Highland Song (45 page)

I can't tell him I love him. I already made that mistake. He believes in passion not love.

"Of the storm," she said quickly. "They've always terrified me."

Slade pulled her close. "You're shivering," he said. "I won't let the storm in tonight. I promise."

Lainie let her forehead rest on his chest, allowing herself a moment's respite from all that had been happening to her. She let his strength comfort her and the knowledge that he'd put himself in danger to protect her. And she tried to memorize everything about him. She understood he would leave her soon. All that would be left for her would be the memories.

"I never thought you would take me home," she told him, breathing in his warmth.

"Bertram had no evidence against you. He would have ruined you then tossed you aside. I couldn't let that happen."

Lainie pushed away and looked at Slade, warmth shivering in her heart for this elusive man who would walk out of her life. Who would in his own way
ruin
her and toss her aside. But he justified all that he did because he believed he had not hurt her.

"I will finish the trip home by myself," she said, suddenly wanting to end the relationship between them before her brothers would see both the love and hopelessness in her eyes.

"No!" Slade gripped her shoulders.

She inhaled a swift, deep breath, surprised by the vehemence she heard in his tone.

"You can say I got away. Then you would not have to explain your actions to anyone."

He laughed. "No one would believe me."

"Your reputation is that great?" she queried with soft laughter, trying to hide the tears welling in the back of her throat.

"We are still a long ways from home. Jericho may be following, and others who think to collect the bounty on your head." Slade brushed her lips with a quick hot kiss. "It's too dangerous. I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you."

"Lainie. Lainie MacPherson! Are you inside?”

Sudden pounding on the door and shouting from the hallway surprised Lainie. Slade's hand went to the hilt of his sword. He strode to the door before Lainie could inhale a breath of air and tell Slade it was no one to be worried about, because she recognized the voice.

Lainie regained her composure and rushed forward, stepping between Slade and the door.

"'Tis no one to worry over, Slade. I know this man. 'Tis one of my brother's men."

She turned to the door, unwilling to wait to see if Slade believed her. "Lachlan," she called out. "Is it really you?"

Lainie opened the door and bolted into the man's arms, giving him a quick fierce hug.

"Aye, 'tis me," he said, pushing Lainie aside and pulling his sword.

Slade was ready for him. His fist caught Lachlan in the jaw, the man's sword dropping to the ground with a resounding crash. Lachlan fell but quickly regained his footing.

"Nay," Lainie cried out trying to put herself between the two men. "Don't fight. You are both my friends."

"Stay out of this, lass," Lachlan growled. "The
mon
has dishonored ye and I intend to make him pay."

"You don't understand," Lainie grasped onto Lachlan's arm. "He has done no such thing. He has saved my life and is taking me home."

"Stay out of this, little darling," Slade warned, his fists clenched tight by his sides.

Lainie stumbled backwards, watching the two men pummel each other until one had blood running from his mouth and other from his nose. She closed her eyes and once more and cursed men who seemed to have nothing better to do than to fight each other over something that had happened too far in the past to mean anything.

Finally, Slade stood over Lachlan, who had fallen to his knees, seemingly unable to rise.

"The pair of you
are
fools," Lainie said with disgust.

Slade grinned and wiped the blood from his face. "Your honor needed defending."

"'Tis what I was doing," Lachlan stood. "Who are ye?" he growled low in his throat.

Slade held out his hand. "Aaron Slade."

"'Tis what I thought. I heard you were bringing the lass to Bertram. I'm not going to let
ye
."

"He changed his mind." Lainie said, her face suddenly coloring with the memories.

Lachlan's hands fisted. "'Tis just as I thought."

"Nay, Lachlan. Slade is on my side."

"Is he planning on wedding
ye
then? My offer still stands," Lachlan said. "I always cared for
ye
, lass."

Without warning, Slade's hit Lachlan a blow that leveled the big man.

Slade swore and turned back to the window, his forehead resting on the frame and his hands tight fists against the wall.

Lainie bent to check on Lachlan. "Are you all right?" she asked, tenderly brushing hair from his face and dabbing the blood away from his would with a cloth.

She heard Slade swear again.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Lachlan rose from the floor, settled on a chair and leaned back, looking fully relaxed with his hands behind his head, smiling. "Now that I know you're here, lass, I'm going to see ye home, and" staring at Slade, "I'm going to make sure that
mon
stays far away from ye."

Slade turned from the window and strode from the room, the door slamming woodenly behind him.

Chapter Eighteen

All night Slade was restless. He paced the small confines of the room, stopping to look out the window then walking again. By the time the morning sun had risen, nothing had changed. Slate gray storm clouds hovered low to the ground but no moisture fell from them.
A heaviness
seemed to settle in the pit of his stomach.

"Time to get up," Slade bent by Lainie's bed and whispered close to her ear, soaking up the scent of roses.

Without a word, Lainie rose and dressed quickly then Slade walked to Lachlan's room to waken him. Hawke's man was awake and fully clothed standing by the window. He leaned on the frame, and seemed to be watching the meadow and the rolling hills beyond.

Slade and Lainie walked up to Lachlan. Slade handed Lainie the lightweight sword he'd given her earlier and nodded a confirmation to Lachlan.

"Stay with Lainie," he told Lachlan. "Make sure she gets home."

A grim expression crossed Lachlan's face. "Don't take to long," he said. "I'll keep her safe."

"I'm going with you," Lainie said. "After all this you cannot leave me behind."

"It's too dangerous," Slade said,

"But…"

"Promise me you will stay with Lachlan," he interrupted urgently. "I don't want to mistake you for one of Jericho's men."

"What if something happens to you? Who will…
"

"Can you recognize the call of a Hawke?" Slade asked.

Lainie nodded. "My brother's nickname is Hawke. That's how my brothers gave signals."

"If you don't hear anything, slice anyone who comes in this room." Slade wasn't looking at Lainie though. He was watching Lachlan and the single nod the big man gave him as if he also understood the words Slade wasn't saying.

If I don't come back by nightfall, take her and keep her safe.

Lainie closed her eyes, then opened them and looked at Slade as though she were terrified it was the last time she would see him.

"How long will you be gone?" she asked.

"I'll be back before the sun sets."

Slade turned away for a moment, then turned back and gave Lainie a kiss that was both gentle and fierce. Tenderly, he pushed a wayward strand of her hair behind her ear and let his hand linger for a moment.

"Don't follow me. Be here when I get back, little darling,"

Lainie's arms tightened painfully around Slade before she let go and stepped back.

"I'll be here." But she could barely hold back the tears welling deep inside.

Without another word, Slade turned and walked out the door. He moved quickly down the stairway and with a brief word to the innkeeper, he was outside. Keeping to the cover provided by the forest, he moved quickly, tracing the path they'd traveled the day before.

Slade came to the place where the loch began, it gentle waters lapping on the beach. He hunkered down for a few moments and listened to the sound of the wind in the trees and the call of the birds. Except for the noises that were supposed to there, all was silent--eerily silent. The hair on the back of his neck stiffened.

A game trail wound along the beach skirting the edges.

Slade stayed in the shadows of the grasses and waited motionless. He caught the scent of smoke on the breeze and the faint sound of men.

Slade settled more deeply into cover. A short time later, two men appeared along the trail. The riders were tough and gaunt, tattered remnants of Bertram's colors hung from their shoulders. As they rode, they seemed to study the ground and the surrounding countryside. Each man carried a broadsword.

One of the men was familiar to Slade. It didn't surprise Slade that Red was still tracking them.

The other man was known to Slade only by reputation. He was mean and ornery--a man with few scruples.

Conversation was difficult to understand. He heard parts and then silence. He had to piece the conversation together to make any sense of it.

"Boss says he wants…bring back," Red said. "Hell is where…"

"Share and share…don't want to wait…" The other man said. "Women they're all…"

The silence was accompanied by the occasional sound of leather creaking as the horses moved down the trail. Slade was afraid Red would notice something odd if they kept going until they were abreast of him. But the men dismounted before they reached the end of the loch. Unless Red did some scouting of his own, they were too far away to notice him. But there words, floating down with the breeze were easier to understand.

"No point in waiting until tomorrow to go after them. They aren't coming back this way. The closer they get to MacPherson land, the harder it will be to bring the girl back to Bertram," Red said. "And after all this work, I want her."

"We have to wait for the rest of the men."

"No, we can ride right into their camp and take what we want. They won't be expecting us. Two against one," Red said lightly. "I've always liked those odds."

"You saw how fast Slade moves. He's worth two men all by himself."

"That's why we have to catch him by surprise," Red went on. "And we can have the girl first. Bertram won't know the difference. Hear tell he had her once and now he can't get enough her."

For a time, there was only silence and the sound of the restless wind. A horse snorted and stamped its foot.

Slade waited motionless to see if they would set up camp or keep moving.

"You really think that Slade fellow could take us down?"

"Bloody hell, but I know he can. He's faster than lightening," Red said emphatically. "I'll take my chances when we have the rest of the men with us."

Silently Slade wished that he had killed a few more of Jericho's men that night in the tavern in Ayr. It would have meant fewer men to deal with now.

On the other hand, there was never any lack of lazy, greedy, or cruel men to fatten the ranks of mercenaries led by men like Jericho.

"What about the little gal's brothers. Heard tell they don't take lightly to anyone messing with what's theirs."

"That ever stopped you before?" Red asked with a grunt. "Hell, the MacPherson lass broke with her family a long time ago."

"No and it won't stop me now as long as they're not around to put their swords with Slade's. Family is family, and in the highlands, you don't mess with the clans. Were on MacPherson land now and that could mean real trouble."

"Heard tell the brothers might be after Slade. If he's been having a little too much fun with their sister," Red said, pausing to search the landscape before he continued. "Then that would give us more power."

"The MacPhersons aren't stupid. They know we're after the girl to bring her back to the general, and they know there is a bounty on her head. They won't be on our side."

Slade heard a grunt of what sounded like agreement. Then there was another silence and a round of coughing and gasping as the men took a pull on the drinks they had brought with them then more silence.

Slade waited with the patience of a man whose life depended on it--and while he waited, he wished he had Stephan by his side or at least his ability to move without making a sound. He would have given a great deal to slide up and slit Red's throat.

Slade waited for a long time and listened to the two mercenaries argue about attacking tonight or waiting until daylight and reinforcements. Then Slade slowly moved away, backing down the trail, using the night sounds to cover any noise he might make.

When Slade got back to the inn, he circled around gave the cry of a hawk and came in from the back door. Lainie and Lachlan were waiting with swords drawn. As soon as she saw him, she dropped the weapon and ran to him, throwing
herself
into his arms. He wrapped her up against his chest and held on hard. When he finally released her, she watched him with eyes that read him too well.

"Jericho." It wasn't a question.

"Jericho," Slade told her. He's got two men settled down at the north end of the loch, waiting for him to bring the rest of them. They know we're close and probably suspect the Inn."

"Do they know I'm here?" Lachlan asked.

"I don't think so." Slade said.

"What are we going to do?" Lainie asked.

"We're going to use Lachlan as a decoy and get the hell out of here."

~ * ~

Lainie waited at the point where the trail from the inn merged with another well-traveled road that skirted MacPherson land. Slade's plan was for Lachlan to take a northward more direct route and they would follow, taking a parallel path and hope that they fooled Red. The trail wasn't easy, but nothing they had done so far had been easy.

The sound of Slade covering their tracks was both reassuring and frustrating when all she wanted to do was ride hard and fast. Thoughts that those men would treat her the same way Bertram had, sent a cold chill down Lainie's spine she couldn't vanquish. She leaned forward and called out to him, hesitating to make too much noise but afraid for him if Red caught him.