Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

DRAVEN

"I dinnae ken, but dinnae fash yerself. There's a spot in the castle I can tuck ye away iffn it is. Ye'll be safe."

He disnae understand how fucking petrified I am. I'm close to losing it. He keeps saying he trusts me to protect him. Well, Simon trusted me, too, and look where that left him. Taking a dirt nap, six feet under.

He walks up next to me, tucking his hand into the crook o' my arm before letting it trail down my arm to my hand. Grasping it, he looks up at me from just above my elbow. His beautiful face with those full lips and deep, dark, expressive eyes have me wrapped around his little finger. I could stare at him for months and never grow tired. All I want is to drag him back to bed and stay there, locking us away from all the crazy and danger.

Shaking off the trance he has me under, I pull him into the closet, flicking the switch to open the door to secret passage within the walls o' the keep. The ornate mirror mounted to the wall creaks open, and I pull it open further.

"Holy fuck!" he exclaims.

"The family used it for many things over the years, but nae for this purpose for a very long time. We Sinclair's, my mother's family, hid people and also valuables here from the Vikings, the English, and the Jacobites."

He laughs mirthlessly as he peers inside. "So, pretty much everyone."

"We protect our own. Now, get inside. Please."

"Where's it go? How do I get out?"

"There's a latch inside, just there," I say, pointing to the switch on the wall. "If ye follow the passage, ye'll come to a large circular room. Go to the left, it will lead ye down to the coast. Iffn ye go straight, ye'll end up in the stables and the right takes ye downstairs to the atrium. Those are the exits, but there are other rooms and bedchambers that dump into the circular room, too. Iffn ye have to get out, stay on the left passage, and ye'll be fine."

"How do I get out of the passage if I need to?"

"All the latches are the same."

I stare at him incredulously. "A latch? You're shitting me? Your castle has multiple hidden passageways with several secret entrances, and they're only protected by a latch? No locks or keys or I don't know, keypads with a secret code or a retina scanner?"

"It's never been a problem, pojke."

He rolls his eyes at me, shaking his head. "It never is until there is. There's always a first time."

"Och, aye. Now in ye go."

"We'll be discussing security issues when this is all said and done, Draven. I'm surprised you've not had your fool neck slit yet," he scoffs, admonishing me.

The lad is right, but I willnae be telling him that. The bell at the door buzzes through the house again.

"Lilla du, please, get in the damn passage."

Stretching up on his toes and pulling me toward him, he says, "Hurry back to me."

"I will. Get in there and stay quiet. I'll come back for ye?"

"When?"

"As soon as I can, but we arenae expecting anyone and with the cover o' night and the hat the person's wearing, I cannae tell if it is him."

He nods and steps into the passageway, pulling the door closed. Making sure it latches completely to hide the hinges, I take off through the house, racing toward the stairs. On the second floor, I turn away from the grand stairs, choosing to take the back stairs instead. I want a look at whoever is standing at my door.

Stepping off the bottom step in the back hall, I sneak through the downstairs, turning towards the atrium. I should be able get a better look at the nyaff standing on my stoop.

At the windows looking toward the front door, I curse, "Fuck."

The person has their back turned toward me. With the Mackintosh they're wearing hanging open, the coat disguises their shape, so I cannae even tell if it's a man or a woman. Gritting my teeth and looking up to where Tavish is hiding, I decide to nae answer the door. I dinnae want to give them the opportunity to get inside the castle.

Moving into the study, I go out the door on the side o' the house and round the front. Coming at the person from behind. As they turn toward me, their chin down, hiding their face, I call out to them.

"Och, aye! You there! Can I help ye?"

The person disnae answer or come any closer. I step toward them, but they back away.

"I asked ye a question? What can I do for ye?"

The person walks towards the vehicle that's sitting there, idling with its lights off. Never saying a word. Just looking at me. An eerie feeling comes over me, and all I want is to get Tavish. First, though, I need to ken who this person is. There's nae anything to help identify them. That's when I ken something's afoot. Their job here today was to distract me, to pull me in different directions.

Tavish!

Do I run to Tavish, or do I chase down the mystery person who's trying to get away from me?

Since Tavish is safe, locked in the passageway, I go after the person who knocked on our door. I race toward them, slipping on the pea gravel path that leads from the atrium to the parking area near the front door.

They open the driver's door, so I call out, hoping to stop them, "Hey, where are you going?"

They ignore me again, pausing for a moment before getting into the car. Their eyes never leave mine as I close in on their door. The clouds open up as they have multiple times today. Rain pours down on us, running over the car's windows and obscuring my view.

"Wait, dammit!" I yell, but they pay nae head to my words.

It looks as if their mouth is moving as if they're saying something, but I cannot hear the words for the rain in the distance. Even though the car moves forward around the circular drive, I still run toward them, hoping to get them to stop so I can get a good look at the person who seems to have wanted nothing.

As the car passes by me, the driver turns toward me, the side o' their face highlighted in the glow o' the dash. I gasp. It cannae be? Can it?

I watch the taillights o' the car fade into the night, trying, and failing, to convince myself that I didn't just see my sister.

Iffn it was her, why would she not speak to me?

Why would she leave when she only just arrived?

I drop my head back onto my shoulders and prop my hands on my hips and stare at the sky. The stars sparkle on the dark back drop like spilled glitter. I'm at a loss, nae kenning what to do. I could grab the car and give chase, but by the time I went back through the house for the keys, then out to the garage, I'd never find her.

Sighing, I head toward the house and my boy. We need to check the security cameras on the property. Then Tavish needs to do another search for Samuel. Maybe, after all that, I can convince him to head back to the States. If he holes up in his basement lair, then I willnae have to worry about him so much.

I cannae wait to end Samuel. I want this threat to Tavish snuffed out so he and I can enjoy ourselves without the constant worry the evil bastard is hiding around every corner.