Page 30 of It Began With A Kiss
Finlay bowed. “Aye, my laird. ’Twill be done.”
As Iona and Aiden continued onward to the castle she could not help asking. “Ye do not think Broden would do anything tae my son, do ye?”
Iona felt Aiden pull her closer. “It stands to reason Broden will go to any lengths to see his will has been done. Taking your son would fit into his plans, I would think.”
A cry left her. “Maybe we should help with finding him.”
“I will not put you in further danger, my love. Nay, leave the finding of Gregor to Finlay and my guards. They will locate him and bring him home,” Aiden replied, and she could only nod even whilst her gaze went back to the village behind her.
She should have gone herself. She should have listened to that small voice inside her head. Instead, she left her confidence in the man she loved, knowing he would do all in his power to ensure her son’s safety.
CHAPTER23
Broden held tight to the squirming brat in his arms. He had suffered much during his attempts to take the boy and he should have known getting Gregor to come along quietly was going to be an issue. Still… he had bided his time, hiding beneath the shadows of the nearby trees whilst the boy played with his friends. Luck had been on Broden’s side when the ball they had been throwing went over Gregor’s head and his nephew ran directly toward Broden’s place of hiding.
’Twas easy enough to snatch the boy’s arm, or so Broden had thought until a well-aimed kick almost landed in his privates. Broden’s hand swiftly moved to clamp his fingers over the boy’s mouth. He succeeded, but only to have the boy leave teeth marks on his skin. He should have brought rope but there would have been no time to tie his nephew up, especially once Broden heard Gregor’s name being called and he began to run deeper into the forest.
His lungs burned in his efforts to put as much distance between him and the village where he had been hiding of late. He trusted no one, especially any of the clansmen in the village. The turncoats! Thora was dead, so clearly she would be no help to him in his latest plans. That was all the thought he gave to the woman who died at his own hands. Angus, whom he thought he could trust, had taken the whip on his behalf but Broden had the uncanny notion that expecting any further help from that quarter would also be useless. So how was he to take back what was rightfully his when any who had been on his side now seemingly renounced him?
Aye! He was alone and all his great plans after he killed his brother to claim the clan and land had twisted awry the instant he had escaped the dungeon. His only thought now was that, if he could not have the land, then at the very least he should be compensated for all he had lost. Ransoming his nephew seemed the next best course of action.
He neared the hut where he had been hiding. Little more than a hovel, the forest had all but claimed the dwelling, as the exterior walls were covered in moss and appeared as though they were ready to collapse. But Broden had taken some time to reinforce the walls as best he could, knowing this was only temporary.
He shoved Gregor through the doorway, sliding a bolt into place. He hoped to convince the boy that there was no place to go. Broden rubbed his sore hand whilst his nephew glared at him with his brother’s eyes.
“Ye filthy cur!” Gregor cried out. “Just ye wait until my mother learns of yer deceit.”
“Yer mother is the least of my worries,” Broden snarled, knowing the lady was now hopelessly out of his reach. The taking of her son had seen to that, let alone that he killed her husband.
The boy crossed his arms over his chest. “Laird Aiden will come for me.”
A sly smirk crept across Broden’s mouth. “I am counting on it.”
Confusion crossed the boy’s features before he once more spoke his thoughts. “How can ye do this tae me, Uncle? We are family.”
A snort left Broden’s lips. “Family… we may share the same blood, but we are no longer family. Do ye wish tae know why?”
“Aye.” Gregor’s reply was but a whisper.
Broden knelt down so he could see straight into the boy’s face. “Because the minute I killed my brother, I became yer enemy.”
A startled cry was ripped from the boy’s mouth. “W-why? W-why would ye k-kill my father?”
Broden shrugged before standing, whilst the boy began to cry. He made his way around the small room to gather a rope and a strip of linen. “He had what I wanted, including yer mother. Seemed tae make sense at the time.”
Gregor looked up at him once he stood before him again. “Why are ye confessing this tae me?” the lad asked.
Broden knelt and began to tie his nephew up. Once the boy was secure, he held the strip of linen up to his face. “Someone should at least know the depths I have gone through in order tae acquire all that I desire. Now shut up. I have had enough of yer talking.”
Broden left the boy where he was, knowing he was now secure and was not going anywhere. Gregor’s sobbing meant nothing to him. He cared little for anyone at this point in his life. The only thing that matter was his own survival.
He went to the small table where parchment and quill awaited him and began to pen his missive. He may not have the keep, Iona, or control over the lands, but the new laird and his lady would pay dearly for the return of her son.
CHAPTER24
Aiden threw the missive he had read aloud onto his desk in disgust. Was he surprised at the content? Not really, but that Gregor’s own uncle would stoop so low as to kidnap a child and hold him for ransom was beyond appalling. Aiden had already sent someone to ask Iona to join him. He was certain her reaction would be to rush out from the safety of the castle to rescue her son.
He looked around at those who had gathered in his solar. Five men who had been with him since he could walk and one who had followed him after a tourney.
