch may have helped calm him, but it did nothing to ease the jumble of sensations zinging through her belly. The way he stared intently at her and the deep resonance in his sexy baritone as he called her his wee one sent a thrill down her spine to pool between her thighs. The more he called her that, the more it set her insides all aflutter and turned her mind to mush.

  She did her best to make him comfortable in the car and hoped she wouldn’t have to hit the brakes hard, because it would probably crush his knees in the dashboard. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his fear reignite when she started the car. Maybe he was feeling claustrophobic being cramped in such a small space. Lynn pressed the control for the window and he jumped the instant it opened.

  “I’m sorry, Padon,” Lynn said as she explained. “I thought you’d like some air so I lowered the window for you.” She shot him a quick smile as she looked his way for a moment before returning her gaze to the road. “I should’ve warned you.”

  He leaned his head out like a joyful dog on a car ride. The grip he had on the seat eased and his hands moved to his lap. After several minutes, he pulled his head in and leaned back in a more restful position. He turned to her and smiled. “Thank ye, milady. Fresh air helped.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Even though the night air was cool, her skin was flushed. Damn. She couldn’t believe how he managed to get her hot without more than a couple of well-spoken words and a few quick stolen kisses to her brow and her lips. Just remembering how those felt made her nipples tingle. She prayed for the ability to resist jumping his bones. Oh lordy. She rolled her eyes heavenward. Something about this man brought out the naughtiest of thoughts and had her wishing she were a bad, bad girl.

  “This car be fast.”

  His comment jarred her from her thoughts. “Umm, yes. It’s faster than the average horse.” She cleared her throat and did her best to start a conversation she thought would help him understand more about today’s world. “It has what’s called an engine which makes it go. The engine requires fuel to work.” An idea popped into her head and she ran with it. “Kind of like a horse. You had to feed and water a horse to keep them healthy and make them work. Right?”