Page 56 of Waifs And Strays
MacTire froze and within three seconds his features had smoothed back to normal again. He even released his hold on me. I fiddled with the ropes around my wrists until I’d loosened them and they’d dropped to the floor, but I didn’t dare move my feet.
‘Go on, Ms McCafferty,’ MacTire’s tone was calmer but no less dangerous. ‘Tell me what happened.’
I smoothed my hands down the front of my jeans. ‘Somebody broke into the house, attacked Nick and took him.’
MacTire’s nostrils flared. ‘You said he’d be fine. You said you’d look afterhim.’
‘Yes, I did say that, but I wasn’t at home when he was kidnapped.’
‘Where the fuck were you, then?’
I gave him a straight answer. ‘I was with you. When you dragged me to your mansion, Nick’s kidnapper made their move.’
He looked fit to explode. ‘That was three days ago.’
‘Yes.’
‘Why didn’t you come to me as soon as he was taken?’
Now it was Thane’s turn to snort. ‘Because you’re taking the news so well now?’ he asked sarcastically.
Without a flicker in her expression, Samantha walked over and gazed down at him. She didn’t speak and she didn’t raise a hand but Thane averted his eyes. He was smarter than he looked.
I wet my lips. ‘At first I thought you’d taken him yourself,’ I said.
‘Kidnapped my own nephew?’
‘You wanted him back.’
‘Not like that.’
I conceded the point. ‘Then I started working with Thane to find Nick, and we thought that maybe one of your werewolves was responsible.’
MacTire bit back his rage but only barely. ‘One ofmywolves?’
This was awkward. ‘Logic suggested it was a werewolf who’d broken into my house and attacked Nick to take advantage of his vulnerability.’
‘So you immediately assumed it was a MacTire wolf? That’s impossible.’
Samantha stared at me. ‘Who?’ she asked quietly.
I returned her look but I didn’t need to say anything; Samantha already knew. ‘Rebecca,’ she muttered. ‘I knewsomething was up with her.’
‘Is Rebecca the female wolf you sent after me the first time?’ I asked.
‘She is.’
‘Then, yeah. Her.’
MacTire turned on his heel and marched to the door. ‘I’ll get Joseph to bring her down.’
I pulled a face. ‘I wouldn’t bother.’
Samantha was still staring at me. ‘Why?’
I sighed again, then explained what Thane and I had learned from Quack aka Rebecca. Then I told them where they’d find her body. Unsurprisingly, that revelation didn’t improve MacTire’s mood. ‘You were there?’ he demanded of Thane.
‘I was. Everything she says is true.’
