Page 19 of Healing the Highland Sinner
Rosalind got to her feet and planted her palms on the table then leaned forward, her green eyes boring into him. She glanced over her shoulder again, Ellair hadn’t moved an inch.
“Ye should watch yer tongue. Or ye may just lose it,” she hissed. “There will be nay changes. Ye will still pay yer duties tae me, as ye are daein’ right now. Dae it nae or defy me in any way and watch what happens.
“There will come a time when ye dinnae have a man watchin’ yer back. And when ye’re caught out, all alone?—”
“Ye arenae goin’ tae want tae finish that sentence,” Ellair said low and menacingly. “Ye’d dae well tae mind yer tongue. Ye dinnae talk tae the lady like that. Ye give her some respect.”
The porcine man looked down at the table, unable to meet their eyes. He wasn’t a man used threats or being talked back to. He was a man used to having his orders followed. And although Rosalind was irritated with Ellair for stepping in when she’d asked him not to, she couldn’t help but be thankful to him for putting the man in his place.
“Let’s go.”
She led Ellair out of the Kraken and back through the warren of streets that led back to her house. Her strides were purposeful, angry, but Ellair kept up with her step for step. When they were far enough away from the tavern that nobody could hear her, she turned to Ellair, her face red, her expression tight.
“I told ye tae stay out of it all,” she hissed. “What in the bleedin’ hell was that back there?”
“I was havin’ yer back.”
“I told ye tae stay out of it all.”
“Aye,” he replied, “ye also said tae step in if things went sideways. It looked like things were about tae go sideways. That man?—”
“Is nay threat tae me. The man can barely walk up a flight of steps without gettin’ winded. What danger did ye think he really posed tae me?”
He shrugged. “One thing I’ve learned in all me years fightin’ is that ye never underestimate anybody. The one ye dae is the one who buries a blade in yer guts.”
She walked on in silence, unable to refute his words. It was an oversight and probably poor judgement on her behalf to discount the threat Ewan posed to her. That was exactly why she had men like Ciar and now Ellair watching her back. She didn’t have the skill to fight, nor the wits to measure threats against her. What made her better than men like Ewan was that she knew herself well enough to know what she didn’t know. And to not be too stupid or proud to not hire the people who could do what she couldn’t. Like fighting.
What she couldn’t deny was the effect Ellair had had on the people in the Kraken. Perhaps it was because he was a new face, or the fact that his mere presence seemed to be a whispered promise of violence, but he had far a more demonstrable impact on the villains and scum who infested the Kraken more than even Ciar did. His presence kept them in line. And for that, she was glad.
But the last thing she was going to do was inflate his already bloated ego by praising him for it. Or telling him at all, for that matter. She needed to keep him humble, which was proving to be a Herculean task all in itself.
“Since Ciar will likely need time tae heal, ye’ll be comin’ with me tomorrow,” she said.
“Where are we goin’ then?”
“If ye’re goin’ tae work for me, ye need to learn yer place. And askin’ questions isnae yer place,” she said.
He flashed her a wide grin and tipped her a wink. “I’ve always loved a strong woman. Bein’ ordered about is kind of arousin’, if ye ask me.”
Rosalind rolled her eyes and had struggled to keep the smile off her lips. She had no desire to encourage him further.
CHAPTER NINE
“What is this about?” she asked.
Ellair flashed her a grin. “I want tae show ye somethin’.”
“What?”
“Just come with me.”
“Where are we goin’?”
Ellair sighed. “Dae ye always ask this many questions?”
“Aye. I dae. Especially when ye’re draggin’ me away without tellin’ me where we’re goin’.”
“Just… trust me. We’re daein’ this fer yer own good.”
