by Cali MacKay
“And ye won’t get a wink of sleep. There’s a spare room next to mine. Ye can stay there.”
Next to his? That certainly offered more potential than heading home. “I appreciate it.”
Chapter Eighteen
Bloody hell. Maggie was going to be the death of him. Conall took a deep breath to try to settle the heat in his gut as she wandered into the kitchen for breakfast, sleep still clinging to her like fog on the heathers. Her hair was a wild tumble of gold and amber falling over her shoulder, so his gaze couldn’t help but wander down to the precariously buttoned shirt she’d stolen out of his closet and those long, lean, naked legs.
“I see ye found one of my shirts.” He poured them each a cup of coffee, hoping the distraction would be enough to keep him from lifting her up onto the counter and taking her then and there like a sex-crazed teenager.
“Hope you don’t mind. I borrowed a pair of yer boxers too.” She pulled up her shirt-his shirt-to show him, exposing the curves of her belly, the skin smooth over the firm muscles, the waist of his boxers hanging low enough to have his breath hitching and a ball of heat curling in his gut.
It was nearly impossible to ignore the effect she had on his body or the tension that shifted south. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he handed her a coffee. “Here. Just the way ye like it-with far too much cream and sugar.”
With a shrug of her shoulders, her eyebrows flicked up teasingly, her eyes alight. “Not like it’s a big surprise that ye take yours black. So…what’s for breakfast?”
“Ye’ll have to pardon me for not setting out a buffet. I hadn’t been expecting overnight guests.” Knowing that she was asleep in the room next door to him had left him tossing around all night long. Sleep had refused to come as his mind raced through images from their time together, making it far too easy to picture her sleeping naked just feet away from him.
Best stick to the matter at hand. He may desperately want her, but he couldn’t go down that road. He dug around for a pan. “I don’t have a whole lot, but I do have a few eggs. Could manage crepes if ye’re interested.”
“I never say no to crepes. Although…from a man who supposedly doesn’t cook? Not sure how good an idea that is.” With humor in her eyes, she looked at him over her mug of coffee, holding it to her face with both hands.
At least she was in a better mood. So why did it put him on edge? Couldn’t possibly have anything at all to do with the fact that he desperately wanted her, and she was making it damned difficult to keep his distance.
“Like I said, I can cook enough to keep myself fed.” He grabbed the eggs and milk, and then dug around in the cabinet for the flour and sugar. “And by all means, if ye think you can do a better job, I’m happy to step aside and let ye have a go.” He offered up the whisk, and then laughed when she didn’t take it. “Thought so.”
“I’ve got my own specialties.” She leaned against the counter, facing him, with a teasing smile upon her lips and a mischievous glint in her eyes.
“Yeah…I’ve seen a few of those specialties, but they do little to fill an empty stomach.” Bloody hell, she was making it so damned hard. Yet the last week and a half had been unbearable, and she was the one who’d put him through that hell, despite knowing his past. Clearly, there were extenuating circumstances, but it all came down to trust.
That’s what hurt the most. She could have trusted him. She should have known he’d be on her side, not only to help get her brother back but to be there for her, so she wouldn’t have to go through this alone. Instead, she hadn’t thought him worthy. She’d lied and skirted the truth. Pushed him away and left him heartbroken. And she did all this knowing how difficult it had been for him to let down his guard and trust her.
No…she might be enticing, but he refused to be taken for a fool yet again. Not when his heart was on the line.
***
Once Liam arrived at Conall’s, they got to work trying to track down where Aidan was being held. Conall also put in a call to his friend, Thorsen. He’d be a good one to have on their side, though there was a good chance he might be away on assignment. Having worked for Interpol, he was now an independent contractor, though what exactly he was doing these days, Conall would rather not know.
“There…the low ceiling and smaller window makes me think they’re holding Aidan in an area that’s more rural-an older home, similar to yer cottage, I’d think.” Conall paused the video and then shifted out of the way so Maggie and Liam could have a closer look.
“Can you zoom in on the window? They have it covered over, but the thickness of the wall might give us an indication as to when the home was built.” Maggie leaned forward for a better look, her body brushing against his as the three of them squeezed in around his desk. He did his best to ignore the nearness of her, but his body’s reaction to her was immediate, leaving him wanton and longing for her.
He tried to push thoughts of her aside, and zoomed in on the image. “Just over a foot deep, I’d say.”
Liam nodded and sat back. “The older cottages were built with walls more than two feet thick. I’d think this one here was probably built in the last seventy-five years.”
Conall clicked over to the map he’d made up the night before with the marked properties around Dublin and just beyond. “I’ll see if I can cross-reference the addresses I found last night with the year the buildings were built. With luck, we’ll be able to narrow it down to just a few.”
“And if ye’re able to track their mobile phones, that’ll help narrow it even further.” She reached out and squeezed his hand for a brief moment, a small smile on her lips. “I can’t thank ye enough for helping.”
Starting his search on the homes, Conall gave her a shrug. “It’s nothing ye couldn’t have managed on yer own, though this is just the start of it. Things will get more difficult from here.”
She bit her bottom lip. “Will ye still call your friend to help?”
“I already did, though I haven’t heard from him yet. He’s always good about getting back to me as soon as he’s able, though, so I’m sure we’ll hear from him before long.” Conall copied the data to a new document, adding what other information he could find for each of the locations. “I’m going to be here a while with this, but can give ye a call once I have more information. Don’t feel like ye have to hang around.”
Not that he wanted to push her away, but he didn’t trust himself. The more time he spent in her company, the more she wore down his defenses. The more he wanted to throw caution to the wind if it meant he could hold her in his arms.
Maggie didn’t budge when Liam got to his feet. “I’ll catch up with ye later. I have a few things I need to discuss with Conall, and if we’re being watched by Sean or Andrew, then it’s best we continue to keep up appearances that nothing has changed and we’re sticking to their plan.”
“Just keep in touch, yeah?” Liam looked from her to Conall. “I trust ye’ll keep her safe?”
“I will.” Though he was only putting his heart in jeopardy by not sending her away. Turning to her, he pinned her with a stare. “And we’re working, ye hear?”
“Obviously. It’s me brother’s life that’s at stake. What else would we be doing?” She shook her head as if he was daft.
“Later then. And Maggie-behave yerself. The man’s helping us. Don’t go harassing him.” Liam gave her a warning look, but shook his head in defeat and then headed out the door.
“So, what can I do to help?” Maggie was already pulling out her laptop, the screen blinking to life.
“Since ye’re familiar with the family, their friends, associates, it’d be helpful if you could jot down their names and start tracking down any information ye might think would be helpful.” He wanted to have as much information gathered for Thorsen as possible.
She nodded and got to work, quietly tapping away beside him. Before long, the tension inside him eased as they each found their rhythm and things between them remained purely professional. After
a while, he got up to stretch his legs and put the kettle on, making some tea and plating some biscuits. By the time he had the tea steeping, Maggie wandered in.
“Thank the gods-tea. I was starting to fade in there.” She ran a hand over her face. “I might go out for a quick walk while the tea steeps. Exercise and cold air always helps wake me up.”
After her run-in with Andrew, he wasn’t sure he loved the idea. “Do ye think it’s safe?”
“In broad daylight? I would hope so.” She ran a hand down her arm as if warding off a chill. “You could come with me. Though I don’t want to pull ye away from your work.”
He could. Indeed, he should go with her. Yet he didn’t want to upset the balance they’d found. It was nice to not constantly be tempted by her, and he had a sneaking suspicion that if they left work behind, he’d want nothing more than to put his heart on the line once more. “I have a few more things I want to check on, and I want to try Thorsen again. Ye won’t be long?”
“No…” She threw him a small smile, despite the sigh that escaped those full lush lips. “Not long at all. I’ll take Piper with me. She can pull a Lassie if I get into trouble.”
“There’s a better chance she’d be the one dragging ye over the cliff.” He shook his head as visions of her demise flashed through his head. “Just be careful.”
“I will.”
Conall watched her go, doing his best to ignore that bounce in her step and that sweet behind. With a weary sigh, knowing his need would not be fulfilled, he sat down at his laptop with the list of names Maggie had jotted down. Starting with the immediate Flaherty family, he first crossed referenced their properties, and then moved on to tracking down their cell phone numbers. He sorted through the lists, but wanted to narrow it down further before attempting to track those people via their mobile phones.
Working with the list of addresses, he switched to a map of satellite and road views. If he could check out the building types at each given address, he might be able to match them to the cottage style they’d seen in the video. Pulling up one location after the other, he was quickly able to eliminate most of the buildings. There were, however, a few that might be the right style.
Logging in to his email, he found a message from Thorsen. Turns out his friend was closer than he thought. Not South America or the Middle East, but rather in Italy, helping to track and capture an art forger. Best of all, he was happy to come for a visit and help out in any way he could. Conall wrote him back and sent him the details, knowing his email line hadn’t been compromised. It would be good to have Thorsen’s help on this.
Conall checked the time. Maggie should have been back by now. Unless she took a longer walk than she’d anticipated, or lost track of the time. Yet it left him uneasy after her run-in with Andrew and with Sean still around. Conall called her phone, but it went through to voicemail. Not that it meant anything when coverage was so spotty in this area. Still, it was enough to have him grabbing his coat and heading for the door.
Not sure which way she’d gone, he turned in the direction they normally went when they took walks together. The wind coming in off the sea was brisk, the bite of it stinging his cheeks. His muscles tensed as he braced himself against the bitter chill, wondering why the hell Maggie hadn’t turned back within minutes of stepping out. It only increased his worry that she’d been gone so long. He should have gone with her. Should have put aside his own worries and made sure she remained safe. If anything happened to her, he’d never forgive himself.
Digging out his phone, he tried her again. Still nothing. He lengthened his stride, his heart racing as he did his best to ignore the guilt that was eating away at him. He crested the hill and saw her off in the distance through the fog and mist. Relief washed over him-until the wind caught the fog and he saw a shadow shift not far from her.
He picked up his pace as she started to move towards him, the fog swallowing up anyone who may have been there. By the time he reached her, it felt like all the breath had been pulled from his lungs.
“I was worried about ye.” Conall ran a hand down her arm, searching her face to make sure she was okay. “Who was that?”
Her smile faded as she looked at him with drawn brows. “I didn’t see anyone. Was someone there?”
He looked around as if still expecting someone to come towards them. “I thought so, though I could be mistaken.”
Looking worried, she glanced over her shoulder and moved closer to him, making him want to put a comforting arm around her. “Was it Piper or maybe the thick fog?”
He looked down at his wiggling dog, which was far too small to be mistaken for a man. It may have been nothing more than the mists, but the thought still bothered him. “I suppose it could have been the shifting fog. Let’s get ye back. Ye must be frozen to the bone.”
“I am. I swear it wasn’t this cold when I left the house, and by the time the weather turned, we’d already wandered quite a ways.” When she started walking back towards his home, he fell in step beside her.
The worry he’d felt had yet to fade, and he found himself reaching out to take her hand, despite all his previous hesitations. Few words were spoken as they walked back to the house, but by the time they got inside, he was frozen to the bone and was sure Maggie was in even worse shape.
Conall locked the door behind them. “How about I get a fire going, and then catch ye up on where we stand?” Leaning over, he gave Piper a good scratch before undoing her leash and hanging it by the door.
Maggie rubbed her hands over her arms, her cheeks and the tip of her nose flushed red from the cold. “Sounds perfect.”
It didn’t take Conall long to get a fire going, and given how cold Maggie looked, he made sure to build it up, tossing a few extra logs on for good measure. Already, he could feel himself thawing, the heat of the fire comforting. “Take a seat close by, and I’ll grab the information I printed.”
He handed her the information and then went to put the kettle on for more tea, the knot in his chest yet to dissolve. With Aidan’s life at risk, the nagging guilt that he should warn Iain about the Flahertys, and most of all, his uncertain relationship with Maggie, he was on edge and there was little relief in sight. Not to mention he had Andrew and Sean to contend with.
He and Maggie were doing all that could be done to get Aidan safe, and with luck, the jewels wouldn’t come into play. But regarding Maggie and how he felt about her…he’d never been more torn.
He told himself she’d be gone in a few months, anyway. With things uncertain between them, she’d have no reason to stick around. The thought pained him, but perhaps with her gone, it’d be easier to forget her and get back to his life. Easier to forget that she couldn’t trust him, that she’d lied to him. Easier to heal. He’d gotten over Janet and he’d get over Maggie, too.
Suddenly weary, he poured the tea and steeled himself to be strong. Giving in to his feelings for her would only make it harder when she left. No good would come of it.
Putting up as much of a wall as he could manage in her presence, he headed back to the living room and handed her a mug. “Thorsen sent word. He’s willing to help. Should be here in the next day or two.”
“That’s brilliant.” Maggie was sitting cross-legged in front of the fire, and under normal circumstances he’d join her, but this time he grabbed his laptop and sat on the sofa. Not that it went unnoticed. She patted the floor. “Why don’t ye come sit here and tell me about your friend?”
“Wouldn’t know where to start. Thorsen is…unique. Ye’ll like him, I think.” He started typing away with the hope that she wouldn’t notice he was still on the sofa. “Did ye have a chance to go through the addresses and homes? I’d like to have things narrowed down for him before he gets here.”
She gave him a sly look, her elbows propped on her knees and a teasing smile on her lips. “Are you avoiding me, Conall? Because I get the distinct feeling ye are.”
He glared at her over the top of his screen and then back at his
keyboard, half wishing she’d just go away and leave him to his misery. “I know better than to bother with the impossible, and trying to avoid ye would be doing just that.”
She pursed her lips. “Ye really know how to make a girl feel loved.”
“I do try.” Conall held her gaze, refusing to be lured by the sparkle in her eyes. She might be persistent, but he had a lot at stake and knew better than to give in to temptation.
“I get it, love. I really do.” She let out a small laugh, but there was no humor in it. The sparkle faded from her ice blue eyes and her gaze slipped away from him, her shoulders slumped. “I know I no longer deserve yer trust-and for that I’m truly sorry.”
She turned back towards the fire, picking up the printouts she’d been working with. A sharp pang of guilt haunted him, ripping at his resolve to stay strong. All he wanted was to comfort her-yet he still couldn’t put his heart on the line.
“Maggie…I understand why ye did it-and I don’t hold it against ye, love. But things are different now.” He forced the air into his lungs, his chest so tight he could barely get a breath in.
He wished he could let it all go. Wished they could just pick up where they’d left off. Erase the last few weeks. Or start over. Yet the cursed tightness, his past, the hurt…they left him rooted to the spot, unable to move forward. “I’m the one who’s sorry, Maggie. But there’s nothing to be done for it.”
Chapter Nineteen
With her focus on trying to get Aidan back, Maggie felt like she’d been neglecting her work at the museum. Between her troubles and the issues she kept running into on the site, she was falling behind and it bothered her to no end. At least work would help to keep her occupied now that Conall had left her heartbroken, though it did little to keep him from her thoughts. Even Liam had made himself scarce, doing his best to avoid her, though out of guilt or to escape her mood, she wasn’t quite sure-nor did she care.
She spent the day finishing with the security measures she’d designed for the case that would house the Highlander’s Hope. The glass casing would allow the necklace to be viewed from all sides-if she wasn’t forced to steal it. She squeezed her eyes shut and ran her hands over her face. They’d get Aidan back. She had to believe that.
