Page 6 of Sins of a Scot
“So, dae ye have a plan?” Owen asked.
Daire gave him a steady look. “I’m working on it. I told ye last week, when I found ye at that fight, that I would help ye, Owen. I’ll nae be the man who has tae report tae Madigan that his son was killed in a fight. It was only that ye had this fight already organized that I let yer carry on tonight.”
Owen sighed. “I dinnae have much time, Daire. If I dinnae get this money soon, I’m a dead man.”
“Aye, I ken that. But if ye carry on the way ye’re going, ye’ll be a dead man anyway. Ye’re winning now, but what if one day, ye dinnae? What if, one day, ye’re hit with a fatal blow? What then?”
“Och, that’ll never happen.”
“Dinnae be so cocky. It’s happened tae better men than ye. Besides, ye promised. Tonight was the last fight.”
“I ken, I ken,” Owen moaned. “But I got mesel’ intae this mess. It’s up tae me tae get out o’ it.”
“Nae by putting yer life at risk.”
“I think it’s a bit late fer that,” Owen quipped back.
“Aye, well,” Daire sighed. “Ye will go getting involved in matters ye ken little about.”
“She was in trouble. What was I supposed tae dae? Leave her?” Owen argued.
Daire nodded knowingly. “I ken ye thought ye were doing the right thing, Owen, but now ye have a gang of men after ye fer agreat sum o’ money. Did it nae occur tae ye that they’d kill ye if ye couldnae produce it?”
Of course, it had. But he hadn’t thought about that at the time. He was more concerned about the lass’s welfare. On a scouting mission for his father, he had come upon a group of unsavory men in a tavern beyond his own clan lands. At first, he had not understood why they were unsavory, he had just felt it in his gut.
It was only later, when he had been speaking to them for a while, trying to find some information for his mission, that he had truly discovered the depth of their depravity. With many drinks, their lips loosened, and they let slip that they were able to get him a lass if he was interested. Owen could not have known their true meaning, until later, when he discovered these men stole young girls from their homes and sold them to the highest bidder.
Though he had tried to discover where they kept her, they were very tight-lipped on that subject, and in the end, he just agreed to buy her from them. He had promised them his entire savings, but in his heart, he had had no intention of paying. It was only later, he discovered how ruthless this gang really was, and he had been hunted by them ever since. He could have asked his father for help, for he was Laird Madigan Sinclair, after all, and the clan had more than enough coin to pay the men off. But Owen had not wanted to involve him, or use the clan’s wealth. This was his mess and he had to clean it up.
In a tavern a month ago, he had heard whisperings of these secret fights, and engaging the men who had spoken about it, Owen had managed to infiltrate the arrangements. The maskhad been for his own protection. For a start, there were dangerous men hunting him, but more importantly, he had not wanted his father to discover what he was doing. People knew him as the heir to Clan Sinclair. It would only take one whisper to travel back to the castle, and his father would put an immediate stop to it all.
But last week, his plan had failed in a big way. Daire Robertson, his father’s best friend and confidant, had arrived at the same tavern, and watching the fight, he had recognized Owen immediately, even with the mask. Afterward, he had furiously pulled him aside.
Owen had then been forced to confess the reason he was battling random men in secret fights in private rooms, expecting Daire to understand. And he did, in a way. He just refused to accept that what Owen was doing was the only solution.
Owen had felt dejected when Daire made him promise he would stop, for inasmuch as the fighting was tough, he had discovered he was rather good at it. That ought to have come as no surprise. He was one of the best warriors in Clan Sinclair. He was also one of the best scouts. That was likely the reason he had not yet been caught by these men. He had other scouts across the glen reporting back to him. He had instructed them to keep him informed if any strangers inquired about his whereabouts.
There had been a few reports already, and upon discovering where they had come from, Owen had gone there himself to check. On two of those occasions, he had discovered that the men who were going to kill him, had indeed, been present in thevillages. It had been the only way he had been able to get ahead of them. His only saving grace was the fact that they did not know who he was, for he was certain, they would have arrived at the castle directly if they did.
And now, his last fight was over. Daire had come to the tavern to make sure of it. Even the large bag of coins did not make him feel fully satisfied. Of course, it was going to help with the money he owed. He had already gathered quite a bit of coin from the fights he had won, but he was still going to miss it.
“Ye’re pouting,” Daire said, bringing Owen out of his thoughts.
“I am nae,” he retorted.
Daire grinned. “Ye are, too. It’s obvious tae anyone with eyes that these fights are nae just about the money, Owen. Ye enjoy them.”
Owen smiled and shrugged. “I’m nae going tae deny it. They’re exhilarating.”
“Aye, I can see that.” Daire smirked. “So going forward, I’m nae letting ye out o’ me sight. I’ll nae have ye sneaking off and putting yersel’ in any more danger.”
“Ye sound like me maither,” Owen chuckled.
Absently, his hand wandered up to the crystal that hung around his neck. It was not a gift from his mother. His mother had beenmurdered some time ago, an ever-present wound to his heart, even though a few years had passed. The man who had killed her was dead and gone, but the pain still remained.
In strange circumstances, his father had married again. His wife, Eden, had actually been betrothed to Owen, but Eden and Madigan had fallen in love, and given it had been an arranged betrothal, Owen had gladly stepped aside and was now pleased that his father had found love and happiness once more.
The necklace he now played with had been a gift from his stepmother. A strong woman endowed with gifts from birth, she was aware of many others with such gifts, and while most people used them for good, she had warned him there were others who did not.
