Page 11 of Utterly Dauntless

He'd been gentle with her thus far, let her sit up front after she promised to behave. When exhaustion had overtaken him in the night, he'd laid her down in the back, secured her feet and attached her hands to a spare tire. But he'd covered her with a cargo blanket, and when the lorry got really cold, he'd turned on the engine and the heater for a while. By her guess, he'd slept about three hours. If he'd worked a full shift before following her all day, he needed much more than that. But he seemed alert enough for now. They'd already passed Fort William, so they'd be in Inverness by midday.

But then what?

Damn. Maybe she didn't really want to know.

She flexed her fingers, trying to maintain circulation without drawing his attention. Her shoulders ached from being bound for so long, but she wouldn't complain. Instead, she focused on memorizing every detail—his mannerisms, his voice, anything that might help her place him in her past. Because somewhere in her history, their paths had crossed. And whatever she'd done then had led to this moment.

Unfortunately for her, it seemed he was after more than just an apology.

The signfor Inverbeg flashed past, and Grey crushed the wrapper of his last Tunnock's teacake into a ball. He'd been running on sugar and determination for the past hour, scanning the roadside for any sign of where Aries' rental might have been abandoned. But the police were long gone, the car hauled away. He had no idea where to even start looking.

He pulled onto the shoulder and killed the engine. The silence pressed in, broken only by the ticking of the cooling engine and the occasional whoosh of a passing car.

"Lord," he whispered, "I could use a wee bit of help here." He scrubbed his hands over his face, his stubble rough against his palms. "Just...just let me find her."

His phone buzzed against the console, the screen lighting up withEmergency Last Resort.Wickham's sisters.

Grey stared at it, his thumb hovering over the screen. The witches never called unless something was truly wrong. Or truly right. The problem was, you never knew which until you answered.

With a deep breath, he swiped to accept the call. "Aye?"

"Grey." A familiar voice crackled through the speaker, though he couldn’t guess which sister it belonged to. "Kitchens told us what's happened."

"Then ye ken why I cannae talk now?—"

"Listen to me. You need to turn around and head home."

He barked out a laugh. "I dinnae think ye're gettin' the full picture here, marm."

"I assure you, we are." Her tone held that eerie certainty that made the hair on his neck rise. "Whoever has Aries istaking her home."

"Givin' her back?"

"That's all we know. He's taking her home. No idea whose home. But you and she are moving in opposite directions." She paused. "And this time, I mean that literally, not figuratively, dear."

Grey's heart thundered, spreading sugar and hope through his veins. "Ye're certain?"

"Would I call if I wasn't? Now promise me you'll turn around. And don't just say it to get rid of me."

"I wouldnae dare." And he meant it. One did not make false promises to a witch.

"Good man. Drive safe."

He ended the call, tossed the phone onto his go bag, and swung the car around to head north again. If they'd been moving in opposite directions, did that mean a blue van had by-passed him at some point? The idea of her coming so close while he slept brought a growl out of him and he pressed harder on the accelerator. When he finally let up, he remembered to say a prayer of thanks...for witches who stuck their noses and their talents into other people's business.

CHAPTER NINE

Grey's stomach growled loud enough to compete with the engine. If he got his hands on the villain in his current state—half-starved and running on pure Highland temper—he'd end up in jail. Still might.

He pulled off at the next exit, found a petrol station, and loaded up on cold water and whatever food they had that wouldn't require two hands to eat. Back in the car, he noticed a missed call from Kitchens and quickly dialed back.

"Traffic cams picked up a blue van heading north on A82 this morning. Plates match a vehicle registered to Carson Campbell, Kingsmills Road, Inverness. Ring any bells?"

"None." Grey crushed an empty water bottle and tossed it aside. "But that's Peg's neighborhood."

"The bloke really is taking her home then."

"Aye. Let's hope it's in one piece. Do ye mind sending some men to watch the place. If she's in danger, I don't want them waiting for me."

---