Mac (Mountain Men 2)

“Aye, I’ve noticed it myself.”

I nod. “So today, this notebook fell out of her pocket. I asked her to give it to me, and she gave me crap. She didn't want to.” I fill him in. “The girls are together now, sharing one guard. But Islan’s guard came to me, and just in time, because when I took the notebook away from Aisla, she tried to attack me to get it back.”

Leith’s brows rise in surprise. “Bloody hell. Attack you?”

I sigh. “Aye. She ran right to me, tried to yank it out of my hand. Caught me that much by surprise I hardly reacted at first.”

“Jesus. So she’s hiding something in that notebook, is she?”

“Aye,” I say while I pull it out of my pocket.

I flip through the pages, frowning, and feel my eyes go wide as I continue to read.

Spy on the premises. Taken to the dungeon for interrogation. Interrogation is what they do in the sound-proof dungeon like in the old days. They will abuse prisoner until answers are given.

Jesus. I keep reading.

In the dungeon, they keep instruments of torture and restraint. They cause pain and use intimidation to get answers.

I leaf through, reading more pages.

Chain of command:

Clan Captain (Leith Cowen, married to Cairstina)

Clan Chief (Tate Cowen)

Clan Warlord (Mac Cowen)

“Blood hell,” I mutter to Leith. “She’s got notes about… fuckin’ everything. Our roles. Who we’re friendly with and who we’re not?”

His eyes darken as he looks over the notes. "Everyone on our staff is privy to lots of information we wouldn't want to get to the outside world. This is why we pay them as well as we do.”

I know this, and yet it's disconcerting to see things written down on paper that could get into the wrong hands. We can't trust her.

“So the question is,” Leith says thoughtfully, “who’s she shared this information with?”

I leaf through more of the pages, shaking my head from side to side. “But some of these notes are a bit confusing. Not really sure what they mean?”

I frown, shaking my head as I read them.

Chr #1 — cave, biologist

Chr #2 — highlands, librarian

Leith frowns. “Jesus. Those are notes, aren’t they? We need to question Aisla ourselves.”

He follows me upstairs, and I won’t lie, I’m sick to my bloody stomach at the thought of having to question someone again, and this one a woman.

I want to get back to Bryn. I don't want to be here anymore, with thoughts of Bryn betraying me. And now, Aisla…

“I sent them in here,” I tell him, leading him to the study.

But it’s strangely quiet when we approach. I look to Leith, and he shrugs. I open the door.

Jesus.

The guard is passed out on the floor, sprawled out with his hands tied behind his back. Breathing, but unconscious, not a sign of blood anywhere.

Aisla’s gone.

Chapter 14

Bryn

Mac comes back to me, troubled. There’s blood on his knuckles, but that doesn’t disturb me as much as the way his eyes look. They're distant, and I suspect he knows things he can't tell me.

I'm tempted to ask him to tell me everything, but I don't want to put him in an awkward position. I don't want to make him choose between his family and me. We both know eventually he'll probably have to make that choice, but it doesn't have to be now.

So I doctor up his hand, and can’t help but kiss each bloody knuckle. I run my fingers gently down his back, and he closes his eyes as if relishing my touch. I want him to touch me this way. But something happened back at the main house that's changed him.

“Are you going to cash in on that rain check?” I ask him, my heart smacking in my chest with sudden nerves. I don't feel any of the confidence I felt before he left, even after that scorching kiss he gave to mark me. He’s holding something back from me, and it’s made me nervous as hell.

He shakes his head. “No, lassie. We need some rest. Tomorrow’s the big day.”

“You’ll sleep better if you let me —”

But he takes my hands off of him and gently pushes me away. “Get ready for bed, Bryn.”

“Mac —”

He gives me a look that brooks no argument, stern and commanding. “Are you talking back to me?”

We’ve enjoyed some push and pull. I crave his dominance and strength, and like to tease him into asserting himself over me. But this… this is different.

“Well, no, I just—”

He pushes himself to standing and scowls at me. “Then do what I say. Now. And don’t question me again. If I come back in here and find you haven’t done what I said, there’ll be consequences.”

He stalks out of the room, slamming the bedroom door behind him. I sit on the edge of the bed, a bit stunned. He definitely doesn't like to be disobeyed, and I know that. But this is the first time I've really been tempted to do just that.