Chapter 17

17

" D oes it feel good tae be back?" Gavin asked. Finlay glared at him. They rode through the village at a slow pace, halted constantly by the undulating crowd that never ended. They were accompanied by another of Murdoch's guards, so Finlay's hopes of escaping were slimmer. He wasn't willing to do anything drastic anyway, not when the safety of his father and Anne depended on him fulfilling Murdoch's wishes. He had done many nefarious things over the years, but those had all been in the name of survival. This was different. He wasn't some common criminal, and he definitely didn't want to be lumped in with Murdoch's lot.

And worse, by the end of all this, Anne would find out the truth about him. Whatever hope of love had fluttered in his heart would be dispelled and he would go back to being the shadow of the man he used to be.

"Oh, it's grand," he said dryly, turning away from Gavin. He didn't want to look at the man. All these years Finlay had wondered how one of his own could have accused him of doing something he hadn't done. He had racked his brains trying to think of who might have seen him as an enemy, but hadn't been able to come up with anyone. He never even considered Gavin. The two men had patrolled the keep together. They had shared brandy to keep them warm on cold nights and shared bawdy jokes with each other. In retrospect, he should have known it was Gavin as the man had often passed envious glances at the treasury whenever they passed it, remarking that the Laird had so many treasures that he should share them with his people. Finlay had just thought it regular grumbling at the time, but clearly, it had been more than that.

"Sae ye switched yer loyalties tae Murdoch?" Finlay asked.

Gavin rolled his shoulders. "He tends tae treat his men better. He lets us get away with whatever we want, while the Laird is still stingy with his wages. I mean, look at all of this," he gestured around to the celebration, "he can afford tae put on a feast like this, but does he share with anyone else? He likes calling himself generous, but that generosity hae never found its way tae me."

"Sae instead ye betrayed me, ruined my life and my reputation."

"Life is a war, Finlay. It was naething personal. I dinnae even think they would discover the sword was stolen. When they did, I hae tae think quickly. Ye would hae done the same thing in my position."

Finlay looked at Gavin with a level gaze. "Nae, Gavin, I would nae," he said softly. Gavin looked away and avoided looking directly at Finlay until they reached the keep. They rode around the building, avoiding the main entrance because the servants were carrying out grand platters of food. The amusements had already started outside, with jesters plying their trade and making people laugh. A tight crowd gathered, but it was easier to move once they reached the servant's entrance, which was hidden away from the distracted eyes of the crowd.

Finlay had spent many days and nights patrolling this route, making sure that no villains dared intrude upon the keep. Now he was one of the men he used to protect the keep from. The irony was not lost on him, and he wished there was a better way. But even if he tried to alert the guards, they wouldn't believe him. Instead, they would take him into custody for stealing the sword in the first place, and they would never believe him if he tried to blame Gavin. Even if he did manage to get the matter straightened out, Murdoch would have ample opportunity to punish Brandon and Anne in the meantime. The only thing Finlay could do was carry out this task and then hope that an opportunity presented itself to take revenge against Murdoch's actions and make sure that Anne was safe.

Hopefully, by now she had found her uncle, at least that would afford her some protection.

Finlay and the other bandit were waiting outside while Gavin entered the keep for the main entrance. The servants' door was always kept bolted to stop anyone from sneaking in, so Gavin had to open it from the inside. Gavin had apparently kept his reputation with the Laird intact despite working with Murdoch, so he did not cause any commotion by entering the keep. By now it would be largely deserted anyway, with the guards more concerned about keeping people outside safe. Everyone was here for the celebration and despite the keep's vast size, it was not big enough to hold everyone. The hallways would be empty, the chambers vacant, and everything was ripe for a daring crime. The Laird must have thought that nobody would be stupid enough to try and steal from him when so many people were in attendance, but that was a sign of arrogance on his part. He should have known better than to underestimate Murdoch's avarice.

"Ye are here? Ye monster," a voice filled with rage sounded behind him. Finlay turned to find Rory standing there, bristling with anger. He was only a boy, yet boys could be dangerous too. Rory scowled. He looked like a wild animal. Finlay was confused.

"What are ye daeing here, lad? Ye should get away," Finlay tried to warn him, knowing that Murdoch would not like unexpected occurrences in his plans. He knew the bandit beside him was already reaching for his sword, and goodness knows what Gavin would have thought if he opened the door to find Rory standing there. He would probably act before he had a chance to think, and that would be bad news for Finlay and Rory.

"I came here tae get help for Anne, because ye hae endangered her life," Rory said, jabbing a finger in the air.

"What? I hae done nae such thing," Finlay protested.

"She's with Murdoch right now, being held in his tavern. She went tae pay yer debt. She tried tae save ye, but ye are nae even a prisoner," Rory's voice was filled with disdain. Despite being young, he had a strong moral code and it was clear he had no sympathy at all for Finlay. He was right to do so as well, Finlay thought, for Anne was in danger. Finlay noticed they had been together from the beginning. It had struck him as odd that the merchant would allow his niece to wander through the world with a young apprentice as her only companion, but clearly, he was fiercely devoted to her and willing to protect her.

"Ye should gae back tae where ye came from, boy," the bandit hissed. Rory ignored him though. He only had eyes for Finlay.

"She trusted ye. Dae ye know how much she sacrificed tae help ye?"

"I…I never asked her tae."

"Ye dinnae need tae," Rory said. He had closed the distance between them to just a few feet. The other bandit bristled with tension. Finlay couldn't think straight. He was filled with immense guilt. It pervaded his heart and made him sick to the stomach. Anne should have known better than to interfere like this. She should never have tried to approach Murdoch. What was she thinking?

He knew exactly what she was thinking, and it was a bittersweet feeling because his heart soared with elation, just as it drowned in the depths of despair. The only reason he could think of why she did this was because she loved him, because she thought that he was the son of a Laird and would likely marry her if she saved his life. The passion they shared had touched her heart and she had been unable to ignore it, even when he told her that he could not marry her, even when he tried to pull away from her. But there was something tethering them together, something that neither of them could deny, but it had put them both in danger.

The fear and unease he felt quickly turned to anger. The only reason he had agreed to help Murdoch was to ensure the safety of the people he cared about, but Murdoch had gone against that agreement already.

"I should kill ye," Rory said, whipping his dagger out. The point gleamed, but Finlay groaned inwardly. It was the worst thing he could have done. As soon as the dagger was presented, the bandit beside him drew his sword and prepared to fight Rory. Rory, for all his heart, was just a boy. Finlay had to do something.

"The deal's off," he said quickly as he grabbed the bandit's wrist and bent it around behind his back, twisting it so sharply that he dislocated the bone. The bandit cried out in pain and dropped the sword. Finlay picked it up, twisted the blade around, and drove it through the bandit's stomach. He slammed the man into a wall, and when he stepped back, the bandit slumped lifelessly to the ground, a crimson shadow covering his stomach. Finlay glanced towards the door, knowing that Gavin would open it soon.

He grabbed Rory's arm, intending to lead him back to the horse. "Come on," Finlay urged. Rory was shocked to have seen the swift, brutal act of violence. His face was pale.

"Where…where are ye gaeing?"

"Tae save Anne. Now come with me, otherwise, ye will be in more trouble," Finlay said. The animosity between them seemed to have faded for the moment. When they reached the horse, Finlay quickly told Rory about the deal he had made with Murdoch, and how he had made it with the guarantee that Anne would be safe from harm. He promised Rory that he would save Anne, and together they rode back to the tavern. It wouldn't be long before Gavin discovered what had happened, so he would be hot-footing back to the tavern as well to tell Murdoch that Finlay had betrayed them. But it was Murdoch who had betrayed Finlay, and Finlay wasn't going to let him get away with it. Finlay had run away once before, believing it to be his only way out. This time he was rushing back into the lion's den. The more he thought of Anne being in trouble, the more desperate he became.

They alighted from the horse and he told Rory to stay quiet and to get Anne to safety as quickly as possible. "Things might gae awry in there, and if they dae, I dinnae want ye tae get ideas of bravery above yer station. Just get Anne out of there and gae somewhere safe. I'm the one that Murdoch really wants," Finlay said. He knew he might well have been walking towards his doom, but it was the only thing he could do.

He kicked the door open and walked into the tavern. All eyes were on him. He went straight up to Murdoch.

"Back already?" Murdoch asked, a suspicious gleam in his eye, especially when he saw that Finlay was not accompanied by the men Murdoch had sent with him.

"Ye broke the deal, Murdoch. I know she's here. Ye said she would nae be harmed."

"And she is nae. I hae nae touched a hair on her bonny head. I just thought I would keep her here tae make sure ye followed through with the task, and with other jobs I may hae for ye in the future."

Finlay pressed his lips together. He knew he couldn't fight his way out of this, not with the number of men Murdoch commanded, but perhaps there was another way. It only required him to sacrifice his freedom.

"Ye hae my word that I will be loyal tae ye, Murdoch. I'll dae anything ye want, as long as ye let her gae. I'll work for ye and dae any task ye assign me, nae matter how grim or how illegal. Just let her gae," he said, and he meant every word.