by Vines, Jolie
“Jude spent a lot of time in my office. Jill noticed some…odd behaviour, and suggested I tell you, not that she approved of you very much. She disagreed with my recruiting you to that job. She said you were too young and would only cause trouble.”
I resisted the urge to smack my palm against my head. “Are ye kidding me?”
“I meant to give you a hint about Jude that day in my office, but you upped and ran.” He sniffed, offended.
I sucked in a breath, my heart thudding. Mentally, I replayed the meeting with Rupert when I thought he was being a creep. Wild anger flushed heat into me. “Ye knew Jude was obsessed with me yet ye didn’t think to tell me outright? Instead, ye decided to school me on choosing the father of my bairn carefully, and all the while he was escalating. So many things had happened at work, and I suspected everyone, yet it was all him. He hacked my emails, stole from me, vandalised my home. Rupert, he tried to kidnap my boyfriend’s daughter. Do ye understand what’s happening? What if he’d managed to walk off with her?”
Max stepped up until he loomed over Rupert. Until now, he’d been silent, but anger and menace flashed in his eyes. He held up the hand of his uninjured arm and counted off his fingers. “Where does he work? Who are his friends? Do ye know where he went? Why did ye kick him out?”
A tremble wobbled Rupert’s jowls. “He works part time at a hunting lodge, or he did. I’ve no idea where he is, and I don’t know any of his friends.”
“A hunting lodge? He has access to guns?” Max’s voice came out deadly calm.
My body tensed up even more. Oh no.
“I don’t know. He’s a strange boy. My wife told him to leave after finding him naked, lying on a woman’s coat, pleasuring himself.”
Nausea rose in my throat, and I stepped back. My purple coat!
Rupert spluttered. “I’m sure he wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
“He’s not a boy. He’s a dangerous man obsessed with my sister. Which ye knew about and failed to tell anyone.” Max leaned in, every move held tight. “If anything happens because of that fucker, I, and every other member of my family, will hold ye responsible.”
Then he snatched my hand and dragged me from the house.
At the car, I pulled out my keys, but my fingers shook.
Max’s gaze turned fiercer still. “Get in. Call Lochinvar. They need to know about the weapons. If Jude is armed, that’s a whole new game.”
I dialled Lochie, my heart all but in my throat.
We’d been gone less than an hour, but anything could’ve happened. Jude could have planned for this exact scenario to go down.
What if his abduction attempt hadn’t been a failure but a setup?
A sham, designed to lure me home?
The call dropped, unable to connect, and my fear peaked.
What had happened to the man I loved?
34
Lochie
At the hangar, a full service of rescue crew had turned out, geared up, talking in groups, and raring to go.
Camaraderie was high. Energy hung in the air, so thick I could taste it.
The police had used the time to confirm the call was a hoax based on a fast assessment of the throwaway number and inability to trace the line. But the officer had also investigated Jude.
He had form for harassing women.
She refused to share the details, but one fact was plain: Jude Gaskill had been building up to this.
So had I. I had the skills and training, and I wouldnae rest until we’d brought him in.
There was nothing stopping us from heading out.
Yet still, I didn’t issue the order to leave.
Since the request for help had come in, we’d only assembled at the base—unheard of, particularly with the tricky weather conditions, worsening by the minute. On any other given day, we’d be out on the hill, visible and on the search. Our target to respond was six minutes—down tools, set aside your meal, leap out of bed, whatever needed to be done.
But I’d stalled the men and women under my command.
It was more than a hunch that had me pull my punches.
If Jude was out there waiting for us, we wouldnae play into his hands. He’d started today’s game with his hoax call, but I intended to master it.
If we didn’t budge from the hangar, he’d have to make another move, or die on the mountainside.
Cameron waited by my side. “What’s your bet? A show of strength or a second call?”
“A call. He’s a coward.”
“Same location or a new one?”
I raked over my beard. “Naw sure. He named Hill House, which suggests he has eyes on the place, or somewhere on the approach.”
“We found the sleeping bag there, too. His?”
“Undoubtably. So if ye were to lie in wait nearby, would ye take high ground or low?”
Cameron pondered this, stretching his arms behind his head, his red jumpsuit a snug fit to the lad’s bulky shoulders. “High ground, with sightlines to the target. Ground cover for concealment. Multiple exits on hand, too. Anyone approaching would take it slow, but we’d have to close in on the building eventually. He’d know we’d come as a group and naw one-on-one.”
A good analysis. I crossed to the map with Hill House and scanned the surroundings. “Take your best shot.”
Crew members watched.
Cameron pointed at a tree-lined hillside adjacent to the house, a hundred meters out. “Here, lying in wait. His ultimate objective is Caitriona. But to get to her, he has to go through all of us first. You’re his biggest target as ye have what he wants. His issue is in taking out a man your size. I cannae believe he’d be so stupid to try direct combat, even if he got ye alone. Either he has a ranged weapon or he’s set a trap.”
His da, Wasp, grunted agreement. “Or both.”
We had a team at the castle, led by Callum, and another waiting to bring Caitriona’s car back onto the estate. We were mobile, ready, and there was no chance the fucker could win.
Still, I couldn’t settle until this battle was over.
My phone buzzed, and silence fell on the group. I held it up. “Personal. Stand down.”
They relaxed back to muttering, and I answered Caitriona.
“Where are ye?” I said without pause.
“Almost back at Castle McRae. I couldn’t get through. I was so worried.”
“I tried ringing ye, too. Calls aren’t connecting easily. I’m sorry, sweetheart. Mobile signal is sketchy.”
She exhaled. “Thank God you’re okay. Max has been cursing the fact he doesn’t have his rescue radio. Listen, I need to tell ye what we found out from Rupert. Jude has access to guns. He worked for a hunting lodge.”
“Guns,” I repeated for the benefit of the people around me. “Does Rupert know if he took any, what kind, or if he had training?”
“Max asked, but Rupert didn’t know. He didn’t know the name of the lodge either. Knowing Jude’s form for lying, it might not be real, but better to be cautious.”
I grumbled agreement. “Did the uncle give up anything else useful?”
“He knew Jude was overly interested in me. The arsehole knew and said nothing.”
“Fucker. Listen, we have a car waiting to bring ye in, a team waiting at the castle. Get there, stay safe, give Isla a hug for me.”
“A team? We haven’t seen them. We had to take a detour as the loch road is blocked. Two cars have been abandoned. It looked like they crashed and the snow has built around them. We’re coming in over the hills instead.”
My heart froze. “What route, Caitriona?”
“Over Mhic Raith. Why?”
The road that branched off to Hill House. She was a short drive from the exact place we suspected Jude to be hiding.
“Listen,” I ordered. “Ye need to turn around—”
An explosion boomed, simultaneously sounding in the hangar and over the line. The men and women in the operations room gaped at each other then hustled to the hangar entranc
e.
I chased them. “Caitriona? Can ye hear me?”
“Aye,” her voice came through faint. “Something just blew up near to us. Fuck. The snow!”
“What about it?” I gripped the phone, pushing through my crew to the door. The hangar faced side-on to Mhic Raith’s jagged, mountainous peak. Hill House perched on a slope facing the other direction, but the road curved past it, winding back on itself to return to the castle.
Snow fell thick and fast. Barely any visibility beyond a couple of hundred metres.
Then, amidst the flurry, a plume of dark smoke rose from the hill.
“Caitriona! Get away from there,” I demanded. “Can ye hear me?”
I repeated myself, scrutinising the faint rustling, the evidence the line still had a connection. Then it blipped out.
Frantic, I redialled.
Ally arrived in front of me, Maddock beside him. “Was that my daughter? Where are they?”
Lips numb, I forced out the words. “The loch road was closed. They took the hill route.”
Everyone within earshot spun to gaze at the mountain, now invisible once more.
Caitriona was up there. Max, too.
And Jude, lying in wait.
My first long stride crunched through the snow, delivering me in the direction of the mountain, pulled by an invisible force I couldn’t deny. I only knew I had to reach her. A jerk on my rucksack stalled me.
Cameron rounded me and pushed my shoulders. “Ye are not about to walk off into the storm. I know ye have more sense in your head than that.” He raised an arm and hollered. “Back inside. Into your teams.”
He seized my arm and hauled me along with him.
I had to lead, had to organise the people who could rescue my woman.
Focusing on that final thought alone, I strode after the crew and rallied them inside the hangar. All had kit, maps, and rescue know-how. Few were military, though. This could be a diversion or a direct attack.
“Listen up,” I boomed. “Caitriona and Max McRae are on the road near Hill House. They have a car but were close to the explosion.” Caitriona’s final words returned. The snow. My panic froze over. “It’s possible they could be buried if the explosion caused an avalanche. Our primary goal is now to assist them off the hill. I believe that Jude Gaskill set the explosion. He may also be armed. We know he wants Caitriona.” My voice strained, and I cleared my throat. “There’s a greater risk now. To all of us. If ye dinna want to go out, it willnae be a problem.”
Not a single person budged.
My already thudding heart beat harder. “Right. Team leaders, on me. Everyone, prep to leave.”
With the briefing over, we piled into cars and set out. Stealth and waiting it out be damned. We had strength in numbers and we all cared about the two souls in peril.
I would bring Caitriona home. There was no other option.
35
Caitriona
“Turn off the engine.”
At Max’s snapped order, I jerked to shut down my car. The rumbling ceased, replaced by muffled silence.
Around, blue and dirty-white snow clumped against the glass, thick and smothering. Branches, mud, and pine needles mixed in, enclosing us in the dark.
An avalanche had crashed into us, almost taking us off the road.
Max unclipped his seat belt, and I did the same.
“Holy fuck,” he muttered.
I scanned the windows for daylight. “We’re buried.”
“No shite, Sherlock.”
I punched his uninjured arm. “We need to get out.”
“Technically, you’re meant to stay in the car and wait for rescue. Lochinvar knows where we are. Try calling him.”
We’d been speaking before disaster had struck. God, he must be worried. I recovered my phone from where it had landed by my feet. “No signal.”
Max pressed at his screen. “Same.”
I tried to place the call anyway. It failed. A text message did the same.
“They know where we are. They’ll come for us,” Max said.
A low wave of panic tightened my stomach. “Are ye joking? I can’t sit here while a maniac is loose on the estate. Fuck that, Max. There was an explosion. Something is happening right now.”
Even in the dark, my brother’s eyes lit, and his attempt at making a sensible decision evaporated. “Aye, fuck that. We cannae sit here.”
He yanked on his door handle then barged the door, wincing in pain.
It didn’t budge.
I tried mine with the same outcome, then turned the power back on to check the locks weren’t engaged. Still, nothing. Our exits were jammed by the weight of the avalanche.
We were trapped.
Max scrambled between the seats to try the back doors. He kicked at them, barely even rocking the car, but to no avail. “Yeah, that isn’t happening.”
“I’m going to lower the windows. Maybe we can dig our way out.”
“Do ye have a spade?”
“Why would I carry a spade in my car?”
“Well, we cannae use our hands.” In the gloom, he raked his fingers into his hair, frustration in the move. “Besides, we risk freezing our arses off if we cannae get through.”
“We’ll manage. How bad can it be?”
“Hypothermia? Pretty limiting, unless you’re happy being dead.”
I glowered at him. At some point, my irritating little brothers had grown up, and Max was now a man. I still couldn’t see him as anything other than annoying.
He gave me a well-duh look. “What about other supplies? Spare clothes, water, energy bars, fuel?”
“No, no, and no.”
“Seriously? We live in the fucking Highlands. Winter happens. Ye should carry a basic kit in case of emergencies.”
“I never drive the more remote roads. The worst that’s ever happened is I had to wait down by the loch after I skidded on ice and busted a tyre. Ma drove and picked me up, then Isobel towed my car.”
Today, two cars had blocked that same route, causing us to change direction.
I held up a hand to stop my brother’s retort. “Could that have been deliberate? The accident? It forced us to come this way.”
He sat back in the seat, his gaze focused. “Then there was the explosion. Ye cannae plan an avalanche, but it would gather attention. Bring people running.”
We both quietened. That sound had driven fear through me, and the sense lingered.
“What could’ve blown up? A car?” I asked.
“We’re right below the access road to Hill House. That place is off the grid, but it has diesel-powered generators.”
“Shite. There’s no chance that was an accident. I’d bet any money Jude did this.”
“Agreed. Which makes us sitting ducks.”
Trapped and waiting.
Oh God, this had been a mistake.
“We have to get out.” I hit the door in frustration. “I’m going to tunnel out. It’s our only option.” Even if I tore my fingers to shreds.
Max shone his phone’s torchlight around the car and peered at the ceiling. Then he reached for something I couldn’t see. In a rush, he slid back a hatch cover.
Daylight flooded in.
“Why the hell didn’t ye say ye had a roof light?” He examined the fastenings.
“In four years of owning this car, I have never opened that. Fuck!”
My brother smacked the hatch, opening it a paltry inch, the hinges restricting further movement. The snow on top shuddered. “Ye know, if ye took more care of your car instead of speeding everywhere, ye would’ve known this was here.”
Argh. “I don’t speed. Get out of the way, I’m going to boot it.”
“The snow will cave in.”
“We’ll have a better chance of digging through that than by breaking the window.”
Max pulled a face at me then stole my idea. With a move worthy of an acrobat, he twisted and drove a shoe into the glass.
It popped off its hi
nge, flying away.
Fresh air and only a scattering of snow entered the car.
“Yes!” I cheered.
Max stuck his head out then ducked back inside. “Easy. We’ll land in a snow pile—it’s thick around the car—but the road is visible ahead. Grab whatever ye need to take and let’s get the fuck out of here.”
I didn’t need telling twice. Max passed over my winter jacket from the back seat, and I put it on then slung my bag across my body. Standing on the seat, I exited the car through the narrow gap and eased onto the snowy roof.
My brother boosted himself after me, and we perched side by side for a moment.
The storm had reduced in intensity, but thick clouds scattered fresh flakes, covering us. To our right, a wide snowfield abutted the mountain, the road’s verge lost to the avalanche. To the left, the hill descended into a creaking forest.
Even with my shite sense of direction, I knew the path ahead would take us home. A long walk, but better than sitting in a metal box inside a snowdrift.
“If that arsehole is out here somewhere, weaponed up and fucked in the head, we need to get moving and stay out of sight,” Max grumbled. “Through the forest would be the most direct route, and safest, but it’s naw easy underfoot.”
“We should stick to the road,” I argued. “We cannae get lost, and if anyone’s looking for us, that’s the way they’ll come.”
“I’d never get lost,” Max grouched, but he agreed all the same.
With his coat around him like a cape, his plaster cast too bulky to zip inside, he stood into the churned snow beside the car. His boots sank, but he was able to move.
I hopped down after him, placing my feet into his footsteps.
With care, we rounded the car, nothing of it visible aside from the roof with the hole in it.
There was nothing for it but to trudge on. My brother was hurting—not that he’d admit it, I could tell by the way he held himself—but he strode ahead. At the edge of the avalanche zone, we found the road, still snow-covered but with obvious tyre tracks. We followed it, moving as fast as we could on the treacherous ground.
A hundred meters on, we passed a junction. I lifted my hood against the chill and sucked in a lungful of frozen air.
