She plastered what she hoped was a seductive smile on her face and stepped around the hedge. The guy swung towards her. His gun pointed at her chest. Megan licked her lips and batted her lashes.
“Hey, big boy, fancy a good time?” she said.
The guy looked bewildered for a second before there was a dull crack and he fell face first into the snow.
Megan ran towards him as Claire dropped to her knees beside the guy. She pulled off her gloves and felt his neck.
“He’s alive,” she said on a sigh. “Yay for me.”
“Get the gun,” Megan ordered. “We need to take him inside before they notice he’s missing.”
“How are we going to do that?” Claire picked up the gun—it could have been a rifle, Megan wasn’t sure, but she was damned well going to Google it when her phone was working. Claire used the attached strap and hung the gun over her shoulder like a handbag.
“We have experience with this. If we could haul your abnormally massive husband across a grassy verge when he was unconscious, we can move this guy into the castle.” She eyed the man, noticed his face was still in the snow and turned his head so he didn’t suffocate. “He’s nowhere near as big as Grunt and we can slide him on the snow. Easy peasy. Grab an arm.”
“Fine.” Claire grabbed his arm. “But we need to stop knocking men out and moving them around. It isn’t good for my back. I don’t do enough yoga to deal with this crap.”
“Whatever.”
They slid the man over the snow and back towards the door they’d come through. It was surprisingly easy to get him where they wanted him. Between the snow outside and Caroline’s polished wooden floor, they had him stored in the downstairs toilet in no time at all.
“Help me tie him to the toilet, and then you can go to the pub and get the guys while I interrogate him.”
“He’s out cold. I don’t think he’s up for answering questions.”
They stared at the guy. He was kind of cute. Short brown hair, manly stubble and firm jaw.
“Do you think it’s a gift that we only knock out good-looking guys?” Megan asked.
“Just don’t marry this one,” Claire said. “I don’t think people would appreciate him after he attacked the castle.”
“Grunt kidnapped Jena and people still like him,” Megan pointed out.
“That wasn’t a real kidnapping.”
Megan assessed the guy. He was too big to get onto the toilet, so he’d have to stay on the floor.
“Take off your belt and scarf.”
“I like this scarf,” Claire whined as she unwrapped it. “Grunt bought it for me in Madrid.”
Megan held her hand out until Claire handed it over. Together they made short work of tying his arms around the bottom of the toilet, under the u-bend to make sure he couldn’t get away. Then they tied his ankles to the old iron radiator. There was no way that sucker was coming off the wall.
“Better gag him. You don’t want him shouting for help.”
“Smart.” Megan stuffed the hand towel into his mouth and secured it to his head with her scarf, which, she had to admit, wasn’t as pretty as Claire’s.
They surveyed their work and it was good.
“Okay, you need to go get Grunt and Lake,” Megan said. “I’ll find Joe and tell him we have a hostage. Good luck.”
She gave her sister a tight hug.
“I’ll be back soon with the cavalry.” Claire headed back out the side door.
“I know,” Megan whispered after her. She didn’t doubt her sister for a second.
When Claire had disappeared into the night, Megan shut the bathroom door on her captive and went in search of Joe.