by India Kells
In her mind, she decided she needed to have a conversation with Matthew, about the past and the present, and how she could help in the future. It would be impossible to be here at Castle Mirth all the time, but there were things that she could do to alleviate his burden, especially with the birth of his first child.
As she was in a full debate with the neighbor of the MacKinnon land, Sir Harold FitzSimmons, and old and colorful man, someone touched her shoulder. At first she thought it was Wes, as he had been gone for quite a while now, but it was one of the guards she recognized from one of their earlier meetings.
“My Lady, someone dropped off Mr. Sorenson’s cell phone and told me to give it to you directly.”
Mac blinked and took the phone. “Thank you.”
It was a fact that Wesley had lost his cell phone on the latest attack. But she was unable to remember the make and model. It looked worn. It must have been soaked in the rain this morning and probably wouldn’t work. As if on cue, thunder resonated from a distance. Mac’s gaze slid to one of the windows and could see that despite the warmth and light inside, the storm often predicted was now on its way. Not unusual for late November, it was Scotland after all.
Mac started scanning the room for the tall silhouette of Wes. At first, she was sure he had been caught between two or three of her mother’s friends, maybe even Joan again. But apart from the familiar faces of the guards, he was nowhere to be seen. The only blond-haired man resembling him was Lance, and he wasn’t with his brother.
Her mind was already switching to another mode as she excused herself and made her way to the comm center in a non-alarming pace. Several times she apologized and when finally, the crowd thinned, the cell phone she was still holding in her hand started vibrating.
One quick look at the screen revealed an unknown caller. Not unusual since most of them scrambled their numbers for security purposes, but weird nonetheless. Removing her earpiece and keeping it in her fist, she answered.
“Yes?”
“Always a pleasure to talk to you, Lady MacKinnon.”
Her blood froze. Calvi.
Her first reaction was to rush to the comm room, but something in Calvi’s purring voice made her hesitate. Instead, she moved into the blind spot of the camera in the lobby.
“It’s so easy to imagine you now, in that lobby inside your large fortress. The lady of the castle needing rescue, isn’t ironic? But that’s not your case, as you’re surrounded by so many knights.”
“Go to hell.”
“Oh, but I’m already there, thanks to you. I must say it lacks company, that’s why I plan for you to join me, real soon.”
“You will never get to my brother. I made damn sure of it, Calvi. And have no doubt I’m coming for you and I will put a bullet between your eyes, laughing as I watch you die.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so certain. It has been an education observing you, Elorian MacKinnon. I think that at some point I began to know you even better than you know yourself.”
“If you only called to confirm your insanity, I’ll hang up, thank you very much.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Unless you don’t mind never seeing your most prized knight ever again.”
His words made her pause. No, that couldn’t be. A dark apprehension settled inside her.
“Now, you listen carefully, because it would be so easy to kill him now and not later.”
“Who are you talking about?” Even if she dreaded the answer, she had to ask.
Mac heard Calvi laughing and taking the phone off his ear as someone groaned at the distance. Fists started hitting flesh, but apart from bursts of breath and indistinguishable noises, she couldn’t tell if her worst nightmare had come true.
Then, the receptor was moved again and placed against someone panting heavily.
Mac wet her lips. “Who’s on the phone?”
The person on the other end of the line stayed silent and was rewarded with more punches. It was hell to hear, but it couldn’t show on her side. People passed her by, saluted her and smiled and she responded the same, while she remained on the line, her heart in her throat.
The phone moved once more, and again there was panting, but no other sound.
“Who’s on the phone? Wes?”
Just saying his name had brought a wave of nausea.
“Don’t you fucking come here, Mac.”
At the hoarseness of his voice, of what was happening to him, she almost couldn’t bear it. She wanted to scream, tell that bastard that he had suffered enough in this lifetime. Instead, she did the only thing she could do when Calvi came back on the line.
“You see, when your brother was lost to me, I thought that my only resort was to kill you. And then, you surprised me, again.”
“What do you want?” The words tasted foul in her mouth, but her only way to save Wesley was to appear compliant.
“You know what I want. I want you on your knees, begging for his life. Hoping in vain that I would change my mind. Maybe even considering taking me down. But I can assure you there won’t be any happy ending for you. I made it my mission. The only thing I’m offering you is to say your good-byes. Come alone, no weapon, no cell phone, and don’t tell anyone. If any of your friends are following you, if there is someone else in the car, your dear knight will suffer. More than you would like him to endure.”
Mac forced her voice to remain steady. “Where?”
“You leave immediately. And drive to the crash point, near that cliff by the mountain. I’m sure you know exactly where it is as you’re the one who guided them, aren’t you? Time’s ticking.”
Calvi hung up and Mac didn’t hesitate. She put the earpiece she had kept in her hand and the phone on the credenza near the entrance, and as soon as no one was watching, she got out the door.
Rain was pouring and lightning was striking the sky in mad patterns. In less than a second, she was soaked to the bone. The only advantage of this gathering, was that many cars were parked close by. She chose one of those big all-terrain trucks, designed for the rich and bored. It would drive through mud, and prevent her from sliding off the road.
Removing her gloves, it took less than a minute to bypass the anti-theft system and start it. Time was of the essence, as Gabrielle and the team would have noticed her absence by now. She waited until she reached the path before turning on the lights. On the main road, she cranked up the heater, shaking hard and knowing it had to stop before she reached her destination. She had to keep a level head, for Wes.
The rain wouldn’t cease, making navigating the path treacherous, and she nearly missed the secondary entrance. The big SUV skidded in mud until she arrived the end of the trail and traction increased in the grass. Rounding the mountain, there were three cars with their headlights turned on. Through the curtain of water and the lights, stood at least five men, and one kneeling on the ground. Wes.
Mac ditched her heels and opened the door, leaving her lights on. Rain drenched her once more as her naked feet dug in the cold mud. Three men came forward, surrounding her, but her attention was only on Calvi, pointing a gun at Wes’ head. Despite bruises and cuts on his face, he seemed relatively unharmed. Duct tape over his mouth, his hands bound behind his back with his ankles strapped as well, he was only looking at her. So much passed between them and so much that would be left unsaid.
“I’m here now. Let him go.”
Calvi laughed. “That’s not the deal I offered you.”
The men around her closed in.
“We can extend your renegotiation to my men. I must admit that the way you look right now should be X-rated. Or maybe it’s your true nature that is simply coming out?”
As if on cue, one man grabbed her arm. Her reaction was immediate, she turned on herself, using the slippery ground to add force to her movement as she hit his knee and as she hoped, heard a nasty crack. As the first man howled, a second came forward. She evaded and punched him in the face, blood flew before beings quickly rinsed b
y the rain. The third man caught her from behind, trapping her arms as the man with the broken nose hit her in the gut. The pain made her lose focus for a second. It was the ripping sound of her skirt that forced her to push the pain away. She only waited for the right moment, as the man used a mean-looking knife to slice her dress open. In the background, Calvi was laughing, immensely entertained by the scene.
When in the ideal spot, she used the rain that made her skin slippery to contort out of the man’s hold and kick her attacker in front of her, twisting the knife in his gut. The man cried out in pain. She didn’t hesitate, and pulled the blade from the man’s stomach and turned to attack her third opponent. Unfortunately, that time, he was ready and moved fast. Mac found it difficult to evade him, as her dress clinging to her legs made her awkward and wet hair fell into thick strands over her face.
The man assaulted her first, landing a punch on her temple, but missing the second hit. As he was out of balance, Mac kneeing him in the gut, which made him topple forward. Moving to stab him in the back, he rolled and she ended up slicing his upper torso.
Heaving hard, her head hurting like hell, but she couldn’t stop. It was the only way to help Wes, to let rage and despair out.
The man pushed himself up and she immediately recognized that look. He was in for the kill. As he charged, Calvi shouted something that made him hesitate. His forward motion couldn’t be stopped easily in the mud, and as he turned back to Calvi, Mac stabbed him in the heart.
Fury raged outside, as rain and thunder echoed in the mountain, but inside, she felt cold as ice, as the man with shocked stupor on his face slid dead to the ground.
Calvi’s laughter resonated. “You, my dear, are the most amazing woman I’ve ever seen. Only someone like you would fight to kill three men even though it wouldn’t change the outcome tonight.”
Wesley was still kneeling in the mud before him. Powerless.
“Let him go.”
“Throw your knife.”
Without hesitation she did, but Calvi didn’t move his gun away from Wes’ head.
“Let him go!” She almost screamed at him.
The gleam in Calvi’s eyes was sickening. “Beg me. That’s what I ask of you. And if you beg me hard enough, maybe my heart will melt and maybe I will consider letting him go.”
What were her choices? She was alone, weaponless, against one of the worst criminals of this world. As she looked at Wesley—who clearly conveyed by his glare to forget about him and kill the bastard—she closed her eyes an instant and prayed for an opening, an opportunity, some sort of divine intervention that would save the man she loved. Even if it would mean sacrificing her own life.
Cold rain drumming on her scalp, covering her body like a cape, there was no other choice but to fall to her knees, hands in the mud and head bowed. Eyes on the ground, Wesley screamed in denial despite his gag, but she ignored him. Calvi came forward until shoes appeared in her line of vision. How she hoped to be fast enough to take him down, but in her current posture, he had the advantage.
“Now, Lady MacKinnon, you assume the right position. Look up at me and beg. Beg me to spare his life, beg me to take yours instead.”
Mac sat on her heels, her eyes on her muddy hands slowly being rinsed away by the rain before glancing up. Her gaze caught on Wes, now lying on his side, trying desperately to get free.
“I’m begging now. Spare his life, take mine instead, let’s end this once and for all.” Her voice sounded so calm and resigned, she barely recognized it.
“Not good enough, you ought to do better.” Calvi grabbed his gun and fired in Wesley’s direction. The bullet avoided his head by mere inches. Mac shouted. It wasn’t difficult to let panic and desperation color her voice.
“Please! I beg you, I’ll do anything. Please let him go! I’ll do as you say, I’ll offer you the rest of my life so to see him free.”
Tears blended with the rain when she pleaded. Calvi threw his head back, laughing at her, laughing at what he had accomplished. Mac braced. She only needed a split second, and it was given to her. She punched him between the legs and as he screamed, she threw herself at him, making them both fall to the ground. Mac grabbed his gun and twisted as Calvi shot round after round, probably in hope of killing Wesley or hitting her. When she finally heard the clicking sound, she elbowed him in the throat as he tried to restrain her. She was definitely smaller than her opponent, but she could make up with her speed. She rolled enough to evade his hands and then turn to punch him twice, once in the face, one in the gut. As he fell to one knee, Mac scrambled for Wes.
She saw the knife she had thrown aside, and crawled to retrieve it as she reached him. As she finally was but a hair’s breath from touching him, something hit her on the head, and everything went black.
Chapter 35
Mac woke with a start, blood pumping through her veins, a rush of adrenaline in her system. Calvi! Wes!
Her movement stopped when she realized that she was in her bed, at Mirth Castle. Did she imagine what happened? Was this only a nightmare? When she looked at her hands, bloody and scarred as well as the pain emanating from her bruised body, reminding her to slow down, she realized that her nightmare had been real.
Wes. Where is he?
“Calm down! Mac, look at me!” Gabrielle’s voice cut through the panic and soft hands kept her immobile.
“Wes! Where is he? What happened?”
Gabrielle shook her head and sat on the bed.
“We don’t know where he is. Not yet.”
Part of her constricted heart relaxed a little. If he wasn’t found yet, that meant he was still alive. And still a prisoner of Calvi. The thought of that madman only touching him … This was all her fault. She had failed again.
Mac forced herself to dismiss her tormented body and got out of bed, not even concerned about her nakedness. Ignoring Gabrielle, she grabbed a pair of jeans in her dresser and underwear and started dressing. A pounding headache drummed at her to slow down and take it easy.
“Mac, there is nothing else you can do. We have to wait. Last night—”
She turned, fury on her face. “Don’t. I don’t need to listen to you telling me it was a bad idea that I should have come to you with a plan. There was no possible plan.”
“Your idea was to sacrifice yourself. That was no plan.”
“It was the only way to get to Wes.”
Mac checked outside. The rain had subsided, but the heavy clouds swirled, announcing more downpours.
“I guess that if I’m alive it is because you have found the cell phone with the coordinates.”
“Yes. It took us a moment to see that you were gone. But when we did, we realized that the only way you could have exited was through the front door, where we discovered Wes’ cell phone and your clue.”
Mac chose a thick sweater and her old canvas coat before putting her boots on.
“What happened next, when you arrived on site?”
Gabrielle stood. “You were unconscious. Two men were dead and two of their vehicles were still there. From what we analyzed before the rain started washing off the tracks, one car escaped. It’s not a long stretch that Calvi contacted you after he had grabbed Wes, asking for a trade off.”
“How did they capture Wes?”
“I suspect he was waiting outside the castle for him. When one of the guards stopped responding, Wes went to take a look and never came back. It’s probably soon after that you received Wes’ phone and got that call before fleeing.”
“And that is the stupidest thing you ever did, Mac.”
Mac turned to see Lance enter the room.
“And what was my other option? Not go? He has Wes.”
“I know, but you can’t deal with Calvi alone. I feel I’m repeating myself, over and over with you.”
“I wasn’t going to fight. I wanted to do a trade off. Wes’ life for mine. And then his goons jumped on me. I thought I had killed all three of them, but I wasn’t thorough it seems. A
nd as Calvi attacked me, I had a chance. I overpowered him. I was about to free Wes when someone knocked me unconscious.”
Lance rubbed his face, but it didn’t dispel the fury.
“And you think that it’s what Wes would want? Sacrificing your life for him? He would do anything to prevent you from doing that. Not for anyone, not for him.”
“Well, it’s a good thing Wes doesn’t have a vote on this.”
Gabrielle touched her shoulder. “We will find him. You have to believe in this.”
