Page 12 of Healing the Highland Sinner
“I ken where it is,” he said.
She arched and eyebrow and looked at him. He shrugged and flashed her that cocky, lopsided grin that put a strange flutter in her heart.
“Just as ye need tae ken who ye’re workin’ with, so dae I,” he said. “I’d be pretty poor at me job if I didnae look intae things on me own.”
“I suppose nae,” she said with a grin. “Go then. Collect yer things and come to me home.”
Rosalind couldn’t take her eyes off him as he turned and sauntered away. There was something about him that was bothering her. He was skilled and had passed their loyalty test, but the way he looked at her, his eyes probing and thoughtful… she felt something calculating about him. She didn’t necessarily get the sense he would stab her in the back—literally or figuratively—but she caught a whiff of something else. As if Ellair was not who he made himself out to be.
“We should go,” Ciar said. “The fight is gatherin’ eyes and we cannae afford tae stand here all day.”
Luckily for them, the captain and his men began to stir and come awake. He looked up at her and rubbed his head.
“Bleedin’ hell, Rosey. Did he have tae bonk me noggin’ so hard?”
She laughed. “Get on yer boat and get out of here. People are comin’.”
“Aye,” he said and began hauling his men to their feet.
Ciar put his hand on the small of her back and shepherded her away from the dock and the gathering crowd. She pulled her hood up, hiding herself in the shadows, while shutting out the curious eyes of all those around her. Power on the docks was in constant flux. You might have it one day only to find yourselfon the wrong end of a sword and losing it the next. At that the moment, she was the undisputed power in the harbor, which meant there were many who sought to knock her off the perch and claim it for themselves, employing any means necessary.
It was why she needed strength and skill in her swordsmen. But most of all, she needed loyalty. She needed to be able to lay her head down at night knowing that those who surrounded her, who were sworn to protect her, would not turn on her because they received better offers. And that was why she paid as well as she did. To make sure that those who remained loyal to her felt her appreciation.
As they made their way through the streets and away from the docks, her mind remained conflicted.
“Are ye all right, lass?” Ciar asked.
“Aye. I’m fine. Just tired.”
“When we get back, ye should take a nap.”
She nodded. “I think I’ll dae that. ‘Tis a good idea.”
However, she knew sleep was not going to come easy to her for she could not stop thinking about Ellair. Worse, whenever she did think of him and saw those icy blue eyes of his in her mind’s eye, she could not stop the flutter of hummingbird wings that shot through her heart.
The man was confounding to her in so many ways.
CHAPTER SIX
Rosalind finished preparing the evening meal and left the pot to warm in the hearth as Ciar set the table. As she dried her hands on a rag, she noticed he was only laying out three settings at the table and looked around.
“Where is everybody?” she asked.
“The new lad is up in his room, Colin and Mackay are out at the tavern taenight, I expect,” he said. “They were havin’ a bet on who could bed the new tavern wench first.”
Rosalind rolled her eyes. Ciar was her most trusted ally, but Colin and Mackay were both solid lieutenants. They were good fighters, good soldiers, and she never had to worry about their loyalty. They were both a bit too keen on the ale and women, but everybody had their vices, she supposed.
“I made enough stew fer everybody,” she grumbled.
“I’ll eat their share. I’m hungry as an ox,” Ciar said.
“Ye smell like one too,” she teased. “I suggest ye go and wash up before supper.”
“What about the new lad?”
“I’ll fetch him. This time anyway,” she said. “He’ll have tae learn if he’s nae down here when I lay the food, ye’ll eat his share.”
“Bleedin’ right I will.”
