Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

" I 've got it!"

The door of Evan's room had hardly closed behind her when Bonnie pulled the key out of her pocket and held it up triumphantly, grinning from ear to ear. She had been waiting all day to get him and Alaric alone, and now that they were done with dinner, she finally had the chance to slip into his chambers unnoticed.

Evan and Alaric both stood from their chairs and approached, Evan plucking the key from Bonnie's hand to take a better look.

"Are ye certain this is it?" he asked.

"How could I ken?" Bonnie said with a roll of her eyes. "He said he always has it on him an' that was the only key he had on him . . . in his coat, at least. It isnae as if I could ask him if it's the right one!"

As she spoke, Bonnie snatched the key back from Evan, holding it behind her back. For a moment, he stared at her and when he lunged for the key, Bonnie was ready for it, taking a swift step back, much to his irritation.

"Why were ye watchin' us?" she asked, knowing it would be more effective to hold onto the key if she wanted an answer from him. "Did ye nae think that ye could have ruined everythin'? After all the trouble I put meself through tae get this key!"

"Ye were watchin' them?" Alaric asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

Evan stood with his hands on his hips, glaring at the two of them. "We are meant tae be watchin' Ruthven, in case ye have forgotten. I was only doin' what I was supposed tae be doin'."

"Ye were glarin' at him from afar," Bonnie pointed out. "I dinnae understand how ye could ever think such a strategy could help ye."

"Is yer strategy any better?" Evan asked.

"Well, I have the key, so I would say aye, it's much better," Bonnie said.

"Let us nae argue," Alaric said, stepping between them to put an end to their argument. "Now that we have the key, we can go tae the room an' see what we can find."

Bonnie and Evan glared at each other over Alaric's shoulder, at least until Alaric shifted to hide them from each other.

"Enough," Alaric said, turning back and forth to face both of them. "We should go tae the room now."

"Fine." Bonnie handed the key to Alaric, giving him a smile that was more of a baring of teeth. "Here. I'll be waitin' fer ye."

"Yer comin' with us," said Evan, in a tone that implied she had no other option.

Bonnie's eyes narrowed, head tilting to the side. "What dae ye mean? Why would I come with ye?"

"Because someone needs tae keep guard an' it's better tae have two pairs o' eyes over one," said Evan wearily, as if it was perfectly obvious. "Alaric will keep watch an' we will search fer anythin' we can find."

Bonnie shook her head vehemently. "Nay . . . nay, nay, I am nae goin' there with ye. I already stole the key fer ye. Ye can dae this on yer own."

"Yer comin' with us," Evan insisted.

"An' why would I dae as ye say?"

"Be quiet, both o' ye!" Alaric said, a hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Yer givin' me a headache an' yer both shoutin'! What if someone walks by an' hears ye? Be quiet!"

Bonnie's and Evan's mouths snapped shut immediately at the reminder that someone could hear them. At least they both had enough common sense to keep their voices down, Bonnie thought, even as they continued to glare at each other, neither of them willing to back down. She didn't think she would ever manage to understand Evan fully. One day, he was leaning close to her to kiss her and now he was looking at her as though he wanted to murder her.

With a sigh, Alaric turned to Bonnie, giving her a gentle smile that she didn't like at all, already knowing what was to follow.

"I understand that the idea o' lookin' around in Ruthven's things isnae very appealin' an' may even sound dangerous?—"

"It is dangerous," Bonnie corrected.

"An' is dangerous," Alaric said without missing a beat, "but we need ye. It will be easier with ye there. Faster."

"I dinnae even ken what it is I should be lookin' fer."

"Neither dae we," Alaric said with a small shrug. "We will ken when we find it."

"I'd rather nae be involved in this," Bonnie said, trying to refuse as diplomatically as possible.

"Yer already involved," Evan said as he headed to the door, yanking it open. "Come."

Bonnie looked between him and Alaric, who only gave her an apologetic look. It meant little to Bonnie, though, when she knew he, too, wanted her to follow them but was simply not as vocal about it as Evan.

Throwing her hands up in exasperation, Bonnie followed Evan out of the room, Alaric walking close behind. "Dae ye even ken where the room is?" she asked, hoping that they wouldn't have to go around the entire castle testing out the key in the locks.

"We have an idea," Alaric said quietly, even though there was no one else around. "We saw him exit and lock a room two days ago. We think that must be the one."

Evan led them all towards the room, the entire time watching all around them to make sure no one was following. Alaric was doing the same from where he was walking behind Bonnie, the two of them working together seamlessly. In the soft light of the torches that lined the hallways, Bonnie kept thinking that someone was, indeed, following them, every time a shadow stretched over the walls, every time a flame flickered nearby. Soon, though, Evan stopped in front of a narrow, unassuming door not too far from Ruthven's study and pushed the key into the lock, quietly pushing it open.

When he looked at Bonnie and Alaric over his shoulder, he was grinning.

"Quickly," Alaric said, pushing the two of them inside and closing the door. Suddenly, Bonnie and Evan were alone after days of having a buffer between them, and she froze for a moment, uncertain of what to do or say.

Evan didn't seem to have the same internal turmoil as she did, though, and he immediately threw himself to his task, looking through the documents that were piled on a small table by an equally small fireplace. After seeing him, Bonnie began to look through Ruthven's belongings as well, looking into the drawers of the desk.

It was a small room, illuminated only by the moonlight that streamed in through the window, but it was packed to the brim with small cabinets, chests, and papers. Bonnie didn't even know how they could possibly manage to go through it all and find what they were looking for, especially when they could hardly see what they were doing. Once again, the shadows loomed over her, ominous and terrifying, and she swallowed drily around the knot in her throat, trying to convince her heart to slow its erratic beating.

"Good evenin'! Are ye on patrol again?"

Alaric's loud voice made both Bonnie and Evan freeze, the two of them glancing at each other in the darkness of the room. Bonnie could hardly see his expression, but she was certain it was one of fear, just like the one on her face.

Guards . . . dae they ken we are in here?

Silently, Evan approached her, walking slowly so that his footsteps would remain quiet, as well. Then, he placed a hand between her shoulders and steered her behind the desk, pushing her down to the floor before joining her there, huddling behind its large frame. When Bonnie looked at him, Evan raised a finger to his mouth, motioning to her to stay silent.

"Ach, I couldnae sleep!" Alaric said from outside, in response to something Bonnie hadn't heard the guards ask. "I thought I would go fer a walk an' see if it would tire me."

Evan was torturously close, warmth radiating from his body. Bonnie could feel all of it, every tiny shift of muscle, every breath he took, too loud in the quiet of the room. As they knelt there, hiding behind the desk, Evan's hand was still on her back, all solid heat that seeped into her body even through her tunic, and her own breath stuttered, a shiver running through her.

She only hoped Evan couldn't feel it or if he could, then at least that he would blame it on the fear of being caught.

"On the morrow?" Alaric asked, his voice only getting louder the more he spoke. Bonnie wondered if the guards found it strange that he was shouting for no reason, but so far, no one had come in through the door, so she considered that a victory. "Aye, perhaps I could. I'll tell ye in the morn."

The more they stayed there, the closer Evan seemed to lean towards Bonnie, until they were pressed up against each other, sharing the same air. Perhaps it had been Bonnie, too, who leaned closer, seeking any comfort she could find in her terror. When they touched, Evan turned his head to look at her, the two of them staring at each other in silence, his dark eyes glittering in the dim light. Once again, they were close enough to kiss. All Bonnie would have to do was move just a little closer, bridging the gap between them.

She didn't and neither did Evan.

Laughter echoed through the room as Alaric and the guards said their goodbyes, but even after it faded, neither Bonnie not Evan dared to stand from their hiding spot. Only when the door opened a few moments later did Evan move, trying to stand only to bang his head on the ornate arm of the chair that stood next to him, a curse flying past his lips.

"What did ye find?" Alaric asked, closing the door once more behind him. Bonnie was relieved to hear his voice, to know that it was him who had come into the room and not one of the guards.

Dazed and rubbing the top of his head, Evan stood and Bonnie followed him as he walked around the desk. The moment was gone, dissipating like smoke from an extinguished candle, and a part of her was relieved for it. Another part, though, a small, hidden part that she would never acknowledge truly, mourned yet another lost chance to feel Evan's lips against her own.

"Nae much," Evan said in a hushed voice, but then he rummaged through some papers at the same spot where he had previously been looking and handed them to Alaric, who perused them quickly. "Only these letters. But there is so much here. Surely, we can find more proof than this."

"What are these?" Alaric asked. "Did ye manage tae read them?"

"Correspondence between Ruthven an' Balliol," Evan said. "We must read them carefully, but it's all I could find fer now."

"Alright," said Alaric, nodding. "Alright, we will take these an' study them an' then . . . then we'll try tae return here an' find somethin' more."

"Ye must be jestin', surely," Bonnie said, hands on her hips as she stared the other two down. "We're here now. An' we cannae keep the key or Ruthven will begin tae suspect us. We should try tae find out as much as we can."

"There isnae any time," Alaric said. "The guards will be back soon an' we cannae risk them seein' us here. It's too dangerous."

"So is keepin' the key," Bonnie insisted.

"We'll return the key," said Evan. "An' then we will steal it again."

By we , Bonnie had the distinct and unpleasant suspicion that Evan meant her and her alone. She could already imagine his voice as he would try to convince her, claiming that since she had already done it once, she could very easily do it again and not get caught.

Before she could protest any further, Evan grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room, much to Bonnie's irritation. Once they were a few steps down the corridor, she yanked her hand away from his grip and Evan let her go without protest, though she didn't miss the way he rolled his eyes at her.

He was an infuriating man. Even when Bonnie was close to changing his mind about him, he did something to prove that her initial assessment of him had, in fact, been correct. Evan MacGregor was a brute and he would never change.

When they reached their chambers, Evan and Alaric both entered Evan's, leaving the door open for Bonnie to join them. She had no desire to spend another minute in Evan's presence, though, and even Alaric had begun to irritate her with his attitude, as he let Evan do as he wished with her, never once standing up for Bonnie.

But why would he? He's Evan's brother.

Bonnie would do the same for Cathleen, had they been in their shoes. In fact, she had done much worse for her, going along with a scheme that could have hurt several innocent people had she and Cathleen not changed their minds in the end.

Once she was inside her room, she pushed the door shut with a slam, making sure Evan and Alaric would hear it and know just how upset she was. Whether they would care or not, though, was an entirely different matter.