Highland Devotion (The Band of Cousins Book 7)

by Keira Montclair

  Because nothing else mattered anymore except finding Linet.

  Chapter Sixteen

  By the time they arrived at Edinburgh, Linet thought her backside had turned raw. It wasn’t easy getting off the horse with any dignity, but fortunately, Earc did not touch her inappropriately. After the wonderful night she’d spent in Gregor’s arms, she didn’t know if she could have handled it.

  The brute untied her, then took her by the arm and shoved her inside the building she’d escaped the night before. It was clearly the whorehouse, though she’d never seen the front of it in the daylight. They moved through the front door, passed a few men having ales in the front gathering room. Everywhere she looked, there were multiple guards.

  Earc took her all the way to the back of the building, down a dingy passageway with only one torch. Another passageway she’d never been down before. The manor house had plenty of surprises everywhere she looked. This part smelled of stale ale and dirty floors. Earc opened the last door to the right and stepped inside, yanking her behind him.

  He then pulled her in front of him, putting her directly in the line of sight of the man seated at the table, swirling an ale and munching on stew.

  Mal.

  As soon as he laid eyes on her, his face lit up—completely the opposite of her reaction.

  She wished to heave in the corner. Why was Mal here?

  “Here you go, boss. Just like you asked. I didn’t hurt her, but I did need to tie her up to get her here. She fought some, so her wrists are a wee bit raw.”

  Boss. Had he been working with this group of men all along?

  Her brother was involved with the Channel?

  Mal grinned and sauntered around the table, never taking his gaze from hers. Once he was in front, he leaned on the table and crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, well, if ’tisn’t my dearest sister. Leave us,” he said to Earc. “Good work. In fact, I’ll leave you in charge when I have to go to the Borderlands.”

  The bastard grinned, nodded, and left.

  Linet was so close to Mal, to her abuser, that her vision blurred. The stale aroma she’d always noticed from him invaded her nostrils, and she thought she might be sick. Blood pounded through her, so much so that she could hear the pulsation of it in her ears, a thud, thud, thud…her vision dimmed.

  Her knees weakened until they nearly buckled, but the flame of hope so recently kindled inside her had not yet been snuffed out. She snapped back up straight, refusing to let his presence affect her so.

  No, she would not let him have this power over her anymore.

  He reached out and ran his finger down her jawline. “You’re mine. I’ve told you that all along. I’ll never allow you to be with another.”

  Once again, all the repressed anger and hurt welled up from where she’d hidden it, and she snapped.

  Her hand came out and slapped his cheek hard, so hard that the shock in his gaze turned to a fury in a flash. But she didn’t stop.

  She couldn’t stop.

  Fueled by the kindness and respect of Gregor Ramsay, she swung again, hitting him three times before he grabbed her.

  “What the hell’s wrong with you?”

  She kicked him and tried to bite his hand. “Never. You’ll never hurt me again. Never! Do you hear me? Never!”

  She fought for all she was worth. Mal must have decided he wouldn’t be able to pacify her, because instead he grabbed her and twisted her in front of him, her back to his front. He ground out, “You’re lucky you’re my sister. If you were any old whore, I’d beat you silly for hitting me. But we need you in the Borderlands. You will go along with me and never do that again. Understood?”

  “Nay. I’m not going anywhere with you. Send me with someone else, but not you. I hate you. You have a sickness. Leave me be. I hate you!” Her voice trembled with emotion, though she fought to contain it. She didn’t want Mal to think he held that kind of control over her.

  “Well, that’s too bad. Merewen is in the other room tied to a chair. I suppose I’ll have to take her instead of you.” He pushed her down into a chair, stepping out of her way quickly. The smug look on his face told her he meant what he said.

  How she wished to slap that look off his face. She jumped up to try to spit on him, but he shoved her back into the chair.

  “Be verra careful. Whatever happens from here on in may be taken out on Merewen.”

  Frightened to her core, she sat back down and didn’t move. Tears blurred her vision. “How could you? You’re lying. She’s not here. I don’t believe you.”

  “Here’s what I’m going to tell you, wee lass. Mayhap I am lying. But if I am, it won’t be a lie for long. I’ll get her away from Gavin just like I got you away from Gregor Ramsay. The Ramsay men may have been a force to be reckoned with before, but not for much longer. Now I have hundreds of men at my disposal. Why? We have the biggest shipment we’ve ever attempted ready to go across the waters. My bosses will spare no coin in hiring men to ensure all goes to plan. And the Ramsay guards will not pose a threat to us at all. So take a chance. Walk out that door and I’ll leave you be. But know that I’ll have Merewen in your place by dusk.”

  The tears she’d held back since Earc wrested her from Gregor finally erupted and flooded her cheeks. She bent over at the waist and covered her head with her hands because she’d heard more than she could handle. The bastards had more men than the Ramsays, and her brother wouldn’t stop until he found Merewen and used her as he had Linet.

  She couldn’t allow it, not if there was the slightest possibility he’d be able to do as he threatened. She loved Merewen too much.

  Mal knew it, too. He strode over to the door and opened it. “Make your choice, Leena. You either go to the Borderlands with me willingly, no hitting, or I’ll leave you here and get Merewen to take your place.” He held the door open for her. “What will it be?”

  She lifted her head, sniffled, and said, “I’ll go. Please leave Winnie alone.”

  “Then get up. We’re leaving within the hour. Go see the woman in the next chamber and find a decent gown to wear. You cannot go in the clothes you fought in last eve. Do what you need to do and be out in front in thirty minutes. And don’t forget you’re now Leena again.”

  She lifted her gaze to give him the most loathing, hateful look she’d ever given anyone.

  He reached out to chuck her under the chin. “Be kind, wee one. If you recall, we left Gregor alive. That can be changed with a flick of a dagger across his throat.”

  Her life no longer mattered.

  ***

  Gregor dismounted in front of their inn with a huge groan because his body ached in so many places he couldn’t tell which one was the worst.

  On second thought, he did know what ached the most—his heart.

  He’d failed Linet and allowed her to be taken by the men from the Channel of Dubh.

  Once they had all dismounted, Maggie shook her head, her gaze forlorn. “I still cannot believe Earc was a spy for the Channel. He must be the one who had Linet kidnapped.”

  Gavin said, “Absolutely believe it. Papa will kill him, but only after Torrian beats him until he’s daft. He was right there all this time.”

  “He’s only been with us for less than a year, Gavin,” Maggie corrected him.

  “True, but we’ve only had knowledge of the Channel for about the same amount of time.”

  Will motioned them inside, Nari greeting Gavin by leaping to his feet from one of the common tables. “I’ve protected her. She’s still here, and I’ve allowed no one near her.”

  Gregor drawled, “You did a better job than I did, lad.” He heaved a sigh. “I wish we had a more private place to speak, but I’ve not seen anyone else here other than Braden and Roddy. We’ll take two more chambers now that you’re here, so that could fill the inn.”

  Merewen stood from the table, her face so hopeful, it would break Gregor’s heart to tell her the truth. He sat down next to her and said, “Merewen, Linet came to me at
the fighting hall, asking for my help. We managed to escape the men from the Channel, but they caught up with us a few hours ago and stole her back.”

  Merewen’s features tightened, but she grasped his hand and squeezed it. “But she willingly left Sela? Left her job as a healer?”

  “Aye, they’d forced her to fight, and I believe ’twas too much for her. Earc was in charge of the group of men who took her. I’ve no notion of where she might be. Mayhap the alehouse.”

  Nari started waving a hand in the air to attract Gregor’s attention. He looked so excited, it wouldn’t surprise Gregor if he were to start jumping up and down.

  The innkeeper entered the hall and said, “Ale for all? Would you like meat pies?”

  “Aye, if you please,” Gavin said. “The more, the better.” The innkeeper nodded, but as soon as he departed, a lass brought out goblets of ale for the table.

  As soon as she left, Gregor said, “What has you so excited, lad? Tell us what you’ve learned.”

  “I had to take a pish…” He glanced from Merewen to Maggie and whispered, “My apologies.”

  “Go ahead, Nari,” Maggie said. “Tell us what you know.”

  “The guards said they’d look after Lady Merewen, so I hurried outside. I saw a group leaving the stables. In the middle was the lass who was with you at the alehouse, the one who had to fight. And there were two men in charge. I listened and they said they were going to the place where the others had gone.”

  “Who was that?” Will asked.

  “Linet.”

  “Are you certain?” Will asked, his head tipped to the side as if he doubted the lad.

  “Aye. She’s the one who left with Gregor. I saw her up close!”

  Quiet fell over the table as they all contemplated what that might mean. The situation had indeed come to a boil. The confrontation they’d been leading toward for months and months finally seemed upon them. Gregor just hoped Linet would not be caught in the middle of it.

  Merewen was the first to speak. “I hope Sela is there. She’ll protect Linet. She always has. In fact, ’twas one of the reasons Linet was willing to stay in Inverness. She trusted Sela.”

  “But Sela is in trouble, so where they took her is bad,” Nari declared, the look on his face evidence of how much of an impression those bad men had made on him. “It may not be the same place.”

  The innkeeper returned with the meat pies, and they all served themselves, Gavin taking five. Although Gregor didn’t feel hungry, he forced himself to eat. He’d need his strength.

  “As soon as I eat, I’m going after her.” He swallowed two bites in one.

  “But you don’t know where they’re going,” Gavin said. “All we know is it’s in the Borderlands.”

  “Mayhap not, but I know where they’re going,” Nari said emphatically. “’Tis not a busy area. I’ll be able to find Thorn, and he’s with Connor, and those other two.”

  “Where?” Will asked, his gaze narrowing. “The Borderlands is a large area.”

  “South Berwick. I heard it when I was standing outside the whore…” he slapped his hand over his mouth, then dropped it quickly. “I mean the fighting hall waiting for Gregor.”

  Gregor and Maggie both groaned, while Gavin said, “Shite.”

  “What’s wrong?” Nari asked. “I can take you there. We’ll find them.”

  “South Berwick is on the River Tweed.”

  “Why is that bad?” he asked innocently.

  Merewen’s eyes misted as Maggie answered Nari’s question. “Because the River Tweed leads to the sea, the most likely place for them to load their ships with lasses and lads. ’Tis a verra busy port.”

  Gregor swallowed the rest of his ale. “Nari, are you ready?”

  “For what?” he asked, staring up at Gregor.

  “We’re going after them. Right away.”

  Nari’s eyes lit up, and he nodded solemnly, leaping to his feet as Gregor did the same.

  “I’m sending two guards back to Ramsay land to bring fifty back,” Gregor added, looking at the others. “I’ll welcome whomever wishes to come with me.”

  Gavin reached his hand out to help Merewen up. She’d already grabbed her bow with her free hand. “We’re coming,” she said, her voice throbbing with purpose.

  Maggie crossed her arms. “Mayhap we should wait until the warriors arrive.”

  Gregor shook his head. “If we had waited, you and Will might still be in that crate on a ship in the middle of the North Sea.”

  Maggie’s expression changed to one of fury. “You’re right. Will, we leave with them. We’ll send Owen and another guard back to gather the other men. They can meet us in South Berwick. We have nearly ten other guards to go with us.”

  “Good,” Gregor said, “because I’ll not wait, and I’d like your help. Connor had several guards with them because Braden and Roddy brought four. We could number a score and five. Nari, grab whatever you need. We’re off.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  When they arrived in South Berwick, the sun was setting. They weren’t in the middle of the town as they’d been in Edinburgh and Inverness, but in an isolated area hidden inside a thick forest of trees. Linet had been forced to ride with someone she didn’t know, but at least she hadn’t been tied up this time. She stood outside the three buildings kneading her hands, unsure of what she’d find inside. Mal had disappeared into the front building. There were two more behind it, forming a triangle. While the one off to the left was by far the largest, the one to the right was a distance away and much smaller.

  The men all spoke in low voices, but she could hear bits and pieces of what they said. The men they feared most were not here, so Mal would be in charge for the time being. It turned out her brother had not only been her tormentor, but the tormentor of many.

  Mal returned from the front building and headed straight for her. Grabbing her by the elbow, he squeezed her elbow tightly and yanked her toward the largest building.

  “Must you be so rough with me?” she asked through gritted teeth.

  “I’ll do as I wish with you. Just as I always have. You will follow all instructions without question, or you’ll be assigned to my chamber.” His eyes narrowed, the same way they always had whenever he’d threatened her. The cruelty inside his black heart had eaten away at his skin, leaving him a shell of the man he’d once been.

  “Where is Struan?” she whispered, wondering if her other brother was a part of this travesty.

  “Struan is not involved. He’s too daft.” He let go of her arm. “Struan almost caused a disaster. He almost caught your captors that night on Ramsay land. I had to send him off on another quest, or I would never have gotten you away.”

  Her heart sank. “You did all of this? My own brother arranged for my kidnapping?” She shouldn’t be surprised, but even after everything he’d done, he still possessed the power to hurt her.

  Ignoring her, he opened the door and shoved her into a large hall with several trestle tables in the middle. A hearth nearly filled one wall of the hall, a couple of chairs in front of it. There were only two people inside, but she recognized one because no other young person had hair that color.

  Sela.

  She sat in a chair in front of the hearth, her gaze staring into the flames of the fire, and didn’t turn to see who had entered.

  There were two other doors off the back of the hall and one at the opposite end of the hearth. The room was stark and cold. The aroma of bread baking reached her, so she guessed the closer door, the one to the right, led to the kitchens. That door opened, and a strange man came toward them, munching on a hunk of cheese. “Lock her in that chamber with Sela this eve,” he said. “We’ll take them in the morn.”

  The man gave curt instructions to another guard to bring water and food to the chamber while Mal led her inside the other door. It led to a large, and presently empty, chamber with wooden pallets that would hold at least a dozen people. He brought her around a partition that separated fou
r beds from the others, then pointed to a pallet. “Sit. This is where you’ll stay until we need your skills on the morrow. You’ll have water and food, and Sela will escort you outside to take care of your needs twice. Otherwise, don’t bother me. Stay here and keep quiet.”

  Linet fell onto the pallet, grateful to at least be off the horse. Her backside had taken a beating in the last two days. Mal left without another word, and she said a quick prayer that he’d leave her alone until the morrow. She settled down on the rough pallet covered with a single plaid and a fur, covering up in the hopes that it would stop her trembling.

  She’d dozed for a bit but was awakened by the door opening and the sound of light footsteps approaching her.

  Sela came over and sat on the pallet opposite her. Linet sat up, staring at her. There was only one small torch on the wall near the door, so it was difficult to see, but she thought she saw a new sadness in Sela’s gaze. There one moment, gone the next.

  “Greetings, Leena,” said the woman known as the Ice Queen, her demeanor once again as cold as her gaze.

  Forcing herself to stay calm, she waited to see what Sela would offer. How she prayed she would give her information about why she was here.

  When Sela didn’t speak, Linet initiated the conversation. Waiting was torturous. “Sela. I hope you are well.”

  Sela’s gaze was so hard Linet couldn’t help but wonder what had happened in her past to make her so brusque, so unfeeling. “I prefer Inverness.”

  “Why am I here? I got away, but they brought me back. My own brother…”

  “I had never met Mal before, but I’d heard of him. There are several men here whom you’d do best not to cross. This place…” She paused, her gaze going to the floor. “There are many more bad characters here, so tread carefully. I wish I could continue to protect you, but I cannot. They have stripped my power from me.”

  “Why, Sela? What is this place?”

  “This is the main center of their operations. It was recently moved from London. Authorities caught on, but here…well…they can easily pay off the Lord Wardens of the Marches. They’ve bought silence from the English Wardens and are working on the Scottish Earls of the Marches.”