Chapter Twenty-One

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

" W hy daenae ye let me come with ye?" Hannah pleaded, as she watched Alistair ready his horse.

He knew that her eyes were on him, burning into the back of his head. When he finally turned around, he couldn't look at her. So, instead, he locked his gaze with Felix's.

"Sometimes, I daenae ken how to make this lass see reason," Alistair murmured to his brother, but then hastily turned his focus back on Hannah. "This is a dangerous affair. I cannae have ye by me side, worrying whether somethin' might happen to ye."

"I can take care of meself," Hannah retorted, much to his chagrin. All he was trying to do was assure her safety, so he could focus on the task at hand. But things were never easy with a woman such as Hannah.

As if reading his mind, Hannah added. "And Olivia is me sister. I have to help her. I ken that I was out of me wits when I found out what happened and I dinnae ken what to do, but I'm calm now. I can help ye get me sister back."

"I understand how ye feel," Alistair spoke softly, walking over to her. "But to be quite honest, I would rather have only one woman to worry about while I am… explainin' things to that rotter. I need ye to remain here, where it is safe." He suddenly cupped her face with his hands, bringing it closer to his. "Promise me ye'll stay here, with Felix, in case Olivia sees sense and comes back while I'm away."

Hannah frowned. "I doubt that will happen."

"Stranger things have happened," he grinned. "Ye and I got married."

She chuckled. He was glad that he managed to make her smile at such a bleak moment. "There we go," he told her. "Now, daenae worry. Things will turn out all right. I promised I would bring Olivia back, dinnae I?"

"Aye," she nodded, her eyes sparkling with love and hope. Seeing her like this, he didn't want to go. He didn't want to leave her. But he gave his promise, and he had every intention of keeping it.

"Ye ken that I always keep me promises, no matter what," he assured her, to which she merely nodded, gazing at him with utter devotion. "Now, I am givin' ye both orders to stay here at the castle," Alistair glanced at his brother as well, whom he knew also wanted to join him on this quest. But Alistair felt that it might be perilous, and he didn't want to put anyone else's life in danger. "I am countin' on ye to take care of things while I'm gone. Do I have yer promise?"

He waited for a moment because he could tell that they were both hesitant to make such a promise. But then, they both agreed. They gave him their word, and this put his mind at ease that he would take care of this himself, which was the best way. If something happened to him, he would be the only one getting hurt. He couldn't risk anything happening to Hannah. He would never forgive himself. That was why she needed to stay where it was safe, as far away from danger as possible.

"All right then," Alistair said, climbing his steed, which immediately neighed softly. He patted the animal's head tenderly, calming it down. They had a long road ahead of them, but he knew this horse from when he was a foal. They grew up together. They would do this together and come back victorious. At least, that was the plan.

"Do ye think ye will be able to catch up to them?" Hannah asked, her face revealing how afraid she was of what the answer might be.

"They have several hours of an advantage," Alistair admitted, not wanting to tell her a lie, so at least she would know what to expect, "but I'm nae worried. They traveled during the night, which means that they dinnae sleep. They probably wanted to get as far as possible, before stopping to rest. If I ride past the first two of three inns on the way, I'm certain I'll find them in the next one."

"Oh, I do hope ye are right," Hannah sighed. "This is all me fault…"

"None of this is yer fault," Alistair reminded her again, steadying the horse which, just like him, was eager to get going and catch up to that vile man. He understood that need. But he also needed to make sure that Hannah was well before he left. "Ye cannae be responsible for what other people do with their lives, even if those people are yer family."

Hannah looked up at him gratefully, not saying anything. She stepped away from the horse, giving him space to move. Felix stood by her side, wrapping his arm around her shoulder in a comforting manner. Alistair nodded at them both, then galloped away, leaving Castle McCann in the distance behind him.

He had enough provisions for several days, but he knew he needed to rest as well. That was why after the first three hours of riding, he stopped at the first inn, if for nothing else, then to stretch his legs as well as to ask about Colby and Olivia. He explained to the inn keeper who he was looking for and what they looked like. He even offered compensation for any information that might lead him to them. However, none of it yielded any result.

"Nay," the heavily set, bearded innkeeper shook his head at Alistair, upon being asked if he had any guests who resembled their description in the last several hours. "I dinnae see 'em."

Alistair nodded gratefully, considered having a drink, but immediately opted against it. He needed to be levelheaded for the upcoming feat. He didn't know the man, so he didn't know how dangerous he was. And underestimating one's opponent was the worst mistake a man could do in a situation such as this one.

He got the same response from the next inn he reached. The innkeeper shook his head at Alistair, even after he offered to pay the man a sum for this very important information. However, the fates looked benevolently upon Alistair when he entered the third inn. He had been riding for hours and knew he could not do so for much longer. However, he had to keep going. It wasn't only his promise to Hannah that provided him with additional strength, but it was also pure love. He wanted to return to her and tell her how he truly felt about her. But he needed to take care of business first.

"Ye say a young lass with an Englishman?" the third innkeeper repeated Alistair's question. It was obvious from the tone of his voice that he was not keen on the British. Alistair could understand that. But right now, he had to focus on the matter at hand and not delve into discussions regarding issues of national importance.

"Aye," Alistair confirmed. "Are they here?" he lowered his voice as he spoke, looking around, half-expecting to see either of them. But there was no familiar face about.

The innkeeper looked in the direction of the staircase. "They arrived early in the morn, paying immediately."

Alistair frowned. He knew why Colby would pay in advance: because he wanted to leave at any moment, without having to notify the innkeeper.

"Are they still here?" Alistair asked desperately.

"I think so," the innkeeper nodded. "I mean, I havenae seen 'em come down. But then again, I havenae been here all day, so I wouldnae ken. The first door to the left."

"Thank ye," Alistair quickly reached into the pouch that hung around his waist and extracted the innkeeper's reward in the form of monetary compensation. The man seemed pleased.

"Is the lass yer sister?" the innkeeper asked knowingly.

"Somethin' like that," Alistair had no time for explanations, but he didn't want to be curt with the man who helped him. "I need to speak to him."

"I figured ye did," the man grinned, then stopped wiping a glass with a dirty rag. "I had a man do that to me own sister. Wanted to take her to Gretna Green, the bastard. I dinnae let him." He paused importantly, giving Alistair a knowing look. "If I hear any commotion from upstairs, nae one will be comin' to help him."

Alistair nodded back in appreciation. He turned around, readying himself mentally when suddenly the doors to the inn opened, and the sight made his jaw drop to the ground.

"Hannah!?" he exclaimed, walking over to her and pulling her to the side. A moment later, Felix rushed into the inn as well.

"If this isnae a fine reunion!" Alistair growled, endeavoring to keep his voice down, because there were other people at the inn, and he wanted to keep their business private. "What are ye two doing here?" he growled through clenched teeth. "I thought I told ye to stay home!"

Hannah knew that Alistair would be mad. In fact, he would be downright furious. But she couldn't stay true to her promise. She couldn't stay home, not when Olivia needed her help.

Felix looked at Alistair apologetically, explaining what had happened. "She snuck out, grabbed a horse and galloped away. It took me a good fifteen minutes to figure out what she did, and then, by the time I had caught up with her, we were already an hour away from home."

"Daenae blame Felix for anythin'," Hannah had to take the blame onto herself, because it was true. Felix wanted to keep them both at home. He trusted that Alistair could handle it on his own. Hannah trusted him as well, but she wanted to be by his side. She wanted to show him that it would be better if they handled life's problems together, instead of being apart.

Alistair was furious. "I blame him for not keepin' an eye on ye as I asked him to. As for yerself, ye broke yer promise to me."

"I'm sorry," Hannah felt horrible, but there was no way around this.

"Why did ye do that, Hannah?" He grabbed her by the shoulders, making sure he didn't do it too hard. She could feel his fingers dig into her skin, but he was gentle. He was worried. He was afraid something might happen to her. That was all because he cared about her. This thought filled her with joy and hope.

"I ken ye are mad at me," Hannah said tenderly. "And I broke me promise. But please, let's not waste time. We need to keep goin' and find Olivia… together."

Alistair raked his fingers through his hair nervously. "She is here. I mean, they are here."

"They are!?" Hannah exclaimed so loudly that a small group of men from a nearby table turned to look at them.

Alistair instantly sent them a poisonous glare, forcing them to look away and realize that this was none of their concern. Hannah appreciated his gesture. She knew that they didn't need a curious audience following their every move. They needed to do this silently. Olivia's reputation depended on it.

"We need to get her immediately!" Hannah added, more quietly, but it was difficult to be excited, afraid, and silent at the same time.

She had no idea how she would explain all this to Hunter. He would be even more furious than Alistair. He might also blame her. But she couldn't focus on that now. She would worry about that when the time comes.

"We will," Alistair nodded calmly. She couldn't imagine how difficult it must have been for him to be the composed one in this messy situation. She appreciated it more than she could ever explain in mere words. "But first we have to see if they haven't left already."

"What are we waitin' for?" Hannah asked impatiently. She had much less self-control than him. "We have to go."

Without waiting for him, she rushed towards the stairs, and climbed up. There were several doors, all of which were closed. She turned to Alistair for help. He gestured at the first door to the left. Then, he pressed his finger to his lips and pointed at his ear. She nodded.

Silently, she tiptoed to the door and leaned against it, in an effort to listen in to any sounds or words that might come from inside. She waited with her heart in her throat, making it increasingly more difficult to breathe. Her own heartbeat drummed inside her head. She feared she might not be able to hear anything other than that, but suddenly, there it was.

"… shut up…" someone said. "… bothering me… waiting…"

She frowned. Was that Colby? Was he talking to Olivia in such a manner? She was furious. She felt like breaking down the door and squeezing the life out of him herself. But she knew that wouldn't be the right strategy. Alistair knew more about situations like this, where one had to fight someone.

She gestured at him to come to her. He did so. Now, they were both listening in on the conversation taking place inside the room.

"… go back…" Hannah thought she heard Olivia's voice. She pressed her hand to her lips, trying to suffocate a gasp.

"…no going back…" Colby's voice was heard. "…sit here and wait… been waiting for too long… revenge…"

Hannah frowned. Did she hear that right? Was Colby talking about revenge? Perhaps Hunter did something to him and now Colby wanted to get even by hurting Hunter's sister? Hannah didn't understand anything, but she knew that she was losing her patience.

She pulled away from the door, looking at the doorknob. She glanced at Alistair for permission. Felix was behind him, ready as well. Alistair nodded.

Hannah tried to open the door, but it was locked. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Move," Alistair instructed quickly.

She immediately did as she was told, knowing that they didn't have a single moment to lose. She stepped aside with Felix, watching as Alistair used the entire weight of his body to break down the door. It gave way easily, the hinges on the sides already well rusted in time.

When they barged in through the door, Olivia was shocked to see them.

"Hannah!" Olivia cried desperately.

Hannah could instantly see that Olivia had been crying. Her eyes were red and swollen. Hannah was even more enraged than before. But then, she realized that Colby wasn't surprised to see them at all. In fact, it seemed as if he had been waiting for them all this time and was slowly starting to lose his patience.

"Finally." Colby smirked at them. "I thought you would never arrive."