Here With Me (Adair Family 1)

The glen was a mere five-minute drive from Eredine’s lodge, but it was up the narrowest single-track road I’d encountered thus far. Tense behind the wheel, I kept a moderate speed in the event of confronting an oncoming vehicle. As I followed the switchbacks through forested hills, I began to doubt my decision. One, I’d made a promise, and two, it was foolish to go anywhere in the woods alone at the moment, no matter how capable I was.

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath.

I needed to turn back.

Hoping to come upon a passing place to do a U-turn, I kept my eyes peeled. Just as I spotted one in the distance, a truck appeared ahead of me too.

It was going at speed, giving me no chance to get to the passing place first to wait for them to go by so I could do my maneuver.

Grumbling under my breath at the truck’s reckless speed, I waited for them to slow at the passing place so I could get by.

Instead, I heard the roar of their engine over the music playing from my radio, and my heart jumped into my throat as the truck with tinted black windows kept coming right at me. A bigger, sturdier vehicle than mine, I knew if it hit me …

The driver must be distracted, my frantic brain thought. I pressed my palm to the horn, blasting it.

The truck kept coming.

“Oh my God.” Fear exploded through me, and I slammed my foot on the brake.

Then horrific understanding followed when I saw the ski-masked face behind the wheel of the truck.

He wasn’t stopping.

Had no intention of stopping.

Instinct forced my hands to spin the steering wheel to the left, and I felt the ground give way beneath my tires as I soared off the embankment and down into the sloping valley of trees.

The sensation didn’t last long.

A tree caught my fall.

The sound of crunching metal filled my ears as I flew forward in my seat and—

32

Lachlan

The road to Inverness flew past him at speed as Mac drove them to the hospital as fast as the law would allow.

Lachlan sat in the passenger side filled with a dread that made him physically ill. He had the shakes, clammy sweat coated his skin, and his stomach roiled with nauseating fear.

“Shit, Lachlan, you look like you’re about to pass out.” Mac’s voice sounded far away even though the man was right beside him.

He cut him a look. Mac’s features were taut, his own face peaky. “I’m all right,” Lachlan managed. “Just keep driving.”

All his life, he’d worried his family was cursed, and when Thane’s wife died, that was it. Lachlan was sure of it. Adair men were doomed to watch the women they loved die. His grandfather was the only one in generations to escape that fate, but Lachlan found it hard to imagine he’d ever be that lucky. Perhaps it was punishment for the sins of his ancestors who, from all accounts, were ruthless, self-involved bastards. Many of the landed gentry were back then.

If Robyn died—

A harsh lurch of nausea had him rearing back in the passenger seat. He slammed his eyes closed and took a couple deep breaths. Man up, Lachlan! he yelled inwardly. If Robyn … Mac would need him.

Tears of fury clogged his throat.

Who was he kidding?

If Robyn died, he’d want to die with her.

It was true.

He was just like his emotionally weak father after all.

“She’s not dead,” Mac bit out angrily, and for a moment, Lachlan wondered if he’d spoken out loud. “My daughter is not dead, so stop looking like you’re going to her funeral.”

Lachlan nodded sharply and tried to mask his feelings.

All he kept hearing over and over was Eredine’s voice.

“Ada and I were worried, so we followed her. She’d swerved off the road. Hit a tree. The paramedics just got her out. She’s unconscious. They’re taking her to Inverness. Lachlan … we passed a truck on the road, couldn’t miss him on those tracks … he was wearing a mask. That’s what alerted us—”

The fucker.

“Coward couldn’t fight her … so he drove her off the road,” he muttered darkly to himself.

“We don’t know that yet.” Mac heard him. “We’ll find out when Robyn tells us. And she will tell us. I feel it in my gut, Lachlan. My girl is fine.”

Please let his bloody gut be right.

When they pulled into a space at the hospital, Lachlan jumped out before the engine was off and then swayed against the car as the world tilted.

Jesus Christ.

“Lachlan, you all right?” Mac was at his side, bristling with concern and impatience.

Lachlan waved him off and pushed him toward the hospital main entrance. Attempting to shake off his debilitating dread, he followed Mac in, ignoring the nurse at the reception and her wide-eyed stare when he appeared at his friend’s back.