Forbidden Highlander (Highlander Trilogy 2)

Dawn braced her hand on the mantel and stared into the flames concentrating on the young man’s pleas for help. What was it about them that disturbed her so? She shut her eyes and heard them over and over and over in her head.

“The question is who hired him and was he the one who beat Bree to death.” Sloan said.

“And do the attempts on Dawn’s life end here with him?” Elsa asked.

Cree shook his head. “Someone with too much to lose is behind this. The question is who.”

The young man’s words resonated in Dawn’s head blocking out everything else. Over and over and over she heard, “Help me. Help Me. Help me.” Until suddenly it became, “Help Bree. Help Bree. Help Bree.”

Could that have been what the young man meant? “Help Bree.” Had he been trying to protect her? Had he meant, “Bree good?” Had Bree been a pawn in this endless ruse? Had his dying breath been a plea to help save the innocent woman he loved? If so then who was it that had been using her?

Her stomach gurgled, reminding her that she had yet to eat breakfast. Her hand went to rest at her stomach and no soon as she did then Cree was at her side, his arm going around her waist.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

She turned around in his arms nodding, more concerned with what her thoughts had deduced than with her hunger pains. She began to gesture wanting to share what she thought the dying young man might have meant, and Sloan and Elsa drew nearer to listen.

“Bree?” Sloan asked perplexed as she spoke with her hands. “You think he meant Bree, not me?”

“He mentioned love, didn’t he?” Elsa asked. “Could he have been in love with Bree and was trying to protect her?”

“From who?” Sloan asked.

“From whoever wanted Dawn dead,” Cree said. “Bree could have been caught up in this mess by pure accident.”

“Or on purpose,” Sloan said. “She could have used the poor sap to do her biding.”

“Either way,” Cree said, “they were involved and someone was giving them orders.”

Dawn spoke up, her hand tapping her chest before she threw both hands up, along with her shoulders, in a shrug.

Cree nodded. “You’re right. With Bree and this young man dead, who is left to do you harm?”

Sloan answered that one. “The person who wants her dead.”

Dawn grew lightheaded and for a moment she thought she would faint. She should have eaten by now. As of late she realized she was more hungry than usual in the morning and always felt good after eating. She needed to get food and quickly or she feared the consequences.

She went to take a step when a wave of dizziness attacked and she reached out frantically trying to grab something that would steady her. She was relieved when Cree scooped her up in his arms.

“What’s wrong?” he demanded with more concern than anger.

Elsa answered for her. “You haven’t eaten yet this morning have you?”

Cree turned to Sloan. “See that one of the men checks the cottage, if no food has been brought have him go to the kitchen and see that the morning meal is brought immediately. Then see that this body is stored with Bree’s. When you are done meet me in my solar. There are things that need to be discussed.”

Cree wouldn’t put Dawn down so she could walk. No matter how much she insisted that she was all right, he wouldn’t listen. He continued carrying her through the village, once again drawing attention to them, but that seemed to be a given. They received attention wherever they went in the village. She should be used to it by now, but she wasn’t.

Flanna and Dorrie arrived with two baskets a few minutes after Cree and Dawn arrived at the cottage. He had lowered her feet to the ground, though kept his arms around her. The two women hurriedly arranged the food on the table and Flanna filled two tankards with hot cider before Cree dismissed them.

“I must go,” he said turning Dawn around in his arms.

She gestured that he should eat.

“I don’t have time. I must see to things.”

She frowned, having hoped he was going to join her and they could make some sense of who wanted her dead.

He ran his finger over her pouting lips. “I will return later and let you know if I uncover anything.”

That made her feel somewhat better and so she nodded, though didn’t smile.

He leaned down and gave her a lingering kiss that neither of them made any move to end and it might have gone further if a knock didn’t sound at the door.

Cree mumbled and then shouted angrily, “Enter.”

No one entered.

Cree shouted again. “If I come to the door, you’ll regret it.”

The door opened slowly and Lila poked her head in, her face pale and her eyes wide.