Page 72 of Captured By the Highland Devil
“N-nay nay, laird! Please, spare me life! I—I?—”
“Ye have nothin’ to tell me, so why would I spare yer life?” Ruben asked coldly.
“I—I can tell ye w-where we held the g-girl, Norah, yer sister,” the man swallowed. “I can bet ye that is where they are going to take her too.”
His brows lowered. “Where? How many. Tell me everythin’ and leave out not a word.”
“Before ye slew him, Ragar was going to take yer wife to the cave,” the man said, fear rife in his eyes. “He said the man who hired him wanted her and that he would nae stop until he has her. They are always watching. Chances are, they have her right now.”
Ruben demanded directions. He had to know where to search before he brought all the wrath of the Highlands down on these men. Galan nodded along, keeping careful track of the directions himself.
“MacPherson.” The words rapped out in rhythm with his rapid footsteps as he sprinted for the stables. “When I am done with him, he’ll be fortunate to find his skin still on his body. Ye get Elijah and go to the cave, and I will find the men who took Paige. If anyone harms a hair on her head, they would be better off askin’ the Devil for mercy than me!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Paige cried out as she slammed against a wooden wall. The covered cart she’d been dumped in rumbled along the road at a speed that flung her from side to side with every stone in its path.
After being dragged from the horse, still dazed, in less than a minute, someone had tied her up like a bird about to be cooked. The new driver had his hat low over his face so that she could not see who he was. He refused to slow down, even when she screamed at him.
“Stop, I beg ye!” she screamed through the crack in the cover of the cart. She braced her head on her arm as the road was so bumped, she could not take more blows to her head.
With the speed the man was taking, they could have an accident any moment now. She did not want to die, not now, now when things between her and Ruben were going on so well.
“Who are ye? What are ye going to do to me?” Paige yelled.
The driver kept silent as they flew over the road.
“Why are ye doing this to me?” she demanded.
When he did not say another word, she wiggled in the back of the cart and tried to look out. It was dark so it took her a moment to realize that he was headed back to the MacPherson’s lands. She hadn’t thought she could become more frightened, but a sinking feeling began to carve her chest in two.
Is this Faither’s doing? But why?
She saved her breath as it made no sense to demand answers from this man when he would not answer her. When the cart finally stopped, she kept still, hoping the driver and whoever was waiting for them would think she was asleep.
Someone flung the cover over and she kept her head tucked into the crook of her arm. A man snorted. “Ye’re nae foolin’ anyone. I ken yer awake.”
He hauled her out of the bed and got her on her feet. In the darkness, she saw two men in the clearing. She looked up and behind the trees, she saw two jutting peaks looming in the darkness, curving into the air— devil’s horns.
“Where am I?”
The man sneered, “Ye daenae ken yer own father’s lands?”
Paige’s knees almost went out from under her. The truth of everything came tumbling out and made her feel sickened. Her father had been the one who had taken Norah, held her hostage and had shattered the poor girl to bits.
Did he do all that because he couldnae admit he lost a bet?
“Are ye going to stay there for the rest of eternity?” Paige looked to where the voice was coming from and saw her father approaching. “Ye need to get out of the open and into the hidin’ place?—”
“Nay,” Paige snapped. “Ye are the reason for all this! Ye kidnapped Norah after ye lost the bet and dinnae give up the lands ye had wagered.”
“I was tryin’ to rescue ye!” her father blustered. “Ye should nae believe all the lies McKinnon told ye.”
“They are nae lies,” Paige said, “And when Ruben finds out about this abduction, he will nae spare yer life.”
“If ye think I am scared of that brute, ye ken nothin’.” Her father grabbed her arm and began to drag her across the clearing—when the thundering hooves of horse had her head snapping to the left.
Sure enough, seven men were riding towards the clearing, their horses ghastly looking in the light from the lit torches three of the men held raised over their heads.
