Page 39 of Highlander Unraveled
Or maybe, as real as this felt, it wasn’t. I was having a nightmare or a breakdown or something. I was stuck in some sort of hell, that was for certain.
This was supposed to be my safe house. The first place I’d thought of at Mrs. Lamb’s to get away from the chaos, from Steven. But it had become quite the opposite now. Anunsafehouse.
Then again, this house actually proved I wasn’t crazy. Moira and Shona were real people, and I knew them.
I stood stock still for maybe five whole minutes. Listening. Waiting. Just in case Mrs. MacDonald or McAlister came back, or never left and the closing of the door had been a trick of my mind.
I didn’t know who either of them was, but I did know I couldn’t trust them. That was abundantly clear.
When no sounds came other than the occasional car whizzing past on the street below, I grabbed my purse and slung it crisscross over my shoulders and chest.
I needed to leave.
I didn’t know where I’d go, or how I’d get there, but I wasn’t staying here another minute.
Holding the tennis racket, just in case, I unlocked and opened the door, blinking into the darkness of the upstairs hallway when a shadow loomed in front.
“Hello, dear,” Steven said, his voice low and menacing.
Ohmygod…
I backed away from the door in complete shock and disbelieve. The tennis racket fell from my numb fingers. Bile rose up my throat.
“What… What are you doing here?” I asked, jerking my head toward the window. “How did you get here?”
He followed me into the room, blocking the door from my view. “Now, that’s no way to treat your husband is it?”
I shook my head, my foot getting caught on the racket, nearly toppling me backward.
He laughed as I righted myself.
“You’re not my husband,” I said, sternly. More stern than I’d ever spoken to him before.
“Tsk, tsk.” He looked behind him, and I did too, not sure what to expect. “I see you met my friend.”
“Friend?” That had to explain how he’d found me. But which one was his friend?
“Mrs. MacDonald. Though I’m surprised you followed her, given the name.”
“What…?” My breath caught. Steven…knew?
No, no, no. I shook my head, trying to clear away the chaos, but it only buzzed louder in my ears.
He waved his hand and rolled his eyes. “Oh, I know, right about now you’re questioning all sorts of things aren’t you? Well, let me clear it up real quick for you.” He cleared his throat and crossed his arms over his chest, staring down at me as though I were easily the biggest moron he’d ever laid eyes on. “When you disappeared, Mrs. MacDonald was in and out of Mrs. Lamb’s house. She caught my attention. Turns out, the woman is a time jumper, but I suspect you know what that is so I won’t go into detail. Long story short, she and I formed a friendship, and she told me where you were. What you were doing. Or should I say,whoyou were doing.” He sneered. “She told me it would only be a matter of time before you returned and when you came back, she promised to keep an eye on you. For me. Until I could get you all to myself. Didn’t want to have Mrs. Lamb meddling again.”
I swallowed hard around the lump in my throat.
“Suffice it to say, I’m not letting you out of my sight.” He made a tsking sound. “Been there, done that.”
I cleared my throat. “Where did they go?” I asked, nodding toward the hallway.
“Oh, them?” He hooked his thumb over his shoulder. “Well, they left. Probably won’t ever see them again.”
“But where?”
Steven narrowed his eyes. “Why do you care? They aren’t going to help you. No one is.”
I stiffened. “Idon’tcare.” But I did. Had they jumped back in time, changed history somehow and that’s why their cars weren’t there anymore, or had they simply driven away when he arrived?
