Page 34 of The Mad Highlander
Both women gasped and clung to each other as the man fell face-first into the dirt, giving Cayden enough time to pounce on his back and secure his assailant’s wrists behind him. Reaching down, he grabbed the man’s braid and lifted his head.
“Why have ye come?” Cayden lowered his head and growled in the man’s ear, making sure to keep his knee firmly pressed between the bulky shoulder blades.
Grimacing, the man bared his teeth as a single trickle of blood ran down his lower lip. “I told ye, I was hired to kill the black-haired lass. She has a bounty on her head worth more than a good piece of land.”
Cayden felt his heart stop beating as she quickly glanced up at the fear in Iris’ eyes.
Who would want her dead?
His stomach coiled at the thought of losing her. It couldn’t have been the Murdochs; they didn’t know anything unless they had turned up at Tristan’s castle and found her missing.
“Who hired you?” Cayden lost his temper and pressed his knee even further into the man’s back.
Wincing, the Highlander flinched. “I didnae ken the man; he came to me in a tavern with the offer. All I did was accept the job.”
“Ye must have seen what he looked like; tell me if ye wish to keep yer life!” Cayden tightened his grip around the man’s neck.
“Urgh! He was a younger man. I heard his companion refer to him as McReed!” He whimpered in pain when Cayden bore down again.
Shock and horror cascaded in his mind as Cayden suddenly thought back to the council meeting and how angry McReed had been. He had also been one of the men who refused to stand with him.
“Cayden, look out!” Iris’ scream ripped him from his realization just as a flash of steel crossed his vision. He had been so absorbed by the realization that he hadn’t even noticed the second man creeping up behind him. The girls must have been so focused on what was happening that they too had been startled by the sudden change.
A scuffle ensued as Cayden was thrown off the larger man with the other man locking his arm around his throat. Shouts of confusion and horror further confused matters as Cayden found himself locked in a battle for dominance.
Me dirk.
Cayden suddenly snapped out of the confusion as he reached for his belt, quickly retrieving his dagger and sinking it into the man’s side.
The color drained from his assailant’s face, and the scuffle suddenly stopped.
The full weight of a body fell against his chest as the man went limp, a final cry of anguish escaping his lips.
Moving quickly, Cayden pushed the body away and got to his feet just in time to see the larger man bearing down on him with a cry of fury. His efforts came to a halt when several men from Cayden’s clan appeared out of the bushes and tackled the Highlander to the ground, using force to keep him at bay.
“Where the devil have ye all been?” Cayden growled, using the back of his hand to wipe a trickle of blood from his mouth. The edge of the blade had managed to graze his cheek in the scuffle, leaving a small cut that stretched to the corner of his lips.
One of the men scrambled to his feet after checking to see if the second man was still alive. His lack of action let Cayden know that his blade had met its mark. “We dinnae ken that anything was happening, Me Laird. McReed called us all into a meeting at the training grounds. We were only alerted when yer maither came to find us.”
Cayden swore under his breath. It had all been planned. They were called to one of the more remote sections of the castle so that nobody would hear any screams or even a scuffle. “Where is McReed now?”
“He’s back at the castle, comforting yer maither, Me Laird.” The man’s face paled when Cayden balled his fists at his side.
“Go back at once, an’ throw McReed in the dungeons.” He turned to the men who were still holding the struggling Highlander on the ground. “Take him to the dungeons and lock him up. Send someone back for the body and then bury him,” he continued to bark orders.
The men scrambled about doing his bidding, leaving him in the clearing.
That bastard.
He had known that McReed’s pride had been hurt after the meeting, yet he hadn’t thought that the man would stoop to such levels. His thoughts were interrupted when Iris threw herself into his arms, burying her face in his chest as she sobbed.
“Oh, Cayden, I was so scared; thank ye for coming. I dinnae ken what would have happened if ye hadnae…” Her voice broke off as she clung to him, hanging on as if her life depended on it.
His heart softened, allowing fear to take over as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and drew her body close to his.
I nearly lost her.
He felt a shiver of fear run down his spine at the thought. He wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if anyone else had been harmed under his care, especially not Iris.
