Grace Under Fire (Buchanan-Renard 14)

“If I have to drag that man off my land, I will.” She hoped Michael wouldn’t ask her how she planned to accomplish the feat because she didn’t have the faintest idea... yet.

She expected an argument but didn’t get one. She couldn’t take the silence long. “Michael, are you pouting?”

The question jarred him. “Am I what?”

“Pouting.”

“What the... Men don’t pout.”

He acted as though she had insulted him. “Some do,” she said.

“I don’t.”

She decided to wait until later, when he was in a more reasonable mood, to talk about getting Harcus off her land.

The rain had finally slowed down. Shards of the sun, like iridescent glass, were shooting out from the dark clouds, bringing hints of light to the day. She wiped the condensation off the window and saw chimneys in the distance.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“Blackgoran Village.”

“I don’t remember seeing it on the map. How do you know—”

“I read the sign.”

Michael drove through the village, circled around, and parked on a quiet side street. Tired of waiting to hear from his brother Nick, he pulled out his cell phone and called him.

While Michael was talking to Nick, Isabel scanned her surroundings. There was a church across the street. The beautiful building had a regal bearing, with a steeple that reminded her of a bishop’s miter. She wondered how old it was. Age had given the structure a greenish-blue patina. She pushed the button to bring the window down so she could read the name etched in stone above the doors: the magdalene.

Isabel wasn’t paying any attention to what Michael was saying to his brother. The church held her full attention. She wondered if the doors were locked. She could run up the steps and find out. She really wanted to see inside.

Michael must have read her intention because he grabbed her hand and shook his head. The message was clear. She wasn’t going anywhere.

He ended the call a minute later after assuring Nick that Isabel was fine.

“Noah and my brothers are worried about you,” he remarked as he started the engine.

“Why?” she asked, genuinely perplexed.

He laughed. “There’s a killer out there searching for you,” he reminded. “They think you might be worried about your situation.”

“Why would I worry? I have you.”

It had been a quick automatic response on her part, and it was only after she said it that she realized once again how true it was. She didn’t have any reason to worry as long as she was with him. She hadn’t said anything he didn’t already know. Michael would watch out for her just as she would watch out for him. As far as she was concerned, it was a no-brainer.

His reaction to what she said was surprising. He looked stunned, but only for a second or two, and then his expression changed to arrogant satisfaction. “Damn right.”

She rolled her eyes. “What’s the plan, Einstein?”

“We’re changing cars.”

An hour later, following directions Nick had texted, they pulled into a garage tucked behind an auto repair shop, parked their car, and carried their bags to an older SUV. The car key was under the floor mat along with a room key to the hotel where they were staying for the night. Nick’s connections had come through again. There was also a key to the hotel’s back door. They could go in that way, take the back steps to their room, and hopefully no one would see them.

“We’ve been lucky so far,” Isabel remarked. “I don’t think anyone has been able to track us.”

“We’ve had a lot of help. Nick has a friend with MI5 who hooked him up with an inspector in Inverness. His name is Knox Sinclair, and he’s now the man in charge.”

“In charge of the investigation?”