Page 58 of Bound to a Scot
“’Tis nae true,” called the man behind her. “We’ll take it after we kill her.”
A third man emerged from between a pair of trees to her right. He looked so much like the man standing in front of her they could have been brothers. The man behind her drew close enough for Emmeline to feel his breath on the back of her neck, which sent a cold chill washing through her. The other two men stepped closer and Emmeline’s legs quivered so hard, she thought they were going to give out beneath her.
“Please,” she said.
“Please, what?” the big, dark-haired man sneered.
“Please, dinnae hurt me,” she said, her voice little more than a whisper.
“Dinnae worry, lass. Ye’re nae goin’ tae feel a thing.”
The man behind her scooped Emmeline up in a bear hug from behind and all three laughed. He casually slung her over his broad shoulder like she was nothing but a sack of laundry and they carried her into the trees. Emmeline kicked and struggled but couldn’t break the man’s grasp. But when they carried her into a clearing in the forest and she saw the large pond in front of them, she realized what they were going to do. She kicked harder and pounded on the man’s back, but that only made him laugh harder.
As the man stepped into the pond, Emmeline writhed and thrashed, panic starting to set in as her fear of water overwhelmed her. She felt weightless for just a moment but then she crashed down into the water and when her head went under, she lost her mind. Thrashing and spitting, kicking and screaming, she fought against the man’s hand as he put it on top of her head and pushed her down harder beneath the water.
Her heart was racing faster than it ever had as a fear she’d never felt before flooded her veins. She screamed but got a mouthful of water for her efforts. Hacking and spitting, she was able to squirm away from the man, trying to cough of up all the water she’d swallowed. The man grimaced and grabbed her by the hair again and delivered a hard punch to her face that snapped Emmeline’s head back as her body grew limp.
A satisfied grin touching his lips, she screamed with all the breath in her lungs one final time as the man pushed her head beneath the water again.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
After not sleeping much the night before, Maddox rolled out of bed and confessed what had happened with Emmeline to Adair. Predictably, Adair nearly hit the roof when Maddox told him that he had tried to explain his feelings for the woman. After what felt like hours of angry abuse being hurled by Adair, Maddox had gotten fed up and stormed out of their room. He needed some air and some space to cool down.
Maddox had quietly asked around among the household staff and learned that Emmeline had gone into the village. Thinking he might have a chance to speak with her alone to try to smooth over what had happened between them, he’d gotten his horse saddled and headed into town after her. By the time he arrived, he’d even managed to convince himself that tracking her down to have a conversation was a good idea.
He stabled his horse and learned from the stableboy that she’d arrived in the village some while ago but was wandering around among the vendors. Maddox slung his saddlebag over his shoulder, then gave the boy a few coins for his horse and hisinformation then started off through the village, searching for Emmeline. The streets of the village were clogged with people, some working, some shopping, all in his way. He was having trouble seeing anything through the throng of people and wasn’t sure how he was going to find her among the crowd.
He stopped at one of the vendor’s tables and purchased a meat pie. He hadn’t eaten before leaving the castle and his stomach was growling as he walked through the market, the air redolent with sizzling meats and other foods. He bit through the flaky crust and his mouth was immediately filled with brown gravy, meat, and an explosion of flavor. He groaned almost obscenely as he relished the bite of pie.
“This is the best meat pie I think I’ve ever had,” he said.
“Thank ye, me laird,” the vendor replied.
“Tell me, have ye seen the Lady Emmeline today?”
The vendor nodded. “Aye. She stopped by and bought a meat pie herself nae that long ago.”
“Did ye see which way she went?”
“Aye. She went down the row that way.”
Maddox turned in the direction the vendor was pointing at, thanked her and started off again. He walked along the row of tables but didn’t see her anywhere. He got to the end of therow, which nearly butted up against the forest that surrounded the village and paused, a frown curling the corners of his mouth downward.
“Where in the bleedin’ hell are ye?” he muttered.
Maddox was just about to turn and head the other way when he heard what sounded like a sharp shriek coming from the forest. He waited a couple of beats wondering if he was hearing things or if it was just some kids playing the fool out there. When the sound didn’t repeat, Maddox decided it had probably been kids and started to turn away when he heard another scream that sent a cold chill through his veins. It was Emmeline’s voice.
His teeth gritting and his heart stuttering drunkenly in his chest, Maddox took off at a sprint and plunged into the forest. He jumped over fallen logs and exposed roots, praying that he didn’t trip over any of them as he ran heedlessly through the forest. Emmeline’s scream had been filled with fear. He didn’t know what was happening but judging by the sound of it, she was in trouble.
Maddox paused among the trees, his heart pounding in his ears, his breath labored and ragged. He turned in a circle, not sure where to go. Panic was beginning to set in as Maddox couldn’t hear her and didn’t know where she was. Terrible images flashed through his mind of the horrors being visited upon her and a tremor of fear ran through his heart.
“Come on, lass. Scream out,” he murmured. “Let me ken where ye are.”
As if responding to his words, he heard a garbled cry and the splash of water somewhere off to his right. Unsheathing the sword on his back he raced forward, fear-fueled adrenaline fueling his flight. Dodging around rocks, trees, and bushes, Maddox plunged through the trees. As he emerged into a clearing, he pulled up short, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Two rough-looking men stood on the bank of the large pond, while a third stood hip-deep in the water.
It was only when he saw Emmeline’s head break the surface of the pond, struggling, that he understood. She sputtered and gasped, trying in vain to draw a breath. A rage as hot and black as he’d ever felt flowed through his veins as the man shoved her back down below the surface again.
“Oy. What are ye doin’ here? There’s nothin’ fer ye here. Get on with ye.”
